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Category Archives: auto news
Ford – EVs Present Environmental, Human Rights Issues
Ford said this is another step Towards its desire to responsibly source all raw materials used within vehicles globally. Continue reading
Census – 35% of Households Say it is Difficult to Pay Expenses
Better late than never. But for the suffering it’s small compensation for enduring a seditious President for four years who – based on his actions in office was unemployed all the while being pampered, housed, fed and subsidized – aka welfare for the rich – by taxpayers he disdains. Continue reading
Posted in economy, people
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, Ken Zino, US Census Pulse Survey
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BMW Largest US Automotive Exporter for 7th Consecutive Year
Spartanburg experienced a production interruption due to the coronavirus pandemic. After a five-week non-production period, associates returned for one shift on May 4. With new health guidelines and procedures in place, production slowly ramped up as the supply chain stabilized and customers returned in the summer. During the last six months of the year, Plant Spartanburg produced nearly 218,000 BMWs, a record for any six-month period in the factory’s history. The plant produced 361,365 vehicles for the entire year 2020. Continue reading
Posted in manufacturing, milestones
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, BMW Manufacturing, Ken Zino
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Pandemic Negative Impact on Global Auto Industry Is Permanent. Debate is over How Bad and Who Gets Hurt
LMC says globally the Pandemic recovery is a K-shaped curve. There are winners and losers. Continue reading
FAA Expands Weather Camera Program to Hawaii
“For private pilots in single-engine aircraft, helicopter pilots, and crews with major airlines, the benefit of weather camera programs is hard to miss. Before the program began, weather-related CFIT accidents in Alaska were, sadly, very common,” said Walter Combs, Manager of the FAA Weather Camera Program. Continue reading
Posted in aviation, milestones, people, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, CFIT, FAA Weather Cameras, Ken Zino, Walter Combs
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Tesla Recalls 135,000 S and X Models for Display Blackouts
NHTSA prompted the recall when it started an investigation of last June*. The Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE20-010 to investigate incidents of media control unit (MCU) failures resulting in loss of rearview camera in model year (MY) 2012-2015 Tesla Model S vehicles equipped with the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor with an integrated 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device. The eMMC NAND flash devices have a finite lifespan based upon the number of program/erase (P/E) cycles. Continue reading
Second Chattanooga Motorcar Festival Now in October 2021
Born in Athens, Tenn., Coker worked for his father Harold, who opened the Coker Tire Company in Chattanooga in 1958, sweeping floors and cleaning wide whitewalls. Having grown up on the family farm, Coker originally planned to become a veterinarian but soon discovered that he actually enjoyed working at the tire store. “I suddenly realized that selling hot-rod and Model A tires to these guys made them very happy,” he said. “I really got my head into it and started developing some ideas and goals of my own.” Continue reading
Ford Motor 2020 Loss $1.3 Billion. Microchip Shortage Looms
Chasing General Motors, Ford said it would increase its planned investments in electric and autonomous vehicles to more than $22 billion and $7 billion in turn through 2025. GM caught the industry by surprise when it said it would have 30 new EVs globally during roughly that period. It was the latest Ford attempt to appease the capital markets which remain skeptical about the lackluster performance of the Dearborn based automaker. Continue reading
Subsidized Mercedes-Benz Compact EQA EV Available to Order
As confusing as this all sounds, Mercedes actually has reduced the complexity of its EQA models. Instead of having to decide between more than 100 individual options, customers have a choice of three pre-configured packages. Continue reading
Electrify America Adds Solar EV Charging in Rural California
Electrify America’s EV charging infrastructure plans in California include a commitment to increasing access to EV charging infrastructure in rural areas of the state, to both facilitate regional travel and drive adoption of EVs in rural communities. With complimentary charging, the new solar units help remove two barriers to EV adoption in these locations – access to public charging and affordability. The network said it ensured that more than half of these chargers were located in disadvantaged and low-income communities, demonstrating the company’s ongoing commitment to serve these populations. Continue reading
Toyota R&D Patent Leader Among US Automakers Again
“Toyota continues to invest heavily in its robust research and development pipeline and has received more than 1,400 patents related to autonomous vehicle technology since 2003. Every hour, Toyota invests over $1 million in emerging technology globally, and has invested over $1 billion in R&D related to automated vehicles and robotics since 2017,” Toyota said. Continue reading
Good and Bad? January US Light Vehicle Sales Down -3%
Projections for 2020 Global Light Vehicle sales ended at 77.7 million units, down -14% from 2019 and with a stronger recovery than expected initially. LMC maintains that 2021 is poised to continue the recovery, with volume projected at 86.5 million units, up 11% from 2020. AI thinks while the past isn’t a 100% sure predictor of the future, the new – perhaps more virulent strains of the Covid virus, the nationalistic fights over vaccines, the emergence of fascism and sedition in the US, and stricter and ongoing social controls in most major market are huge risks. Continue reading
Posted in news analysis, results, sales
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, Jeff Schuster, Ken Zino, lmc, semiconductor shortage
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Daimler to Spin-Off Daimler Truck into Separate Company
Actually, current Daimler shareholders will be Mercedes-Benz holders since the Daimler name will be recast as Mercedes-Benz at “the appropriate time.” Both companies, whatever they are called, are in mobility industries that are facing disruptive technological and structural changes that threaten survival. Continue reading
Ford to Upgrade, Expand South African Plant for 2022 Ranger
Silverton will become one of the first Ford plants globally to achieve “Island Mode” status, becoming entirely energy self-sufficient and carbon neutral by 2024. The plant also will manufacture Volkswagen pickups trucks as part of the Ford-VW alliance. Continue reading
Hyundai Tweaks 2022 Kona and Kona Electric SUVs
Otherwise, the Kona EV does not incorporate any advances in EV or battery technology. Instead it has a different front fascia design. New headlamps and Daytime Running Lamps provide a different look. New lower fender sculpted vents are aerodynamically functional. In profile, a different alloy wheel design has been optimized for “efficient airflow.” Oh, there are new taillights as well. The real selling points are carryover. Continue reading →