Category Archives: results

Circus Time – Cruise AV Collision with San Francisco Fire Truck

“First and foremost, our primary concern remains with our passenger and their well-being. We have been in contact to offer support and will remain in touch. In terms of what occurred around the scene of the collision there are many aspects that looked typical from the AV’s perspective and several factors that added complexity to this specific incident,” Greg Dietrerich Cruise General Manager, San Francisco Market said on 18 August. Continue reading

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NHTSA Proposes Rule Expanding Seat Belt Use Warnings

In 2019, NHTSA published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on a variety of issues related to potential rear seat belt warning requirements. The feedback from the 45 comments received years ago was incorporated [Finally? Slowly?] into the development of the newly issued NPRM. Continue reading

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NHTSA Investigating Ford For Mach-E Recall Glitches

According to a story by Reuters published today, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now investigating Ford to see if the recall was mishandled and did not full address the problem because of continuing owner complaints that the vehicles suddenly stopped. Continue reading

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Republicans Increasing Support of IRA Climate Perks?

Surprising then to AutoInformed is the latest research from Data for Progress (DPA) that shows strong IRA support across partisan lines. Maybe the beating the Republicans (aka party of no hope) took in the midterms is beginning to have some corrective affect? Likely not at the upper levels of the party, however their Red Wave is waving bye, bye to them here. The people appear to get it. Maybe they (We The People) should dissolve the Republican leadership and elect a new one? Continue reading

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Public Charging Issues Could Hurt EV Growth

“Though purported to be the wave of the future, satisfaction with DC (direct current) fast chargers has declined even further, dropping 20 points to 654 on a 1000-point scale. More troubling is that satisfaction in both charging station segments has declined in nearly every attribute measured in the study. Since consumer skepticism regarding public charging availability is the primary reason vehicle shoppers reject EVs, this performance could prove to be a further hindrance to EV acceptance,” Power said. Continue reading

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BYD builds its 5 millionth EV in China

BYD in Shenzhen, China has built its 5 millionth new energy vehicle – a DENZA N7 – on 9 August 2023 causing it to become the first automaker in the world to achieve this milestone. BYD* spent 13 years producing … Continue reading

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Honda Q1 FY2024 Profits Double – Stock Split Coming

A 3-for-1 stock split effective September 30th has been approved by management. Calculating on the current number of shares (~165,000,000) , the year-end dividend and the total annual dividend for fiscal 2024 are forecast at ¥75/share and ¥150/share. In current Tokyo trading the stock is up ~6% within ¥30 to its all-time (¥4,723) high posted in 2006. Continue reading

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Vehicle-to-Home Bidirectional Charging Coming on All GM EVs

General Motors (NYSE:GM) said today that it will expand vehicle-to-home (V2H) bidirectional charging technology across its retail portfolio of Ultium-based electric vehicles by model year 2026. The first vehicles to receive the technology include the previously announced 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST, followed by the 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1, 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV, 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, 2024 Cadillac LYRIQ and the upcoming Cadillac ESCALADE IQ.

Information on additional availability of V2H technology and specific timing of V2H rollout to individual vehicle models will be provided in future updates. Just bring money. The question is how much? Continue reading

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Mazda Motor Q1 Sales Surge from Large SUVs

Mazda Motor Corp. (Tokyo 7261) said today that for the first three months of the fiscal year ending 31 March 2024 net sales amounted to ¥1,091.0 billion, an increase of ¥473.8 billion or +76.8% compared to the matching period in the previous fiscal year. Increased sales of the CX-60 and CX-90 in Europe and the US were largely responsible for the Q1 surge. Continue reading

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Hyundai Fire Recalls – Palisade, Tucson, Sonata, Elantra, Kona; Kia Soul, Sportage, Seltos

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling 2023-2024 Palisade, 2023 Tucson, Sonata, Elantra, and Kona vehicles. The recall also includes 2023 Kia Soul, Sportage, and 2023-2024 Seltos vehicles. The electronic controller for the Idle Stop & Go oil pump assembly may contain damaged electrical components that can cause the pump controller to overheat, according to the require recalls documents released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Owners of the ~98,000 defective vehicles are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Continue reading

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Kia Hybrid Fire Recalls on Niro and Niro Plug-ins

Fluid may leak into the printed circuit board inside the hydraulic clutch actuator, which can result in an engine compartment fire. More than ~121,000 Kia hybrids are affected. Illumination of the HEV warning light is an indicator.

Kia will instruct dealers to inspect the HCA and replace, if necessary. Kia will also install a new HCA fuse with one of a higher capacity to mitigate the potential risk of fire caused by an electrical short circuit. Kia will reimburse owners for repair expenses already incurred. Continue reading

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US Sales Lengthen Bidenomics Growth Streak in July

“At the risk of sounding like a broken record, July continued the trends that we have observed for several months now. As vehicle availability has improved, sales have grown, and the economy remains sufficiently strong to support the market’s activity, despite high transaction prices, rising interest rates and fears of a recession later in the year or in 2024,” said David Oakley, Manager, Americas Sales Forecasts, GlobalData. Continue reading

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Parts Maker Sinister Diesel to Pay $1 Million After Guilty Plea

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced in the criminal case by US District Court Judge John A. Mendez for the Eastern District of California on 14 November 2023. Although Sinister Diesel agreed to pay a $500,000 criminal fine under its plea agreement, the company faces – for each count – a maximum fine of $500,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain derived from the offense. Its sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of all applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which consider a number of variables. Continue reading

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Toyota Posts Strong FY 2024 Q1 Results – $9.2 Billion Net

Sales volume increased in all regions due to productivity improvements inside TMC and with its suppliers. Consolidated vehicle sales Q1 was 2,326,000 units, at 115.5% of consolidated vehicle sales for the same period of the previous fiscal year. Toyota and Lexus vehicle sales was at 2,538,000 thousand units, at 108.4% of such sales for the same period of the previous fiscal year. This coincided with the better supply of  semiconductors, which is still delaying delivery, particularly on new models. Notably, electrified vehicles were 34% of total sales. Continue reading

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USDOT Proposes 58 MPG Fuel Economy Standard

The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today issued a proposal to update fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks. The “preferred alternative” among several in NHTSA’s proposal includes a 2% per year improvement in fuel efficiency for passenger cars and a 4% per year improvement for light trucks beginning in model year 2027. This increases through model year 2032, potentially reaching an average fleet fuel economy of 58 miles per gallon by 2032. However, NHTSA notes that real word fuel economy is ~20-30% lower than estimated CAFE fuel economy.* Continue reading

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