Category Archives: news

Deputy CEO Björn Annwall Leaves Volvo Cars

Posted on 9 October 2024 by Ken Zino

Volvo Cars (VOLCAR-B.ST)* today announced organizational changes that it said, “are designed to increase simplicity, speed and collaboration and reduce complexity by flattening our structure in the Commercial part of the business.” It is enhancing the responsibilities of the regions and empowering the employees that are closest to the customers to make key decisions. In a surprising move, Björn Annwall, current Chief Commercial Officer & Deputy CEO will support the transition of the new organization before taking his next step “outside of Volvo Cars.” The stock is currently trading at an all-time low.

“In a rapidly changing world, we need to ensure our organization is equipped to navigate a more challenging market. We are now regrouping our commercial leadership team with a focus on making Volvo Cars even stronger with increased speed and efficiency,” said Jim Rowan, CEO at Volvo Cars. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, mobility company, news analysis, people, shows and events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Annals of Marketing – Ford Bronco Free Wheeling Package

Posted on 8 October 2024 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor (NYSE: F) today announced a new 2025 Bronco Free Wheeling appearance package.* The retro marketing ploy adds red, orange, and yellow touches derived from Ford’s Free Wheeling trucks, vans and Broncos of the 1970s and 1980s – back when Ford was able to sell passenger vehicles. 

“Bronco has always been about fun and capability since day one and Free Wheeling’s looks kick that up a notch with its sunset inspired beach vibes,” claimed Steve Gilmore, Ford Vehicle Personalization chief designer. “We’ve modernized the new Bronco Free Wheeling in line with today’s fashion and graphic trends, including seats that mimic the color palette of the exterior stripes and unique pops of color that come together in an optimistic way.”  Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, design and styling, marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nissan Joins EV Grid Management Group ChargeScape

Posted on 7 October 2024 by Ken Zino

Nissan said today that it has entered into an agreement to invest in ChargeScape, a joint venture equally owned by BMW, Ford and Honda* concentrated on electric vehicle-grid integration. Once the transaction is complete, Nissan will become an equal 25% … Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, electric vehicles, energy, environment, news analysis, shows and events, software defined vehicles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

DOE Loan Programs Office – $1B to Evgo for Charging Points

Posted on 4 October 2024 by Ken Zino

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) announced Thursday a conditional commitment to EVgo Swift Borrower LLC (EVgo) for a loan guarantee of up to $1.05 billion to expand the public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. The loan guarantee, if finalized, will support EVgo’s deployment of ~7500 charging ports at ~1100 charging stations across the United States. The first deployments will include high-power 350kW fast chargers capable of charging two EVs simultaneously. EVgo plans to continue installing power sharing equipment over the 5-year deployment timeline.

“The Biden-Harris administration and DOE are building towards a future where EVs are affordable and accessible in every part of the country,” LPO said in a detailed release. Continue reading →

Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, economy, electric vehicles, environment, global warming, news analysis, shows and events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yawn or Yikes? Hyundai, Waymo Link on Autonomous SUVs

Posted on 4 October 2024 by Ken Zino

Hyundai Motor Company and Waymo today said they have entered into a multi-year, strategic partnership that will integrate Waymo’s sixth-generation fully autonomous technology, dubbed the Waymo Driver, into Hyundai’s all-electric IONIQ 5 SUV, which will be added to the Waymo One fleet over time.*

“We are thrilled to partner with Hyundai as we further our mission to be the world’s most trusted driver,” said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO, Waymo. “Hyundai’s focus on sustainability and strong electric vehicle roadmap makes them a great partner for us as we bring our fully autonomous service to more riders in more places.” Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, autonomous vehicles, mobility company, news analysis, shows and events, software defined vehicles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

IONNA Breaks Ground on So-Called Rechargery for EVs

Posted on 3 October 2024 by Ken Zino

IONNA, a charging network founded by eight automakers – BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Kia, Stellantis and Toyota –  announced today the ground breaking for the first IONNA ‘Rechargery.’ It is remaking a historic district gas station into an EV charging station in Apex, North Carolina. AutoInformed notes the irony, and also  that the town was built around a railroad steam engine refill pond, which the workers dubbed Apex. Continue reading →

Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, electric vehicles, global warming, marketing, milestones, news analysis, public health, shows and events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

U.S. Vehicles Sales Drop as Consumers Wait for Discounts

Posted on 2 October 2024 by Ken Zino

“September sales were in line with our forecast, although our expectations were modest for what was always penciled in to be a quieter month. Even though the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 50 basis points – above the expectations of many analysts – it is likely to take some time for lower borrowing costs to feed through to the auto industry. Generally, high vehicle pricing is keeping monthly payments elevated, and therefore some consumers are still sitting on the sidelines,” said David Oakley, Manager, Americas Sales Forecasts at GlobalData. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, marketing, news analysis, prices, results, sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

NHTSA Issues Park Outside Consumer Alert for Jeep Fires

Posted on 2 October 2024 by Ken Zino

Owners should park their vehicles outside and away from structures and other vehicles until their vehicle has been remedied. In addition, owners should not charge unrepaired vehicles, because the risk of fire is higher in a charged battery and the risk of fire is reduced when the battery is depleted. Continue reading →

Posted in customer satisfaction, electric vehicles, engineering, manufacturing, news analysis, public health, quality, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nissan Group U.S. Q3 Sales Off 2.2% with Varying Results

Posted on 1 October 2024 by Ken Zino

Nissan Group today announced total U.S. third-quarter (July – September) sales for 2024 of 212,068 units, a decrease of -2.2% versus the prior year.

