Ford’s new Universal Electric Vehicle Platform may reach further down the price ladder than dealers expected. The automaker says it can support B-segment vehicles as small as subcompact cars, a detail that emerged in a recent Q&A session about the Universal EV Platform, as reported by Ford Authority. “The UEV platform is designed to be highly flexible and will support a family of vehicles across multiple body styles (from B-car sized up to commercial vans). It is also engineered to be flexible for multiple chemistries and form factors beyond the initial Lithium Iron Phosphate or LFP battery, allowing it to adapt to future advancements,” the company said in the Q&A session. 

Source: CBT News

Carvana is apparently moving into new-vehicle sales territory, expanding its reach beyond the prototype on which it has, until now, based its whole business. The used-car retailer known for its large-scale vending machines and quick-quote online sales model has begun to build an actual franchised dealership business using Stellantis stores it bought up over the past year, according to reports from CNBC, and there are already signs it’s doing brisk business. Carvana’s Stellantis dealership in Casa Grande, Arizona, sold more than 700 new vehicles last month, says CNBC, making it the automaker’s top-selling showroom in the country. Before Carvana took ownership of the dealer, it reportedly sold just 30 to 50 vehicles a month.

The move is a big step away from the model most picture when thinking of Carvana, that of an outfit selling used cars online and delivering them to customers’ driveways through a nationwide logistics network. “Carvana entering the new vehicle franchise business may be one of the most disruptive forces that auto retailing has seen in the US market in decades,” analyst John Murphy told CNBC.

That sounds serious, and for good reason. By becoming a franchised dealer, Carvana gets access to several new channels for acquiring used inventory beyond that old Ford Fusion you want to offload. There are any number of dealer-only vehicle auctions it could mine for inventory, and analysts say that sort of access will give Carvana a leg up in the extremely competitive used-vehicle market. More importantly, it could also mean Carvana moves beyond relying mostly on revenue generated from used-vehicle sales and its finance and insurance products; adding new vehicles and even, possible, a parts and service operation could greatly expand its reach.

The company currently operates seven Stellantis dealerships in addition to its 39 vending-machine locations nationwide. And unlike traditional mega-dealership groups such as AutoNation, Carvana already has a sophisticated national digital sales platform and vehicle transportation network. There are hurdles, however, in its push for national new-car-sales expansion. New-vehicle sales are governed by state laws regulating franchise operations, manufacturer requirements, and consumer protections that are often very restrictive. Carvana also currently lacks a broad repair operation that is a hallmark of most traditional dealerships, possibly limiting its attractiveness to buyers accustomed to reliable servicing needs.

In any case, what path Carvana ultimately will take is sure to affect how those traditional dealerships respond.

Source: Autoweek

At Longo Toyota in El Monte, Calif., more than 800 customers are waiting for a 2026 Toyota RAV4 — and that waitlist keeps growing despite the dealership delivering over 200 of the redesigned crossovers in May alone. And Earl Stewart Toyota in Lake Park, Fla., presold each of the 40 new RAV4s offered on its website, weeks or months before delivery. 

Toyota dealerships nationwide are struggling with the same issue: Outsized consumer demand for one of the nation’s most popular nameplates and restricted supplies while the three plants worldwide that produce RAV4s ramp up output.

Source: Automotive News

The increasing use of artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation has become a major point of contention between automakers and organized labor. Both sides argue that this technology could shape the future of the U.S. auto industry. At this week’s UAW Constitutional Convention in Detroit, UAW President Shawn Fain identified AI and robotics as potential threats to workers. He expressed concerns that employees are not benefiting from the productivity gains these new technologies create. Union leaders contend that automation could diminish job opportunities and further pressure manufacturing employment.

Source: CBT News

The Trump administration’s controversial tariff regime appears to have contributed to a drop in vehicle production in Canada, alongside a rise in the number of new cars built in the United States. The Center for Automotive Research (CAR) reports that Canadian vehicle production dropped 15% year-over-year through April. It’s understood that factories in Canada built approximately 64,000 fewer vehicles through April than the year prior, while US production rose by roughly 44,000 units, or 1.2%.

