Category Archives: results

Honda Recalls ~326,000 Odysseys for Bad Rearview Cameras

“The defect was caused by two contributing factors. First, the specification for the rearview camera housing boss hole was inadequate for the mounting screw. Second, due to variations in the positioning of the housing on the assembly jig, the mounting screw is susceptible to being misaligned during assembly. As a result, the stress generated during screw fastening exceeded the material strength of the boss, causing it to crack. Through environmental exposure (thermal expansion/freezing of trapped water), these cracks can expand, allowing water to penetrate the interior of the assembly,” Honda told NHTSA. [This causes the printed circuit board (PCB) to corrode and fail – AutoCrat.] Continue reading

Posted in auto news, connected vehicles, customer satisfaction, electronics, engineering, public health, quality, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Regulatory Reform! CPSC Starts Mandatory eFiling for Imports

“America faces an unprecedented surge in imported consumer products entering through increasingly complex global supply chains, including millions of direct-to-consumer shipments that often bypass traditional retail distribution. CPSC faces significant enforcement challenges, particularly where products originate from countries that do not comply with U.S. safety laws,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman. Continue reading

Posted in manufacturing, milestones, news, news analysis, public health, recalls, safety, software recalls | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Toyota – $3.6B Expansion at San Antonio Plant

“Toyota’s continued investment in North America is a testament to our confidence in the region’s workforce, innovation and long-term growth potential,” said Ted Ogawa, President and CEO TMNA. “By expanding our San Antonio plant, we are deepening our commitment to American manufacturing, creating meaningful and sustainable jobs, while advancing our mission to deliver high-quality vehicles that meet the changing needs of customers today and into the future.” Continue reading

Posted in auto news, manufacturing, milestones, mobility company, news analysis, opinions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ford and Lincoln Recalls For Bad Pedestrian Backup Warnings

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is recalling more than 66,000 2024-2027 model-year Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid and 2025-2027 Explorer Hybrid vehicles. A software error may prevent the vehicle from making the pedestrian warning sound at certain speeds.* The Phoenix Audio System supplied by Harmon International has a software error in the Digital Signal Processing Module This is an expansion of NHTSA Recall 25V691. Any vehicles previously repaired under 25V691 must have the new remedy completed. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, electronics, engineering, public health, quality, safety, software recalls | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ford Leads All Manufacturers in NHTSA Recalls

The latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show Ford Motor Company leads the safety defect recall parade. Ford Motor remains subject to a 2024 consent order from NHTSA. NHTSA retained an independent third party to oversee Ford Motor recall issues, required safety expenditures, and the cited Safety Act violations. The dataset includes recall information related to specific NHTSA campaigns. General Motors, Chrysler (FCAUS) Hyundai Motor and Toyota follow. Continue reading

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

BMW iX5 Electric Vehicle Debuts in Spartanburg SC

“When we announced our investment plans for South Carolina in 2022, we made a clear commitment to the future of the BMW Group in the United States,” said Milan Nedeljković, Chairman of the Board of Management, BMW AG.

“Our strategic course remains unchanged. We will continue to pursue the same technology-open strategy that has made BMW successful and will continue to make us successful in the future,” said Nedeljković. [Flexibility to build different powertrains in one plant decreases the possibility of spending million of Dollars or Deutschmarks shareholder capital betting on one model or powertrain. It hedges expensive automotive bets. – AutoCrat.] Continue reading

Posted in auto news, electric vehicles, global warming, manufacturing, milestones, shows and events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Volvo Cars Q2 2026 Sales Drop ~6%

Volvo Cars (VOLCAR B:STO)* today reported global sales of 171,501 cars in the second quarter of 2026, down 5.6% from Q2 last year. This is partially due to the difficult operating environment across regions, especially in China, that global automakers are enduring along with the Trump mis-administration tax, trade and foreign policy strategies. [Part of the solution to the Chinese problem is that Chinese owned Volvo cars can export Chinese EVs to global markets, which it is increasingly doing – AutoCrat.]

“Overall market conditions remain challenging, specifically in China, but we are encouraged by the momentum for the fully electric cars in our largest market Europe,” said Erik Severinson, Chief Commercial Officer at Volvo Cars. “We see increased deliveries and order intake for our EX30, even in less electrified South European markets. This is reflected in our higher market share in the growing electric car segments compared to traditional petrol and diesel cars.” Continue reading

Posted in auto news, economy, electric vehicles, global warming, marketing, news analysis, opinions, results, sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stellantis Pro One to Unveil an Autonomous Commercial Van

Stellantis (NYSE: STLA. STLAM.MI)* said today it will unveil a so-called “Box-on-Wheels,” a new autonomous concept that is part of its recovery plan* to becoming a provider of integrated logistics solutions. Stellantis Pro One debuts at IAA Hannover in September … Continue reading

Posted in auto news, autonomous vehicles, concept, connected vehicles, electric vehicles, milestones, mobility company, news analysis, shows and events, vehicle personalization | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League to Run at Imola!

