Category Archives: news

Toyota Recalls 2024-2025 Tacoma Models for Bad Brakes

Posted on 11 February 2025 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor North America is recalling more than 106,000 model 2024-2025 Tacoma 4-wheel-drive vehicles built in Mexico and California. The clearance between the rear brake hose and wheel may allow mud and dirt to build up, which can damage the brake hose and lead to a brake fluid leak. Continue reading →

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First Look – New Volvo EX30 Cross Country

Posted on 10 February 2025 by Ken Zino

Volvo Cars (Nasdaq Stockholm VOLCAR B)* at a literal fireside chat in the North of Sweden revealed today the new EX30 Cross Country SUV. Outdoors equipment brand Fjällräven was part of the show. The EX30 Cross Country is a compact fully-electric SUV. The Volvo EX30 Cross Country is available to order now in selected markets, with deliveries starting later this spring. It will eventually appear in North America.**

“We launched our first Cross Country car over 25 years ago, and this concept of durable and all-weather cars is core to the Volvo brand,” said Jim Rowan, Volvo Cars’ CEO. “In Sweden we face harsh winters, but we also like to make the most of them by getting out and exploring our amazing nature, even when it’s minus 20 Celsius outside. That’s why we want to deliver a fully rounded experience, not simply a car, to our EX30 Cross Country customers.” Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls Expeditions, Super Dutys and Lincoln Corsairs

Posted on 10 February 2025 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is recalling more than 72,000 model 2021 Expedition, 2021-2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, F-600, and 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair vehicles. The rearview camera may display a blank or distorted image.

In the required safety defect recall notification  made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this morning, Ford said it doesn’t have fix for the safety defect. The remedy is currently under development. Continue reading →

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MBUSA Recalling EQB models for Battery Fires

Posted on 10 February 2025 by Ken Zino

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling more than 7000 model year 2022-2024 EQB 250, EQB 300 4MATIC, and EQB 350 4MATIC electric vehicles. The high voltage battery may fail internally and lead to a vehicle fire while parked or driving.

In the mandatory safety defect recall filing made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this morning, MBUSA said, “Due to the combination of certain production and vehicle use conditions, an internal short circuit of a battery cell in the high-voltage battery might occur, which could lead to the risk of a fire.” The defective software supplier is Farasis Energy-Ganzhou in China. Continue reading →

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Global Warming – U.S. Lags on EV Truck Battery Swapping

Posted on 10 February 2025 by Ken Zino

China is currently the largest market for deploying battery swapping trucks, The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy* said this morning in a well-researched and extensive analysis of zero-emission truck strategies. In 2023, 14% of all zero-emissions heavy-duty vehicles sold (12-month average) in China were swap-capable (Jin and Mao 2024). Tractor-trailers and dump trucks were the main applications for battery swap-capable HDVs. In China, 50% of zero-emissions tractor-trailers and 53% of zero-emissions dump trucks sold in 2023 were swap-capable.

Battery swapping is also emerging in other international markets. Janus Electric, an Australian manufacturer, advertises ranges of around 250 – 370 miles for its HDV technology that allows for battery swapping. In Japan, Ample, Inc., an American-based battery swapping company focused on light- and medium-duty electric vehicles serving shorter ranges, and Mitsubishi Fuso is piloting its technology with Mitsubishi’s light-duty eCanter electric truck using Ample’s battery swapping technology The pilot will test battery swapping for shorter driving ranges (~62-200 miles) in an urban environment. Continue reading →

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Chevrolet Blazer EV SS to Pace Daytona 500 on Sunday

Posted on 10 February 2025 by Ken Zino

Chevrolet said this morning that a 2025 Blazer EV SS, the fastest SS model Chevrolet ever, will pace the 67th DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway this Sunday in box stock form. The Blazer EV SS, set to go on sale late in Q1, is equipped with Wide Open Watts (WOW), which propels the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds with 615 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. torque. The pace car is a production vehicle with no performance upgrades, but has custom graphics and embedded strobe lighting. It’s the first EV to ever pace the race. Continue reading →

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NOAA – 2024 Was Earth’s Warmest Year on Record

Posted on 7 February 2025 by Ken Zino

Planet Earth’s average land and ocean surface temperature in 2024 was 2.32 degrees F (1.29 degrees C) above the 20th-century average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This was the highest global temperature among all years in NOAA’s 1850-2024 climate record. It was 0.18 of a degree F (0.10 of a degree C) warmer than 2023, which previously was the warmest year on record. Regionally, Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America (tied with 2023) had their warmest year on record. Asia and the Arctic had their second-warmest year on record.

