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Category Archives: connected vehicles
Cox Automotive Alters January Forecast Sales Down
New-vehicle sales in January increased compared to year-ago levels, but initial results indicate that market volume likely came in slightly below the forecast, Cox Automotive** said today. The original Cox Automotive forecast* called for year-over-year growth of 5.2%, but early estimates “suggest the increase was closer to 4%.” Some automakers posted record January volume and others saw declines from January 2024 levels.
“Our market continues to be one of diverging stories,” said Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke. “While the macro view is one of growth, ‘actual experience may vary.’ January is typically a low-volume sales month, and there were no shortages of sales challenges last month – from extreme cold over much of the market to major fire disruptions in Southern California. Consumer confidence also declined more than expected in January and was lower than in January 2024, the first yearly decline since September. All factors considered, the positive sales performance in January was a good sign for the market,” Smoke said. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, connected vehicles, economy, manufacturing, marketing, news analysis, sales, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Cox Automotive Forecast: January U.S. Auto Sales, Jonathan Smoke, Ken Zino, X @KenAutoinformed
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More Stellantis Executive Changes as Stock Drops
“Through targeted organizational adjustments, the regions now have enhanced local decision-making and execution capabilities in respect of product planning, product development, industrial and commercial activities, while maintaining coordination with the Company’s global functions to best serve their customers,” Stellantis said. However, there still is no new permanent Chief Executive Officer from the Special Committee of the Board of Directors at a time when Trump’s executive orders – viz tariff’s – are wreaking havoc in the auto industry. Stellantis shares are down ~8% this morning. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, connected vehicles, economy, environment, financial results, manufacturing, mobility company, news analysis, people
Tagged Alain Favey, Anne Abboud, Antonio Filosa, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Bob Broderdorf, Clara Ingen-Housz, Ken Zino, Ned Curic, Olivier François, Stellantis, X @KenAutoinformed, Xavier Peugeot
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Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency Executive Order
“This Executive Order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America,” President Trump said yesterday “it is hereby ordered (read AutoInformed.com on: New DOGE Scorecard Announced to Track Trump) Continue reading
Posted in connected vehicles, customer satisfaction, economy, milestones, news, news analysis, people, shows and events, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Department Of Government Efficiency executive order, Donald J. Trump, Ken Zino, Trump scorecard, X @KenAutoinformed
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More Green Economy Jobs Coming to Michigan
Four economic development projects in Southeast Michigan representing~ $55 million in capital investment and 167 jobs in Wayne and Oakland counties were announced today by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. 3E Nano Inc, dba NxLite is a company providing nano-thin energy and solar control coatings for the polymer, glass, and window industries. Robert Bosch LLC., part of the Bosch Group intends to create a Regional Hydrogen Research and Development Hub at the company’s Farmington Hills headquarters. Envergia recovers minerals and metals from recycling of industrial lithium-ion and EV batteries. Software company dSPACE.
“Today, we are investing in advanced manufacturing companies across Southeast Michigan to create 167 good-paying jobs and build on our work to grow Michigan’s economy,” said Governor Whitmer. “From battery recycling to software testing to research and development, we are bringing good-paying, high-tech jobs home to Michigan, creating opportunities for our workers and securing the automotive supply chain.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, connected vehicles, economy, electric vehicles, energy, engineering, environment, manufacturing, milestones, news analysis, shows and events, transportation
Tagged 3E Nano Inc, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, David Mather, Ken Zino, MEDC, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Strategic Fund, NxLite, Peter Tadros, robert bosch, X @KenAutoinformed
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer Defends Auto Industry
“To grow Michigan’s economy and fight for the auto industry, I’ll work with anyone who’s serious about solving problems in Lansing or DC,” said Governor Whitmer. “Right now, there’s an ongoing, global competition between Michigan, China, and other states to build the future of the auto industry. To make sure we win, we need commonsense, bipartisan tools that create good-paying jobs and bring supply chains home. We must also find a fiscally responsible, sustainable solution to fix the damn roads work with our Canadian neighbors to ensure tariffs don’t lead to higher costs for families and businesses. Together, let’s create Michigan jobs, fix Michigan roads, and grow Michigan’s economy. The road ahead is bright, so let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, awards, connected vehicles, economy, electric vehicles, engineering, environment, labor issues, manufacturing, marketing, news, news analysis, people, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, detroit auto show, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, HIRE Michigan, Ken Zino, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Rebuilding Michigan bond plan, Road Ahead Address, road funding, Trump-Proposed Tariffs, Whitmer-Gilchrist administration, X @KenAutoinformed
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Census Bureau – Varying Veteran Employment Outcomes
The U.S. Census Bureau today released an expanded version of Veteran Employment Outcomes (VEO), an experimental data product showing earnings and employment outcomes for veterans of the U.S. armed forces.
