Category Archives: auto news

GM Raises 2022 Earnings, Offers 2023-25 Performance Goals

Posted on 17 November 2022 by Ken Zino

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) at its annual investors’ meeting in New York City significantly raised its 2022 financial results predictions. GM now projects full-year 2022 adjusted automotive free cash flow will increase to $10-11 billion from its previous guidance of $7-9 billion. GM now projects 2022 EBIT-adjusted for the full year will be in a range of $13.5-14.5 billion, compared to its previous guidance of $13-15 billion. Continue reading →

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Chinese Government Intelligence Officer Sentenced to Prison

Posted on 16 November 2022 by Ken Zino

Yanjun Xu, 42, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. According to court documents, Xu targeted American aviation companies, recruited employees to travel to China, and solicited their proprietary information, all on behalf of the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Justice Department and the FBI of course are involved in other grave national security matters that if indictments come won’t require extradition of the alleged offender and co-conspirators from Mir-a-Lago. Continue reading →

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California Leading Transition to Clean Fuels, Technologies

Posted on 16 November 2022 by Ken Zino

Since California is the fourth largest economy in the world*, it will have a tremendous impact on other US States and international economic blocks as the demand created for cleaner fuels and methods will be a so-called virtuous circle that encourages innovation and then adoption of what emerges for economies of scale. Continue reading →

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Big Oil Rebuff as Nel ASA, GM Unite on Renewable Hydrogen

Posted on 16 November 2022 by Ken Zino

A PEM electrolyzer and a fuel cell are largely based on the same principles. A PEM electrolyzer uses electricity and water to produce hydrogen and oxygen, while a fuel cell reverses the process, using hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and water. Continue reading →

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President Biden at COP 27 Pledges US Leadership on Solving the Climate Crisis

Posted on 11 November 2022 by Ken Zino

The bold initiatives ended a week when the Climate Change and Election Denying Republican party , the GOPe-nope-dopes, were thumped in US mid-term elections that they and their propaganda outlets falsely predicted would be a red tsunami.  Continue reading →

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Hyper Marketing as Mercedes-AMG ONE Sets Nordschleife Record

Posted on 10 November 2022 by Ken Zino

Mercedes-AMG is the first car manufacturer to have run the Nürburgring Nordschleife with such a hypercar and set official records there just by finishing. It does allow for hyper marketing though, so to speak. The Mercedes-AMG ONE is therefore not only the absolute fastest road-legal vehicle on the Nordschleife, but also first – for the moment in AutoInformed’s understanding until, say, McLaren, Aston Martin and Ferrari show up – in the Nürburgring “super sports car” category. Continue reading →

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Honda Posts a Profit of ¥453.4B for First Half FY Results

Posted on 9 November 2022 by Ken Zino

“This was due primarily to increased pricing, a reduction of incentives, an increase in motorcycle sales and favorable currency effects,” Honda said. Continue reading →

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Milestones: 75 millionth Opel – Grandland GSe

Posted on 8 November 2022 by Ken Zino

Opel recently announced that it would revive GSe as a new sub-brand for electrified models with GSe now standing for Grand Sport electric. The Opel Grandland GSe follows the Astra GSe and the Astra Sports Tourer GSe. Opel claims it is a high-performance, plug-in hybrid with electric all-wheel-drive in the SUV compact class, arguably the fastest growing segment in Europe and Asia. Continue reading →

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CARB – Discounted ZEV Landscape Equipment Offered

Posted on 7 November 2022 by Ken Zino

Qualified small business landscape professionals starting today can purchase discounted zero-emission lawn mowers, blowers and other landscape equipment through a new category of funding offered through the California Air Resources Board’s Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE).* Administered by … Continue reading →

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Honda Shows eN2 Concept EV at Shanghai

Posted on 5 November 2022 by Ken Zino

Starting with e:NS1 and e:NP1*, Honda will introduce 10 e:N Series models by 2027 and accelerate electrification in China including sales and production operations. N2 clearly looks to AutoInformed meant to take on the German automakers who have thrived in the world’s largest vehicle market, no matter the motive source.  In the upscale Chinese market, rear seat room is welcomed by the chauffeured owners. Continue reading →

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Recharged Heritage to offer MINI EV Conversion

Posted on 4 November 2022 by Ken Zino

MINI Recharged offers a WLTP range of 103 miles. Continue reading →

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Mixed Economic Signals in October US Vehicle Sales

Posted on 3 November 2022 by Ken Zino

Nonetheless, automaker discounts persist at record lows. Average incentive spending per unit per Power is forecast to total $882, which is down 44.7% from October 2021. This is the sixth straight month below $1000. The question is when do vehicles become un-affordable as the Federal Reserve is deliberately sending the economy into a recession to fight inflation, which the Fed caused by years of of cheap monetary policy that mostly benefited the rich. In a mass market for automobiles, the rich can’t buy all the vehicles as production resumes to pre-pandemic rates that were running at 17 million vehicles annually.  Continue reading →

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US October Light Vehicle Sales Grow 11.4% to 1.2 Million

Posted on 2 November 2022 by Ken Zino

The market viewed by automaker shows that Mercedes-Benz enjoyed the strongest YoY growth in October, with a 53.0% YoY gain. Among higher-volume manufacturers, General Motors showed the strongest growth, up by 51.2% YoY. GM also led the market, with a 17.2% share, 0.9 percentage points (pp) ahead of Toyota Group. Honda Group’s struggles continue with sales down by 16.0% YoY. Stellantis and Ford Motor also saw YoY declines, of 14.0% and 10.2%, respectively. Continue reading →

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Ford Motor US Sales Drop 10% during October 2022

Posted on 2 November 2022 by Ken Zino

A look at the sales by model reveals that Ford is now essentially a truck and SUV maker with dwindling car sales of ~41,000 year-to-date. Lincoln sold no cars at all ytd. Mercedes Benz posted a huge increase in sales of  more than 50%. The difficulty in analyzing what the data mean comes from what sales were from previously placed orders, and when the US will return to a normal sales environment, which might be undefinable at this time. Ford no longer holds sales calls for media and analysts. Continue reading →

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GAC-FCA JV to File for Bankruptcy

Posted on 31 October 2022 by Ken Zino

Stellantis, the mega-merger between FCA and PSA, said last July that the “lack of progress in the previously announced plan for Stellantis to take a majority share in their joint venture” has resulted in the GAC Group and Stellantis to start figure out how to terminate the joint-venture that produces and distributes Jeep products in China. Continue reading →

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