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Top Stories
Fiat Chrysler Racketeering Suit a 'distraction' from PSA, UAW Talks
General Motors Co.'s racketeering lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is a distraction for the Italian-American automaker in the middle of negotiations for a labor contract with the United Auto Workers union and for a merger with French automaker Groupe PSA, experts say. GM alleges Fiat Chrysler's late-CEO Sergio Marchionne orchestrated a multimillion-dollar conspiracy, including bribes, that corrupted three rounds of bargaining with the UAW. GM said it was harmed by that conspiracy in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Fiat Chrysler has called the claims "groundless."
Source: The Detroit News
Car Makers Wager on Bigger Screens to Lure Buyers
When it comes to the media display in your car, auto makers are betting size does matter. Car companies are introducing bigger screens—and more of them—in their newest models. Executives say the larger displays are needed as the systems that show navigational tools, music options and the like become more sophisticated, and consumers—especially younger ones—want to bring more of their digital lives into the car. The increased size and functionality, however, have raised questions about whether outsize displays help or hinder efforts to curb distracted driving.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
America’s Car Buyers Are Getting Older and Driving Longer
In October, seasonally adjusted U.S. auto sales topped 16.5 million, making the U.S., unsurprisingly, the second-biggest auto market in the world after China. Big as that figure is, it’s down by more than 2 million vehicles from two years ago and back to levels seen in 2014, 2007 and 2002. There’s a major difference between the auto market of the late 2000s and the late 2010s, however: the age of buyers. Auto market researcher Michael Sivak recently noted the distinct shift in new-car purchasers toward older buyers. In 2007, nearly half of all light-duty vehicle buyers in the U.S. were under the age of 44; in 2017, more than half were over the age of 55.
Source: Bloomberg
Ram Pickups are Taking Food Out of Ford and GM’s Mouths
Ram has gone from a third-place also-ran in America’s truck wars to a serious challenger. The Ram Heavy Duty pickup snatched industry publication MotorTrend’s 2020 Truck of the Year award on Tuesday, giving Fiat Chrysler’s pickup brand yet another award to add to its growing trophy collection. The smaller full-size Ram 1500 pickup won the same award for 2019.
Source: CNBC
Car Dealership Customers Often Lost in the Lot
Most people who digitally configure a vehicle of choice “will not find it on the dealer lot,” says Bernardo Rodriguez, J.D. Power’s chief digital officer. That’s because there are thousands of configurations. For a dealer to stock every possible combination would require exorbitant floor-plan costs and a lot the size of Vermont.
Source: WardsAuto
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