“Coverage includes labor market outcomes one, five and 10 years after discharge, by military occupation, rank, demographics, industry and geography of employment. Among the findings, veterans with more specialized military training and work experience had higher civilian earnings and employment rates than infantry and combat veterans,” Census said. Continue reading
Posted in connected vehicles, economy, labor issues, news, news analysis, people, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Defense, Veteran Employment Outcomes, X @KenAutoinformed
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New Tesla Recall for Bad Computers
Tesla, Inc. is recalling ~240,000 2024-2025 Model 3, Model S, 2023-2025 Model X, and 2023-2025 Model Y vehicles because a computer circuit board may short circuit, according to documents made public today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“On a small percentage of affected vehicles, upon vehicle power up, a reverse current may cause a shorting failure on the car computer board, resulting in the loss of rearview camera functionality,” Tesla said in the mandatory safety defect recall filing. Continue reading
Posted in connected vehicles, customer satisfaction, electric vehicles, electronics, engineering, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety, software recalls
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, elon musk, FMVSS 111 rear visibility, Ken Zino, NHTSA 25V002 or 25V-002, Tesla recall SB-25-00-001, Tesla Recalls, X @KenAutoinformed
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Significant 2024 Automotive Stories and Trends
Once again at the beginning of 2025 AutoInformed notes – matter-of-factly – that its vision is 20-20 on the consequences of long past occurrences. However, in the here and now our perception is cloudy. We do not have the advantages of historians re-assessing events years later with help from other news outlets, blogs, letters, memoirs, magazines and whatever new forms of expressed thought emerge. Thus far the most valued revisions and nuanced interpretations appear in books and essays after more documents and perspectives surface from the players or perpetrators engaged in them. These are not yet available, and under Trump 2.0 they would likely be banned anyway. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, AutoInformed Editorial, car sharing, connected vehicles, economy, environment, fools 'n frauds, global warming, labor issues, manufacturing, marketing, news, news analysis, sales, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Biden Administration, George Santayana, industrial policy, Ken Zino, Trump 2.0, X @KenAutoinformed
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BMW i Ventures Buys into Phoenix Tailings
BMW i Ventures announced today an investment in Phoenix Tailings, a inventive metals production company dedicated to creating a zero-waste, zero-emission future. The Series B financing, which was led by Envisioning Partners and included additional participation from Yamaha Motor Ventures and Escape Velocity, will enable Phoenix Tailings to scale its rare earth processing operations to produce ~200 tons of rare earth metals annually. The output can be used in electric motor magnet , batteries, semiconductors – among other applications.
Phoenix Tailings says it was “founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts to transform how critical metals are produced – metals essential to the technologies that power modern society.” The nascent firm was heavily subsided by U.S. taxpayers via the United States Departments of Energy and Defense, as well as the State of Massachusetts. With the monies, Phoenix Tailings secured initial off-take agreements, validated its technology to process mining waste, and hired a team of workers to make the metals. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, connected vehicles, economy, electric vehicles, electronics, environment, global warming, insurance, manufacturing, milestones, news, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, BMW i Ventures, electric motor magnets, Escape Velocity, Ken Zino, Nick Myers, Phoenix Tailings, US taxpayer subsidies, X @KenAutoinformed, Yamaha Motor Ventures
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GAC Honda Automobile Plant Starts Making EVs
Honda Motor (China) Investment Co., a wholly-owned Honda subsidiary in China, announced today that GAC Honda Automobile Co., Ltd. (GAC Honda), a Honda automobile production and sales joint venture in China, began operation of its newly-constructed plant for new energy vehicle (NEV) production, named the Development District NEV Factory. The new factory is located in the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development District in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China. Under communist Chinese industrial policy 50% of the JV is owned by GAC.