Broken out ,Infiniti USA reported deliveries of 14,540 vehicles Q3 2024, a decrease of 12.1%.The QX50 crossover bucked the trend, with an increase of 11.7% for the quarter and 10.1% for the year. Infiniti car sales plunged -36.2% at 2041. Infiniti CUV/SUV sales were off -8.7% at 14,503. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, marketing, news analysis, results, sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

American Honda September Sales Drop 9%

Posted on 1 October 2024 by Ken Zino

American Honda today posted tepid September sales of 105,527 units down ~9% month over month and year-to-date.

“Our sales momentum has continued through the third quarter with strong demand for Honda and Acura SUVs, and growing sales of electrified models,” said Lance Woelfer, vice president of Auto Sales at American Honda Motor Company.

“Despite some supply issues due to the preparation for EV manufacturing and supply challenges related to the catastrophic Hurricane Helene in the Southeast, we continue to gain sales momentum based on a flexible strategy of offering fuel efficient petrol, hybrid-electric and battery-electric models to meet the needs of our customers,” Woefler claimed. Since the results weren’t broadcast it’s impossible to know if his nose grew longer when making that claim. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, marketing, results, sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Toyota Motor North America September Sales off 20%

Posted on 1 October 2024 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor North America (NYSE: TM) posted U.S. September sales of 162,595 vehicles, down 20.3% on a volume basis and down 9.9% on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis versus September 2023. This is consistent with the expected industry sales slump evident at all other automakers thus far. September electrified vehicle sales consisting of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, pure electrics and fuel cells were 48.4% of total sales volume and totaled 78,683, up 22.4% on a volume basis and up 38.3 % on a DSR basis. Toyota remains the industry’s number one retail brand through the nine month period. Continue reading →

Posted in marketing, news analysis, results, sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GM Posts Modest U.S. Sales increase for Q3 2024

Posted on 1 October 2024 by Ken Zino

General Motors (NYSE: GM) said today its dealers increased retail sales by 3% year over year in September and delivered 659,601 total vehicles, down 2%, in the U.S. during Q3 of 2024. The company posted another record quarter of EV sales with 32,195 total deliveries, up 60% year-over-year and up 46% compared to the second quarter of 2024. The industry total SAAR is estimated at 16.2 million, equal to Q2 and YOY. There were 76 selling days for Q 3 2024 and 78 selling days for the same Quarter last year.

“GM’s EV portfolio is growing faster than the market because we have an all-electric vehicle for just about everybody, no matter what they like to drive,” claimed Rory Harvey, GM executive vice president and president of Global Markets. Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, marketing, news analysis, sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mattias Ekström Joins Ford Performance for 2025 Dakar Rally

Posted on 1 October 2024 by Ken Zino

“Joining the Ford Dakar program is really exciting for me,” said Mattias Ekström. “Ford and M-Sport have built a vehicle that looks, sounds, and drives awesome and we all have a common ambition to win the Dakar Rally. I have had four tries at Dakar so far and now I can say that I have some experience to be able to aim for the top. There is also a lot of knowledge and experience in the team to back up the ambition – starting with the long motorsport heritage of Ford, proven track record of M-Sport, very impressive driver line-up, smart engineers, technicians, and the rest of the team. I look forward to the first competitive outing with the Ford Raptor T1+ at Rally du Maroc and later at the Dakar Rally. I am in it to win it and I hope we will have very successful and great years ahead of us. I will do everything in my power to make it happen.” Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, marketing, news analysis, performance, racing, shows and events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Plug-in Hybrid Jeeps Recalled for Battery Fire Risks

Posted on 1 October 2024 by Ken Zino

“A routine company review of customer data led to an internal investigation that discovered 13 fires. All vehicles were parked and turned off. The company estimates 5% of affected vehicles may have the defect,” FCA said. “Vehicle risk is reduced when the battery charge level is depleted. Accordingly, owners are advised to refrain from recharging. Out of an abundance of caution, the company is also advising owners of these vehicles to park away from structures or other vehicles until the remedy is obtained.” Continue reading →

Posted in customer satisfaction, electric vehicles, electronics, engineering, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mercedes-Benz USA Software Recall for Sudden Stalling

Posted on 30 September 2024 by Ken Zino

“In the event of an independent hardware failure in the Camtronic system, the amount of injected fuel might be erroneously increased by the lambda control system during cylinder deactivation. As a result, exhaust temperatures may increase and might damage surrounding components (e.g. engine wiring harness, catalytic converter). A loss of propulsion without warning and an increased risk of fire cannot be ruled out.” Continue reading →

Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, electronics, engineering, news analysis, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment