Current Flows – J.D. Power Now Tracking EV Parity

Posted on 17 January 2023 by Ken Zino

J.D. Power today announced the introduction of the J.D. Power EV IndexSM, an analytics tool to monitor the growing EV market in the United States.* Each month, the index will arrive at one number (on a 100-point scale) to make it easy to understand the progress of EVs  as they grow closer with traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The sub-category numbers will represent all the roadblocks to parity.

Today, the EV Index score is 47 (based on the most recent available data from November 2022), with some categories improving and others declining during the 12-month pilot period. The EV Index score and accompanying analysis will be available monthly. The index is of use to people who are considering purchasing, one of the reasons AutoInformed uses it. (read autoinformed.com on: Success Threatens EVs as Public Charging Lacks Juice; J.D. Power: Gasoline Powered Vehicle Satisfaction Drops; Automakers Rapidly Increasing EV Prices) Continue reading →

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Electrifying – Fastest Corvette in History is a Hybrid

Posted on 17 January 2023 by Ken Zino
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Chevrolet said today in Oshawa that it will introduce the first-ever Corvette hybrid with all-wheel-drive and a 6.2-liter LT2 Small Block V8 rated at 495 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque sent to the rear axle. The so-called 2024 E-Ray has a front-drive electric motor that adds an additional 160 horsepower and 125 lb. ft. of torque through the front wheels via a tiny 1.9 kWh battery pack located between the seats where there is no longer a stick shift. It is mildly pudgy at a dry 3800-3900 pounds. However, in total E-Ray produces a combined 655 horsepower from both the electric motor and the small block V8.

Not surprisingly, the E-Ray is the quickest production Corvette in history at 2.5-second 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time with a quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds, according to GM. The 2024 Corvette E-Ray goes on sale in late 2023 as a 2024 model, priced ranging from ~$103,000 to  $114,000 or more.* Production will be at GM’s Bowling Green Assembly plant in Kentucky. Continue reading →

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Becoming One of Us – Mercedes-Benz Recruiting Globally

Posted on 16 January 2023 by Ken Zino

Mercedes-Benz said today it is starting a new international campaign to sell itself as an attractive employer. It’s the latest example of shifting employer attitudes in the changing automotive job market as Global Warming, EVs and social attitudes and relations gain prominence. Sweeping changes are needed at moribund automakers and political parties, among other institutions.

Here Mercedes-Benz voices its conviction that the success of the company “depends to a large extent on employees realizing their full potential in their work – with their technical expertise, pioneering spirit and uniqueness.” In short Together for excellence.” (autoinformed.com on: Chief Marketing Officer Suzy Deering Abruptly Flees Ford Blue; Ford Motor Structure Threatens Viability. Vast Reorg Coming; Mercedes-Benz Starting Global E-Learning for Employees; Mercedes-Benz and Unions Agree on EV Production Plans) Continue reading →

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December Global Light Vehicle Sales at 82M Down Again

Posted on 16 January 2023 by Ken Zino

December’s Global Light Vehicle selling rate fell for the fourth consecutive month to 82.7 million units/year, despite flat YoY raw monthly registrations. The total sales figure for 2022, 81 million vehicles, came in slightly below that of 2021 (-0.6%) due to heightened market disruptions, according to the latest data punished by the respected LMC* consultancy.

China’s market was a major culprit with its sluggish end to 2022 . In China December raw sales were down almost 12% year-over-year (YoY), which LMC attributed to increased disruption and uncertainty with the abrupt ending to the zero-Covid policy. North America and Europe showed positive YoY growth for December, although both remained below their 2021 sales, -7% and -11% respectively.
 Continue reading →

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Marketing Annals – Chevy Trax Dream Chaser Contest Opens

Posted on 13 January 2023 by Ken Zino
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Hyping the debut of the 2024 Trax this spring, Chevy is announcing a contest to become a “Lead Dream Chaser.” This is a three-month program that will enable one person to pursue their lifelong dream or passion project. The Lead Dream Chaser will share their journey on social media and in return receive $100,000 and three months with the all-new 2024 Trax1. (read autoinformed.com on General Motors Posts US Sales Leadership for 2022 )

