Toyota's Texas truck factory chief promoted to head of 5 more North American assembl

<p>Kevin Voelkel, president of Toyota's truck plant in San Antonio, will succeed Brian Krinock, who is retiring at the end of March.</p>

https://www.autonews.com/executives/toyo...bly-plants

Tesla tries a winter discount for Model Y in cooling U.S. EV market

<p>Tesla is offering $1,000 off until March in the U.S. and Puerto Rico "since most people don't love to buy cars in the middle of winter," CEO Elon Musk says.</p>

https://www.autonews.com/retail/tesla-di...r-interest

SK On inks deal for 34,000 tons of EV battery graphite for North American plants

<p>The deal with Westwater Resources provides the supplier of batteries to Ford, Hyundai and Volkswagen with a local source of the crucial material.</p>

https://www.autonews.com/suppliers/sk-we...phite-deal

AutoNation cut back regional executives, reports $7 million in severance expenses

<p>The company said in a statement it is trying to reduce internal bureaucracy, improve decision-making response times and "increase direct interactions with the executive team."</p>

https://www.autonews.com/dealers/autonat...-7-million

Group 1 Automotive buys RRR Automotive Group to expand presence in mid-Atlantic stat

<p>Group 1 Automotive's purchase of RRR Automotive is expected to provide more than $500 million in annual revenue.</p>

https://www.autonews.com/dealers/group-1...p-maryland

Digital sales leads grow as more car shoppers begin the process online

<p>Dealership sales leads declined because of high interest rates, pricey vehicles and excessive inventory. At the same time, viable digital leads and the ability to turn them into sold vehicles grew by double digits, a study from Shift Digital found.</p>

https://www.autonews.com/retail/car-deal...leads-grow

BYD plans new EV assembly plant in Mexico, report says

<p>Japan's Nikkei reported BYD has launched a feasibility study for the Mexican plant and is negotiating with officials over terms, including the factory's location.</p>

https://www.autonews.com/china/byd-mexic...eport-says

Cash deals are on the rise, for both gas-powered and electric vehicles

<p>The average cash penetration rate for internal combustion vehicles in 2023 was just over 18 percent, up from under 16 percent in 2022, according to Experian.</p>

https://www.autonews.com/finance-insuran...y-all-cash

California agency rejects Stellantis bid to void rivals' emissions deal

<p>A California agency has rejected Chrysler-parent Stellantis's STLAM.MI bid to void a 2019 state emissions deal with rival automakers, according to a letter Reuters saw Tuesday.</p>

https://www.autonews.com/regulation-safe...sions-deal

Mercedes-Benz says CLE Coupe will be largest in the segment

<p>The 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe starts at $57,650 including shipping and arrives in dealerships in March.</p>

https://www.autonews.com/marketing/2024-...st-segment