ICYMI: Stellantis shipped 1.3 million vehicles in Q3, down 1%, after a summer shutdown in North America. Shawn Fain won re-election to lead the UAW, setting up tougher 2028 contract talks. Ford is taking Fathom preorder invites for its electric pickup, which starts at $28,350. Regulators are reviewing a petition alleging Tesla’s robotaxis speed in school zones. Penske Automotive Group agreed to go private in a $16.3 billion deal.
Here’s a closer look at these top stories and more headlines to keep you up to date on this week’s automotive news.
Stellantis’ Q3 shipments slip 1% as CEO rejects brand split
According to the Detroit automaker, Stellantis reportedly shipped an estimated 1.3 million vehicles worldwide in Q3, which is down 1% from a year ago, the company said Tuesday. A summer production shutdown in North America drove the drop. Read more.
UAW’s Shawn Fain faces tougher 2028 contract talks after re-election
Official results posted Tuesday confirmed that Fain will lead the 400,000-member United Auto Workers (UAW) for another four years. Fain gained national prominence in 2023 when he led multi-week strikes against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, which produced record contracts for the union. Read more.
Ford opens Fathom preorder invites for its sub-$30K electric pickup
Ford is taking sign-ups for Fathom preorder invites, with the electric pickup starts at $28,350. While official preorders open in early 2027, the company is collecting names now to keep shoppers updated. Shoppers join the invite list by entering a name, email address and ZIP code on Ford’s Fathom page. Ford says it will keep signed-up customers informed as the reveal approaches. Read more.
Tesla robotaxis accused of speeding in school zones, NHTSA weighs probe
Federal safety regulators are reviewing a petition that alleges Tesla’s driverless robotaxis exceed posted speed limits in active school zones. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened defect petition file DP26010 on Oct. 9 to decide whether to grant or deny a request for an investigation. Read more.
Penske Automotive to go private in $16.3 billion deal
Penske Automotive Group announced it agreed to be taken private at an enterprise value of about $16.3 billion. Motown Acquisition Corp., an entity owned by Penske Corp. and Mitsui & Co., will acquire the dealer group. Shareholders outside the Penske and Mitsui investor group will receive $212 per share in cash. The price is an 8.84% premium to Wednesday’s closing price and about 8.6% to the July 21 close, the last trading day before the unsolicited proposal. Read More.
Next Week on CBT Live!
Join CBT News Co-Founders Bridget and Jim Fitzpatrick live at noon Eastern each weekday for the latest automotive news headlines and exclusive interviews with dealers and industry insiders. Monday’s guest is Matthew Groves, Chief Executive Officer at the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association.
Next Week: Exclusive Interviews You Can’t Miss
Communicate clearly with the CAR technique: context, action and result
Dealers often communicate a message clearly and assume it landed, while their teams may have heard something different. Closing that distance takes preparation and a few simple habits. On Monday’s episode of Inside Automotive, Andrew LaCivita, Founder of milewalk Academy, and author of the book Signal Strength joins us to explain how dealers can make sure their message is the one people hear.
