By the numbers As chip shortage goes on, cars are scarce

June 2021 AutoGraph’s Automotive Report 1

Monthly News for the Local Automotive Industry

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The past 16 months have been unusual, to say the least, but to help you get a han-dle on what’s happening in and around the industry, here’s our annual collection of stats and trends impacting collision repair-ers. Backlog still on the light side, but return-ing “This is the most backlog we have had in nine months,” the owner of a multi-location collision repair business in the suburbs of Philadelphia wrote in January, as the national scheduling backlog rose for the third consecutive quarter to an average of 1.6 weeks at the start of this year. But that was still the lowest average for the first quarter in any of the past four years, according to tracking by CRASH Network, leaving many shops uneasy. “It’s on the edge, where we could add staff, but we are seasonal here and want a little more backlog [before we] make that move,” a shop owner in rural Montana wrote. The survey results show that shops’ backlog of work in January had risen from just 1.3 weeks at the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2020, but are still below the 2.3 weeks of backlog that has been the first quarter average since 2017. About 19 percent of shops reported they had no backlog in January and could schedule new work immediately. That is an improvement from the previous quarter when 24 percent of shops had no work scheduled ahead, and far better still than the early weeks of the pandemic last April, when 57 percent of shops had no backlog of work. Looking at the latest data by region, the Southwest reported the least backlog, half of what was “normal” in recent years. Shops in New England and the Pacific Northwest had backlogs that are only about 60 percent of the typical first quarter levels. The South, Midwest and Mountain regions

By the numbers

By John Yoswick DETROIT — For the next few months, Charlie Gilchrist figures his 11 car deal-erships in the Dallas-Fort Worth area will sell just about every new vehicle they can get from the factories — and at increased prices. In normal times, that would be cause for joy. Not so much now. A global shortage of computer chips has forced automakers to slash production. The result has been far fewer vehicles on dealer lots, just as the waning pandemic has fueled a pent-up consumer demand for cars, trucks and SUVs. Given the robust customer demand, dealers like Gilchrist could sell many more cars and trucks, if only they had more. Even at elevated prices — the aver-age new-vehicle sales price tops $40,000, up nearly 10 percent in two years — cus-tomer demand exceeds supply. “It’s pretty evident when you pull onto our lots that there’s not much selection,” said Gilchrist, whose lots carry brands ranging from General Motors and Ford to Nissan and Volkswagen. “Our (sales) vol-ume is falling because of the sheer lack of inventory. It will still fall during the next two or three months.” The across-the-board surge in auto prices contributed mightily to last month’s jump in U.S. consumer prices, the gov-ernment reported last month. A record 10 percent increase in used vehicle prices, in fact, accounted for roughly one-third of April’s overall rise in consumer prices — the sharpest monthly increase in more than a decade. Ford expects to produce only half its normal number of vehicles from now through June. GM and others have re-sorted to halting production of some cars and smaller SUVs and diverting com-puter chips to higher-profit pickup trucks and large SUVs. Leading automakers are warning of diminished earnings. The vehicle scarcity and the soaring prices can be traced to the eruption of the

As chip shortage goes on, cars are scarce and prices are upBy Tom Krisher

Continued on page 10Continued on page 6

Shop Profile: Crotts Garage & Collision Repair - 22

Rear View: 1949 Vollswagen Hebmuller - 38

Getting a look at what’s happening out there by check-ing automotive repair industry stats and trends

Retro Release: 35th Anniversary edition of the 1990 Ford Thunderbird - 14

Lease or purcahse when it comes to adding locations? - 4edmunds: The top off-road vehicles for 2021 - 8Recalls: Compiled from AP, OeMs, ePA and NHTSA - 12Biden plan would pick winners, losers in move to green jobs -16

What’s Inside: Senator urges tough uS rules barring gas-powered cars by 2035 - 21using voltage drop testing to diagnose a problem circuit - 26Police: California Tesla driver riding in backseat arrested - 30Racing Notes: ex-NASCAR driver eric McClure dies at 42 - 35

2 AutoGraphic’s Automotive Report June 2021

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AutoGraphic’s Automotive Report is published every month by AutoGraphic Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright 2021. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any contents, graphic or editorial, without permission is prohibited. Member of Associated Press. AAR accepts no responsibility for opinions of writers or for claims made by advertisers. Views expressed by writers are not necessarily those of the publication. Direct comments and suggestions to: editor Barry For-kum via mail 1121 Airport Center Drive, Suite 101, Nashville, TN 37214 or email [email protected].

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VOL. 34, No. 1 • June 2021 Here’s a tip: Investors might be inter-ested in buying your shop’s real estate. Gary Chou, executive vice president of commercial real estate brokerage firm Matthews Real Estate Investment Ser-vices, says that outside investors such as real estate investment trusts (REITs) have recently begun to see collision shop prop-erties “as a legitimate investment product.” “That’s helped push values of collision properties up, because it basically increases the buyer pool overall,” Chou said. Chou was speaking as part of a panel discussion focused on issues related to collision shop real estate, with topics that could be equally of interest to multi-shop operators (MSOs) and single-location col-lision repairers. The new interest among investors in body shop real estate, for example, offers another option for a shop owner who sells the business to a large MSO — which is unlikely to want to buy the real estate — and wants to cash out the property rather than continue as landlord. Much of the discussion centered around whether a collision repairer adding a shop location — whether a second or sixteenth — should purchase or lease the new loca-tion’s building and real estate. Gary Chou said smaller MSOs often view the purchased land as “a retirement

play,” while larger MSOs consider “effi-ciency of capital” — what will get them a greater financial return. “There’s no right or wrong,” said Chou, as long as someone purchasing considers whether they would do better freeing up that money to open additional shops. Will Johnston, chief corporate develop-ment officer for Service King, agreed that there’s not one definitive answer to the purchase-versus-lease question. “It really depends on where you are in your growth and how aggressively you’re growing,” Johnston said. “You may decide that your pace of growth is such you want to lease that property because you want to save capital to go after additional shops. But if you’re growing with brownfields and take-overs and will be adding a lot of value to the facilities you take over or that you build, you may want to benefit from the value [in the property] you put in there as the operator.” The terms of any lease can be very important, Johnston said, particularly when you decide to sell your business. “The lease you’re negotiating now might be the lease that you’re assigning over to a buyer of your business later,” he said. “It will affect the valuation [of the business] and certainly will affect the ease of getting that deal done. Typically in an acquisi-tion, it’s the third-party landlords that can

Lease or purchase when it comes to adding locations?By John Yoswick

Continued on page 20

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DETROIT — The CEO of America’s second-largest auto company is calling for the federal government to set standards for fully or partially automated vehicles to tighten the safety of electronic driving systems. In urging federal regulation, Ford CEO Jim Farley becomes the highest-profile auto executive to publicly recognize a need to more closely monitor the emerg-ing technology, which is becoming more prevalent on America’s roadways just as questions are being raised about the po-tential risks to motorists. In limited areas, companies are beginning to deploy fully autonomous ride-hailing services. Farley’s statements, in an interview with The Associated Press, follow in-creased scrutiny by regulators of Tesla’s partially automated “Autopilot” driver-assist system, which has been involved in a series of high-profile crashes. Tesla also is using selected owners to test its “Full Self-Driv-ing” software on public roads. “Absolutely,” Farley said when asked whether federal regulations are needed. “Today, the regulations are state-by-state,“ he said of fully autonomous vehi-cles. “They’re really oriented toward the development of the technology, not large-scale deployment of the technology.” He suggested that legislators and the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin-istration were moving too slowly. “Time is of the essence,” Farley said, explaining that Argo AI, an autonomous vehicle company in which Ford is a ma-jor investor, is moving ahead quickly with technology that will let Ford start an au-tonomous ride-hailing service. Argo, which is testing autonomous ve-hicles with human backup drivers in six U.S. cities, expects to be ready for Ford to offer ride-hailing without human drivers sometime next year. In the Phoenix area, Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo is already offering a limited fully autonomous ride service. And later this year, Ford will offer

“Blue Cruise,” its own partially auto-mated highway driving system that, like Tesla’s Autopilot, keeps cars centered in their lane and a safe distance behind traffic in front of them. With Blue Cruise, drivers can take their hands off the steering wheel. But unlike Autopilot, they will be moni-tored by a camera to make sure they are paying attention. “We’ve done the testing to feel comfort-able with this system and how it’s imple-mented,” Farley said. The CEO took an implicit jab at Tesla, saying that Ford does its own testing be-fore rolling out the technology. “We don’t want our customers to have to do any testing,” he said. Drivers often have thwarted Tesla’s ef-forts to monitor them by detecting hands on the steering wheel. Earlier last month, a man was arrested in California after an

officer spotted his Tesla on a freeway with the man rid-ing in the back seat and no one behind the wheel. The man told the AP that his

car was fully autonomous and designed so that he could ride in the back seat. That’s not true. Tesla has explicitly told California regulators that both “Au-topilot” and “Full Self-Driving” are assist systems and that drivers must be ready to intervene. A message was left seeking comment from Tesla, which has disbanded its media relations department. Farley’s stance on regulation is unique in the auto industry, which has generally favored voluntary guidelines over regula-tions. No federal regulations specifically govern electronic driving systems, al-though they do fall under safety standards that cover all vehicles. The industry’s biggest trade association, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, recently proposed voluntary guidelines for partially automated systems. The govern-ment’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has relied on voluntary cooperation, taking a hands-off approach so as not to discourage life-saving innova-tions. (AP) •

Ford CEO says US needs to regu-late automated driving systemsBy Tom Krisher

The CEO took an implicit jab at Tesla, saying that Ford does its own testing before rolling out the technology.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — General Motors is teaming up with Lockheed Martin to produce the ultimate off-road, self-driving, electric vehicles for the moon. The project announced recently is still in the early stages and has yet to score any NASA money. But the goal is to design light yet rugged vehicles that will travel farther and faster than the lunar rovers that carried NASA’s Apo l lo astronauts in the early 1970s, the companies said. “Mobility is real-ly going to open up the moon for us,” said Kirk Shireman, a former NASA manager who is now Lockheed Martin’s vice president for lunar exploration. The rovers used by the Apollo 15, 16 and 17 moonwalkers ventured no more than 4 1/2 miles (7.6 kilometers) from their landers. GM also helped design those vehicles. NASA last year put out a call for indus-try ideas on lunar rovers. The space agen-cy aims to return astronauts to the moon by 2024, a deadline set by the previous White House. Their initial rovers will be designed to

carry two astronauts at a time, accord-ing to Jeff Ryder, a GM vice president. A brief company video showed a large, open rover speeding over lunar slopes, with more headlights in the distance. This is “just a glimpse of how we see the opportunity playing out,” Ryder said. By operating autonomously when need-ed, Shireman noted, the rovers can keep astronauts safely away from dangerous spots like the permanently shadowed cra-ters at the moon’s South Pole. Frozen

w a t e r g a t h e r e d from these dark corners could be used for drinking, growing plants and creating rocket fuel. A u t o n o m y could also improve

efficiency, with astronauts focused on collecting rocks as a rover follows behind like a puppy, he said. In a separate venture begun two years ago, Toyota partnered with the Japanese Space Agency to build a pressurized elec-tric-powered lunar rover for astronauts. They’re calling it the Lunar Cruiser. GM and Lockheed Martin’s vehicle will be unpressurized, meaning that riders will need to wear spacesuits at all times. There’s room for both models, according to Shireman. (AP) •

GM’s newest vehicle: Off-road, self-driving rover for moonBy AP Wire Service

Their initial rovers will be designed to carry two astro-nauts at a time, according to Jeff Ryder, a GM vice presi-dent.


... the numbersare closest to pre-pandemic backlog lev-els, at around 95 percent of “normal.” Shops report success using invoicing sys-tem If business at your shop hasn’t fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, the slower pace might make this a great time to experiment with new systems that have the potential to make your business more profitable as the economy rebounds. One suggestion might be to experiment with a materials invoicing system, some-thing that surprisingly most shops still don’t use. Although an industry survey earlier this year found that about half of shops sometimes use such a system, only one in five do so on every job. And the other half of shops continue to rely solely on the traditional multiplier method (dol-lars per refinish hour) to attempt to cover their cost of paint and materials. While insurers have not universally warmed up to invoicing systems, the majority of shops who use them say they are paid by the eight largest insur-ers “always” or “most of the time” when they bill based on the charges calculated by their invoicing system. About 52 per-cent of shops said Allstate and Geico often or always pay the cost of materials their invoicing system calculates, even a higher percentage said that of the other six largest U.S. insurers; more than 61 percent said that of Progressive, and 65 percent said that of USAA.

Average body labor hours by state The average number of body labor hours per estimate in 2019 ranged from a low of 12.5 in North Dakota, to a high of 19.3 in Massachusetts and 19.4 in Colorado, according to data reported last fall by shop consultant and trainer Mike Anderson of Collision Advice in a “state of the indus-

try” webinar he conducted. It was the third year in a row those three states were at or near the bottom or top, respectively, of the state ranking. Anderson said the state-by-state numbers he was sharing differ from that reported by some other industry sources because they are based on final estimates from all

Continued from page 1

three estimating systems, including both insurance-paid and customer-paid work, as well as both DRP and non-DRP claims. The national average was 16.3 body labor hours, down from 16.8 in 2018. Other state averages were 15.1 in Ala-bama and in Mississippi, 16.5 in Arkansas, 16.2 in Florida, 17.9 in Georgia, 16.3 in Kentucky, 14.8 in Louisiana, 16.7 in Mis-souri and in North Carolina, 16.4 in South Carolina, 15.2 in Tennessee, 17 in Texas, and 15.9 in Virginia.

Using limits, surcharges to curtail pro-cessing costs With many shops looking to curtail expenses, reducing the fees they are paying when accepting customer payment might offer some opportunity. Among nearly 400 shops responding to survey questions last summer about their customer payment policies, virtually all (96 percent) said they accept payment by credit card, and three-quarters of those shops place no limit on the credit card transaction amount. About 5 percent of shops limit the credit card transaction to the amount of the custom-er’s deductible, about 8 percent have a $1,000 limit on credit card transactions, and about 9 percent have a $2,500 cap. While it is illegal in fewer than a dozen states for a merchant to surcharge cus-tomers paying by credit card as a way to recoup some of the processing fees the business pays, nearly 3 in 4 shops (72 percent) said they do not do so. Many of the shops charging fees do so only under certain conditions, such as when the dollar amount exceeds $500 or $1,000, or when payment is made by phone rather than in person.

