Category Archives: economy

August Global Light Vehicle Sales Weaken Again

Posted on 14 September 2021 by Ken Zino

The US Light Vehicle market continued to be hurt by low inventories during July. Sales grew by only 3.2% YoY, to 1.28 mn units. This is a slight advance compared to July 2020’s pandemic-affected result. The selling rate declined more to 14.6 mn units/year, from 15.4 mn units/year in June. This is the lowest rate since June 2020. Continue reading →

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Is China Now Clearly in the EV Affordability Lead?

Posted on 13 September 2021 by Ken Zino

This of course is not good news for occidental auto conglomerates or their customers, which through a forced combination of government regulation, shareholder pressure and consumer sentiment are investing billions in EVs to solve the very real and deadly problem of fossil fuel use, which has increasingly visible negative health and climate effects. Continue reading →

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COVID Losses – NISMO Festival Canceled Again

Posted on 10 September 2021 by Ken Zino

The annual festival in Japan, billed as a fan appreciation event, has been held in the off-season. This year’s festival was to have been the 23rd After last year’s event was cancelled, the organizers had hoped for it to go ahead this year and had been watching the situation closely. Continue reading →

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US August Light Vehicle Sales Continue Shrinking Trend

Posted on 8 September 2021 by Ken Zino

 “The month of August is historically a peak selling month as manufacturers launch promotional events to clear inventories of outgoing model-year vehicles and begin sales of the new model year. This year, however, the industry has insufficient inventory at dealerships to meet strong consumer demand. The consequence is that the retail sales pace is depressed, but transaction prices are elevated,” said Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power. Continue reading →

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Labor Day – Majorities of Americans Say Unions Good

Posted on 4 September 2021 by Ken Zino

As of July, 55% of U.S. adults say labor unions have a positive effect in the U.S., unchanged from August 2019, the last time the Center asked this question. While the overall figure has remained the same, Democrats have become more likely – and Republicans less likely – to say unions have a positive effect. Continue reading →

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GM Workers in Mexico Reject Corrupt Union to Form New One

Posted on 2 September 2021 by Ken Zino

Workers at General Motors plant in Silao, Mexico, have formed a new union – the national union of automotive workers, SINTTIA. The union seeks to represent GM workers and negotiate a new collective employment agreement. In a crucial vote on … Continue reading →

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US Auto Sales Forecast Down Again in August

Posted on 26 August 2021 by Ken Zino

Overall new-vehicle sales for August 2021, including retail and non-retail transactions, are projected to reach 1,094,500 units, a 13.7% decrease from August 2020 and a 25.3% decrease from August 2019. Comparing the same sales volume without adjusting for the number of selling days translates to a decrease of 17.0% from 2020 and a decrease of 33.3% from 2019. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) for total new-vehicle sales is expected to be 13.1 million units, down 2.1 million units from 2020 and down 4.0 million units from 2019. Continue reading →

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Chinese Covid Recovery Policies is Zero-Sum Game for Automakers Overall. Luxury, Compact Segments Benefit Most?

Posted on 23 August 2021 by Ken Zino

As with most statistics though, the devil is hiding in the details. Consultancy LMC Automotive says there is an enduring imbalance in the economy’s internal structure: the performance of the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) among medium and large enterprises is significantly better than that among smaller enterprises. Continue reading →

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