Chevy has hired Everette Taylor, CEO of Kickstarter, to identify the person to serve as Lead Dream Chaser. “The past few years have caused many to consider turning their ideas and ambitions into reality, and I’m excited to help Chevy find a qualified person who will pursue their dream,” said Taylor. Continue reading →

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American Honda Recalls more Talon Off-Highway Vehicles

Posted on 13 January 2023 by Ken Zino
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American Honda is expanding a previous recall of its Talon Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles (ROVs) due to Crash and Injury Hazards that can occur if the Talon’s intake funnel band screw loosens and enters the engine through the intake funnel and cause sudden engine failure. If this occurs, it could result in a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled recreational off-highway vehicles and contact an authorized Honda Powersports dealer to schedule an appointment for a free inspection and repair, which includes proper tightening and thread deformation of the intake funnel screw. American Honda is contacting all known purchasers directly. Honda has received a total of 18 reports of incidents, including one report of a loss of control, resulting in a crash with minor injuries to the occupants. About 34,000 of the recalled Talons were sold. Continue reading →

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Global Warming – GP ICE RACE 2023 Cancelled in Melting Alps

Posted on 12 January 2023 by Ken Zino
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The GP ICE RACE 2023, planned for 27-29 January 2023, is cancelled due to the ongoing melting in the Austrian Alps. The organizers said today that they “reached this conclusion after consultations with partners and sponsors. Tickets already purchased will be fully refunded – there will be no replacement date.” (read autoinformed.com: Fresh Frozen! Comeback of Ice Race in Zell am See)

“The GP ICE RACE is spectacle for everyone. It is therefore with regret, that we have had to cancel this iconic ice racing event. The current warm weather system did not leave us with another option. I want to thank our fans and supporters. These have been some tough weeks, but we will now look forward to a reunion at the Grossglockner,” said Ferdi Porsche, Managing Director of the organizer GP ICE RACE. Continue reading →

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Racing Colors Revealed – Three Cadillac V-LMDh Daytona Cars

Posted on 12 January 2023 by Ken Zino
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Gold is in the eye of the beholder. Click for more information.

Cadillac today revealed the racing colors for the three new electrified V-LMDh race cars that will make their competition debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona this month. The three designs represent the teams running the Cadillacs, each with a different color from the Cadillac V-Series emblem. Cadillac says each car uses one of the “primary colors” of the V-Series logo – No. 01 in gold, No. 2 in blue, red on the No. 31. (pace Newton, we know Gold isn’t a primary color in the classic sense, but with light sent through a marketing prism it is.)

Cadillac Racing will be competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the No. 01 Cadillac Racing and No. 31 Whelen Engineering V-LMDh cars and in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the No. 2 Cadillac Racing V-LMDh. WEC means that Cadillac will return to the 24 Hours of LeMans for the first time in 21 years.  Continue reading →

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Total Sales Flat in 2022 at 1.6M as Audi Delivers 100,000 EVs

Posted on 11 January 2023 by Ken Zino

Audi said today that it sold more than 1.61 million vehicles last year, below the previous year’s level in the face of prolonged supply disruptions and concurrent  challenges in the logistics chain. Audi beat 2021’s results in Europe and Germany, but came up short in China the US and other markets.

“In a challenging and dynamic environment, our global team once again proved its resilience in 2022,” said Hildegard Wortmann, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG. “Thanks to extraordinary team spirit, operational excellence and effective sales control, we were able to close out the business year successfully.”

Audi  – in a classic public relations move – then switched the subject. “Overall, Audi delivered 118,196 electric models to customers last year, which is 44.3% more than in 2021ignoring that such a percentage was possible because of the small base number from which it derived. The business challenge comes from Audi’s previously stated strategy that deems starting in 2026, Audi will only introduce all-electric cars to the global market. Continue reading →

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Automakers Rapidly Increasing EV Prices

Posted on 10 January 2023 by Ken Zino
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During the third quarter of 2022, more than 232,000 electric vehicles were sold in the United States, representing 7.1% of overall light-duty vehicle sales. EVs include battery, plug-in hybrid, and fuel-cell electric vehicles. This is a 2.14 percentage point (pp) increase compared to Q3 of 2021, and a 0.42 pp increase from the Q2 of 2022, according to data released today by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry trade group in Washington, DC.*

The cost of the average EV in the third quarter of 2022 was about $66,100 while the average cost of all new light-duty vehicles in that time period was about $48,000. Year-over-year, EV prices rose more than $12,500 from the Q3 of 2021, while the average cost of all new light vehicles rose just over $3,700.