“A2RL began in Abu Dhabi with a clear conviction: the future of mobility must be tested openly, rigorously and at the limits of performance. Its international debut at Imola demonstrates how the UAE is translating bold R&D ambition into globally relevant technology platforms that can accelerate progress in autonomous mobility,” said H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, electric vehicles, electronics, engineering, marketing, milestones, racing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

More Ford Motor Recalls for Rollaways ~740,000 Affected

Vehicle rollaways continue to plague Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) vehicles according to the latest safety defect recall filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 740,00 vehicles have a software problem whereby the transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, severely damaging the park system. Affected vehicles were built from 8 January 2020, to 8 October 2021. All are equipped with the so-called with park-by-wire system and 10R80 automatic transmissions.

“In the event of transmission park system damage, the ability of the transmission park feature to hold the vehicle if the parking brake is not applied may be affected. Unintended movement in Park increases the risk of a crash or injury,” Ford said in the mandatory safety defect recall filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading

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

IMSA Watkins Glen: Cadillac, Corvette, Porsche Run Solid

The four IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes ran at Watkins Glen International for the third IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup race of the season last weekend.* The 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course was used for IMSA and the Sahlen Six Hours of The Glen. Cadillac Racing dominated at Watkins Glen International with Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti winning from the pole in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. Bamber, Aitken and Vesti led 143 of 182 laps to score their second season victory and their record-extending eighth podium finish. The streak is the longest in IMSA GTP history since 2023. They also won last month in Detroit. Continue reading

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

Sudden EV Power Loss – Toyota BZ, Lexus RZ, Subaru Solterra Recalled

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (NYSE: TM, 7203T) is recalling ~21,000 model-year 2026 Toyota BZ, Lexus RZ, and Subaru Solterra battery electric vehicles. The Denso-supplied electronic control unit (Battery ECU) that controls the high-voltage battery may experience a fault, resulting in a sudden loss of drive power.

 “Toyota observed certain diagnostic data during development testing of a new Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) model. After investigation, Toyota found that the memory in the battery ECU can fail an operation check because a part of the memory address location utilized by the battery control IC overlaps with a part utilized by the monitoring IC. The monitoring IC could repeatedly overwrite data at the same memory address used by the battery control IC when the memory operational check cycle matches the monitoring IC’s write operation cycle,” Toyota said in the mandatory  safety defect recall filling made published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this morning. Continue reading

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

Milestones – 15 Million Honda Accords Sold in U.S.

The 15 millionth Accord, a 2026 Accord Sport-L Hybrid, was purchased from Norm Reeves Honda in Cerritos, Calif. by Andrea, a 26-year-old insurance agent from Southern California. Her new Accord replaces a 2017 Accord Sport that was passed down by her father, whose first vehicle purchase in 1997 was also a Honda Accord. Andrea’s younger sister, Alondra, also purchased a new Honda Accord from the same dealership that day. The 24-year-old chose a 2026 Accord Sport-L Hybrid and is now the owner of the 15,000,001st Honda Accord sold in America. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, manufacturing, marketing, milestones, mobility company, opinions, people, shows and events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

June 2026 U.S. Auto Sales Forecast Up 3.6%

“The average interest rate on new-vehicle loans is expected to fall 0.35 percentage points to 6.66%, the lowest June reading since 2022. However, the average transaction price of a new vehicle has increased to $46,387, an increase of 0.8% from a year ago, while average monthly finance payments have climbed 3.4% to $813, the highest ever for the month of June. A key driver of the higher monthly payment, despite longer loan terms, is lower trade-in equity. Many of the buyers returning to showrooms today purchased when prices were at their peak several years ago when inventory was scarce. This is manifesting itself as more buyers carrying negative equity on their trade-in. A total of 29.5% of trade-ins had negative equity in June, up 1.4 percentage points from a year ago.

“Manufacturers are leaning harder on discounts to keep buyers in the market. Average incentive spending per vehicle is trending towards $3,217, a 12.7% increase from a year ago. Part of that jump reflects tariff dynamics last year, since several OEMs made nonseasonal pullbacks in incentive spending last June as they cut discounts precautionary to offset tariff costs,” said King. Continue reading

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

BMW Expands Factory Use of Humanoid Robots

“Plant Spartanburg is the birthplace of humanoid robotics in BMW Manufacturing’s operational day-to-day activities,” said Ulrich Wieland, Vice President of Production Control and Logistics, BMW Manufacturing. “Having already successfully completed a pilot with Figure 02 in our body shop, we are now looking forward to deploying Figure 03 for a sequencing use case in logistics.” Continue reading

Posted in auto news, labor issues, manufacturing, milestones, news analysis, opinions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment