Author Archives: Ken Zino

Stellantis and CATL JV for LFP Battery Plant in Spain

Posted on 10 December 2024 by Ken Zino

Stellantis (NYSE: STLA )* and CATL (Shenzhen 300750) today announced they have reached an agreement to invest up to €4.1 billion to form a joint venture that will build a large-scale European lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Zaragoza, Spain. Designed to be carbon neutral, the battery plant will be implemented in several phases and investment plans. The transaction is expected to close during 2025 and is subject to customary regulatory conditions.

“Stellantis is committed to a decarbonized future, embracing all available advanced battery technologies to bring competitive electric vehicle products to our customers,” said Stellantis Chairman John Elkann. “This important joint venture with our partner CATL will bring innovative battery production to a manufacturing site that is already a leader in clean and renewable energy, helping drive a 360-degree sustainable approach. I want to thank all stakeholders involved in making today’s announcement a reality, including the Spanish authorities for their continued support.” Continue reading →

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Mustang GTD Laps Nürburgring in under Seven Minutes

Posted on 10 December 2024 by Ken Zino

A 2025 Ford Mustang GTD completed of the 12.9-mile at the 73-turn “Green Hell” in 6:57.685 at the Nürburgring Ford Motor (NYSE: F) said today.* This means Mustang GTD is only the sixth stock, production sports car to complete an officially certified sub-seven-minute lap and the fifth fastest in the production sports car class according to the Nürburgring’s records.

Mustang GTD represents the pinnacle of Mustang performance. Ford said it benefits from lessons learned by the Ford Performance Motorsports and Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 program, in particular around aerodynamics and setup for tracks such as the Nürburgring. However, Mustang GTD isn’t subject to the rules and regulations of GT3 racing, which prohibit much of the technology that allow a sub-seven-minute Nürburgring lap. Ford Motor is hardly the first company to use a speed run as a marketing ploy, however meaningless it is when the green flag waves in a real race, AutoInformed notes. Continue reading →

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Tavares Out. Stellantis Back into ACEA!

Posted on 9 December 2024 by Ken Zino

Stellantis over his embrace of electric vehicles as the core of the global automaker’s strategy, Stellantis said it would rejoin the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association** (aka ACEA at AutoInformed), the lobbying group of 15 major European automakers. Under Tavares, Stellantis resigned from ACEA, which has been advocating slow-walking fines for automakers that fail to meet intermediate carbon reduction targets set for 2025. Battery electric vehicles sales in the EU have been tanking this year. Continue reading →

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US Light Vehicle Sales Strong in November

Posted on 7 December 2024 by Ken Zino

Light Vehicle sales in the US grew by 11.8% year-on-year (YoY) in November, to 1.37 million units, according to data released by the respected GlobalData consultancy. November had one more selling day compared to November 2023. However, it was the strongest sales result since May of 2021 as the Biden Administration job-creating recovery continues. Continue reading →

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November Western European Car Sales Up

Posted on 6 December 2024 by Ken Zino

“Year-to-date (YTD) sales experienced a slight decline of 0.2% compared to the first eleven months of 2023. The recent collapse of both the German and French governments has heightened political uncertainty in the region. Despite support coming from rate cuts and new model introductions in2025, the combination of political headwinds, high pricing and challenges faced by domestic manufacturers will continue to challenge market activity in the short term,” the GlobalData European Light Vehicle Sales Forecasting Team said. Continue reading →

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Investing in America by Fixing Airport Control Towers

Posted on 6 December 2024 by Ken Zino

“Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Biden-Harris Administration is supporting every part of our aviation system, including airports in small communities that drive local economies and help people get where they need to go,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “With today’s announcement, 20 more airports will have the resources they need to upgrade operations and make travel safer and more efficient.” Continue reading →

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Kevin Magnussen Joins BMW M Motorsport LMDh

Posted on 5 December 2024 by Ken Zino

“Kevin Magnussen is an outstanding addition to our LMDh program. He has regularly demonstrated his speed at the highest level in Formula 1 over the past decade. Thanks to his extensive experience, he is a true asset to our project. His previous full season with a sports car prototype in 2021 is another advantage for us, as it will surely ease his acclimatization to the BMW M Hybrid V8. I am very delighted that Kevin Magnussen is part of the BMW M Motorsport family now,” said Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport. Continue reading →

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Hyundai Motor Group Using XCIENT Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucks

Posted on 4 December 2024 by Ken Zino

Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), in cooperation with Glovis America, announced today it has deployed XCIENT heavy-duty hydrogen fuel-cell electric trucks for clean logistics operations. Initially, a total of 21 XCIENT trucks will be in operation.