“We charge 3 percent only if the cus-tomer received a check from the insurance company but deposited it and is then using a credit card to pay us,” a shop owner in Arizona said, a policy echoed by about 1 in 6 of the shops with credit card surcharges. More than half of shop PPP recipients have loan forgiven An industry survey by CRASH Network in February found that among 272 colli-sion repair businesses that received a PPP loan last year, 54 percent have had that loan forgiven, twice the percentage that said that last November. Another 38 percent still plan to apply for forgiveness or have applied and not yet been given a decision. Fewer than two dozen said they do not plan to ask for forgiveness, and only one shop (in Illinois) reported that its application was denied. More than 360 shops also reported where they stood last month in terms of the current second round of PPP loans this year. More than 1 in 4 (28 percent) said they have applied for 2021 PPP loan, and another 10 percent said they plan to apply. A fourth of the survey respondents said they didn’t know or were undecided about their company’s 2021 PPP loan plans or status. Of those who applied in 2021, more than two-thirds had been approved, and nearly half (43 percent) have already received the funds. None said their application had been turned down. More than 50 of the shops (15 percent) said they don’t qualify for a 2021 PPP loan because they didn’t experience at least a 25 percent drop in revenue in any one quarter of 2020. About 12 percent of shops said they received a PPP loan last year, but did not plan to apply for another, and 8 percent of shops said they didn’t — and won’t — apply either year. You can help CRASH Network gauge where the industry is on PPP loans and other issues by taking a four-minute survey at: https://tinyurl.com/3yz8h3zm Data confirms that pandemic driving pat-terns have resulted in harder hits, more totals Driving trend information in a report issued earlier this year by Arity, the data analytics company owned by Allstate, offered a suggestion that harder hits and total losses may have been up over the past year even as claims counts, as reported by CCC Information Services, were down 21 percent for 2020. Arity reviewed data on miles driven from 24 million consumer apps, insur-

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ance mobile telematics apps, and onboard devices to analyze where, when and how Americans drove during the pandemic, comparing it to a model that (based on 2019 data) predicted what mileage would have been without a pandemic. It shows that over the course of the year, miles driven rebounded to very close to “normal” by the end of 2020. But who is on the road has changed. Arity says the one-fourth of drivers who increased their driving at the beginning of the pandemic are still driving about 34 percent more miles today, while the three-quarters of drivers who reduced their driv-ing last April are still driving between 12 percent and 29 percent less now. Increases in vehicle speeds that empty roads allowed back in March and April also hadn’t returned to pre-pandemic lev-els. Afternoon rush-hour speeds earlier this year remained 10 percent higher, and the prevalence of driving faster than 80 mph also increased about 15 percent in 2020. That would seem to make more harder hits and total losses likely. Mobile apps that provide crash detection data analyzed by Arity showed that the percentage of colli-sions involving a vehicle traveling at more than 70 mph increased about 50 percent during the pandemic.

More recent data released by CCC con-firms that harder hits and total losses have risen. Nearly 42 percent of DRP repairs in 2020 were above $3,000.00 according to CCC data, up from just over 40 percent in 2019. More than 1 in 5 (20.5 percent) appraised vehicles were declared total losses last year, more than a full percent-age point higher than the preceding year (and the seventh straight year of increased total losses, rising from just 14 percent in 2013). Average total cost of repairs reached $3,421 last year, up 5.4 percent from 2019. Average body labor rates rose just 1.6 percent last year, according to CCC data, but the average number of parts per claim jumped to 11.1, up from 10.5 in 2019 (it was just eight per claim in 2011 when the trend of yearly increase in parts count began). •

John Yoswick, a freelance writer based in Portland, Ore., who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988, is also the editor of the weekly CRASH Net-work bulletin (www.CrashNetwork.com). He can be contacted by email at [email protected].

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New Ford models can get over-the-internet software updates DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford says it is starting to send out over-the-internet software updates to some of its newer models as it moves to offer technology to match electric car maker Tesla. At present the updates are only available to about 100,000 owners of 2021 model year F-150s, Mustang Mach-Es and the upcoming Bronco, but Ford plans to spread the tech across its entire lineup as models are updated. It plans to make 33 million vehicles with the capability by 2028. The updates can fix software glitches in nearly all of the vehicles’ computers, and will be able to make recall repairs, offer new features and cut warranty claims, said Alex Purdy, the company’s connectivity business director. Ford says there are about 80 different computers in its most sophisticated vehicles that control everything from the infotainment center to brakes and transmission shifts. Already Ford sent out an update to fix a lighting issue that drained batteries. Among the next updates will be a new version of Amazon Alexa that allows vehicles to communicate with the home assistant without use of a smartphone. Ford also will roll out touchscreen drawing software and simple games for the Mach-E electric SUV. Purdy said software can identify potential problems in vehicles and fixes can be sent out if software can solve the problem. “That fix can be done remotely, it doesn’t require you to go into a dealership,” he said. Vehicles equipped for Ford’s new “Blue Cruise” hands-free driver assist system will get the software needed to run it over the internet, Ford said. Purdy said it won’t charge customers for the modems or require a subscription fee at present. But that could be coming for some features. “We certainly see room for subscriptions and packages that this software could enable,” Purdy said. (AP) •


It’s no surprise that trucks and SUVs continue to dominate the U.S. vehicle market. But in a further move, automakers are increasingly building more SUVs and trucks that are specifically designed for off-road driving. With special enhance-ments to improve traction, ground clear-ance and even visibility, these vehicles can climb over rocks or blast over sand dunes that would leave regular trucks or SUVs stuck, stranded or possibly broken. Edmunds experts report on five ultra-capable off-roaders that are either already on dealer lots or worth waiting for in the coming months. 2022 FORD BRONCO After a long hiatus, the Bronco is back. This new Bronco stylistically pays hom-age to the 1960s original and adds more capability and technology. A direct rival to Jeep’s Wrangler, the new Bronco has rug-ged body-on-frame construction and stan-dard four-wheel drive. It will be available in two-door and four-door body styles and have plenty of available customizing ac-cessories. Ford will fit the Bronco with off-road assist features such as trail cameras to more easily see obstacles, locking differ-entials to enhance traction, and skid plates and big tires to help it clamber over rocks.

The Bronco also has removable doors and fenders to allow for an open-cockpit ex-perience. There are even optional drain plugs in the floor so you can more easily wash out the interior at the end of the day. Expect to see the Bronco at dealerships in late 2021. Starting manufacturer’s sug-gested retail price: $30,000 (estimated) 2021 FORD F-150 RAPTOR The Ford F-150 is completely rede-signed for 2021, and it features improved interior materials, refreshed design and upgraded tech-nology features. Along with those changes comes the latest version of the off-road-focused Ford Raptor. Notably, the new Raptor uses a coil-spring rear suspension instead of the regular F-150’s leaf-spring design. This should improve off-road sta-bility and traction. For power, the Rap-tor will have a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6, good for around 500 hp. Additional en-hancements such as Fox monotube shocks and available 37-inch tires mounted on lightweight wheels further boost the Rap-tor’s dune-busting capability. It should hit dealers this summer. MSRP: $60,000 (es-

Edmunds: The top off-road vehicles for 2021By AP Wire Service

timated) 2021 JEEP WRANGLER RUBICON It would be odd to leave the Jeep Wran-gler off a list of off-road vehicles. With standard four-wheel drive and features such as disconnecting sway bars to en-hance wheel articulation and pre-installed connections for modifications like a winch or off-road lights, there’s plenty of capa-bility baked into the Wrangler Rubicon. Jeep is keeping the Wrangler fresh in 2021 with two new versions. First up is the Rubicon 392. The 392 refers to the V8 that generates 470 horsepower, mak-ing it the most powerful factory Wran-gler ever. And if a growling V8 isn’t your

style, there’s even a new plug-in hybrid Wrangler called the 4xe. It’s available in the Rubicon trim and can go about 20 miles on all-electric power. Wrangler Rubicon starting MSRP: $40,370 with destination fees

2021 LAND ROVER DEFENDER We recommend taking a closer look at the recently reintroduced Land Rover Defender if you’re looking for a bit more luxury from your off-roader. Taking on off-road duties with a bit more finesse than most rivals, the Defender has sleek styling, a wide range of available options, and a comfortable interior not often found in the most rugged of vehicles. Hardware such as a low-range gearing

and an adjustable air suspension helps the Defender get where it needs to go. And in-terior features such as heated seats, leather upholstery, and even a refrigerated com-partment for drinks help it feel that much more special along the way. New for 2021 is a two-door version, the Defender 90, that joins the four-door Defender 110. Coming soon is an optional 518-horse-power supercharged V8. Starting MSRP: $47,450 2021 RAM 1500 TRX Based on the standard Ram 1500 light-duty pickup truck, the TRX uses the same engine as Dodge’s Charger and Challeng-er Hellcats. It’s a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that produces 702 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque. The devilishly powerful TRX is capable of sprinting from zero to 60 mph in fewer than 4 seconds, a metric that any muscle-car owner could be proud of. More than just a horsepower monster, though, the TRX uses wide-body fend-ers, a 2-inch chassis lift, a reinforced steel frame and 35-inch tires to considerably boost its off-road prowess compared to a regular Ram 1500. Like the Ford Raptor, the TRX is capable of serious high-speed desert travel. Starting MSRP: $71,890 EDMUNDS SAYS: If you’re looking to get dirty, there’s no shortage of vehicles that’ll be happy to help, and the current batch of available off-roaders are some of the most capable rigs ever built. The only real decision left to make after choosing which one is right for you is just how far off the beaten path you want to go. (AP) •

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coronavirus 14 months ago. As the vi-rus spread, auto factories shut down for a couple of months. With millions more people working from home, demand for laptops and monitors led semiconductor makers to shift from autos to personal electronics. Soon, though, a faster-than-expected economic rebound boosted de-mand for vehicles, and auto plants tried to restore full-scale production. Yet chip makers couldn’t respond swiftly enough. With production slowed, dealer inven-tories shrank. Now, as the chip shortage has persisted, the shortage of new vehi-cles has worsened, and analysts foresee no return to normal before next year. Yet so far, automakers have been earn-ing big profits even with a depleted inven-tory, largely because many buyers have been willing to pay more to get what they want. With government stimulus checks and tax refunds in hand, Americans bought about 1.5 million new vehicles in April. That’s an adjusted annual sales rate of 18.5 million — the highest such rate since 2005. “It’s like toilet paper was a year ago,” said Michelle Krebs, executive analyst for Cox Automotive. “Everyone is rush-ing to buy a car.” Cox Automotive surveys suggest that 63 percent of potential buyers will stay in the market even with higher prices and a meager selection of vehicles. With new vehicle prices jumping, the cost of popu-lar vehicles has become eye-opening. The average price of a new Chevrolet Silvera-do pickup, for example, is now just under $51,000. Even so, the supply of vehicles is dwin-dling. In April, the nation’s total new-vehicle inventory plummeted 42 percent from a year ago to 1.9 million. That’s enough to supply only 33 days of sales at the current pace — 88 days fewer than a year ago, according to Cox. At the same time, discounts fell 5 percent from March to April and 25 percent from a year ago to an average of $3,239 per vehicle. Jeremy Smith is seeing the price in-creases on both ends as he buys and sells pickup trucks for his utility trailer sales business near Buffalo, New York. In March, he bought a used diesel 2020 Chevy Silverado crew cab with 21,000 miles on it for $61,000. Comparable

trucks are now listed on websites, he said, for $68,000 to $70,000. At the same time, he’s asking $13,995 for a 2011 Silverado crew cab with 178,000 miles on it, a far higher price than he would have thought even a few months ago. “You sell high, you buy high,” said Smith, who frequently buys trucks for his business. To get one now, he says, people have to move quickly to put in bids with dealers or owners. “If you’re not on it,“ he said, “those things are gone.” Given the lack of supply, nearly every-one expects new vehicle sales to fall soon. That would mean fewer trade-ins, which would further tighten a low supply of used vehicles. For consumers who can wait, analysts say, it might be wise to delay buying any vehicle until next year or even beyond. An index that measures wholesale U.S. used vehicle prices from auction house Manheim soared 53 percent in April from a year ago, hitting a record high. Auto dealers buy used vehicles at auctions; the average price there hit nearly $18,000. Dealers mark up wholesale prices when they sell to consumers. The average list price of a used car in April was just over $22,000, 14 percent higher than a year ago. Dealers are now scrambling for used cars, hoping to sell them to keep cash flowing through the summer as new ve-hicle supplies dry up. Richard Bazzy, who runs four Ford and Lincoln dealerships in suburban Pittsburgh, said he’s formed a team to buy used vehicles. “Every car dealer in the world is jam-ming the auctions right now trying to fill their shelves because of the lack of new-car inventory,” he said. Bazzy said he’s hopeful that his busi-ness will manage OK with used sales, as well as revenue from parts and service. But he wants all the used cars they acquire now to be sold by August, when he ex-pects the inventory of vehicles to start a return to normal. Cox’s Krebs said it’s hard to predict how long the chip shortage and tight sup-plies will last. Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas cautioned investors not to expect extremely high auto prices beyond the end of this year as new-vehicle sup-

... scarce and prices are upContinued from page 1

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plies recover. The pandemic and chip shortage have made rental cars scarcer, too, driving up prices dramatically and causing long waits as people start traveling again. Rental companies have had trouble getting new cars because auto companies have di-verted vehicles away from fleet buyers to more profitable sales to consumers. High-er demand has sent some rental companies to the used car market to find vehicles. Whenever the car shortage ends, GM, Ford and others say they will change business models away from having huge stocks. GM has considered regional dis-tribution centers that could send vehicles to dealers in a matter of days. Ford’s CEO Jim Farley has talked of quickly deliver-ing on factory orders. Both companies

hope to reduce the interest paid on high inventories and keep discounts low. “I do think we are on the verge of pos-sibly a different kind of paradigm for how vehicles are distributed,” Krebs said. Still, competition could thwart those plans once factories return to normal pro-duction. Bazzy normally stocks 400-500 pick-up trucks at his three Ford dealers but is down to around 100. He’s confident that he can keep customers happy if they order a truck and can get it in four weeks. But he fears losing business to competing brands with a huge stock. “If the guy across the street from me has 300 (trucks) and my guy has to wait four weeks,“ Bazzy said, “I’m going to lose him.” (AP) •

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AUDI is recalling 40,993 2021 vehicles for the same rear axle issue detailed in the Porsche recall below.

BENTLEY Motors Inc. is recalling 206 2021 vehicles for the same rear axle issue detailed in the Porsche recall below.

CHRYSLER (FCA) is recalling 2,721 2020 – 2021 Dodge Durango vehicles to inspect and repair loose or missing side-curtain airbag fasteners. Chrysler is recalling 18,800 2021 Jeep Cherokee vehicles to inspect and replace the transmission oil cooler hose. The original hose was incorrectly cured and could leak transmission fluid.

FORD Motor Company is recalling 616,967 2016 – 2019 Explorer vehicles to repair a condition that could allow the roof racks to loosen and detach from the vehicles.

KIA Motors America is recalling 2,744 2022 Kia Carnival vehicles to replace the multi-port injection fuel rail, which could have been damaged when assembled.

MERCEDES-BENZ USA is recalling 6,331 2021 GL series vehicles to repair a condition that could allow the air conditioner drain hose to leak into the passenger-side foot well, which could damage electrical components. Dealers will repair and reroute the drain hose. Mercedes-Benz is recalling 17,800 2019 – 2021 G550 and AMG GLE 63 vehi-cles to replace the rear door latches. The original latch on certain of these vehicles may fail to allow the doors to open or latch properly when closed. Merced-Benz is recalling 342,366 2019 – 2021 CL and GL class vehicles. On certain of these vehicles the rear view camera system may fail or fail to work at times. Dealers will update the system software.

NISSAN North America is recalling 14,054 2021 Rogue vehicles that may have been assembled with missing bushings in the rear calipers. Missing bushings will eventually result in a fluid leak. Dealers will replace the calipers as needed.

PORSCHE Cars North America is recalling 1,568 2021 Cayenne vehicles to replace the lock nut on the rear axle trailing arm. Some of these lock nuts have reportedly broken. Dealers will insect and replace the nuts as needed. Certain Audi and Bent-ley vehicles are also affected (see above).

Recalls

Compiled from AP, manufacturer, EPA and NHTSA news releases.

