Five Star Automotive Buys 5 Ind. Stores, Expands Into Midwest
An Atlanta-based dealership group has expanded northward with its first purchase in the Midwest, last month acquiring five dealerships from the Mike Raisor Automotive Group in Lafayette, Ind. Automotive News reports that Five Star Automotive Group on Feb. 20 closed on the Ford-Lincoln, Buick-GMC-Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Volkswagen Mike Raisor stores. Terms of the transaction weren't disclosed. The dealerships have been rebranded Lafayette Ford-Lincoln, Lafayette Buick-GMC-Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz of Lafayette, Audi Lafayette and Lafayette Volkswagen. The Five Star group, a family-owned operation, was founded in 1986 with one Dodge dealership in Macon, Ga. It has grown to 26 dealerships in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, and now Indiana. The dealership group is owned by Dick Pope and Charlie Cantrell. Read more here (Source: Automotive News).
Volvo to Be Electric-Only Brand by 2030; EVs Will Be Sold Exclusively Online
Volvo Cars made official on Tuesday something CEO Hakan Samuelsson revealed in December: the automaker wants to be an electric-only brand by 2030. Samuelsson said Volvo expects to benefit as much from its intensified emphasis on sustainability as it has from its long-term commitment to vehicle safety, reports Automotive News. “That has made us more profitable," Samuelsson said during a roundtable discussion with journalists prior to Tuesday's announcements. "Why should we see this development as something negative? We see it as an opportunity." Samuelsson foresees Volvo selling its last gasoline-electric hybrid in 2029 and expects its final diesel model to be sold well before that, but he couldn't pinpoint an exact year. Diesels are no longer offered in Volvo's compact model line, which includes its global best-seller, the XC40, or in the U.S.-built S60 premium midsize sedan. In addition, Volvo, which is owned by China's Geely Auto, said diesels will no longer be offered when it launches or redesigns a new vehicle. Read more here (Source: Automotive News).
VW Introducing Autonomous Vehicles Within Four Years
Volkswagen plans call for the introduction of autonomous vehicles by 2025. The company is currently developing self-driving systems produced by Argo AI for a version of the future ID.Buzz for ride-hailing and carpooling. According to The Detroit Bureau, the automaker expects to reveal the all-electric ID.Buzz next year. It will have room for seven adults, and be powered by a 225-kilowatt driveline. The ID.Buzz takes its design from the original Volkswagen Type 2 Microbus, and will be the seventh generation of the design when it debuts. The plans come in addition to the automaker’s intention of bringing an all-electric version of the Volkswagen Bulli, which will also be converted into an autonomous vehicle. The announcement by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, a brand within the Volkswagen Group, came after the Supervisory Board meeting of the Volkswagen Group on Friday. Read more here (Source: The Detroit Bureau).
Toyota Yaris Named Car of the Year at Virtual Geneva Motor Show
The Toyota Yaris hybrid was named Car of the Year during a virtual presentation of the Geneva International Motor Show on Monday, reports The Detroit Bureau. But the victory was a narrow one, the 59 members of the CoTY jury also giving strong support to the new, all-electric Fiat 500 and two Volkswagen products, the all-electric VW ID.3 and the sporty Cupra Formentor crossover. In all, seven models were up for honors during the online presentation marking the 10th year of the award. Powered exclusively by a hybrid drivetrain, the Toyota Yaris “has emotion and reason,” said Frank Janssen, a European journalist who serves as president of the Car of the Year jury. The base version, he explained, offers great fuel economy with low emissions, while the Yaris GR, at 260 horsepower, adds a much more sporty element to the compact crossover. Read more here (Source: The Detroit Bureau).
U.S. Investigates Nearly 1.9M Toyota RAV4s Over Fire Risks
U.S. auto safety regulators on Monday said they have opened an investigation into nearly 1.9 million Toyota RAV4 sport-utility vehicles over potential fire risks. Reuters reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the preliminary evaluation looking at 2013-2018 RAV4 vehicles comes after 11 reports of fires. The agency said that some drivers experienced stalling prior to the fire in half of the instances where the vehicle was in motion. The 12-volt battery was identified as the area of origin in a majority of incidents reviewed, the agency said. “Toyota is aware that NHTSA has opened this investigation and we are cooperating with the agency,” said Toyota spokesman Ed Hellwig. The RAV4 is Toyota’s best-selling vehicle in the United States. Read more here (Source: Reuters).
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