“At HMGMA, we are committed to creating sustainable transportation solutions,” said Oscar Kwon, HMGMA CEO. “Our Hyundai XCIENT hydrogen fuel-cell trucks that support the Metaplant release zero emissions and offer a cleaner alternative to the traditional freight logistics methods used at other manufacturing facilities.” Continue reading →

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Pope Francis Gets Electric G-Class From Mercedes

Posted on 4 December 2024 by Ken Zino

Mercedes-Benz said that Ola Källenius and the team members gave a handmade unique vehicle based on the new electric G-Class to Pope Francis in the Vatican today. Mercedes-Benz has supplied cars to the Vatican for 94 years, and for the past 45 years, the Pope has been using the so-called “Popemobiles” based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.*

“With the new Popemobile, Pope Francis is the first pope to be travelling in a fully electric Mercedes-Benz when making public appearances. This is a special honor for our company, and I would like to thank His Holiness for his trust. With this Popemobile, we are also sending out a clear call for electromobility and decarbonization. Mercedes-Benz not only stands for the special and individual – but also for consistently creating the conditions for a net-carbon-neutral1 new car fleet in 2039,” said Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG. Continue reading →

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Porsche Motorsport and Iron Dames in WEC

Posted on 3 December 2024 by Ken Zino

Porsche Motorsport said today that during 2025 with the start of the Asian Le Mans Series next weekend in Sepang (Malaysia). Four fast female drivers will compete in four top series at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 R. Michelle Gatting from Denmark, Rahel Frey from Switzerland, Sarah Bovy from Belgium and Célia Martin from France will race for the Iron Dames squad in Asia, Europe and the USA. The schedule also includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Iron Dames is now in a partnership with Porsche – in essence a factory supported racing team.

“Porsche stands for a culture of equal opportunities and diversity. Encouraging women to get involved in motorsport and then supporting them in open competition is something we value highly. In this context, we’ve seen that the Iron Dames project is well-structured and was very successful in recent years,” said Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “Since our customer teams have already celebrated victories with the Iron Dames, we’re now taking the next logical step. We’re very confident that the collaboration in all series will reap excellent results and we can highlight our contribution to supporting female racing drivers with victories and podium finishes.” Continue reading →

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GM to Sell Lansing Battery Plant to LG Energy Solution

Posted on 2 December 2024 by Ken Zino

General Motors (NYSE: GM) said today that it has reached a non-binding agreement to sell its stake in the nearly completed Ultium Cells LLC battery cell plant in Lansing, Michigan to its joint venture partner LG Energy Solution.* The transaction is expected to close in the 2025 first quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. 

“Our EV profitability is rapidly improving thanks in part to our strategic decision to build battery cells in the U.S. with LG Energy Solution. It will be years before some of our competitors approach this level of performance,” said Paul Jacobson, GM executive vice president and CFO. “We believe we have the right cell and manufacturing capabilities in place to grow with the EV market in a capital efficient manner. When completed, this transaction will also help LG Energy Solution meet demand by leveraging capacity that’s nearly ready to come online and it will make GM even more efficient.”  Continue reading →

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Steering Loss – Toyota Recalls Corolla and Corolla Hybrids

Posted on 2 December 2024 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling 8057 model year 2023-2024 Corolla and Corolla Hybrid vehicles for the loss of steering control, according to documents made public today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“Due to cracks developed during the manufacturing process, the steering intermediate shaft assembly may fracture and possibly result in the shaft detaching from the steering column,” Toyota told NHTSA in the required safety defect recall filing. Continue reading →

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Recalls – Hyundai Motor America Backup Cameras

Posted on 2 December 2024 by Ken Zino

Hyundai Motor America is recalling 226,118 model year 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Santa Fe HEV, Elantra, Elantra HEV and 2022 Elantra N and Santa Fe PHEV vehicles, according to the required safety defect filing made public today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“Due to a damaged printed circuit board, the rearview camera image may fail to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, Rear Visibility,” Hyundai told NHTSA. Continue reading →

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Mercedes-Benz USA Recall – Sunroofs Flying Off

Posted on 2 December 2024 by Ken Zino

Mercedes-Benz USA is recalling 33,456 model year 2001-2011 C-Class, CLK, E-Class, and CLS vehicles because the glass sunroof panel from Webasto Roof & Components may not be properly secured and can detach, according to the required safety defect filing made public this morning by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading →

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Carlos Tavares Out as Stellantis CEO

Posted on 2 December 2024 by Ken Zino

Stellantis (NYSE: STLA ) in an unusual but not surprising Sunday release said that the Company’s Board of Directors, under the Chairmanship of John Elkann, has accepted Carlos Tavares’ resignation on 1 December 2024 as Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. The process to appoint the new permanent Chief Executive Officer is well under way, as AutoInformed* previously reported, managed by a Special Committee of the Board. It will conclude within the first half of 2025. Until then, a new Interim Executive Committee, chaired by John Elkann, will be established. Continue reading →

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