Hyundai recalls over 390K vehicles for possible engine fires DETROIT — Hyundai is recalling more than 390,000 vehicles in the U.S. and Cana-da for two problems that can cause engine fires. In one recall, owners are being told to park their vehicles outdoors until repairs are made. The largest recall covers more than 203,000 Santa Fe Sport SUVs from 2013 through 2015. Some are being recalled a second time. Brake fluid can leak into the anti-lock brake computer, causing an electrical short that can lead to fires. Owners should park outdoors and away from structures until the problem is fixed, according to documents posted recently by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Dealers will replace a fuse and replace the computer if necessary. Owners will be notified in June. The brake computer problem has caused 18 fires in the U.S., but no injuries, accord-ing to documents. Hyundai says the recall “enhances the remedy” from one issued in September of 2020. The company says it kept investigating after the September recall and found that replacing the fuse would reduce the safety risk. “Hyundai is conducting this new recall to ensure the safety of its customers,” the company said in a statement. The other recall covers nearly 187,000 2019 and 2020 Elantras, and 2019 through 2021 Konas and Velosters. All have 2-liter engines. The piston rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which can cause engine damage, oil leaks and possible fires. Hyundai says the rings can be too hard and can be chipped, scuffing the engine cylinder. The piston problem has caused five fires but no injuries, according to documents. Dealers will inspect and replace the engine if necessary. They’ll also install piston noise sensing software. Owners will be notified in late June. Engine failure and fire problems at Hyundai and affiliated Korean automaker Kia have plagued the companies for more than five years, affecting the owners of more than 8 million vehicles. (AP) •

Kia recalls vehicles a 2nd time, owners should park outside DETROIT — Kia is recalling more than 440,000 cars and SUVs in the U.S. for a second time to fix a problem that can cause engine fires. And the automaker is telling owners to park them outdoors and away from structures because fires could happen when the engines aren’t running. The recall covers certain Optima sedans from 2013 through 2015 and Sorento SUVs from 2014 and 2015. The same vehicles were recalled last year because brake fluid can leak into a control computer, causing an electrical short. That can increase the risk of fire even when the vehicles are parked. This time dealers will install a new fuse, inspect the computers, and replace them if needed. Owners will get recall notification letters starting July 2. Documents posted last month by U.S. safety regulators say the new fuse has a lower amperage rating, mitigating the potential for fire. Kia says in the documents that it has customer complaints of six fires in Optimas and two in Sorentos involving “isolated melting.” One dealer reported melting in an Optima that had the previous recall fix. There were no reports of injuries or crashes, it said. (AP) •

DETROIT — Home security camera footage shows that the owner of a Tesla got into the driver’s seat of the car shortly before a deadly crash in suburban Hous-ton, according to a government report. But the preliminary report on the crash that killed two men doesn’t explain the mystery of why authorities found no one behind the wheel of the car, which burst into flames after crashing about 550 feet (170 meters) from the owner’s home. Nor does it conclusively say whether Tesla’s “Autopilot” partially automated driver-assist system was operating at the time of the crash, although it appears unlikely. The National Transportation Safety Board said it’s still investigating all as-pects of the crash. An onboard data stor-age device in the console, however, was destroyed by fire. A computer that records air bag and seat belt status as well as speed and acceleration was damaged and is be-ing examined at an NTSB lab. The NTSB said it tested a different Tesla vehicle on the same road, and the Autopilot driver-assist system could not be fully used. Investigators could not get the system’s automated steering system to work, but were able to use Traffic Aware Cruise Control. Autopilot needs both the cruise control and the automatic steering to function. Traffic Aware Cruise Control can keep the car a safe distance from vehicles in front of it, while autosteer keeps it in its own lane. The report said the road also did not have lane lines. That could have have been why the automatic steering wouldn’t work. “The NTSB continues to collect data to analyze the crash dynamics, postmortem toxicology test results, seat belt use, oc-cupant egress and electric vehicle fires,” the agency said in its report. “All aspects of the crash remain under investigation as the NTSB determines the probable cause.” The agency says it intends to issue safe-ty recommendations to prevent similar crashes.

The April 17 crash happened at 9:07 p.m. on Hammock Dunes Place, a two-lane residential road in Spring, Texas. Both the 59-year-old owner and the 69-year-old passenger were killed. The NTSB report said the car went off the road on a curve, drove over a curb, hit a drainage culvert, a raised manhole and a tree. The crash damaged the high-voltage lithium-ion battery, where the fire began. Local authorities said one man was found in the front passenger seat, while another was in the back. The report didn’t say how fast the car was going, but Harris County Precinct Four Constable Mark Herman said it was a high speed. He would not say if there was evidence anyone tampered with Tes-la’s system to monitor the driver, which detects force from hands on the steering wheel. The system will issue warnings and eventually shut the car down if it doesn’t detect hands. But critics say Tesla’s sys-tem is easy to fool and can take as long as a minute to shut down. Consumer Reports said in April that it was able to easily trick a Tesla into driv-ing in Autopilot mode with no one at the wheel. The NTSB, which has no regulatory au-thority and can only make recommenda-tions, said it’s working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the probe. NHTSA has the power to make vehicle safety regulations. The federal probe is running at the same time as a par-allel investigation by local authorities, the NTSB said. The Texas crash raised questions of whether Autopilot was working at the time, and whether Tesla does enough to make sure drivers are engaged. The com-pany says in owner manuals and on its website that Autopilot is a driver-assist system and drivers must be ready to take action at any time. Earlier this year on Twitter, Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote that data logs “recov-ered so far” in the crashed show Autopilot

NTSB: Tesla owner got into driver’s seat before crashBy Tom Krisher

Continued on page 28Continued on page 28


DETROIT — The U.S. government’s auto safety agency is investigating multi-ple complaints about steering failures that could affect more than 1.1 million Honda Accord sedans. In documents posted recently, the Na-tional Highway Traffic Safety Administra-tion says it received 31 complaints about the problem and Honda has 77 more. Owners complained about a loss of steer-ing control and the cars veering from their intended travel path. Two crashes and two injuries were reported. The probe covers Accords from the 2013 through 2015 model years. The agency opened the probe after getting a petition from an owner in October of last year. It will investigate how often the problem happens, how many vehicles are affected, and the safety consequences of the problem. The probe could lead to a re-call. Honda said it’s cooperating with NHT-SA and is doing its own review of the case. The company says that any owner with a steering problem should take the car to a Honda dealership to see if repairs are needed. In a December 2018 complaint to NHT-SA, an owner from San Bruno, California, wrote that they were driving a 2013 Ac-cord down a small hill when it suddenly

veered to the left. The owner wrote that they couldn’t control the car, and in a pan-ic, couldn’t stop before crossing several lanes of traffic and hitting a building. The driver and passenger were injured, wrote the owner, whose name was redacted from the complaint. The person who petitioned for the in-vestigation, whose name also was redact-ed, wrote that their 2013 Accord suddenly turns to the left or right without warning. The person tested the car in a deserted parking lot. “My vehicle repeatedly turned 90 degrees of its own volition,” the person wrote. “This ’behavior’ was replicated by Honda dealership mechanics.” Mechanics couldn’t find a digital trou-ble code for the problem, so the car was not covered under a 2015 extended war-ranty agreement for power steering col-umn failures, the petitioner wrote. Jason Levine, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said peo-ple need to know the government is mov-ing quickly when lives could be in danger. “With over 100 complaints into an incred-ibly scary situation — suddenly losing the ability to steer your car while driving — we are glad to see NHTSA undertake a complete analysis of this hazardous situ-ation to determine if a recall is necessary,” he said. (AP) •

Feds open probe of steering problems in Honda AccordsBy AP Wire Service

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WASHINGTON — In Georgia, school bus-maker Blue Bird has visions of going from selling a few hundred electric buses annually to 15,000. In Michigan, Ford plans to produce an all-electric version of its F-150 pickup truck. Both companies are looking to Presi-dent Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastruc-ture proposal to help transform the au-tomotive sector as electric vehicles shift from a luxury niche to mainstream Amer-ica. The plan reflects an effort by Biden to accelerate certain sectors of the economy with the belief they’ll become the engines for growth in the decades to come. “You need someone to give you a real jumpstart,” Blue Bird CEO Phil Horlock said. “This is actually changing the land-scape.” Biden visited Ford’s electric vehicle plant in Dearborn, Michigan, on Tuesday, May 18, returning to an industrial state that contributed to his election victory and is the center of an auto sector that’ll likely need some government help to move away from gas guzzlers. The Democratic president wants the government to accept the risk of invest-ing in a series of industries such as elec-tric vehicles and semiconductors that he believes will become the backbone of the U.S. economy. It’s a sharp philosophical

divide from Republican lawmakers who would rather the federal government focus more on the steel, concrete and asphalt of conventional infrastructure projects. “He has an industrial policy -- which we’ve always had but never admitted,” said Brett Smith, director of technology at the Center for Automotive Research. “Our industrial policy had been that low-cost energy wins. He’s shifting that to carbon-free energy is the industrial policy.”

Biden said in a speech last month that his proposed new tranche of government spending is required to keep the U.S. economy competitive and fair on top of the coronavirus relief that’s already flow-ing. Besides infrastructure, Biden is ask-ing for another $1.8 trillion — putting the combined total spending at roughly $4 trillion — to devote to education and families. Biden said his infrastructure plan is “an eight-year investment strategy to make sure working people of this country get to share in the benefits of a rising econo-

Biden plan would pick winners, losers in move to green jobsBy AP Wire Service

my and to put us in a position to win the competition with China and the rest of the world for the 21st century.“ The infrastructure package would be paid for by higher corporate taxes. Lead-ing business groups such as the Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Com-merce have opposed raising the corporate rate from 21 percent to 28 percent. But some of the companies that could benefit directly from the spending appear willing to make that trade, and that complicates the politics of the moment because there are clear winners and clear losers, such as the fossil fuel sector. Biden is openly saying government dollars should seed new opportunities for

businesses. It’s an effort to steer where private investors direct their money and a response to other nations like China that have backed favored industries such as electrical vehicles and semiconductors that could threaten America’s own pre-eminence. A White House official said that some businesses briefed on the infrastructure proposal have also seen it as having the qualities of an industrial policy in which government works in concert with com-panies. One element of Biden’s plan that draws companies’ attention is the $50 billion proposed for the Commerce De-partment to monitor U.S. manufacturing capacity and fund investments to support production of critical goods. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reveal internal discussions, said com-panies interpret it as a new way of think-ing about supply chains when supplies of computer chips, lumber and other goods are squeezed. But the risks are that industrial policies can misspend dollars that would be better directed by the private sector. That can come at the expense of jobs as the initia-tives often go through a political prism in-stead of an economic one. “The problem with industrial policy is that it quickly becomes highly political,“ said Thomas Duesterberg, a senior fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute. ”The

administration’s focus on promoting green technology is important but will result in a substantial net loss of manufacturing jobs by reducing production of domestic oil and gas, and in turn chemicals, while sub-sidizing wind and solar products whose production is dominated by Chinese and European manufacturers.“ Some businesses insist the types of gov-ernment investment in Biden’s plan are necessary. The major hurdle for moving U.S. drivers away from internal combus-tion engines is the lack of charging sta-tions. Biden proposes $174 billion for electric vehicles, including funds to con-struct 500,000 charging stations by 2030. Their presence would help to overcome drivers’ fears of being stranded in a pow-erless car, one of the challenges confront-ing Ford and General Motors as they seek to go electric. The Center for Automotive Research’s Smith stressed that automakers would like to command the same premium on their stock that Tesla — a pioneer of electric ve-hicles — enjoys. But doing so requires the government to shoulder some of the risk to transition to a new infrastructure for powering vehicles. “You don’t sell the cars without the charging stations at this point,” Smith said. “It makes or breaks the technology.” Presidents have long relied on busi-nesses to push their messages to voters. Biden’s predecessors Donald Trump and Barack Obama touted an Intel chip factory in Arizona as proof of economic gains, yet the U.S. semiconductor industry declined relative to the rest of the world. Biden proposes a $50 billion investment in semi-conductor manufacturing and research, one of the publicly bipartisan pieces of his infrastructure package. Intel’s chief government affairs offi-cer, Jeff Rittener, said the company sup-ports the investment, though it still wants to know more details about the potential increases in corporate taxes. He warned that without the government investment the country would lose out to other global competitors on what has become a build-ing block of the modern economy. “Only 12 percent of worldwide semi-conductor manufacturing is done in the U.S., whereas if you go back a number of years it used to be greater than 35 per-cent,“ he said. “We anticipate, and studies have shown, that if nothing is done this percentage is going to drop further.” (AP) •

“The problem with industrial policy is that it quickly becomes highly political,“ said Thomas Duesterberg, a senior fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute.


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DETROIT — Ford has raised its stake in a manufacturer of solid-state batter-ies — a move that its chief product and operations officer, Hau Thai-Tang, says will strengthen the company’s effort to in-crease the range and reduce the costs of its next generation of electric vehicles. Ford, along with BMW, announced their investment in a $130 million fund-ing round for Solid Power, a Denver-area company that is developing sulfide solid-state battery technology. Thai-Tang says the technology should give Ford the flexi-bility to either shrink battery sizes to make it less expensive to manufacture some ve-hicles or keep the same size battery and achieve a greater range of distance in oth-er models. Solid-state batteries, with their solid ion-conducting material instead of the liq-uid electrolyte found in most lithium-ion batteries, can store more energy. This ex-pands the vehicles’ range from the same-size battery or allows for smaller batteries, which are typically lighter with a lower risk of fire. At the same time, it’s harder to draw

power from solid-state batteries than from lithium-ion batteries, said Sam Abuelsa-mid, an analyst at Guidehouse Research. But the technology holds such promise, he said, that whatever company perfects it first could command a competitive edge. The Associated Press spoke recently with Thai-Tang about the new chemistry and what it could mean to speeding the adoption of electric vehicles. The inter-view was edited for clarity and length. ——— Q: Why are solid-state batteries so im-portant compared with the lithium-ion batteries now used in electric vehicles? A: Because of the promise of much higher levels of energy density. For cus-tomers, that basically means they can drive farther with the more range. So as you get better energy and power density, the cells get smaller. That allows the vehi-cles to become lighter for the same range, as well as more space for people and their things instead of for batteries. And then, of course, cost. Being able to drive the cost-per-kilowatt-hour down will speed up the adoption of battery electric vehicles. ——— Q. What’s the advantage over lithium-ion batteries now? A: The big thing is going from a liquid electrolyte to a solid electrolyte; that gives you better conductivity. That’s the enabler for the power and energy. The challenge has always been, can you actually scale it up to where the format of the cell is large enough for automotive use? Then can you actually manufacture it at scale to hit the cost targets? ———

Q: There has been a lot of talk about po-tential shortages of lithium, copper, nick-el, other precious metals. Does solid-state use fewer of those? A: It depends on the chemistry. For most companies, the cathode is about the same as what’s in lithium-ion. That doesn’t re-ally change. It’s really the anode and the electrolyte. Because you’re getting higher conductivity and higher energy density, so for the same power and range and energy, you would use less. That in itself will help, even if it was the same chemistry. But de-pending on which company you partner with, they would have different chemis-tries, which will reduce dependencies on things like copper as well as cobalt, for example. ——— Q: How far along is Solid Power in this process? A: We think Solid Power is among the leaders because of their ability to scale up to a multi-layer cell, up to 20 amp-hour. This is something that we can actually use in an automobile. Beginning next year, they’re targeting to give us as well as the other investor, BMW, a 100 amp-hour bat-tery. That’s at the size we really can use

for automotive applications. The other big thing is, their chemistry can be built in the same manufacturing process that we would invest in to build lithium-ion bat-teries. So this allows us to ease into that new technology without having to rein-vest in all of that capital equipment. ——— Q: What time frame do you see for switching to solid-state? A: We think it’s realistic to target by the end of this decade if we continue to make the progress we’re making. ——— Q: How much farther could the vehicle go if you if you perfect solid-state? A: You can either maintain the current range and use fewer batteries, or you can give customers even more range within the physical package of that battery size. We’re seeing roughly 25% to 30% im-provement in energy density. So we can literally give that all to more range. Or we could say 300 miles is optimal, and we would just reduce the number of batteries and drive the cost down. And anywhere in between those two bookends. ——— Q: So in the current package for a Mus-tang Mach-E electric SUV, say roughly 300 miles, you would be able to go around 400 miles? A: Yes, you can get another 25% to 30%. ——— Q: Does this announcement mean there will be a much wider array of electric ve-hicles coming? A: Ford can lead the electric revolution and accelerate the transition from inter-