Source: CarScoops

As the artificial intelligence boom continues, auto industry companies are competing with tech giants for access to memory chips, a shift that is driving up costs and triggering structural changes to the supply chain just as automakers lean into the software-defined vehicle transition. Spot prices for a type of in-demand memory called DRAM skyrocketed about 450 percent from September 2025 to January 2026, according to a May report from the consulting firm Kearney.

Source: Automotive News

The Canadian Auto Workers (Unifor) began contract negotiations with Ford on Monday in Toronto. The talks open this year’s bargaining with the Detroit Three: Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. The union represents nearly 19,000 members across the three automakers and is pushing for better pay, job security and benefits. Current collective agreements expire Sept. 20. Unifor chose Ford to start negotiations, as a deal with Ford would serve as the template for later talks with GM and Stellantis. The union picked Ford because the automaker has stayed committed to its Canadian operations, where it employs 5,150 union members. However, Unifor set a July 10 deadline to reach a tentative agreement.

Source: CBT News

The world’s only Ferrari Enzo finished in Rosso Dino has just hammered on duPont Registry Live at $12,399,000 with no reserve ($13,018,950 including Buyer's Premium), setting a new world record. Eclipsing the previous online auction record of $5.36 million – set by a LaFerrari Aperta on Bring a Trailer in 2022 – this eight-figure result is the most expensive car ever to cross a digital-only auction block. Of the 400 examples produced between 2002 and 2004, and one of the 127 units that were delivered to the U.S., this car is the only one finished in this historically significant shade. Over 725 bids, 115+ active watchers, and over 9,500 views with a fierce bidding battle in the final hour.

Source: duPont Registry

Toyota Motor is notably gaining on America’s largest automaker, General Motors, in U.S. sales as hybrids get more popular and all-electric vehicles sputter. The Japanese automaker is expected to report a nearly 1% increase in U.S. sales through the first half of this year to 1.25 million vehicles, while GM is projected to be down 7.2% to 1.33 million, according to a new forecast released Wednesday by Cox Automotive.

Source: CNBC

GM Canada is celebrating a major production milestone at its Oshawa Assembly plant. Its employees have now built more than 500,000 Chevy Silverado pickup trucks since production restarted in 2021. The Ontario facility also crossed another benchmark, producing more than one million aftermarket parts during the same period.

The 500,000th truck to leave the Oshawa assembly line was a Sterling Gray Metallic (color code GXD) Chevy Silverado HD equipped with the Z71 off-road package. The milestone highlights the plant’s role in GM’s full-size truck strategy and comes as the automaker prepares Oshawa for the next generation of gas-powered pickups.

“Oshawa Assembly is a world-class operation because of the people who show up every day and build these trucks and parts with exceptional skill and pride,” said Jack Uppal, president and managing director of GM Canada. “We continue to invest in Oshawa because we believe in what this plant delivers for our customers and for Canada.” GM has committed C$343 million to prepare Oshawa Assembly for future full-size truck production. The investment is part of a broader C$3.3 billion commitment to Canadian operations since 2020, including C$1.5 billion directed toward Oshawa.

Beyond building trucks, the facility supports GM’s aftermarket operations by producing components that help keep vehicles on the road. The plant’s output includes stamping, sub-assembly work, and other parts-related activities that support customers and dealers throughout North America. “We build great trucks and parts at Oshawa. Our customers agree: our plant has proudly earned 28 J.D. Power awards for quality, the auto industry’s leading measure of consumer satisfaction,” said Jake Currie, Oshawa Assembly plant director. “We will bring the same commitment and dedication to the next generation of trucks we will build here.”

Oshawa’s production milestone also reinforces GM’s continued focus on Canadian manufacturing. The nearby St. Catharines Propulsion facility is preparing to build GM’s next-generation V8 engines, which will continue powering high-demand full-size trucks and SUVs.

For the Chevy Silverado, the Oshawa Assembly plant represents a critical part of the truck’s North American manufacturing footprint. The facility’s next chapter will continue with new investments, new products, and a workforce that has already demonstrated its ability to deliver at scale.

Source: GM Authority