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Automakers, dealers are rushing cars to Houston after Harvey

DETROIT — Houston-area car retailers and automakers are rushing to reopen dealerships and beef up inventory to replace many hundreds of thousands of vehicles damaged in flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Pete DeLongchamps, vice president for manufacturer relations at Group 1 Automotive, the third-largest U.S. auto dealer group, said the company prepared for the storm with a plan designed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This included moving moved inventory to higher ground and cleaning roof drains to avoid cave-ins. Group 1 thus lost a "relatively small percentage" of inventory and reopened its roughly 25 dealerships in the Houston and Beaumont area by Thursday. "Things have been moving fast and furious with a large number of tow-ins already," DeLongchamps said. "Our customers have lost a lot of vehicles, we need to help them replace." Harvey brought record flooding to Houston and killed at least 35 people. The storm is expected to briefly depress already slowing U.S. auto sales but could eventually help boost demand as damaged cars are replaced. Automakers report U.S. August sales on Friday. Estimates for the number of Harvey-damaged vehicles needing replacement range up to 500,000. By Thursday, AutoNation, the largest U.S. auto retail chain, had reopened its 17 Houston stores and is moving cars and trucks from other regions, company spokesman Marc Cannon said. The company plans to move 500 to 1,000 used cars to an AutoNation USA used car store and stage a sale Sept. 21-23, when many would-be buyers should have insurance checks to replace destroyed vehicles, Cannon said. AutoNation is still assessing how many vehicles it lost, but it too moved vehicles to higher ground ahead of the storm. General Motors spokesman Jim Cain said the number of damaged vehicles at dealerships "is relatively modest." "But there are still several dealerships that are inaccessible, so the number will increase," he said. GM will move new and used vehicles to Houston, "but it won't be done until the infrastructure and our dealers are ready." Ford is still assessing damage and inventory needs, a spokeswoman said. CarMax, the biggest U.S. used car dealer, will reopen its six Houston area stores on Labor Day, spokeswoman Claire Hunter said. "We are mobilizing additional inventory to the region as we speak," Hunter said. Paul Lips, chief operating officer at ADESA, a unit of KAR Auction Services Inc., which with Manheim dominates the U.S.

What to see at the Detroit Auto Show 2023

The 2023 North American Auto Show — also known as the Detroit Auto Show — is underway downtown. If you want to attend the public days of the show taking place September 16-24, hereÂ’s what you need to know about attending. But now that Autoblog has done our reconnaissance during the showÂ’s press days, we can tell you about the actual cars (and other things) you can see and experience. WhatÂ’s new? Ford The big new item from Ford is the 2024 F-150 pickup. You can check out the new trick tailgate, and see what the fuss is all about. The 2024 F-150 Raptor also debuted at the show, if you like high-power, off-roady full-size pickups. The show will also be a good opportunity to see the Mustang Dark Horse and Mustang Mach-E Rally up close and personal. Unfortunately, we only saw the wild 2025 Mustang GTD at an offsite event during press days, but it's quite possible Ford will roll it out for the public. Cadillac Cadillac revealed its refreshed 2025 CT5 at the Detroit show, and you can get a look at the revised front and the new tech-focused interior. Cadillac recently unveiled the all-electric 2025 Escalade IQ, so you can stop and see the most powerful Escalade ever while youÂ’re there. It wasnÂ’t on the floor during media days, but Cadillac told us theyÂ’d bring it for the public part of the show. Jeep Jeep unveiled its 2024 Gladiator at the show, and you can check out the new interior and trim levels in person at the Jeep stand. Jeep also has an indoor track set up for ride-alongs. If you havenÂ’t had the chance to see the refreshed 2024 Wrangler yet, you can see that, too, along with examples from the rest of the Jeep lineup, along with its Stellantis sibling, Ram. GMC GMC showed off the new, larger 2024 Acadia SUV for the Detroit Auto Show. ItÂ’s bigger than before, but does more to differentiate itself from its Chevy cousin, the Traverse. GMC also has its Sierra EV on display if youÂ’re interested in catching that in person. What else to see A number of automakers have large displays at the show with many of their models represented. In addition to those who debuted something new at the show, Buick, Chevrolet (check out the Silverado, Blazer and Equinox EVs, as well as the Corvette E-Ray), Lincoln with the new Nautilus, Toyota (get a look at the new Tacoma), Volkswagen, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, Mini, Volkswagen, Honda, Chrysler (the Airflow concept is there), Fiat, Ram and Dodge (see the Charger Daytona SRT concept) all have a sizable presence.

Recharge Wrap-up: 1st Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell in Bay Area, Nikola Tesla rally

Enthusiasts in Croatia are celebrating Nikola Tesla with an EV rally. This June, drivers of a wide variety of electric cars will take part in the 2016 Nikola Tesla EV Rally Croatia. The rally takes place over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from June 1 to June 5, 2016. It is being billed as "the quietest and most beautiful rally ever." Nikola Tesla would have turned 160 on July 10 of 2016. Check out the invitation video above, and read more at the rally website or on Facebook. Mexico is fining Ford $1.05 million for selling vehicles without proper environmental certifications. Mexico's Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) says that the automaker sold some 4,690 vehicles without required compliance certificates related to emissions and noise level regulations. The offending vehicles include 2015 and 2016 models from both Ford and Lincoln. Read more from Automotive News. Hyundai has sold its first Tucson Fuel Cell in Northern California. The hydrogen powered crossover was sold by Capitol Hyundai of San Jose. "Capitol Hyundai is excited to be a qualified dealer for Hyundai's zero-emissions Tucson Fuel Cell hydrogen electric vehicle," says Capitol Hyundai owner Shaun Del Grande. "Our location in the Bay Area region is Hyundai's first in Northern California, making it more convenient for local residents to conveniently acquire their new Tucson Fuel Cell CUV, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions where they work and live." Tucson Fuel Cell drivers have accumulated over 1 million emissions-free miles in California since the car went on sale in 2014, preventing over 400 tons of CO2 emissions. Read more in the press release below. CAPITOL HYUNDAI OF SAN JOSE CELEBRATES FIRST FUEL CELL CUSTOMER DELIVERY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA First Hyundai Fuel Cell Dealer in Northern California Proudly Delivers its First Fuel Cell amidst a Rapidly Growing Bay Area Hydrogen Infrastructure SAN JOSE, Calif., May 2, 2016 – Capitol Hyundai of San Jose, California, a proud member of the Del Grande Dealer Group, delivered the first zero-emissions Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell hydrogen electric vehicle in the Northern California region today. Capitol Hyundai is the fifth qualified dealer for Hyundai's Tucson Fuel Cell, and the first Hyundai fuel cell dealer in Northern California. Hyundai was the first manufacturer in the U.S. to offer consumers the opportunity to lease a mass-produced fuel cell vehicle, the zero-emissions Tucson Fuel Cell CUV.