Category Archives: news

Porsche Sales Drop 10% in 2025

Posted on 16 January 2026 by Ken Zino

Porsche made the debatable claims that it re-positioned itself in 2025 and made forward-looking strategic product decisions. The delivery mix in 2025 offered combustion-engined, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric cars. In 2025, 34.4% of Porsche cars delivered worldwide were electrified (+7.4 percentage points), with 22.2% being fully electric and 12.1% being plug-in hybrids.

“This puts the global share of fully electric vehicles at the upper end of the target range of 20 to 22% for 2025. In Europe, for the first time, more electrified cars were delivered than pure combustion-engined models (57.9% electrification share), with every third car being fully electric. Among the Panamera and Cayenne models, plug-in hybrid derivatives lead European delivery figures. At the same time, the combustion-engined and T-Hybrid 911 set a new record with 51,583 deliveries worldwide,” Porsche said. Continue reading →

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Global Warming – Michigan Studying Geologic Hydrogen

Posted on 16 January 2026 by Ken Zino

“Michigan is a leader in clean-energy solutions,” said Governor Whitmer. “This initiative will uncover more about Michigan’s geologic hydrogen stores, which have the potential to attract long-term investments in our state and create thousands of good paying jobs for Michiganders. Together, we’re building the future of clean energy in Michigan.” [Whether this prompts an Invasion by the Trump Administration remains to be seen – AutoCrat] Continue reading →

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Whitmer Stands in Stark Contrast to Trump at Detroit Auto Show

Posted on 15 January 2026 by Ken Zino

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer spoke at the Detroit Auto Show today, discussing the impact of tariffs on Michigan’s economy, the importance of innovation and collaboration, and actions the state must take in 2026 to continue attracting business and creating good-paying local jobs amidst what was respectfully termed “national uncertainty.”

Unlike President Trump’s treatment of an autoworker during his Ford Motor River Rouge Plant visit in Dearborn, Michigan this week, where The Man Who Would Be King was caught on video flipping off a Ford worker [with the map of Manhattan – AutoCrat] while using gutter profanity, Whitmer was poised, pleasant, well-informed and inarguably committed to helping workers with a track record that proves it. Whitmer even had an announcement that will be good for all Michiganders, notwithstanding social status, wealth or power. Continue reading →

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IMSA 2026 – Cadillac Racing Entering Fourth Year in GTP

Posted on 15 January 2026 by Ken Zino

The so-called Roar Before the 24 this week leads into the IMSA* season-opening 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 24-25. Cadillac Racing with Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing and Cadillac Whelen has revealed the liveries of its three Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) racecars that will contest the nine-race 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Cadillac Racing, with four overall victories among 12 podiums in what is arguably North America’s premier endurance race, sees the return of Wayne Taylor Racing for its second season as a Cadillac factory team and Action Express Racing for its 15th consecutive year campaigning a GM prototype in IMSA. Cadillac is entering its fourth year of running in the GTP class. Continue reading →

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American Honda Forecasts 2026 Sales as Flat

Posted on 14 January 2026 by Ken Zino

American Honda (7267.T and NYSE: HMC) today outlined its 2026 U.S. automobile business outlook during its annual media briefing. It also showed a prototype of the Honda Base Station, a towable travel trailer developed by engineers and designers at its U.S. R&D centers. Basically, the Japanese company is going to focus on lower cost models with package and trim changes because of the affordability crisis that is an industry-wide problem.* [The briefing also underscored another industry trend, the decline of traditional auto shows since it occurred during a media preview day of the Detroit Auto Show. -AutoCrat] Continue reading →

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Ford Carhartt Partnership on Products, Workforce Expansion

Posted on 13 January 2026 by Ken Zino

“The multi-year strategic partnership is designed to create long-term impact in three critical areas for the Essential Economy: workforce development, community building and durable products that help strengthen and support the skilled trades,” said Jim Farley, Ford Motor Company CEO, and Linda Hubbard, Carhartt CEO. Continue reading →

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First Look – Cadillac Formula 1 Camouflaged Livery!