The planet’s 10 warmest years since 1850 have all occurred in the past decade. In 2024, global temperature exceeded the pre-industrial (1850–1900) average by 2.63 degrees F (1.46 degrees C). Other scientific organizations, including NASA, the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the UK Met Office have conducted separate but similar analyses that also rank 2024 as the warmest year on record. Continue reading →

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Nissan to Increase Use of Green Steel in Japan

Posted on 7 February 2025 by Ken Zino

To reach these goals, Nissan has increased efforts towards decarbonization in the entire process spanning from material procurement. How the apparent collapse of the proposed merger with Honda will affect embattled Nissan’s future is unclear. Continue reading →

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BMW i Ventures Buys into GreenSpark Software

Posted on 7 February 2025 by Ken Zino

“This investment positions GreenSpark to fast-track its product roadmap, expand into larger enterprise segments, and drive innovation in an industry that has long been underserved by technology,” BMW said. “Despite being a crucial part of the recycling ecosystem, the $120 billion+ recycled materials industry has lacked intuitive, modern software to streamline operations, finance, logistics, and commercial functions. GreenSpark’s platform leverages the latest technology to provide solutions for all segments of the recycled metals value chain, accelerating the circular economy and boosting operators’ profitability,” i Ventures claimed. Continue reading →

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Used Vehicle Prices Poised to Soar?

Posted on 7 February 2025 by Ken Zino

“While it’s not yet spring, wholesale values increased more than we usually see in the month of January, with particular strength at the end of the month,” said Jeremy Robb, senior director of Economic and Industry Insights at Cox Automotive. “The Manheim index is at the highest point since October 2023, after we experienced stronger-than-usual gains in non-seasonally adjusted values. Currently, retail days’ supply at used dealerships sits nine days lower than last year, and we are just now on the cusp of starting the spring wholesale market.”

Notably absent was any mention of the Trump tariff chaos, which likely will significantly increase new vehicle prices and thereby increasing demand and prices for used vehicles.
Continue reading →

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Porsche Posts Preliminary 2024 Results

Posted on 7 February 2025 by Ken Zino

Porsche AG said late yesterday it expects these results (unaudited) for the 2024 financial year: The automotive net cash flow margin is over 10% (forecast 7 to 8.5%). The return on sales is at the lower end of the forecast range. Other performance indicators “do not show significant deviations from the forecast ranges.”

However, Porsche said it would incur an  €800 million (~$831 million) charge against operating profit this year because of the cost of introducing new models with internal combustion engines, as well as plug-in hybrids. Continue reading →

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Annals of Marketing – Mercedes-Benz Miami Real-Estate

Posted on 6 February 2025 by Ken Zino

“With construction of Mercedes-Benz Places in Miami well underway, we are laying the foundation for one of the most ambitious and innovative residential projects in Florida. Together with our partner, JDS Development Group, we will showcase outstanding architecture, which is undeniably Mercedes-Benz and deliver a community experience that is second to none,” Eva Wiese, Head of Mercedes-Benz Customer Solutions GmbH. Continue reading →

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Volvo Cars Posts Record Sales, Revenue, Profits in 2024, but…

Posted on 6 February 2025 by Ken Zino

Volvo Cars (VOLCAR B:STO)* today posted a record-breaking year in 2024 with the highest full-year retail sales, revenues and core operating profit in its 98-year history. However, the Chinese owned company anticipates a turbulent 2025 “due to challenging market conditions,” aka Trump’s Trade and Tariff Wars.** “Full-year revenues exceeded SEK 400 billion for the first time in the company’s history, due to a new all-time sales record of 763,389 cars. Its full-year core operating profit of SEK 27 billion, excluding joint ventures and associates, was another record and up 6% compared to 2023. The core operating margin came in at 6.8%, up from 6.4% in 2023,” Volvo said. Continue reading →

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Ford Motor Posts Mixed Results for 2024

Posted on 5 February 2025 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) today posted Q4 full-year 2024 financial results. They were mixed from awful to okay. During 2024, Ford Blue’s revenue was flat at $101.9 billion as positive net pricing offset a 2% decline in wholesale vehicle transactions from what Ford said were the cancellation of low-margin products. The internal combustion engine segment at Ford S EBIT was $5.3 billion. Ford Model e reported a full-year EBIT loss of $5.1 billion. The electric vehicle e segment delivered $1.4 billion in cost improvements, net of a $100 million increase in spending to launch new battery plants and next-generation electric vehicles, Ford said. For full-year 2024, revenue climbed 5% to $185 billion; net income was $5.9 billion, and adjusted EBIT was $10.2 billion. For 2025 Ford is predicting a $2 billion profit drop! Bloomberg says that 27% of analysts have a sell recommendation, the highest on record.  Continue reading →

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Toyota Motor Posts FY2025 Q3 Net Revenue Gain

Posted on 5 February 2025 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC: Tokyo 7203. NYSE: TM) today announced financial results for the third quarter fiscal year 2025, which ended 31 December 2024. TMC also announced significant changes in China. Consolidated vehicle sales totaled ~7,000,000 units, a decrease of ~295,000 units compared to the same period fiscal year 2024. On a consolidated basis, net revenues for the period totaled 35.673 trillion yen ($233.2 billion), an increase of 4.9%. Continue reading →

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