Ford is betting that solid-state batteries will cut EV costBy Tom Krisher

nal combustion engines to drive the cost down and improve the the range for our customers, making it safer. I think charg-ing infrastructure is probably the other thing that would be the key for a faster rate of adoption. ——— Q: Do you need solid state to reach cost parity with internal combustion engines? A: We see further opportunities to drive the cost down below $100 per kilowatt with additional advances in lithium-ion technology. To take the next incremental

step in terms of cost, we think you have to go to solid-state. ——— Q: How much over the current battery chemistry might you save in cost if this comes to fruition? A: If you’re getting 25%-to-30% improvement in energy density and you can build it in the same process, you would expect to see that level of cost improvement versus today’s state of the art technology. (AP) •

Solid-state batteries, with their solid ion-conducting material instead of the liquid electrolyte found in most lithium-ion batteries, can store more energy.



potentially really gum things up. Because they’re not the ones about to make a big payday. They may very well see it as their chance to renegotiate items within the lease.” Think carefully even about an arms-length lease you put in place with yourself or an affiliate LLC, Johnston said, because a buyer of your business may look at that lease and “expect those same terms.” Panelist Ben Hidalgo of Net Lease Development agreed, suggesting that any-one leasing commercial property to or from others find an attorney who under-stands leasing for a specific use. A colli-sion repair business that has even just one poorly-crafted lease among its two or three or 10 locations can get “held hostage” to it, particularly at the time you hope to sell the business. “Get a good attorney, not just a friend who does it,” Hidalgo said. “Don’t skimp on that. Get an expert in retail leasing, to get a lease that will protect you long-term.” An attorney with sufficient leasing expe-rience will know what’s been problematic for other clients in the past, he said. Dean Fisher, president of Driven Brands’ collision group (which includes CARSTAR and Maaco), also offered his take on the purchase-versus-lease decision during the panel discussion. He said most of his company’s franchisees have fewer than 10 locations and tend to buy the real estate at most or all of their shops. “Most of them look at real estate as a form of the asset base that they’re build-ing, utilizing the business to pay for the asset base,” he said. “So they’ll typically try to purchase the real estate as part of their retirement or sale model.” He said real estate in this industry is unique, often requiring many modifica-tions to a property, lease-holder improve-ments that may make leasing less advanta-geous. “When you purchase a piece of property, often that mortgage is less than you would

be leasing it for on a triple net lease,” he said. “There can be some profitability that you can specifically take out of that pay-ment to yourself that creates some favor-able tax opportunities for you.” All that said, there are some risks involved in purchasing the real estate, Fisher noted: EPA risks if it is a brown-field, zoning issues, easements, tying up too much wealth in the industry even if it’s in two different asset classes. “Too many don’t weigh the potential cost of all that,” he said. He also cautioned that anything driving up real estate values does not automatically increase the lease payment a shop owner who sells the business but retains the real estate can expect from the new shop opera-tors. That remains “contingent big-time” on the cash flow of the business, so a period of business retraction “devalues the lease value” as well, Fisher said. Johnston said there is one set of circum-stances when it is often in your best inter-est to purchase shop real estate: when your landlord on a property is considering sell-ing to someone else. “You might have had a cozy relationship with that landlord. It might even be some-one who sold you the business,” Johnston said. “But if they’re now flipping that real estate, you have to consider whether the person buying that real estate is buying it because they want you there as a long-term tenant, or if they are buying it because they want to redevelop that property. It may be advantageous to you to consider buying it if you think there’s a risk of losing what is otherwise a very valuable operational asset. No one wants to have to go find another body shop and relocate a success-ful operation.” •

John Yoswick, a freelance writer based in Portland, Ore., who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988, is also the editor of the weekly CRASH Net-work bulletin (www.CrashNetwork.com). He can be contacted by email at [email protected].

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DETROIT — Engineers at General Mo-tors have figured out how to fix a battery problem with the Chevrolet Bolt electric hatchback that caused five of them to catch fire. The company says they developed di-agnostic software to look for anomalies in the batteries of 69,000 Bolts worldwide from the 2017 through 2019 model years. If problems are found, the company will replace faulty parts of the battery. GM says owners of 2019 Bolts could get the software starting in April, and those who own 2017 and 2018 models can get it by the end of May. In November GM recalled the electric vehicles after getting reports of the fires. Two people suffered smoke inhalation and a house was set ablaze. At first the company didn’t know what was causing the problem, but it deter-mined that batteries that caught fire were near a full charge. So as a temporary fix, owners and dealers were told to make software changes to limit charging to 90 percent of a battery’s capacity. U.S. safety regulators said the cars should be parked outdoors until the temporary fix was com-pleted. GM traced the fires to what it called a rare manufacturing defect in battery mod-

ules. It can cause a short in a cell, which can trigger a fire. Under the remedy, deal-ers can diagnose battery issues, and they’ll install diagnostic software that will warn owners of any problems, spokesman Dan Flores said. The company said it is not aware of any fires in vehicles that got the interim fix. “We extensively validated the software to detect potential battery issues and pro-tect our customers,“ Flores said. Each Bolt has 288 battery cells, and en-gineers worked to analyze data from hun-dreds of thousands of cells, Flores said. The recall came after the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the fires last year. The agency said in documents that the fires began under the rear seat while the cars were parked and unattended. Engineers determined the fires took place in Bolts with battery cells made at an LG Chem factory in Ochang, South Korea, from May of 2016 to May of 2019. Some 2019 Bolts and all 2020 and 2021 versions have cells made at an LG Chem plant in Holland, Michigan, and are not included in the recall. Once the final recall repairs are made, the Bolts’ full range will be restored. Older Bolts can go about 238 miles (383 kilometers) per charge. (AP) •

GM: Software, new battery parts will solve Bolt fire issueBy Tom Krisher

Dutch court orders Ghosen to repay salary AMSTERDAM — A Dutch court on ordered fugitive former Nissan chairman Car-los Ghosn to repay nearly 5 million euros in salary to an Amsterdam-based alliance between Nissan and Mitsubishi, and rejected his claim for millions in compensation for wrongful dismissal. The ruling came in a case in which Ghosn sought to have his 2018 sacking from Nissan-Mitsubishi B.V. overturned and demanded 15 million euros ($16.5 million) in compensation. The court in Amsterdam rejected his claims, saying he did not have a valid contract with the company at the time. The salary he was ordered to repay covers payments made to him by the Dutch joint venture from April until November 2018. The Dutch case stems from Nissan’s decision to fire Ghosn after he was accused of financial misconduct in Japan. The former high-flying automotive executive skipped bail in Tokyo in 2019 and fled to Lebanon, where he grew up. Ghosn, who was first arrested in November 2018, has said he is innocent of allega-tions in Japan that he under-reported his future income and committed a breach of trust by diverting Nissan money for his personal gain. He says the compensation was never decided on or received, and the Nissan payments were for legitimate business purposes.(AP) •


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WASHINGTON — A top Senate Dem-ocrat is urging U.S. anti-pollution stan-dards that would follow a deal brokered by California with five automakers and then set targets to end sales of new gaso-line-powered vehicles by 2035, a goal that reaches farther than President Joe Biden’s climate plan. In a letter sent late to the Environmen-tal Protection Agency, Delaware Sen. Tom Carper, who chairs the Senate Environ-ment and Public Works Committee, says the administration must move forcefully in the auto sector to achieve Biden’s plan of slashing America’s greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. Carper notes that the industry is already moving in the direction of zero-emission electric vehicles and that it’s critical to lay markers now to ensure that the U.S. posi-tions itself as a top player in auto manu-facturing over foreign competitors such as China. “Strong policies in the United States will encourage those investments to be made here,” Carper wrote in the letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, which was obtained by The Associated Press. He cited likely U.S. gains in “research and de-velopment, manufacturing and ultimately export opportunities in automotive tech-nology.”

Under Carper’s proposal, the EPA would apply California’s 2019 frame-work agreement on emissions standards reached between Ford, Volkswagen, Hon-da, BMW and Volvo. That deal would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 3.7 percent

per year from 2022 through 2026 and raise fuel economy requirements by a like amount. After that, the administration would have to have much stricter standards to meet goals spelled out in Carper’s plan. Half of all new vehicles sold would be electric by 2030, and sales of new gaso-line-powered passenger vehicles would be banned by 2035. Under the deal with California, automakers would get credits toward meeting the requirements for sell-

Senator urges tough US rules bar-ring gas-powered cars by 2035By Hope Yen & Tom Krisher

ing zero-emissions battery electric and hy-drogen fuel cell vehicles. “If the U.S. does not establish a robust policy that leads to zero emission vehicle deployment, combined with appropriate incentives, we will be at risk of losing our automotive jobs and industry leadership to other nations, as well as enduring unnec-essary public health impacts from pollu-tion,” Carper wrote. Carper’s push comes as the Biden ad-ministration takes steps to reverse former

President Donald Trump’s bid to end Cali-fornia’s ability to set its own automobile tailpipe pollution standards. That move could pave the way for the U.S. to broker an industrywide deal that follows Califor-nia’s agreement, although reaching such an agreement faces challenges. Most of the rest of the auto industry, for instance, opposed the California deal and sided with Trump in rolling back the standards to a 1.5 percent increase in fuel economy per year through 2026. In early

talks with the Biden administration, a co-alition of automakers said it wanted mile-age standards lower than those brokered by California. Biden has said he wants stronger stan-dards to deal with the effects of climate change, and in an address to Congress he said the U.S. “can own the electric car market.” His climate proposal, however, does not detail the greenhouse gas reduc-tions that his administration envisions for each sector of the economy. Biden’s top climate adviser, Gina McCarthy, appeared to signal that deeper cuts in emissions would have to come from sectors other than the auto industry to reach the goals. To increase sales of electric vehicles, the administration plans to spend $15 bil-lion to build a half-million charging sta-tions by 2030 as well as offer unspecified tax credits and rebates to cut the cost. However, experts say it will be difficult to replace the 279 million passenger vehi-cles now on U.S. roads — most of which burn gasoline — with electric vehicles in less than 15 years. The average U.S. ve-hicle is now nearly 12 years old, so they stay on the roads longer than in the past. And without an immediate change, the number of gasoline-powered vehicles will continue to grow. IHS Markit predicts it will be 284 million by 2025. Each year, automakers sell about 17 million new vehicles in the U.S., most of them running on gasoline. If every new vehicle sold were electric starting today, it would take more than 16 years to replace all the gasoline vehicles. (AP) •

Half of all new vehicles sold would be electric by 2030, and sales of new gasoline-powered passenger vehicles would be banned by 2035.


larger bay doors was added to allow space for taking on bigger trucks, but the real value in the renovation came in the quality of the employee space with a new shower and kitchenette to alleviate some of the more practical issues that come with small business life. At an unprecedented time in our world’s history, during which the closing of doors has become a common business practice, both as a consequence of and an attempt to alleviate the threat posed by the pandemic, Crotts Brothers has seen their daily busi-ness operations turn into a “rollercoaster.”

But they’ve weathered the storm and sur-vived. Technological innovation and quick thinking aided their transition through this difficult time in the purchase of a couple of ozone machines, giving them new capac-ity to provide a safe and reliable means of

bly feels like family, the kind of establish-ment to which one employee used to bring his Pomeranian to work everyday. This is a place where occasionally an employee may be provided temporary transportation and accommodations in housing as well. In questioning him about any other secrets to the success of the business, W.G. leaned his elbows onto his knees and clasped his hands to confide: “I’ll tell you what I do. If I need any hardware, I go to Hammer Head Hard-ware. If I need a prescription filled, I go to Brooks Byrd Pharmacy. If I need my cars inspected I take them to Pillis Brothers. If I’ve got big trucks I take that to Certified Truck. I spend all my money in mom-and-

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Crotts Brothers Garage & Collision Repair is located at 404 Eighth Street in Salem, Va., close to the larger city of Roa-noke. For those not familiar, Salem is near Interstate 81 with the magnificent Blue Ridge Mountains to the West and the beau-tiful Shenandoah Valley to the East. For over 73 years Crotts Brothers has brought meaning to the phrase “family owned and operated.” With four genera-tions now actively engaged in running the day-to-day business operations, family provides the foundation upon which the garage’s success has been built. Crotts Brothers is currently owned and operated by Wendell G. “W.G.” Crotts, a lifelong resident, growing up on the banks of the Roanoke River and graduating from Andrew Lewis High School in Salem. When one first enters the premises, the front wall of the office announces the Crotts Brother’s commitment to their com-munity, and probably one of the reasons for their longevity. The wall is a shrine to all the local teams and organizations they’ve sponsored through the years. The numer-ous cheerleading squads, baseball teams, little league divisions, and youth sporting teams that carry the Crotts’ name in spon-sorship are only the beginning of W.G.’s investment as a trusted provider of colli-sion repair to the Salem area The wall is also a reminder that you’re not just talking to one of the area’s professionals in colli-sion repair, but to a loyal member of the community. Crotts Brothers currently employs eight people. Crotts says that personal ties have helped established his business as a strong-hold throughout the community. One employee returned to Crotts after working in a big chain shop, saying that the smaller shop provides more of an opportunity to learn, and that he missed the camaraderie of the Crotts Brothers and the lower pres-sure atmosphere. W.G.’s investment in his employees has created a work environment that inevita-

pop places.” It’s no wonder that Crotts Brothers has seen such longevity with such a strong sense of contribution pouring back into the

very community they have the pleasure of serving. “Well, I try to take care of my guys,” Crotts says. In 2004 the garage underwent a new addition that allowed the workplace to feel even more like home. A new section with

By Laura Catherine Koss

Crotts Brothers Garage & Collision Repair

Crotts Garage & Collision Repair (above) is located at 404 Eighth Street in Salem, Va..

At left, a picture of Crotts Garage in the late 1940’s.


that runs things. Then you make friends with the janitor, and then the people who get the food, because they run things.”

S h e o b v i o u s l y knows the potential of her position and seems to keep things running like a well-oiled machine. N i c k Crotts, W.G.’s father, was known for working from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., setting a precedent for a family of hard work-ers who aren’t afraid to put in a full day’s work. W.G

said that his father only missed a single day of work before his retirement. W.G. is

throughout the crisis, adding pick up anddelivery options to their list of services as a way to further ensure the safety of custom-

ers and accommodate them with further convenience. Crotts Brothers was started by Rex Crotts in September of 1948 with his sonJames. Crotts brothers has been maintained for almost 73 years through brothers and nephews buying out fathers, brothers, and uncles. W.G., the current owner, oversees day-to-day business operations, with his daughter Ashley Kass following in his footsteps as the fourth generation of Crotts mechanics and managers to run the busi-ness. Mary Crotts, W.G.’s mother, only recently left the office after working there since 1983 when her husband Nick bought the business from his brother James. Linda Miles, a devoted family friend, stepped in for Mary in February after being a secretary in the school systems for 28 years. Linda has now taken on the responsibility of running the office. Linda explained that when her son graduated col-lege and was looking for a job in the school systems, she gave him some advice: “The first thing you do is make friends with the secretary, because she’s the one

offering their trusted collision repair ser-vices. They further adapted by implement-ing the new practice of wearing gloves and

masks at all times when servicing cars and wiping everything down in the cars, from steering wheels to shifters, and trying to

stay out of cars as much as possible. They also recognized an opportunity to respond to the community’s growing fear

carrying on the legacy, still coming to work after having a double knee replacement a few years ago. The future of the business goes to his daughter Ashley, whocurrently oversees everything from order-ing parts and dealing with insurance com-panies to handling receipts and billing, and then to his grandson who will become the fifth generation in the business. The Crotts Brothers’ recognition in the community speaks to their longevity in the area, winning the Bronze Salem Small Business of the Year two years ago, the Platinum Salem Small Business of the Year last year, and being recently nominated at the Chamber meeting for Small Business of the Year in the City of Salem. W.G.’s commitment to his business and his community is reflected in his attitude, his favorite part of coming to work every day being: “Just the fact that I’m here on Eighth Street doing what I like to do, and you can ask anybody here, I’m here everyday. If I’m in town, I’m here.” The result of W.G’s commitment is obvi-ous, the bay doors on Eighth and Tennes-see Street are filled with cars in for service and repair. •

Crotts Garage & Collision Repair owner W.G. Crotts and his daughter Ashley Kass.

Ashley Kass and Linda Miles, Crotts’s Garage offices managers.

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2 workers found dead in ALA. car dealership IRONDALE, Ala. — Two workers were found dead inside of a storage room at an Alabama car dealership, according to authorities. The discovery was made at around 1:30 p.m. at the automotive store in Irondale, city police Sgt. Michael Mangina said. Investigators did not find any obvious signs of foul play, he added. The area was tested for carbon monoxide, but the results were negative, police said. The bodies were taken to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office to deter-mine causes of death. Mangina said the men, who were working on computers at the business, were likely dead for a few hours before they were found. The investigation is ongoing. (AP) •

Nissan begins producing new Pathfinder SMYRNA, Tenn. — Nissan has started producing its new Pathfinder at an assembly plant in Tennessee. A company news release says the first 2022 Pathfinder rolled off the assembly line last month at the facility in Smyrna with nearly 7,000 employees. The Pathfinder has been assembled at the Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant since 2004. The engine for the SUV is assembled at the Nissan Decherd Powertrain Plant in Decherd, Tennessee. The Pathfinder will be available in dealer showrooms in the U.S. and Canada starting this summer. (AP) •

TOKYO — An American lawyer on trial in Japan on charges related to report-ing of former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn’s compensation asserted his inno-cence, testifying he acted legally and in Nissan’s best interests. Greg Kelly, a former executive vice president at Nissan Motor Co., told the To-kyo District Court he was worried Ghosn might job-hop after taking a big pay cut in 2010, when Japan began requiring disclo-sures of high executive pay. “He became a retention risk,” Kelly said in response to questioning by his chief de-fense lawyer, Yoichi Kitamura. “We were fortunate to have a CEO as talented as Carlos Ghosn,” he said. Starting in 2010, Ghosn’s annual pay was cut by about half, or 1 billion yen ($10 million). Company officials had wor-ried about potential public criticism since big executive paychecks are rare in Japan. After the pay cut, Ghosn was making con-siderably less than his counterparts at U.S. and European automakers. Ghosn and Kelly were arrested in late 2018. Ghosn was charged with underre-porting his compensation and with breach of trust. But he fled to Lebanon while out on bail. Kelly is facing charges of conspir-ing with Ghosn to underreport his pay. A key focus of the trial is whether the

unpaid money was ever decided upon. Ghosn, who led Nissan for two decades, says he is innocent and the money was not decided upon or paid. Testimony and documents presented during the trial show Kelly sought ways to compensate Ghosn through possible post-retirement consultancy fees and a deal paying him not to leave for a rival compa-ny, known as a “non-compete” agreement. Prosecutors say they’re confident about their cases against both Ghosn and Kelly. During a recent hearing, Kelly said that before the trial began he had never seen detailed calculations of Ghosn’s poten-tial pay, which were handled by another Nissan executive who reported directly to Ghosn. Kelly worked as a labor and environ-mental lawyer in the U.S. before join-ing Nissan in 1988. He testified that his exchanges with the executive, Toshiaki Ohnuma, tended to be short and superfi-cial because Ohnuma’s English was lim-ited and Kelly doesn’t speak much Japa-nese. Ohnuma took a plea bargain and testi-fied last year for the prosecution, outlining how he worked on Ghosn’s “unpaid com-pensation.” If convicted, Kelly faces up to 15 years in prison. The conviction rate in Japan is higher than 99 percent. A verdict isn’t expected for months. (AP) •

American tells Japan court he worked for Nissan’s interestsBy Yuri Kageyama

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Detroit — General Motors’ first-quar-ter net income surged to $2.98 billion as strong U.S. consumer demand and higher prices offset production cuts brought on by a global shortage of computer chips. Despite the shortage, GM stuck with full-year pretax earnings guidance of $10 billion to $11 billion issued earlier in the year and said earnings would be at the high end of the range. Full-year net in-come is expected to be between $6.8 bil-lion and $7.6 billion. The company pre-dicts a strong first half with a pretax profit of around $5.5 billion. GM executives wouldn’t give specifics on how much production they expect to lose to the chip shortage. But CEO Mary Barra said purchasing, manufacturing, engineering and sales teams are working to divert the chips from cars and smaller SUVs to full-size pickup trucks, big SUVs and new electric vehicles. “A lot of really good work is being done across our company to source semicon-ductors, allocate them across our most in-demand and (factory) capacity-con-strained products,” she said. The company reiterated that the short-age would cost it $1.5 billion to $2 billion in earnings before taxes this year due to lost production. GM has been forced to cut production of some smaller vehicles with lower profit margins, such as the Chevrolet Equinox SUV. “Is there an impact this year? Absolute-ly,“ Barra said on a conference call with reporters. “But the team keeps working to minimize it.” Edward Jones Senior Equity Analyst Jeff Windau said GM appears to be man-aging the chip shortage well, but he would like to see more specifics on how many vehicles it won’t be able to produce. He said the company may have been trying to keep the focus off the shortage. “Some of the other peers have come out and ex-pressed significant production cuts in the second quarter, and obviously the stock prices have been punished for that,” Win-dau said. Barra said the worst impact of the short-age will take place in the current quarter, improving in the second half of the year. GM’s first-quarter 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. Shares of GM jumped 3.8 percent to $57.42. Excluding non-recurring items, GM made $2.25 per share from January through March, doubling Wall Street es-timates of $1.05. Revenue of $32.47 bil-lion was below estimates of $33 billion according to FactSet. The Detroit automaker reported pretax income for the first quarter at $4.4 billion. During the quarter, the company said it was able to divert precious computer chips to higher-profit models such as full-size

pickup trucks and SUVs, and that brought the higher income. In the U.S., GM’s most profitable mar-ket, sales rose 4 percent from January through March compared with a year ago. However, the first-quarter sales of 639,406 vehicles was the second-lowest level in the first quarter since 2015, and the figures were 4 percent below the same period in 2019, according to Cox automo-tive. Still, demand was strong and inven-tories were low, allowing GM to reduce

GM expect big 2021 profit, says it’s managing chip shortageBy Tom Krisher

discounts and raise prices. GM’s average sales price hit a record of $44,685, up 9 percent from a year ago, according to Cox figures. Crosstown rival Ford Motor Co. said the worsening chip shortage would cut its production in half during the current quar-ter. The situation will improve in the sec-ond half, but Ford still will see production fall 10 percent over original plans. That means Ford won’t be able to make up for any lost production this year. The company expects to lose factory output of 1.1 million vehicles for the year, up from an earlier estimate of 200,000 to 400,000. Nearly all automakers are struggling with the chip shortage, caused by semi-conductor makers switching their facto-

ries to more profitable consumer-electron-ics processors when auto plants closed due to the coronavirus last year. The auto factories came back faster than expected, but the chip makers didn’t quickly switch their factories back to automotive-grade chips. Then a March fire wiped out much of the chip production at a factory in Japan that makes chips for vehicles. Barra said that after the chip short-age ends, GM will not return to a busi-ness model with huge dealer inventories. Rather it will go to more of an order and fast-delivery model, which would save on costs and keep the company from being caught with too many vehicles in a down-turn. “We won’t over-build inventory,” she said. (AP) •


Voltage drop testing is a simple but effec-tive method of diagnosis to quickly locate high-resistance problems in a circuit. The DC voltage scale on a digital volt ohm meter (DVOM) or digital multi-meter can be used to measure the voltage drop across a load, device, or conductor. Voltage drop is defined as the loss of voltage caused by the flow of current through resistance. Increased in resistance equals increases in the voltage drop. IMPORTANT NOTE: Whenever check-ing voltage drop, current must be flowing in the circuit. Each load device (or component) must receive enough voltage to operate prop-erly. The available voltage at a component should always be above that component’s minimum required voltage specification. If not, a loose connection, corrosion, or faulty power source is the problem. Open circuit problems such as broken or discon-nected wires or connections can stop cur-rent flow. Even after fixing an open circuit, you should switch the circuit on again and check for voltage drop. You won’t know if the entire circuit is healthy until you are sure there is the correct amount of current flowing. Although resistance-free connections, wires, and cables would be ideal, most of them will contain at least some voltage drop. If your service manual does not list acceptable voltage drop values, use the following specifications as ball-park maxi-mum limits: • 0.00 V across a connection • 0.20 V across a wire or cable • 0.30 V across a switch • 0.10 V at a ground Because most computer circuits oper-ate way down in the milliamp range, they don’t tolerate voltage drop as well as other circuits do. Note that a milliamp is one-thousandth (0.001) of an amp. For com-puter-related circuits, the recommended

working limit is 0.10V-drop across low-current wires and switches. To test the power (+) side of a circuit for voltage drop (Figure 1), follow these steps: 1. Connect the positive (+) test lead of a digital volt meter to the power source; 2. Connect the negative (-) test lead to the other end of the wire of the component; 3. Operate the circuit and observe the meter voltage; and 4. The DVOM will display the differ-ence in voltage between the two points. To pinpoint the component or connec-tion responsible for the voltage drop, move the negative (-) test lead to the next compo-nent or connection in the circuit and retest at additional contact points as necessary. Changes in the voltage drop reading will indicate where an excessive voltage drop is located. To test the ground side of the circuit (See figure), follow these steps: 1. Connect the negative (-) test lead to the negative battery terminal; 2. Connect the positive (+) test lead to the ground terminal or wire at the compo-nent being tested; 3. Operate the circuit and observe the meter voltage; and 4. The DVOM will display the differ-ence in voltage between the two points. To pinpoint the component or connec-tion responsible for the voltage drop, move the negative (-) test lead to the next compo-nent or connection in the circuit and retest at additional points as necessary. Changes in the voltage drop reading will indicate where an excessive voltage drop is located. Remember, the voltage-drop test is one of the best ways to check for voltage being lost along a wire or through a connection, switch or relay. Similar results cannot be reliably obtained by continuity testing with an ohmmeter or logic probe. Multi-strand wires may test good for continuity (ohms), but due to the rise in resistance when cur-rent flows, can have an excessive voltage drop. •

Using voltage drop testing to diagnose a problem circuitBy ALLDATA Tech-Assist Team

By ALLDATA Tech-Assist Team

A 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan (V6-3.8L) with 196,002 miles was brought to a shop that had rebuilt the vehicle’s automatic transmission. After the repairs, the transmission would intermittently slip in third and fourth gears. The technician checked the automatic transmission fluid level and found that it was two quarts over-filled. After setting the fluid to the correct level, the issue remained. A quick scan revealed the following diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs): • P0733 GEAR RATIO ERROR IN third gear • P0734 GEAR RATIO ERROR IN fourth gear • P0792 COMPOUNDER SPEED RATIO ERROR An ALLDATA Tech-Assist con-sultant advised checking the har-ness connection at the transmission, because over-filling the oil capacity can cause oil to wick past the seals

Grand Caravan transmission slips, numerous DTCs set

and foul the electrical circuits, which can cause intermittent problems and DTCs. The technician was further advised to monitor the perimeter identification data (PID) values for the input, transfer, output speed and engine speed sensors to identify any implausible data values. While monitoring the input speed (turbine) sensor and engine speed PIDs, the input speed exceeded engine speed. Because the engine speed should never exceed the turbine speed, the wiring at the transmission was closely inspected. The technician found excessive oil in the connector, so he also inspected the internal har-ness. He found that multiple wires were overheated and burnt. After replacing the internal har-ness, the DTCs were cleared and the transmission was refilled to specifi-cation. After taking the vehicle on a lengthy test drive, no DTCs or slip-page problems were noted. •

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PHOENIX — Can Lucid, Nikola and ElectraMeccanica turn Arizona into a ma-jor electric vehicle manufacturing hub? “We have the potential to become a mas-sive global leader in emerging auto manu-facturing,” Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, told The Arizona Republic. It’s happened before. Nearly 40 years ago, the first Nissans rolled off an assembly line in Tennessee, helping to turn a largely rural state with modest manufacturing aspirations into an automotive powerhouse. Tennessee now produces more than 800,000 cars and trucks annually and em-ploys around 123,000 people, with three major auto brands and more than 900 parts suppliers. The Republic reports that Arizona has commitments from three auto manufac-turers and has made significant headway over the past three years. But unlike the three major manufactur-ers in Tennessee — Nissan, General Mo-tors and Volkswagen — Arizona’s three vehicle producers are all startups, and they’re all engaged in electric-vehicles. Lucid has announced its Casa Grande factory is complete and will begin produc-ing tens of thousands of electric cars this spring. Nikola Corp. is building a factory in nearby Coolidge where it will produce electric and hydrogen powered heavy trucks. ElectraMeccanica will start assembling three-wheeled, one-seat electric cars not much bigger than motorcycles at a plant near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. The next big question is whether all the companies can get commercial production

up and running. After that, the big test will involve sup-pliers and whether Arizona can attract them in sizable numbers to transform the state into an auto manufacturing hub. If Arizona follows in the footsteps of Tennessee and other auto-rich states, a fa-miliar pattern could develop. “You’ll see a whole bunch of different types of suppliers locate next to a plant,” said Dale Rogers, a supply-chain pro-fessor at Arizona State University who has tracked similar patterns in his native

Arizona could become an elec-tric vehicle manufacturing hubBy AP Wire Service

Michigan and in Nevada, where Tesla built a huge battery plant. “These economic clusters typically grow up organically over time as there’s demand,” Rogers added. UACJ Automotive Whitehall Industries, a maker of aluminum bumper assemblies, sunroof guide rails and battery housings, announced in March that it would convert a Walgreens distribution facility in Flag-staff into an auto-parts factory. The company, which expects to bring 350 jobs to northern Arizona within five years, specifically cited the need to be close to electric vehicle customers. Another company, Jomi Engineering Group of Canada, has purchased a build-ing in central Casa Grande. Jomi is an en-gineering services and manufacturing pro-

cesses entity rather than a parts supplier. “We’re trying to court these other busi-nesses,” said Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland, who anticipates more an-nouncements over the next six months. “Between Nikola and Lucid, we think we can make this into a tech corridor.” The next few years could prove pivotal. Camacho said his group already is in touch with various auto-parts companies, though he didn’t disclose names. “There are dozens of companies in engineering and emerging automotive suppliers evaluating us at the moment,” he said, adding that more announcements of suppliers landing in Arizona will come over the next year or so. (AP) •