AutoInformed thinks two factors are in play here: First demand for EVs is strong, particularly among affluent buyers. Second, EVs are more costly to develop, batteries are still expensive and the covid pandemic supply chain interruptions are making them scarce. One click bait headline had it that “EVs are Bringing Out the Worst in Us” because, among other things, a Hummer EV battery pack weighs as much as a Honda Civic. It consumes minerals that could otherwise be used to build several electric-sedan batteries or hundreds upon hundreds of e-bike batteries. Continue reading →

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Bugged – BMW EV Software Recall on 14,000 Vehicles

Posted on 10 January 2023 by Ken Zino

BMW of North America recalling 2022-2023 iX xDrive40, iX xDrive50, iX M60, i4 eDrive35, i4 eDrive40, i4 M50, and 2023 i7 xDrive60 vehicles because the high voltage battery electronic control unit (ECU) software may cause an interruption of electrical power. With the bug-affected software, monitoring of the high-voltage battery charging process may be affected.

This could lead to an interruption during high-voltage battery charging, a temporary loss of power while driving, or stalling. In the required NHTSA filing, BMW stated  ~1% of the recalled vehicles are affected. The potential safety problem fist occurred in China last June. Continue reading →

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Virtual Power Plant Partnership – Ford, GM, SunPower, Others

Posted on 10 January 2023 by Ken Zino
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RMI today announced the expansion of the Virtual Power Plant Partnership. This non-profit organization led by the Rocky Mountain Institute is looking to accelerate global energy transformation. A virtual power plant, aka VPP* or the comingVP3** combines and coordinates distributed energy resources “to benefit all those who rely on the electric grid.”

It involves hundreds or thousands of households and businesses that offer the concealed potential of their electric vehicles (EVs), smart thermostats, appliances, batteries, and solar arrays to support the grid. It wants to transform policy to support scaling VPPs in ways that help advance affordable, reliable electric sector decarbonization by overcoming barriers to VPP market growth. Continue reading →

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Infected – November 2022 US Aviation Fuel Consumption Down

Posted on 10 January 2023 by Ken Zino
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The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released US airline November fuel cost and consumption numbers that show US scheduled service airlines used 1.398 billion gallons of fuel, 2.5% less fuel than in October 2022 (1.434 billion gallons) and 3.2% less than in pre-pandemic November 2019.*

The cost per gallon of fuel in November 2022 ($3.32) was down 13 cents (3.8%) from October 2022 ($3.45) and up $1.33 (66.8%) from November 2019. Total November 2022 fuel expenditure ($4.64B) was down 6.2% from October 2022 ($4.95B) and up 61.5% from pre-pandemic November 2019. Costs are in current dollars and are not adjusted for inflation. Continue reading →

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Mercedes-Benz Recalls 324,000 Vehicles for Sudden Stalling

Posted on 9 January 2023 by Ken Zino

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling ~324,000 vehicles* for sudden stalling. “Water might accumulate in the spare tire wheel well and damage the fuel pump control unit, which could cause an engine stall while driving,” Mercedes said in the required filling made public today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Covered are the so-called GLE/ML (166 platform) and GLE Coupe (292 platform) vehicles. “Depending on the amount of water that has entered the spare wheel well, the accumulated water could intermittently contact the fuel pump control unit,” Mercedes said. Continue reading →

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EV Battery Gold Rush Down Under – Stellantis and Element 25

Posted on 9 January 2023 by Ken Zino
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Stellantis N.V.* (NYSE / MTA / Euronext Paris: STLA) and Element 25 Limited (ASX: E25) announced today the signing of an agreement for Element 25 to supply battery grade, high purity manganese sulphate monohydrate to Stellantis for use in electric vehicle (EV) battery packs. The five-year agreement calls for shipments to begin in 2026, a total volume of 45 kilotons, and options to extend the supply term and volumes.

The deal with Element 25 – similar to ongoing EV battery supply chain moves at other automakers –  is key to Stellantis’ stated electrification strategy, which includes securing substantial supplies of raw materials for battery electric vehicle (BEV) production. Manganese is a stabilizing element in the cathode of EV batteries. Continue reading →

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