Monthly Archives: October 2020

Pete Lyons Wins Royal Automobile Club Award for Shadow: The Magnificent Machines of a Man of Mystery

Lyons know whereof he speaks. Pete draws on sizeable first-hand experience: he was present for Shadow’s two big débuts, in Can-Am at St Jovite in Canada (1970) and in Formula One at Kyalami in South Africa (1973). His numerous interviews for the book included six days with Nichols himself not long before the ‘Shadowman’ died in 2017. If you have racing in your blood, this is a must read. Continue reading

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Ford Q3 Net Income at $2.4B Treads Water. Q4 $500M Loss?

As a result, the Ford outlook is wobbly including a fourth quarter adjusted EBIT between break-even and a, gulp, $500 million loss. Continue reading

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US Vehicle Sales to Rise in October?

However, complete U.S. new-vehicle sales including all transactions for October are projected to reach 1,321,400 units, a -4.5% decrease from October 2019 when adjusted for selling days. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate, aka SAAR, for total new vehicle sales is expected to be 15.9 million units, down 0.8 million units from 2019, the least year-over-year decline since the pandemic began. This is the annual output of two to four final assembly plants, without considering the component parts plants from internal or external sources. Continue reading

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Ferrari Recalls 812 Superfast for Rear Glass Blowouts

Ferrari ultimately determined that the problem of the component could entail the full detachment of the rear window from the vehicle, thereby potentially creating a road hazard and increasing the safety-risk of a crash for following traffic. Continue reading

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GM Defense Delivers First Infantry Squad Vehicle to US Army

The ISV is based off the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 mid-size truck architecture and use 90% commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) parts, including Chevrolet Performance race components. The 5,000-pound ISV was engineered to fulfill military requirements and designed to provide rapid ground mobility. The expeditionary ISV is light enough to be sling loaded from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and compact enough to fit inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter for air transportability. The parts, combined with the ISV’s Rollover Protection System, should provide agile transportability on the battlefield. Continue reading

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Multinationals Liable For Supply Chains? Swiss Vote Due

“For too long, multinational corporations have been able to hide their abuses behind a veneer of respectability, using plausible deniability whenever bad behavior is highlighted. The Responsible Business Initiative is part of a global movement by unions and civil society organizations to hold companies responsible for their behavior,” said IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches. Continue reading

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Leasys Tweaks Noleggio Chiaro with ‘Light’ Model

The new Noleggio Chiaro light allows customers to rent a vehicle at a competitive monthly fee with a minimum set of services, which include Third-Party Liability (TPL) insurance, roadside assistance, I-Care info-mobility service and the customary use of the Leasys app to manage the contract from a smartphone. This package of essential services allows customers to benefit from the right of pre-emption to buy the vehicle at the end of the rental period.  Continue reading

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Barrett-Jackson Renews Live Auctions as Covid Rages

Barrett-Jackson returned to in-person events during the Fall Auction at WestWorld of Scottsdale, October 22-24, 2020 as the Arizona Republic reported that Arizona continues a trend of higher COVID-19 case reports. There were 801 new cases, 1 new death The past several weeks have seen relatively higher daily case reports as the virus spreads at its fastest rate in Arizona since June. Continue reading

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Daimler Q3 Covid Results – Sales, Revenue Down. Earnings Up

Daimler expects that the significant unit-sales reductions recorded in the first nine months due to the COVID-19 pandemic will only be partially offset by the end of the year. Group unit sales and Group revenue in 2020 are forecast to be significantly lower than in the previous year. Continue reading

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Groupe Renault Q3 Revenues -8% at  €10,374m, Sales -6%

“This third quarter highlights the change in our commercial policy, which now focuses on profitability rather than volumes.” Our EV performance, our E-TECH hybrid models which have been very well received…” claimed Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault. Group revenues reached €10,374 million (-8.2%) in the quarter. Continue reading

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California Remains Below 2020 Emissions Target

Executive Summary: California’s latest greenhouse gas data shows that while the state continues to stay below its 2020 target for emissions, there is much more work to do to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Executive Order N-79-20 issued 23 September by California Governor Newsom recognized that achieving our air quality and climate goals hinge on transforming the state’s transportation sector. In that order, the Governor calls for 100% sales of zero emission light-duty vehicles by 2035. Continue reading

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CARB Warns Vehicle, Engine Makers on Emissions Cheating

The move comes as CARB nears completion of a new testing lab that gives the agency greater ability to detect these unapproved programs. Given the sorry history of so-called cycle cheating on CARB and EPA compliance tests, it’s not surprising that CARB is increasing efforts to protect public health and reduce combustion pollution. Continue reading

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ZF Seatbelt Retractor Recall Bites Corvette, Jeep, Ram

The safety defect appeared at GM during barrier testing of a 2023 model year Corvette. GM worked with ZF to analyze the root cause of the retractor failure, including teardowns, computer analysis, and CAE simulations. That analysis showed that the retractor failure was caused by the locking mechanism not being properly engaged. The same part is used on current production models. Continue reading

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Chinese, Malaysian owned Lotus Engineering Expands Hethel

In 2020 Lotus Engineering celebrates 40 years since it was formally incorporated. The consultancy claims to provide a comprehensive range of technical services to automotive manufacturers and suppliers. While much of its work and list of clients remains confidential, its ‘greatest hits’ include some of the best-known and most-loved performance cars of all time such as the Lotus Cortina, the Lotus Carlton, the Lotus Sunbeam and others. Continue reading

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InoBat – First Battery Developed With Artificial Intelligence?

What’s not clear is how InoBat can compete with major automakers, many of whom seeing selling their EV developed technologies to other companies as a way to offset costs and generate profits. GM’s Ultium battery business is just one example. Continue reading

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