Strike ends at Volvo plant in Va. as tentative deal reached A strike at a Volvo plant in Virginia has ended following a tentative deal between the workers’ union and automaker. The UAW Volvo Truck Council said Friday that Volvo Truck workers will be scheduled to return to their regular shifts on Monday. Ray Curry, UAW secretary-treasurer and director of the UAW heavy truck department, said in a statement that the workers achieved “significant gains to-ward fair pay, benefits and job security protections.” The council said that details of the ten-tative agreement will be withheld until UAW members can be briefed prior to tak-ing a ratification vote in the coming days. Volvo Trucks North America says the five-year contract covers 2,900 workers at the plant in Dublin, Virginia. It also would not release details pend-ing the union’s ratification vote. (AP) •


wasn’t turned on, and “Full Self-Driving” was not purchased for the vehicle in the Texas crash. He didn’t answer reporters’ questions posed on Twitter. In the past, NHTSA, has taken a hands-off approach to regulating partial and fully automated systems for fear of hin-dering development of promising new features. But since March, the agency has stepped

up inquiries into Teslas, dispatching teams to three crashes. It has investigated 28 Tesla crashes in the past few years, but thus far has relied on voluntary safety compliance from auto and tech com-panies. At least three people have been killed in U.S. crashes in which Autopilot was operating but neither the system nor the driver took action to avoid obstacles. (AP) •

... into driver’s seat before crashContinued from page 12

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LOS ANGELES — The driver of a Tes-la involved in a fatal crash that California highway authorities said may have been operating on Autopilot, posted social me-dia videos of himself riding in the vehicle without his hands on the wheel or foot on the pedal. The May 5 crash in Fontana, a city 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, is also under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The probe is the 29th case involving a Tesla that the federal agency has probed. In the Fontana crash, a 35-year-old man identified as Steven Michael Hendrickson was killed when his Tesla Model 3 struck an overturned semi on a freeway about 2:30 a.m. Hendrickson, a member of the South-ern California chapter of a Tesla club, had posted numerous photos and video on social media of his white Model 3. One video on his Instagram account showed him riding in the driver’s seat without his hands on the wheel or foot on the pedal as the Tesla navigated freeway traffic. The video included the comment: “Best car-pool buddy possible even takes the boring traffic for me.” A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for his funeral and memorial service says Hendrickson was survived by his wife and two chil-dren. A message seeking comment from his wife has not been returned. “Every time we spoke to him, he would light up talking about his kids and loved his Tesla,” Tesla Club-SoCal posted on In-stagram. “He was truly an amazing human being and will be missed! Another man was seriously injured when the electric vehicle hit him as he was helping the semi’s driver out of the wreck. The CHP announced that its prelimi-nary investigation had determined that the Tesla’s partially automated driving system called Autopilot “was engaged” prior to the crash. The agency said it was commenting on the Fontana crash because of the “high level of interest” about Tesla crashes and because it was “an opportu-nity to remind the public that driving is a complex task that requires a driver’s full attention.” However, the agency walked back its previous declaration. “To clarify,” a new CHP statement said, “There has not been a final determination made as to what driving mode the Tesla was in or if it was a contributing factor to the crash.” At least three people have died in pre-vious U.S. crashes involving Autopilot, which can keep a car centered in its lane and a safe distance behind vehicles in front of it. Tesla is allowing a limited number of owners to test its self-driving system.

Tesla, which has disbanded its pub-lic relations department, did not respond to an email seeking comment. The com-pany says in owner’s manuals and on its website that both Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” are not fully autonomous and that drivers must pay attention and be ready to intervene at any time. Autopilot at times has had trouble deal-ing with stationary objects and traffic crossing in front of Teslas. In two Florida crashes, from 2016 and 2019, cars with Autopilot in use drove be-neath crossing tractor-trailers, killing the men driving the Teslas. In a 2018 crash in Mountain View, California, an Apple engineer driving on Autopilot was killed when his Tesla struck a highway barrier. Tesla’s system, which uses cameras, ra-dar and short-range sonar, also has trouble handling stopped emergency vehicles. Teslas have struck several firetrucks and police vehicles that were stopped on free-ways with their flashing emergency lights on. After the Florida and California fatal crashes, the National Transportation Safe-ty Board recommended that Tesla develop

a stronger system to ensure drivers are paying atten-tion, and that it limit use of Auto-pilot to highways where it can work effectively. Nei-ther Tesla nor the safety agency took action. In a Feb. 1 let-

ter to the U.S. Department of Transporta-tion, NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt urged the department to enact regulations governing driver-assist systems such as Autopilot, as well as testing of autono-mous vehicles. NHTSA has relied mainly on voluntary guidelines for the vehicles, taking a hands-off approach so it won’t hinder development of new safety tech-nology. Sumwalt said that Tesla is using people who have bought the cars to test “Full Self-Driving” software on public roads with limited oversight or reporting re-quirements. “Because NHTSA has put in place no requirements, manufacturers can oper-ate and test vehicles virtually anywhere, even if the location exceeds the AV (au-tonomous vehicle) control system’s limi-tations,” Sumwalt wrote. He added: “Although Tesla includes a disclaimer that ’currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous,’ NHT-SA’s hands-off approach to oversight of AV testing poses a potential risk to motor-ists and other road users.” NHTSA, which has authority to regu-late automated driving systems and seek recalls if necessary, seems to have devel-oped a renewed interest in the systems since President Joe Biden took office. (AP) •

Crash victim had posted videos riding in Tesla on AutopilotBy AP Wire Service

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DETROIT — A motorist was arrested after an officer observed him in the back-seat of a Tesla traveling on a San Fran-cisco Bay Area freeway, the California Highway Patrol said. Param Sharma, 25, was arrested for al-leged reckless driving and disobeying a peace officer, the highway patrol said in a statement. Multiple 911 calls reported a person seated in the backseat of a Tesla Model 3 without anyone in the driver’s seat while the vehicle traveled on Interstate 80 across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. A highway patrol motorcycle officer spotted the Tesla, confirmed the solo oc-cupant was in the backseat, took action to stop the car and saw the occupant move to the driver’s seat before the car stopped, said the statement from the highway pa-trol, known as CHP. “Prior to this arrest, members of the public had captured video of someone re-sembling Sharma operating his vehicle in the same reckless manner, and the CHP’s Oakland Area had cited Sharma on April 27 for similar behavior,” the statement said. The CHP said the incident remains un-der investigation. The statement did not say whether officials determined whether the Tesla was operating on the company’s

“Autopilot” system, which can keep a car centered in its lane and a safe distance be-hind vehicles in front of it. But it’s likely that either Autopilot or Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” systems were operating for the driver to be in the back seat. Tesla is allowing a limited number of owners to test its self-driving system, but it’s not clear if Sharma was one of them. A message was left seeking comment from

Tesla. Tesla says on its website and in owners manuals that both systems are not fully autonomous, and that drivers must be ready to intervene at any time. But driv-ers have repeatedly zoned out with Auto-pilot in use, resulting in at least three U.S. deaths when neither the system nor the driver stopped for obstacles in the road. Tesla has a system to monitor drivers to make sure they’re paying attention by detecting force from hands on the steering wheel. The system will issue warnings and

Police: California Tesla driver riding in backseat arrestedBy Tom Krisher

eventually shut the car down if it doesn’t detect hands. But critics have said Tesla’s system is easy to fool and can take as long as a minute to shut down. Consumer Re-ports said in April that it was able to trick a Tesla into driving in Autopilot mode with no one at the wheel. In March, a Tesla official also told Cali-fornia regulators that “Full Self-Driving” was a driver-assist system that requires monitoring by humans. In notes released by the state’s Department of Motor Ve-hicles, the company couldn’t say whether Tesla’s technology would improve to fully self driving by the end of the year, contrary to statements made by company

CEO Elon Musk. Missy Cummings, an electrical and computer engineering professor at Duke University who studies automated vehi-cles, said Sharma is the only person she knows of who has been accused by police of misusing a partially automated driving system. The case, she said, increases pressure on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to regulate the systems. The administration has investigated 28 Tesla crashes in the past few years but has yet to take any regulatory action.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which also investigates crashes, has recommended that NHTSA and Tesla limit the type of roads where Autopilot can operate and that Tesla install a tougher driver monitoring system. Both agencies are investigating a Tes-la crash in April near Houston in which two men were killed, and local authori-ties found no one in the driver’s seat. The NTSB said in a preliminary report t that it couldn’t get Autopilot to activate in a dif-ferent Tesla vehicle on the same road. “I definitely think that the increasing number of incidents is adding more fuel to the fire for NHTSA to do more,” Cum-mings said. “I do think they are going to be stronger about this.” The auto industry, except Tesla, already does a good job of limiting where such systems can operate, and is moving to self-regulate, she said. Even Tesla seems to be heading that way. It’s now installing driver-facing cameras on recent models, she said. Sharma has been released from Alam-eda County’s Santa Rita Jail. The KTVU television station reported that Sharma said in an interview that rid-ing in the backseat isn’t dangerous and he will continue to do so. Sharma’s comments suggest he is among a number of Tesla drivers who rely too much on the company’s driving sys-tems, Cummings said. “It’s showing people the thought pro-cess behind people who have way too much trust in a very unproven technol-ogy,“ she said. (AP) n

Multiple 911 calls reported a person seated in the backseat of a Tesla Model 3 without anyone in the driver’s seat while the vehicle traveled on Interstate 80 ....


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DETROIT — An announcement by General Motors that it would invest more than $1 billion at a Mexican factory that will build electric vehicles has angered the United Auto Workers union. GM said in Spanish on its Mexican website that it would make the investment at its Ramos Arizpe plant, which will become its fifth factory to make battery-powered vehicles. Three others are in the U.S., with another in Canada. UAW Vice President Terry Dittes says in a statement that the investment comes as GM is asking the U.S. government to subsidize EV purchases. He calls the in-vestment a slap in the face to American workers and says GM vehicles sold in the U.S. should be made in the country, em-ploying Americans. “Taxpayer money should not go to com-panies that utilize labor outside the U.S. while benefiting from American govern-ment subsidies,” Dittes said. “This is not the America any of us signed on for.” The company says in a statement that it’s committed to creating U.S. jobs and is investing more than $9 billion in U.S. electric vehicle factories, or battery plants in a joint venture with LG Energy Solu-tion. The plants would employ about 9,000 people.

“As a global company that builds and sells products around the world, we will take the appropriate steps to transition our manufacturing footprint moving forward to suport our all-EV vision,” the company said in a statement. GM has set a goal of switching all of its new passenger vehicles from internal combustion to electricity by 2035. It has promised to roll out 30 new electric ve-hicles globally by the end of 2025. The Ramos Arizpe plant will get a new paint shop that will start working in June, as well as equipment to make it the com-pany’s fifth electric vehicle production site. The plant will build EVs for differ-ent GM brands starting in 2023, and it will build batteries, drive units and other EV components starting in the second half of this year. GM would not identify what EV models would be built at the plant. The factory will continue making the Chevrolet Equinox and Chevrolet Blazer gas-powered SUVs for Mexico and ex-ports to more than 40 countries includ-ing the U.S., GM said. The plant now has 5,600 workers, the company said. President Joe Biden plans to spend $15 billion to build a half-million electric ve-hicle charging stations by 2030 as well as offer unspecified tax credits and rebates to cut the cost of the vehicles. (AP) •

GM spending on Mexico electric vehicle plantBy AP Wire Service


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PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — On the outside, the electric version of Ford’s F-150 pickup looks much like its wildly popular gas-powered version. Yet the resemblance is deceiving. With its new battery-powered truck, Ford is making a costly bet that buyers will embrace a ve-hicle that would help transform how the world drives. Branded the F-150 Lightning, the pick-up will be able to travel up to 300 miles per battery charge, thanks to a frame de-signed to safely hold a huge lithium-ion battery that can power your house should the electricity go out. Going from zero to 60 mph (97 kilometers per hour) will take just 4.5 seconds. With a starting price near $40,000 (be-fore options), Ford has calculated that an electric version of America’s top-selling vehicle will appeal to the sorts of buyers who favor rugged pickup trucks prized for strength and durability. If it succeeds, it could speed the nation’s transition away from petroleum burners — a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s broad effort to fight climate change. “It’s a watershed moment to me,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said of the electric truck, which was formally unveiled Wednesday, May 18. “It’s a very important transition for our industry.” For the Biden administration to pre-vail in its push for green energy-driven manufacturing, it will need to overcome resistance as well as skepticism. Crit-ics fear the loss of auto industry jobs in a shift away from gasoline-fueled ve-hicles. Because EVs are much simpler, it takes fewer workers to build them. And bottlenecked supply chains could leave automakers short of computer chips and vehicle batteries, along with other parts, for months and perhaps years. That said, a vehicle like the Lightning is so critical to Biden’s policies that even before its formal unveiling, he visited the Ford plant in Michigan where it will be built beginning next year. The president even drove the truck on a test track. “This sucker’s quick,” he declared. For its part, Ford is taking a signifi-cant risk by sinking so much capital into an electric version of a pickup that com-mands a huge and loyal following. In a typical year, Ford sells about 900,000 F-series trucks nationally. It has been Amer-ica’s top-selling vehicle for nearly four decades. Gas-powered F-150s are staples on job sites across the nation, where workers haul equipment and materials and often don’t see a need for change. So it could be years before Ford realizes a return on its investment in an electric F-150. This year, through April, the company has sold only 10,000 of its new gas-electric hybrid F-150s — just over 6 percent of the F-150’s total sales. Still, introducing a capable electric truck at a fairly reasonable price could potentially produce the breakthrough that draws many more people to battery-pow-

ered vehicles of all sizes, said Ivan Drury, a senior manager at Edmunds.com. “If you’re going to choose one vehicle in the industry that’s going to do it, this is going to be the one,” Drury said. “I expect this to be a home run, and I expect it to re-ally convert a lot of consumers’ minds.“ At the same time, the electric truck, due in showrooms by the middle of next year,

comes at a time when American drivers remain reluctant to jettison gas vehicles. Through April, automakers sold about 108,000 fully electric vehicles in the U.S. Though that’s nearly twice the number from the same period last year, EVs still account for only 2 percent of U.S. vehicle sales, according to Edmunds. In addition to the Lightning, though, the growing number of fully electric offerings will help raise sales numbers. Automakers now sell 18 electric models in the U.S.; Drury expects 30 by year’s end. To be sure, Ford won’t stop building gas-powered trucks for years. They re-main an enormous cash cow. A study by the Boston Consulting Group found that the F-Series generates $42 billion in an-nual U.S. revenue for the automaker — more than such entire companies as Mc-Donald’s, Nike or Netflix do. Initially, Ford expects Lightning cus-tomers to be mainly higher-income urban and suburban residents who seldom go off road or use truck beds to haul anything heavy. But the company plans a commer-cial version designed to make work more efficient. Ultimately, Farley expects sales to be evenly balanced between work and personal buyers. But Ford may have a hard time selling it to people who build houses, maintain lawns or plow snow. “It sounds good, but it’s not good for the type of business I’m in,” said Jimmie Williams, owner of a landscaping firm on Chicago’s South Side. He doesn’t think the battery will have enough range to last the 12-14-hour days his crews sometimes work maintaining about 700 properties. He’ll stick with his three gas-powered pickups, in part because he plows snow in the winter, when cold weather can limit an EV’s range. Others aren’t ready now but might be convinced to switch in the future. “Maybe when I’m retired,” quipped Steven Realy, a foreman for a subcontrac-tor at a housing development in Pittsfield Township, Michigan. Realy, 28, whose company uses diesel trucks to carry equipment and building materials, doesn’t think an electric truck

Ford’s big bet: Fans of F-150 will embrace electricBy Tom Krisher

will do the job now but maybe in the fu-ture. “When electric takes off more than what it is right now,“ he said, “I could see my-self owning one, definitely.” Yet it may be difficult to persuade some people to give up the big gas engines they’re used to. “I like my V-8,” Anthony Lane, a 26-year-old plumber in the same devel-opment, said from the driver’s seat of his gleaming Chevrolet Silverado. Aside from a charging port and a Light-ning decal, Ford’s new truck resembles a standard F-150. That was intentional.