Posted on 13 January 2026 by Ken Zino

General Motors President Mark Reuss today revealed the Cadillac Formula 1® Team’s Special Edition testing livery at GM’s new global headquarters, the Hudson’s Detroit building. The livery will be used at the all-team Shakedown Week in Barcelona, Spain, 26 – 30 January, ahead of unveiling the final livery on February 8 at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. [Practice starts in Melbourne, Australia on March 6. So it’s unlikely the practice cars will be camouflaged enough to hide the racing configuration. Sponsorship logos may be lacking – AutoCrat?] The racing car of sorts will also be on display at the Detroit Auto Show until 25 January. Continue reading →

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Park Outside – 2025 Volvo EX30 Battery Fires

Posted on 12 January 2026 by Ken Zino

“The recall population is determined by the first and last vehicles that were produced with a high voltage battery from the Shandong Geely Sunwoda Power Battery Company in China. The start of production with these cell variants began on September 6th, 2024, and ended on October 25th, 2025. Vehicles produced after October 25, 2025, do not have the high voltage battery cell deviation. This recall affects certain model year 2025 EX30 vehicles,” Volvo said in the mandatory safety defect filing made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this morning. Continue reading →

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Rolls-Royce – 2025 Trends, Innovations, and Achievements

Posted on 12 January 2026 by Ken Zino

“Our clients’ increasing interest and engagement in more ambitious commissions are realized in our joint pursuit of perfection. Every motor car is a singular expression of its owner’s vision, and together they reflect the spirit of innovation, craft, and cultural fluency that defines Rolls-Royce today,” said Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Continue reading →

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Porsche Laments the Death of Hans Herrmann

Posted on 12 January 2026 by Ken Zino

Porsche AG is mourning the loss of Hans Herrmann. The former racing driver passed away on 9 January 2026, at the age of 97. During his motorsport career, he achieved more than 80 overall and class victories, the vast majority of them for Porsche. Herrmann not only competed in all major endurance races and European hill climb championship events, but also conducted countless test drives at the Weissach Development Center. Above all, Hermann was instrumental in making Porsche a serious competitor in endurance racing.

“The passing of Hans Herrmann has deeply affected us all,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Head of Porsche Motorsport. “He was one of Porsche AG’s most successful factory racing drivers. With the victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 in the Porsche 917, Richard Attwood and he made history.” Continue reading →

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BMW Group Sales Barely Increase in 2025

Posted on 9 January 2026 by Ken Zino

The BMW Group said today that vehicle sales grew in 2025 to 2,463,715(+0.5%) with resilient performance particularly in Europe and the US, and with electrified models. Electrified vehicles accounted for 26% of total BMW Group sales worldwide in 2025, with fully-electric vehicles representing ~18%. [The questions for 2026 are whether taxpayer subsidized EVs are salable without money on the hood so to speak in the U.S. How increased low-cost Chinese EVs in Europe affect premium brand sales, and the whim or dementia of the moment of the Trump Administration tax and tariff policies affect Global trade – AutoCrat?] Continue reading →

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Mercedes AMG 2026 Experience Goes Off-Road

Posted on 8 January 2026 by Ken Zino

Mercedes‑AMG today announced the continuation and expansion of its 2026 AMG Experience season with the inclusion for the first time of off-road driving. “Back by popular demand, AMG Experience’s ‘On Road’ program returns in 2026. This exclusive six-day excursion features … Continue reading →

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Manufacturer Websites Lack Product Details?

Posted on 8 January 2026 by Ken Zino

“One in three new-vehicle shoppers begin their journey without a specific brand in mind, yet nearly all of them still visit an OEM website,” said Cory Maxwell, digital experience consultant at J.D. Power. “While those shoppers are highly engaged, we continue to see that about 20% of OEM sites prioritize branding over the detailed vehicle information shoppers are actively seeking. At that stage, the brand has already done its job by getting shoppers to the site, so what matters most is helping them evaluate the vehicle.” Continue reading →

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Chinese RoboVan Maker Neolix Debuts Next Gen Products

Posted on 7 January 2026 by Ken Zino

Neolix, a maker of autonomous logistics products (RoboVan), today announced the debut of its next-generation AI-powered autonomous logistics products at CES 2026. Its full  RoboVan lineup is said to enable large-scale, end-to-end urban logistics. Neolix thinks that autonomous is the cornerstone of the future urban infrastructure.

“Autonomous logistics has reached a critical tipping point, transitioning from experimental pilots to true commercial scale,” said YU Enyuan, Founder and CEO of Neolix. “2025 was a milestone year where we achieved mass deployment, refined our mapless technology, and expanded our global footprint. At CES 2026, we are presenting the global market with our fully integrated autonomous solution in action, showcasing a new generation of urban infrastructure that is always-on, highly efficient, and ready for global growth.” Continue reading →

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Cox Fleet Commences for Trucking and other Industries

Posted on 7 January 2026 by Ken Zino

“Cox Fleet is a clear signal of our long-term commitment to the fleets that keep our economy moving,” said Patrick Brennan, SVP of Cox Fleet. “By bringing our people, technology, and service capabilities together under one brand, Cox Fleet is designed to help clients improve uptime and better manage total cost of ownership.” Continue reading →

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