Automobile manufacturing
FILE - In this March 13, 2015 file photo, Toyota President and CEO Akio Toyoda, left, and IOC President Thomas Bach pose with a signed document during a press conference in Tokyo as Toyota signed on as a worldwide Olympic sponsor in a landmark deal, becoming the first car company to join the IOC's top-tier marketing program. Toyota won't be airing any Olympic-themed advertisements on Japanese TV during the Tokyo Games despite being one of the IOC's top corporate sponsors. The unusual decision by the country's top automaker underlines how polarizing the Games have become in Japan as COVID-19 infections rise ahead of the July 23, 2021, opening ceremony.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
Olympic sponsor Toyota pulls Games-related TV ads in Japan

By Yuri Kageyama Jul. 19, 2021 04:02 AM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 4, 2015, file photo Ray Curry, a regional director of the United Auto Workers, speaks in Chattanooga, Tenn. On Monday, June 28, 2021, Curry was elected president of the union. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig, File)
New UAW president will face huge post-pandemic challenges

By Tom Krisher Jun. 28, 2021 03:31 PM EDT

FILE - In this May 18, 2021 file photo, Rory Gamble, President of United Auto Workers, speaks at the Ford Rouge EV Center in Dearborn, Mich. Gamble, who led the union through a corruption scandal and the coronavirus pandemic, is retiring effective June 30. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Rory Gamble, who led UAW through scandal, pandemic, retires

By Tom Krisher Jun. 25, 2021 01:37 PM EDT

People walk past Nissan Motor Co.'s global headquarters in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida pleaded for patience from disgruntled shareholders Tuesday, promising a turnaround at the Japanese automaker, which is projecting a third year of losses as it struggles to distance itself from a scandal over its former Chairman Carlos Ghosn. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
Nissan CEO promises turnaround for disgruntled shareholders

By Yuri Kageyama Jun. 22, 2021 12:54 AM EDT

FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, file photo, the floor of the North American International Auto Show is shown in Detroit. The head of Detroit's big international auto show says it will return to the Motor City next year, but with smaller indoor displays, and more emphasis on experiencing vehicles and technology outside. The North American International Auto Show was canceled in 2020, due the coronavirus pandemic, and it will be replaced this year by an outdoor event at a racetrack. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Auto show back in Detroit next year with focus on outdoors

Jun. 17, 2021 03:18 PM EDT

A man charges his electric car at an electrical charging point in Rivas Vaciamadrid, Spain, Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Spain is Europe's second-leading car maker but it is lagging behind when it comes to electric cars, a situation that the government aims to change by using around five billion euros of the EU pandemic recovery funds to kickstart the electric car industry. The government plans to spend big, to install a network of public recharging stations and to convince customers about the benefits of buying electric or hybrid vehicles. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain hopes to jumpstart electric car industry with EU funds

By Joseph Wilson Jun. 16, 2021 02:32 AM EDT

US retail sales fell 1.3% in May, chip shortage dings autos

By Joseph Pisani Jun. 15, 2021 08:54 AM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) — Retail sales fell in May, dragged down by a decline in auto sales, likely due to fewer cars being made amid a pandemic-related shortage of...

FILE - In this Wednesday, May 8, 2013 file photo a Ferrari logo is displayed on a wheel in the department Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy. Luxury sports carmaker Ferrari has tapped Benedetto Vigna, an Italian executive at Europe’s largest semiconductor chipmaker, as its new CEO, the company announced Wednesday, June 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Marco Vasini, File)
Ferrari taps European chip-maker executive as new CEO

By Colleen Barry Jun. 09, 2021 03:47 AM EDT

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 24, 2021 file photo, mid-sized pickup trucks and full-size vans are seen in a parking lot outside a General Motors assembly plant where they are produced in Wentzville, Mo. General Motors says efforts to manage the global computer chip shortage have worked better than expected, so it’s financial results will improve over previous forecasts. The company says in a statement Thursday, June 3, it has made engineering changes, prioritized semiconductor use and pulled some potential deliveries into the second quarter. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
GM lifts forecast as chip shortage eases, stock hits record

By Tom Krisher Jun. 03, 2021 10:25 AM EDT

Ford pickup trucks built lacking computer chips are shown in parking lot storage in Dearborn, Mich., Tuesday, May 4, 2021. Automakers are cutting production as they grapple with a global shortage of computer chips, and that's making dealers nervous. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Automotive chip maker says it's nearly recovered from blaze