Ford wants the Lightning to be perceived as just as capable as gasoline versions, if not more so. Even the base version of the electric F-150, with two rows of seats and a 230-mile estimated range per battery charge, can haul up to a ton in its bed. A high-end Lightning equipped with a longer-range battery can tow an estimated 10,000 pounds, matching many gas-powered trucks, though falling about 3,000 pounds

shy of Ford’s V-8 engines. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the truck is its price, which Ford said is about equal to a comparably equipped gasoline F-150. With a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 still available on Ford electric vehicles, the base price falls to around $32,500. That’s below the lowest-priced gas F-150 with a crew cab, which starts at roughly $37,000. The Lightning has a front trunk with plugs for power tools and lights at job or camp sites. And if the electricity goes, out, it can run your house for up to three days, which Farley expects to be a big selling point. Competition for the Lightning is loom-ing. General Motors says it’s working on an electric Silverado. Stellantis is de-veloping an electric Ram. Tesla’s angu-lar Cybertruck is due out this year. And startups Bollinger Motors, Nikola, Rivian and Lordstown Motors have trucks in the works. All will face an inevitable obstacle in seeking buyers: brand loyalty. Pickup drivers often stick with one company for life. Sometimes, they choose a brand be-cause it’s been in the family for years, if not generations. “I’m not a Ford guy,” said Lane, the plumber. “I drive Chevys my whole life.” Once General Motors comes out with an electric Silverado, though, Lane might consider a change. “I’ll probably stick with the gas,“ he said. “But if they ever fully switch over to electric, I’ll probably get the Chevy one.” (AP) n

“It sounds good, but it’s not good for the type of business I’m in,” said Jimmie Williams, owner of a landscaping firm on Chicago’s South Side. He doesn’t think the battery will have enough range to last the 12-14-hour days his crews sometimes work maintaining about 700 properties.


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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin drove their sporty new pony cars through the smoke and lights of the fog machines NASCAR used for its first fancy presenta-tion in more than a year. The future of the sport is riding on the Next Gen car unveiled recently in a dark-ened Charlotte auditorium, where the movers and shakers of NASCAR gathered to get the first look at the new Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang and Toyota Cam-ry. Never before had all of NASCAR’s stakeholders collaborated on one project for the sake of the sport, all putting per-sonal interests aside for the sake of com-petition, cost containment and manufac-turer relevance. “Chevrolet wants to have a competi-tive car on track. But equally as much, we want to have a car that aligns itself with something somebody can go buy on a showroom floor,” Elliott said. City Chevrolet, the dealership that launched Hall of Fame team owner Rick Hendrick’s career, sat just three miles up the road from the unveiling with a car lot full of street-legal Camaros. If the Next Gen works, viewers will watch a race then head to their nearest dealership to buy a car. “That’s always been an important part of the sport, an important part of NAS-CAR — ’Win on Sunday, sell on Mon-day.’ Now that we’ve got more relevance, anybody that wants to go buy a Mustang, it just resonates even more for them,“ said Mark Rushbrook, global director at Ford Performance Motorsports. NUTS AND BOLTS The Next Gen was first proposed in 2018 and initially scheduled to be on track this season. It was postponed a year by the pandemic and now won’t get on track un-til next February when the season opens at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR didn’t want to delay the proj-ect because it has so much hope tied into the Next Gen car. But it was impossible to maintain an on-track testing schedule during the early part of the pandemic and NASCAR ran into difficulties obtaining the parts needed to complete the develop-ment of the cars. COST CONTAINMENT There is no spending cap in NASCAR and the deep-pocketed teams win races because they have the resources that small teams do not. The Next Gen is designed to create parity and give the little guys a fighting chance on the track. Single-source manufacturers will build the chassis, provide parts and supply the carbon composite bodies for the first time in NASCAR’s 73-year history. It means all the parts and pieces will come from the same vendors and each team can have only seven cars at a time instead of an un-limited fleet. Although there have been 10 winners through 11 races this season, only one is from an underdog team: Michael McDow-

ell beat 100-1 odds to win the Daytona 500. Spire Motorsports eyed the Next Gen model and believed it would change the odds for smaller teams. Spire bought its first charter to enter Cup competition be-fore the 2019 season and now has three of the 36 guaranteed starting spots each week in the 40-car field. Rick Ware Rac-ing owns three and a share of a fourth. Interest is so high that a bidding war en-sued last summer when three new teams chased charters. When Spire bought its first charter, it wasn’t an agency, not a race team, and only bought it because no one else was interested. BETTER COMPETITION The Next Gen is supposed to make the racing better throughout the field based on changes to how the car is built. The car is designed to give drivers greater control and put an emphasis back on race strategy, team personnel and ve-hicle setup. The symmetric body shape significantly reduces side-force, which in theory should make the cars harder to drive through corners — NASCAR’s cur-rent car is offset, not symmetric. The composite body is designed to minimize in-race damage that would oth-erwise affect handling and lead to further incidents that could alter a race. And the new, wider tires are designed to allow Goodyear to bring a softer compound to improve passing and strategy options. THE NEW LOOK The look of the car puts the “stock back in stock car,” noted NASCAR President Steve Phelps, who had promised to deliver that to race fans. But the Next Gen also added modern upgrades that are found on today’s street cars — rack-and-pinion steering, independent rear suspension, bigger wheels and upgraded connectivity to allow for an in-car camera in every ve-hicle. There is also the ability to adapt as technology changes. That’s critical as NASCAR tries to lure a new manufacturer to join Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota. Dodge left the sport after the 2012 sea-son and Phelps has said new carmakers would not be interested in joining until a new car was designed. The Next Gen should make NASCAR appealing to other manufacturers particu-larly as hybrid technology is explored. The new car, for now, will continue to use internal combustion, pushrod V8 engines produced by each of the three manufactur-ers. But bringing in new competition was a goal for all three of the current NASCAR manufacturers. “The more manufacturers that we can compete with on track, the better,” said David Wilson, President of Toyota Rac-ing Development. “The entry point with the car that we’ve been racing is just too steep to entice a new manufacturer. We do believe that with Next Gen, the relevancy to an OEM, it’s a reset that there’s a much higher likelihood we could see another OEM or two.” (AP) •

NASCAR returns to roots with sleek new pony cars for 2022By Jenna Fryer

DOVER, Del. — Hendrick Motorsports has a mission to dethrone The King. Just ask Kyle Larson. Larson has spent mere months on the job driving for Rick Hendrick, and promptly learned how seriously the team owner took his passion for catching Petty Enterprises -- anchored, of course, for years by Richard Petty -- on NASCAR’s career list for most wins by one organiza-tion in the Cup Series. “He mentions it almost every time I feel like I talk to him,” Larson said. Hendrick should feel real chatty these days after Alex Bowman won at Dover and Hendrick swept the top four spots for the first time in team history. It moved HMS’ Cup wins total to 267, one shy of Petty’s mark of 268. Bowman has four career wins on that scorecard and Larson added his first ear-lier this season. The list is topped by Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, who won 93 races and four championships driving for Hen-drick. Jimmie Johnson had 83 wins and a record-tying seven championships before bolting for IndyCar. NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte added 12 wins. There are 20 names on the list. Five drivers have one win for Hendrick and Chase Elliott with 11 is the only other driver to crack double figures. Petty En-

terprises, founded by Lee Petty and last owned by Richard, last competed in 2008. “I really tried not to think about it until this year,” the 71-year-old Hendrick said. “This year when everybody started talk-ing about it, then I thought, man, this is in reach.” With Elliott, Larson, Bowman and Wil-liam Byron in the stable, the record is not only within reach but Hendrick can put Petty (196 of his record 200 wins were for Petty Enterprises) well behind in the rear-view mirror. “I just want to be the guy that ties them and beats them,” Bowman said. “All four of us want to be that guy. It’s cool to put us one closer. I want to be the guy that gets those wins for Mr. H.” NASCAR’s inner ownership circle boasts a king, a captain (Roger Penske) and a coach (Joe Gibbs). At Hendrick, the man who has called the shots since 1984 is simply Mr. H. Larson drives the No. 5 for Hendrick, the number he used when Hendrick Mo-torsports launched in 1984. Geoff Bodine drove the No. 5 to three victories in the 1984 season (seven overall). “I think a few years back, I thought it would be impossible,” Hendrick said. “If you had told me in 1984 that you’re go-ing to be here for this long or that you had an opportunity to win all these races and

Dethroning the King: Hendrick set to become NASCAR’s bestBy Dan Gelston

Continued on page 36


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All these years after her history making run at the Indianapolis 500, Janet Guthrie is still deluged with letters from around the globe. “I just got a piece of fan mail from Aus-tralia,” she said. “I’ve got a stack of fan mail about 3 feet high that I haven’t been able to respond to.” And how about the news that Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank is set to portray her in a movie! Swank called Guthrie “an incredible true story about female empowerment and going after your dreams,“ saying she “can’t wait to bring her inspiring life to the screen.” “Very flattering,“ Guthrie responded. “Obviously, she’s a great actress.” Swank certainly picked a worthy sub-ject. As the first woman to race at the Indy 500, Guthrie’s is a life worth celebrating and remembering, especially as a new generation deals with the gender inequi-ties that continue to hinder female sports. When Guthrie read reports of the dis-parate facilities at the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, she had a familiar reaction for someone who en-dured relentless scorn and ridicule break-ing into a male-dominated sport. “I guess my first thought was, ’What else is new?”’ she said, a resigned tone in her voice when speaking by phone from her home in Colorado. “On the other hand, I’m very glad that it’s in the headlines again. Perhaps there will be some chang-es.” One thing hasn’t changed all that much since Guthrie, an aerospace engineer and pilot-turned-race car driver, stunned the world by qualifying for one of the world’s most famous events in 1977. Women are still outliers in the sport of auto racing. Only a handful of females have raced regularly in the IndyCar series since Guth-rie’s breakthrough, most notably Danica Patrick. Patrick, now retired, is also the only woman to compete regularly on the NAS-CAR Cup circuit, where Guthrie still ranks

second on the list of most career starts by a female with 33 (which includes being the first woman to compete in its biggest event, the Daytona 500). Just two women have qualified for a Formula One race, the last in 1976. “The talent is out there,” insisted Guth-rie, now 83. “But the pool of girls who have grown up racing go-karts and then progressed to other forms of machinery is relatively small.” She contrasted that with the gains made by women in equestrian events, another of the rare sports where the two genders compete on an equal playing field. “Forty years ago, that sport was domi-nated by men at the Olympics. Now, it’s dominated by women,” Guthrie said. “But horseback riding has since time immemo-rial been the one way a young girl had so-cially acceptable access to power. I think that’s part of why women have come to dominate (equestrian) competition. “We haven’t really quite reached that point in the lower levels of autosport yet,” she said. “I hope it will be coming.” There’s nothing to prevent women rac-ers from being just as successful as their male counterparts, Guthrie has long main-tained, if only they received an equal op-portunity. “In most sports, the fact that men have big muscles and broad shoulders does make a difference,” she said. But that doesn’t apply when behind the wheel of a machine that can go more than 200 mph. “Like I used to say,” Guthrie chuckled, “I drove the car, I didn’t have to carry it.” She never got a full-time ride on the In-dyCar circuit, competing in 11 races over a four-year period in the late 1970s. She qualified three straight years for the Indy 500, finishing ninth in 1978 for her best showing. While best known for her Indy exploits, Guthrie had more experience in NAS-CAR. Again, though, she never had a full-time ride. The closest she got was in 1977, when she took part in 19 of 30 races, fin-ished in the top 10 four times, and wound up 23rd in the season points standings Guthrie was the first of nine women to race in the Indy 500, but she and most of those who followed were limited to one-

Column: Guthrie paved the way, still hoping more will followBy Paul Newberry

off deals that made it difficult to compete with full-time racers. That’s the case again this year. Simona de Silvestro was the lone woman entered in the 500 later this month, competing for fledgling Paretta Autosport in an Indy-on-ly package. At least that’s an improvement on last year’s pandemic-delayed race, when there were no female drivers for the first time in 20 years. “I’m really delighted that Simona is entered in this year’s race. She’s a very capable driver,” Guthrie said. “But I can tell you it’s nearly impossible to do well when you’re racing just one IndyCar race a year, and it’s the most important race of the year. I’m hoping for the best. I really have my fingers crossed.” De Silvestro’s team is owned by Beth Paretta and part of a drive by IndyCar leader Roger Penske to create more op-portunities for women and minorities in a variety of racing-related jobs. It’s an effort that’s long overdue. “The talented women are out there,” Guthrie said. “It just depends on which one finds the money to get it done.” She’s encouraged by progress being made in non-driver positions. Maybe it doesn’t create the same buzz as a woman behind the wheel, but it’s an important step.

“You want the very best people,” Guth-rie said. “And there’s quite a few women working behind the scenes now. So much of racing is computer driven these days. Just look at Formula One races. Car ad-justments are being [made] for a race in Spain by people sitting behind a computer in England. It’s a whole different ball-game than it used to be.” In the meantime, it’s important that we never forget those who paved the way. Guthrie is at the top of that list. Better late than never, she was select-ed last year for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, the pandemic prevented the usual induc-tion ceremony from being held, so Guthrie took part in a virtual event. She had hoped to attend this year’s ceremony in person, but the ongoing pandemic and other issues forced her to back out. Former driver Sarah Fisher will deliver a few remarks on Guthrie’s behalf. While Guthrie said “it kills me” not to be in Indy this month, she at least has a ring that is presented to all Hall of Fame inductees. “That ring is so beautiful,“ she said. ”It’s my most treasured possession.“ Janet Guthrie is a national treasure. Hilary Swank, you’ve got your work cut out for you. (AP) •

Ex-NASCAR driver Eric McClure dies at 42 ABINGDON, Va. — Former NASCAR driver Eric McClure died May 2, his family and the series said. He was 42. No details were given about his death. McClure had posted on social media as re-cently as the day before. The Washington County sheriff’s office said McClure’s body was sent to Roanoke for an autopsy. “We are saddened to learn of the passing of former driver and (team) owner Eric Mc-Clure. NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to Eric’s family and friends,” NAS-CAR said in a statement. McClure was the nephew of former Cup team owner Larry McClure and spent the majority of his career racing in the Xfinity Series. He made 288 career starts over 14 seasons with a career-best finish of eighth at Daytona in 2013. He last raced in 2016. “The family of Eric Wayne McClure, former NASCAR driver, announces with great sorrow his passing on Sunday,” his family said in a statement. “They would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support during this very difficult time.” McClure’s career was cut short by health issues. He suffered at least two concussions in his career and the native of Chilhowie, Virginia, later said he was left with lingering headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sensitivity to light, bouts of depression and forgetfulness. McClure said in 2013 he had been diagnosed with acute renal failure, and in 2019 he said he was being treated for kidney failure in both kidneys. (AP) •



