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Category Archives: electric vehicles
Volkswagen Group Recalls ID.4 EVs for Bad Software
Volkswagen Group of America is recalling ~80,000 2021-2023 ID.4 compact electric SUVs. Bad software in the affected electric vehicles may have center displays and instrument panel displays from LG Electronics in Poland that do not boot, or that sporadically reset. This can result in loss of speedometer information or loss of rearview camera image. Continue reading
Posted in customer satisfaction, electric vehicles, electronics, engineering, mobility company, recalls, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 101 and 110, Ken Zino, LG Electronics in Poland, NHTSA 24V344. ID.4 recalls, software recalls, Volkswagen Group of America recalls
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EV Grumblings – VW ID.7 Luxury Sedan Delayed or Killed?
In a terse statement issued by Volkswagen today in Reston VA, the German automaker said that it is delaying the introduction of the ID.7 sedan in the U.S. and Canada, “as market dynamics continue to change.” Rough translation from AutoInformed: the car market in the US continues to shrink and VW has been a weak player in this segment for decades. More economic dollars and sense can be obtained promoting the ID.Buzz van due in the Fourth Quarter and marketing the already on sale 2024 ID.4 SUV. Continue reading
Biden Administration Chinese Trade War Tariffs Start August 1
“Today, I am following through on my commitment to stand up to the People’s Republic of China’s unfair trade practices by issuing a formal proposal to modify the tariff actions,” said Ambassador Katherine Tai. “The President has directed me to make substantial tariff increases on targeted, strategic products, and this is an important step to carry out that vision. The President and I will continue to fight for American workers, and for our economic future and national security.” Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, economy, electric vehicles, energy, environment, global warming, labor issues, news analysis, transportation
Tagged Ambassador Tai, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Chinese EV imports to US, Chinese trade war tariffs, forced labor, Ken Zino, People’s Republic of China, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai
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First Level 4 Autonomous Fuel Cell EV Truck Demonstrated
Hyundai Motor Company and an autonomous driving software firm called Plus* today unveiled what’s claimed to be the first SAE Level 4 autonomous Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric truck in the U.S. at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. A Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell truck, equipped with Plus SuperDrive™ Level 4 (SAE) autonomous driving technology, is on display at the Plus ACT Expo booth (#2044).
Ultimately, software driven vehicles can replace drivers completely so further developments put global truck makers and their customers on a collision course with driver’s unions. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, environment, global warming, new vehicle, news analysis, public health, shows and events, software defined vehicles
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Class 8 fuel cell electric trucks, Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell truck, Ken Zino, Martin Zeilinger, PlusDrive®, SAE level 4 autonomous driving, Shawn Kerrigan
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Honda 2025 Civic Hybrid – Most Powerful and Safest Ever
“The new Civic hybrid is a perfectly-timed addition to the Honda lineup as hybrid-electric sales continue to grow, providing Honda with an important building block toward 100% zero-emissions vehicle sales by 2040,” said Lance Woelfer, assistant vice president of Honda National Auto Sales, American Honda Motor Company. “Honda hybrid-electric models represented over one-quarter of our overall brand sales in 2023, and the fun-to-drive Civic hybrid is a fantastic new product at the gateway of our popular electrified lineup along with Accord hybrid, CR-V hybrid and the all-electric Prologue.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, connected vehicles, electric vehicles, engineering, fuel economy or emissions, marketing, mobility company, safety
Tagged 2025 Civic, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Honda two-motor hybrid system, Ken Zino, Lance Woelfer
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UAW Loses Mercedes Alabama Vote
Workers at Mercedes in Alabama narrowly defeated a vote (2642 or 56% against with 2045 for) to join the UAW* in an election that was made public late Friday night. This was in stark contrast to the record contract approved by workers at Daimler Truck or the ratification of the union at Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Alabama has been a so-called “right to work state” (for less?) since 2016, meaning that union-membership is not required for employment. By late February, less than two months after Mercedes workers went public with their drive to join the UAW, a majority of them had signed union cards. Whether this is the end of the matter is far from clear. The UAW lost the vote at VW two times prior to its win.* Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, electric vehicles, global warming, labor issues, manufacturing, mobility company, news analysis
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, CAR Center for Automotive Research, EQE and EQS electric vehicles, GLE and GLS SUVs, Ken Zino, Mercedes-Benz Plant Tuscaloosa, nlrb, Shawn fain, uaw
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Chinese EV Trade War Commences
The Biden Administration has announced today that it will increase tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 passed overwhelmingly under the Republican President Gerald Ford administration on $18 billion of imports from China to protect American workers and businesses.
“The President’s actions reflect the conclusions of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s mandatory four-year review that China continues to engage in unfair practices, such as forced technology transfer and restrictions and intellectual property theft from U.S. companies,” media were told on a background briefing by National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard and Senior Administration Officials. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, AutoInformed Editorial, blog, economy, electric vehicles, fuel economy or emissions, manufacturing, milestones, news analysis, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, department of energy, Ken Zino, Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, Section 301 tariffs, solar cell imports from China, steel and aluminum imports from China, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai
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VW Microbus Will Come to the US in Three Trims
Volkswagen of America today said that the 2025 ID. Buzz, the electric powered nostalgia marketing, Microbus* will be offered in three trims, unlike the untrimmed original owners — Pro S and Pro S Plus, along with a launch-only 1st Edition—with a 91 kWh battery and 282 horsepower for rear-wheel drive models; 4Motion® all-wheel-drive models will have maximum horsepower of 335. Range and pricing will be announced closer to launch. Continue reading
Porsche 911 Hybrid Debuts on 28 May
Porsche said this morning in in Stuttgart that a hybrid-drive 911 sports car has completed development and will premiere on 28 May 2024. It is said to be 8.7 seconds faster than its predecessor on the Nürburgring, the track that is often used by marketers of performance sports cars for bolstering credulity of claims. Porsche performance claims have an extremely high degree of certainty in AutoInformed’s experience. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, electric vehicles, environment, fuel economy or emissions, global warming, milestones, news analysis
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Frank Moser, Jörg Bergmeister, Ken Zino, nürburgring, porsche 911
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Toyota Motor Posts Record FY24 Net Income of $39.1B
“We faced many challenges, including those posed by COVID-19 and production restrictions due to tight semiconductor supplies, but the results showed the efforts of each front-line employee, including those of our suppliers and dealers, each recognized what they needed to do and acted accordingly, and a management structure and profit structure that was built to be resilient to crises,” said Koji Sato, president. Continue reading
Mercedes-Benz Q1 2024 Profit Drops 25% as Sales Slump
Mercedes-Benz Group AG (MBG.DE) has reported Group Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) of €3.9 billion (Q1 2023: €5.5 billion) a surprising drop of -25% but in line with struggles at European-based Volkswagen Group and Stellantis. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, electric vehicles, financial results, marketing, news analysis, results, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Daimler Truck, EV transition issues, G-Class, Ken Zino, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Mercedes-Benz Q1 2024 financial results
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Mazda, Subaru, Toyota to Make Future Generation De-Carbonized Internal Combustion Engines
Mazda Motor Corporation (Mazda) Subaru Corporation (Subaru), Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) said today in a joint release that each is committed to developing new internal combustion engines tailored to electrification and the pursuit of carbon neutrality. “This process has clarified the role that future engines will play in achieving carbon neutrality. With the next generation of engines, the three companies will seek to not only improve stand-alone engine performance but also optimize their integration with electric drive units, harnessing the advantages of each,” the Japanese automakers said. Continue reading →