Jun. 01, 2021 11:45 AM EDT

FILE - In this June 24, 2019, file photo machines work on a Ford vehicle assembly line at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant in Chicago. Don’t ditch those masks yet, autoworkers. A task force made up of union and car company officials said, Wednesday, May 19, 2021 it will continue to require workers to wear masks on the job “out of an abundance of caution.” The task force, represented by officials from United Auto Workers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis said the mask requirement will remain in place until the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issues guidelines in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent change in COVID-19 workplace standards. (AP Photo/Amr Alfiky, File)
Automakers, union tell workers to keep wearing masks at work

By Matt Ott May. 19, 2021 02:08 PM EDT

President Joe Biden speaks after a tour of the Ford Rouge EV Center, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, in Dearborn, Mich. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Israel, Gaza violence overshadows Biden's domestic plans

By Jonathan Lemire, Darlene Superville And Josh Boak May. 18, 2021 01:54 PM EDT

A man wearing a protective mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walks past the logo of Honda Motor Company Thursday, May 13, 2021, in Tokyo. Honda swung into the black in January-March, recording a 213 billion yen ($2 billion) profit, despite the ongoing uncertainties unleashed by the coronavirus pandemic, the results, released Friday, May 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Honda returns to quarterly profit despite pandemic damage

By Yuri Kageyama May. 14, 2021 05:40 AM EDT

The company logo adorns a sign outside a Toyota dealership Sunday, March 21, 2021, in Lakewood, Colo. Toyota reported Wednesday, May 12, 2021, its January-March profit more than doubled from the previous year to 777 billion yen ($7 billion), as the Japanese automaker’s sales gradually recovered from the damage of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Japan's Toyota says profit soared in Jan-March amid pandemic

By Yuri Kageyama May. 12, 2021 03:31 AM EDT

A woman wearing a face mask to to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walks by the logo of Nissan seen at the automaker's showroom in Tokyo Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Nissan reduced its losses for January-March, compared to last year, as restructuring efforts kicked in, despite the sales damage from the coronavirus pandemic, the Japanese automaker said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan's Nissan sees smaller loss, promises sales recovery

By Yuri Kageyama May. 11, 2021 06:50 AM EDT

FILE- In this March 21, 2018, file photo, the logo of German car manufacturer BMW is pictured on a BMW 7 in Munich, Germany. Booming sales in China helped propel German luxury carmaker BMW to stronger profits in the first three months of the year even as its home market Germany trailed the ongoing recovery in global car markets from the worst of the pandemic shutdowns. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
China propels BMW to strong profits, Germany lags

By David Mchugh May. 07, 2021 03:57 AM EDT

FILE - In this April 19, 2021 file photo, Stephan Wollenstein, CEO of Volkswagen Group China, speaks during a launch event at the Shanghai Auto Show in Shanghai, China. Volkswagen's earnings bounced back strongly in the first quarter. The company is riding the strong recovery from the pandemic in China, its single biggest market these days. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
Volkswagen profits jump as China leads pandemic rebound

By David Mchugh May. 06, 2021 03:11 AM EDT

The 2022 Next Gen Toyota Camry Cup car was unveiled during a NASCAR media event in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, May 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)
NASCAR returns to roots with sleek new pony cars for 2022

By Jenna Fryer May. 06, 2021 02:01 AM EDT

NASCAR unveils the Next Gen Cup cars for the 2022 season during the NASCAR media event in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, May 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)
NASCAR's future is here: Next Gen car finally arrives

By Jenna Fryer May. 05, 2021 11:09 AM EDT

This image provided by General Motors shows the GM Logo. General Motors’ first-quarter net income surged to $2.98 billion, reported Wednesday, May 6, 2021, as strong U.S. consumer demand and higher prices overcame production cuts brought on by the global shortage of computer chips. The big profit increase was 12 times larger than the same period last year, when the start of the coronavirus pandemic forced automakers to shutter factories, limiting GM’s net income to $247 million. (General Motors via AP)
GM expects big 2021 profit, says it's managing chip shortage

By Tom Krisher May. 05, 2021 07:56 AM EDT