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championships, (I’d) kind of pinch my-self because it’s just really hard to do.“ Hendrick’s drivers may have made suc-cess look easy on the track, but the hard-ships have been as much a part of his story as the championships. Already a car dealer, Hendrick had a championship drag boat team under his belt when he launched with fewer than 20 full-time employees and a small shop. He became a technical adviser for the Tom Cruise movie “Days of Thunder” and was one of the four original owners of the Charlotte Hornets. He battled a rare form of leukemia, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was later pardoned by President Clinton. He was struck by more tragedy in 2004 when a plane owned by Hen-drick Motorsports crashed. All 10 people aboard were killed, including Hendrick’s son, brother and twin nieces. Yet, he guided and grew his Hendrick Motorsports team into the dominant pro-gram in NASCAR. The lean years hit, and Johnson failed to win a race over his final three full sea-sons. Hendrick failed to advance a driver into the championship round from 2017-19, a stretch that included a woeful 2018

season in which Elliott accounted for the only three wins for the entire organization. Elliott, though, delivered a champion-ship to Hendrick last season and the mo-mentum rolled into this year: Bowman has two wins, and Byron and Larson each have one. Bowman, who is expected to sign a multi-year contract extension, Lar-son and Byron are under 30 years old. “I think we are set for a really good run here for the next years, multiple years,” Hendrick said. “I like where we are.” At Dover, Hendrick joined Peter De-Paolo Racing (1956 at Titusville and 1957 at North Wilkesboro) and Roush Fenway Racing (2005 Homestead-Miami Speed-way) as the only race teams to claim the top four spots in a Cup race. Now it’s almost time to catch The King -- but not without a tip of the feathered cap to the one who set the standard. “I’ll say this about Richard — nobody in this sport has ever given as much as he has,” Hendrick said. “To see him on pit road, see him signing every autograph. I’ve got one of his autographs when I couldn’t get in the garage area through the fence at Martinsville. I know what that feels like.” (AP) •

... set to become NASCAR’s bestContinued from page 34

Tasca beats rain to take top NHRA Funny Car spot BAYTOWN, Texas — Funny Car points leader Bob Tasca III powered to the top spot right before the rain came, taking the No. 1 qualifying position in the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park. Tasca had a 3.908-second run at 331.53 mph in a Ford Mustang, making one of the final runs during the second qualifying session before rain wiped out the rest of qualify-ing. “We knew we were going to have an advantage going into that last session because we saw the radar,” Tasca said. “To get an opportunity to put this car on the pole, it’s always better starting No. 1 than No. 16. We lost our mojo a little bit in Charlotte, but it’s great to come out here, run 331 (mph) and qualify No. 1, and we’ll see what we can do Sunday.” Steve Torrence took the top spot in Top Fuel and Dallas Glenn was the fastest in Pro Stock at the fifth event of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. Points leader Torrence had a 3.727 at 326.48. Coming off his first career win in just his fourth career start, rookie Glenn ran a 6.549 at 210.01 in a Chevrolet Camaro. (AP) •

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The car will definitely not be the star this summer in the Superstar Racing Experience, which has been formated for drivers to showcase their skills using what series co-founder Ray Evernham calls “old-school tools.” The good old steering wheel, gas pedal and brake pedal. “With this format, you not only have to be the fastest driver, but you’ve got to be the smartest driver, too,” added Tony Stewart, who co-founded SRX and will also drive one of the cars this summer. SRX disclosed the format it will use recently to The Associated Press when the all-star series launches this summer at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecti-cut on June 12 for the first of six Saturday night short-track races across the country. Each event will consist of two timed 15-minute heat races followed by a 100-lap feature at every track except Slinger Speedway in Wisconsin, where the event will be extended by 50 laps because the track is only a quarter-mile oval. The first heat will be lined up by a ran-dom draw and the second heat will be set by inverting the finishing order from the first heat. The starting lineup for the fea-ture will be set by the finishing order of the second heat. There will be unlimited attempts at a green-white-checkered finish to complete the race. There are a maximum 12 points to earn in each heat, and the race winner receives 25 points. “It was very important to come up with a format that would provide the best enter-tainment to our fans while rewarding the drivers for their performance. This for-mat will do that,” Evernham said. “Every driver has the same opportunity. They’re in a car that’s very different because it’s so universal. It’s a road-course car first, a pretty good dirt car, and just an OK paved

oval car.“ Evernham and Stewart modeled the series after the popular but defunct Inter-national Race of Champions that pitted drivers from multiple formulas in identi-cally prepared cars at various tracks for 30 years. Stewart won its final championship in 2006 and there hasn’t been a series like it since. Evernham and Stewart, both members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, believed there was still an interest for a series that featured cars that don’t rely on aerody-namics and reward mechanical grip and driver skill. Stewart also thought he could find drivers who had stepped away from full-time racing but still wanted to occa-sionally compete. He recruited nine other full-time driv-ers, among them: NASCAR Hall of Fam-ers Bill Elliott and Bobby Labonte, India-napolis 500 winners Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan, Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, and Marco Andretti, the pole-sitter for last year’s Indy 500. Local all-stars join the SRX regulars at the first five races. The series will air live on CBS and race at some of the most prolific short tracks in the country, including Knoxville Raceway in Iowa — which calls itself ’The Sprint Car Capital of the World’ — the Stewart-owned Eldora Speedway in Ohio and Lu-cas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. “This is going to be a challenge. These are new, purpose-built racecars that none of us have driven before,“ Stewart said. “Every track is so different, and we don’t know how abrasive the pavement tracks are going to be and what kind of grip we’re going to have on the dirt tracks. Even for the local all-stars who have turned thousands of laps at their particular track, they’ll be doing it in a totally differ-ent environment.” (AP) •

New SRX format will showcase driver skillsBy Jenna Fryer

Gilliland rallies to win NASCAR truck race AUSTIN, Texas — Todd Gilliland powered through wet conditions early, then grabbed the lead late to pull away for his first NASCAR truck series victory of the sea-son at the Circuit of the Americas. Gilliland was in a four-car group that drew from the pack at the start of the final stage, then overtook Sheldon Creed, Tyler Ankrum and Kaz Grala over the final laps. This was his second career truck win and first since 2019. “From the drop of the green flag, I was aggressive,” said Gilliland, who started fifth and overcame a penalty that briefly put him in the back of the field. “If you’ve got the truck to do it ... you’ve got to get by people when you can.“ Gilliland noted he just turned 21 a week earlier. “It might be a fun night,” he said. The victory also marked the first of any kind for a NASCAR series race at the Circuit of the Americas. NASCAR is raced at the 3.4-mile Formula One road course for the first time during the weekend of May 21 to 23 and doing it amid wind and rain that soaked the track through practice and the early part of the race. None of it seemed to bother Gilliland, who won the first stage, then was penalized and pushed to the back when a crew member jumped the wall too early on his pit entry. He quickly recovered and was back among the leaders with 10 laps to go. A nip-and-tuck battle with Ankrum for the lead finally put him in front for good. Gil-liland got only faster as conditions dried. He put in his fastest lap on worn tires with two laps still to go. Even with the bad conditions early, the race was mostly clean with lots of bumps but no collisions to bring out a yellow flag. (AP) •


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The Volkswagen Hebmuller convertible was made in 1949. At the same time Volk-swagen also had Karmann make a four-passenger convertible where the convert-ible top rested on top of the rear of the car. The distinctive feature of the Hebmuller was the top was hidden and rested out of the way where the rear seat was for two pas-sengers. This made for a smooth flowing appearance of the Hebmuller convertible Volkswagen. The purpose of the convert-ible was to draw excitement to Volkswagen in post-WWII Germany. Volkswagen was soon called VW for short The making of the VW began in the Nazi Germany of Adolf Hitler, who wanted Ger-many to make an inexpensive car for the general public. (Volkswagen is the German term for “people’s car.”) Before the Volk-swagen was proposed most cars made in Germany were expensive and aimed to the wealthy and upper middle class, unlike in the United States, where Henry Ford made his Model T and then the Model A for the common working person. One of the voices in Germany who wanted such a vehicle was that of Josef Ganz, a Jewish engineer and editor of a German automotive magazine. Ganz advocated endlessly for the development of a lightweight, inexpensive car, stream-lined for aerodynamics, independently suspended at all four wheels with swing axles in the rear, and powered by a rear-mounted, horizontal engine. Ganz even developed a prototype, which led to a pro-duction model, the Standard Superior, in 1933. This car was displayed at the 1933 Internationale Automobil Ausstellung/International Mobility show, the Berlin Auto Show. Adolf Hitler, the new Chancel-lor of Germany, was at the show. During this time, the political climate in Germany was one of turbulence. With the rise of the Nazi party, anti-Semitism began to run rampant. In 1934, the same

year Hitler gained ultimate power, Ganz was arrested by the Gestapo on false charges of blackmail of the German auto industry. Soon after, Hitler commissioned one of Ganz’s contemporaries, Dr. Ferdi-nand Porsche, to begin work on the car that would become the Volkswagen Type 1. Josef Ganz’s name was removed from the VW’s creation story due to his Jewish heri-tage. Ganz left Germany for Switzerland in 1934. In post-WWII Germany, British Army Major Ivan Hirst of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) was appointed to run Volkswagen. Major Hirst thought VW should have a two-seat sporty car added to the Volkswagen model line-up, to create new interest in VW as not just an ordinary means of transportation After the war, Hebmüller and Sohn, a coach building firm in Wuppertal, Ger-many, like most German companies of the time, lacked business. Hebmuller was founded in 1889 by Joseph Hebmuller in Wuppertal and built horse-drawn carriages. In 1919 it started building bodies for auto-mobiles as the days of horse-drawn car-riages dwindled down. In post-WWII Germany, Major Hirst

By Jay Hirsch

believed the best way for Germany to get back on its feet was to put people back to work, and the building up of the auto indus-try was one way to do this. The German economy was destroyed by Hitler’s rise to power and starting the second World War. Hirst wanted the economy to rebound from the destruction brought upon the country and to counter the understandable animos-ity created in Europe towards Hitler’s Ger-many. In 1949 it has been reported that Volk-swagen ordered 2,000 two-seat convert-ibles for Hebmuller to build. Production began in June 1949. On July 23, 1949, a massive fire destroyed the entire factory. Before the fire, 689 Hebmuller two-seat convertibles were made. Fast forward to the mid-1990s. A young army officer named Dan Arena was sta-tioned in Germany. Being off duty on a warm, spring Saturday, Dan and his wife went for a ride in the German country side near Heidelberg. Approaching them from the opposite direction on the two-lane road was a car Dan had never seen. He made a U-turn and began to follow the car, which was doing about 25 mph. After following for about a mile, the road got slightly wider

and Dan pulled along side and motioned for the driver of the Hebmuller to pull over on the side of the road. When the driver got out of the Heb, Dan told him how beautiful the car was and that he never saw a VW like it. Dan knew it was VW by the wheel cover. After talking for a few minutes, Dan asked the owner if he ever thought of sell-ing the car. The owner said to Dan, “I’ll put your name on the list.” He then went into detail and told Dan what a 1949 Volkswa-gen Hebmuller is and the history behind it. Dan gave the owner of the Heb his con-tact information in Germany and also his home address and phone number in the United States. Over the next two years while Dan was still stationed in Germany, he and the owner would occasionally meet at the owners house where Dan would see the other cars in his “collection” and also learn more about air-cooled Volkswagens, the Hebmuller in particular. One day the owner called Dan while he was at his office on base and said, “I think I am ready to sell the Hebmuller, and you can have the car if you like the price. I can tell you really like the car and you are not buying it to sell.” Dan bought the car and two years later when he was re-assigned to duty in the United States, he had the VW shipped with all his household items back to the United States. As for the ride and performance, Dan will tell you those are two different words. The ride is smooth, and being a small car it’s easy to handle on curvy country roads. On the highway the car is “no Porsche.” With its 69 cid/1.1 liter air-cooled engine putting out 25 HP@3300 rpm and 5.8:1 compression, cruising at 45 mph is fine. Dan has no desire to find out if the car can do a reported top speed of 62 mph, “maybe downhill with a tail wind.” The owner of the car told Dan “40-45 mph is what you want to drive at; this is not a Mercedes 300 SL.” The Hebmuller is 160 inches long, 60.5 inches wide, with a height of 61 inches. It rides on 5.00 x 16 tires and weighs in a 1,650 pounds and can hold 8.8 gallons of fuel. The two-tone paint was common for Hebmullers, and the rear fender skirts were one of the rare and few options. •

1949 VOLKSWAGEN HEBMULLER

Rearview


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TEHRAN, Iran — It’s a men’s-only club in the tangle of auto repair shops on the traffic-clogged streets of Iran’s capital, Tehran. Among them, workers toil in dim garages, welding and wrenching, fabricat-ing and painting. That’s until Maryam Roohani, 34, pops up from under a car’s hood at a mainte-nance shop in northeastern Tehran, her dirt- and grease-stained uniform pulled over black jeans and long hair tucked into a baseball cap — which in her work, re-places Iran’s compulsory Islamic heads-carf for women, or hijab. Buffing a blue BMW sedan in the shop until it shines, she couldn’t be farther from the farms of her childhood. In the rural, tribal village of Agh Mazar near Iran’s northeastern border with Turkmenistan, girls get married after hitting puberty and devote their lives to raising children. “I have sort of broken taboos,” Roohani said at the garage, where she carefully coats cars with attention-getting gleams and scrapes sludge from their engines. “I faced opposition when I chose this path.” The auto industry remains male-dom-inated around the world, let alone in the tradition-bound Islamic Republic. Still Iranian women, especially in the cities, have made inroads over the years. They

now make up over half of all college grad-uates and a sizable part of the workforce. A farmer’s daughter, Roohani grew up laboring on the land like most other chil-dren in Agh Mazar. But unlike her five siblings, she had her eyes on her father’s tractor, and developed an uncanny knack for driving it at an early age. Even as she worked as a hairdresser and studied to become a makeup artist in Bojnurd, the provincial capital, a greater

passion pulled her in: applying finishes to cars. To the scorn of villagers and some fam-ily members, she traded used cars for ex-tra cash and dreamed of working as a car polisher and detailer. Although relatives turned against her and cut off contact, her father had a more liberal attitude, support-ing her despite the pushback and letting her postpone marriage to pursue her love of polishing. There were no international car polish training programs she could find in the rolling wheat and barley fields of North Khorasan province, nor elsewhere in the country at the time. So she flew to Turkey,

At Tehran garage, Iranian woman polishes cars and her dreamsBy Mohammad Nasiri

where she battled male skeptics to earn her car polishing certificate. Armed with credentials, she set up shop in a small, rented space at a Tehran garage. Customers flocked to marvel at the area’s first female car detailer, snapping photos and sharing footage on social media. Her Instagram account and online persona as Iran’s “Miss Detailer” grew. But her initial successes drew resent-ment from male colleagues — and at times, even sabotage. Some tainted her polishing pads with acid to burn the paint of her customers’ cars, she recounted. Others tampered with her machines and tore up the costly pads that she purchased with her life’s savings,

she said. Complaints to the garage’s owner went nowhere and without hard evidence, the police couldn’t help either. Roohani wanted to cut and run after that. But her reputation had grabbed the attention of a prominent Tehran auto shop, which suddenly offered her a job. For the past few years, she has lived out her dream as a professional car polisher, detailer and washer.

Roohani even now trains and inspires other women to do the same despite the obstacles. Her online videos include her hard at work polishing a vintage Chev-rolet Chevelle or smiling over the hood of a freshly detailed jet-black BMW, so smooth that a plastic cup slides down it. “I got excited the first time I saw (Roo-hani) because in Iran, with its limitations for women, we are not usually trusted to do such jobs,” said Farahnaz Deravi, one of Roohani’s trainees. Interest in auto repair work has explod-ed in Iran since former President Donald Trump withdrew from Tehran’s landmark nuclear deal with world powers and im-posed biting sanctions. To preserve its for-eign currency, Iran banned the import of Asian and European-made cars, causing prices of the vehicles to quadruple. Irani-ans with the means to own expensive cars cherish them more than ever and pay hefty sums to maintain the status symbol. Although Roohani’s business is brisk, Iran’s economy is struggling with a series of mounting crises, including international isolation and a raging pandemic. Roohani now imagines her future as a professional detailer abroad, and hopes to start her own business somewhere in Europe one day. “The Iranian ‘Miss Detailer’ must shine out there,” she said, smiling. (AP) n

“IgotexcitedthefirsttimeIsaw(Roohani)becauseinIran,with its limitations for women, we are not usually trusted to do such jobs,” said Farahnaz Deravi,


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