The latest NEV production plant has state of the art production equipment to achieve a highly efficient, smart, and low-carbon production system. The stamping and welding processes completely eliminated logistics personnel by automating parts logistics. AI-based welding strength inspection was adopted for the first time at any Honda plant. In the assembly process, approximately 30% of the entire process is automated to achieve a highly efficient production line. Continue reading
Posted in connected vehicles, economy, electric vehicles, environment, global warming, manufacturing, news analysis, public health
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Chinese EV trade wars, Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment, GAC Honda Automobile, Guangdong Province, Ken Zino, X @KenAutoinformed
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Hyundai to Give Free NACS DC EV Adapters
Starting in the first quarter of 2025, current and new Hyundai EV owners* who have purchased or leased their vehicle on or before 31 January 2025 will be able to request a free NACS adapter (shipping included) through the MyHyundai owner portal, the Korean company said today. The 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 is the first non-Tesla vehicle on sale to have a factory-installed native NACS port. [footnote 1] Adapters will also be available for purchase through Hyundai authorized dealers. Continue reading
Posted in connected vehicles, electric vehicles, global warming, news analysis
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, CCS-port ready Hyundai models, DC fast charging stations, Genesis, Hyundai EV drivers, Ken Zino, Olabisi Boyle, X @KenAutoinformed
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Nissan and Honda Sign Integration MOU!
Nissan Motor Co. (7201T. NSANY ADR) and Honda Motor Co. (NYS: HMC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to start discussions and considerations toward a business integration between the two companies through the establishment of a joint holding company. In effect this will be the merger of the two companies with Honda as the stronger member so to speak given Nissan’s perilous operating results. It also raises questions about the continuance of Honda’s business ventures with General Motors.* What it does potentially do is create the world’s third largest automaker with potential annual sales of ~8-9 million, behind Toyota and struggling Volkswagen.
AutoInformed opines that as with all such complex multi-national corporate mergers, the details at the outset and more importantly in the final agreements and their implementation are key to its success. Given the twists and turns of the road and diverse corporate cultures of the participants – where there are no balance sheet entries – this is an endurance race that makes the 24 hours of Le Mans look like a 30-second TV spot. It also likely makes the venture subject to US SEC regulations, including form 4F and forward looking statements. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, connected vehicles, economy, electric vehicles, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, milestones, mobility company, news analysis, people, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, carlos ghosn, General Motors and Honda, Honda Motor Co and Nissan Motor Co integration MOU, Ken Zino, Makoto Uchida, Nissan Mitsubishi, Toshihiro Mibe, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Form F-4, X @KenAutoinformed
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EU Car Sales Weak Again in November
During November 2024, new EU car registrations fell by 1.9%. France led with a sharp 12.7% decline, followed by Italy (-10.8%), while the German market (0.5%). stagnated slightly [read AutoInformed on November Western European Car Sales Up]* Among the four most significant EU markets, only Spain recorded positive growth (6.4%), according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, aka ACEA derived from its French name.**
“Eleven months into 2024, new car registrations remained stable (+0.4%), reaching 9.7 million units. While the market in Spain performed positively (+5.1%), declines were witnessed in France (-3.7%), Germany (-0.4%), and Italy (-0.2%),” ACEA said in its monthly sales release. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, connected vehicles, economy, insurance, manufacturing, marketing, news analysis, results, sales, shows and events
Tagged acea, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, EU Car Sales November 2024, European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, Ken Zino, X @KenAutoinformed
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Ford Motor Shuffles Leadership Amid Trump Chaos
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F)* today announced key executive changes as the chaos of the Trump administration continues to cause as yet unknown damages to the economy and the auto industry. Two positions, John Lawler to vice chair to look after strategy, partnerships and alliances; and Sam Wu,President Ford China adding Ford’s International Markets Group, will require insight, and frankly lucky hunches given Trump’s random, variable and reversible assaults on trade, tariff’s and vital international organizations to return Ford Motor to a reliably profitable path. Continue reading →