Stellantis Autonomy Disability Program for People with Motor Disabilities Now Expanding to all European Brands

Posted on 3 December 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Stellantis Autonomy Disability Program for People with Motor Disabilities Now Expanding to all European Brands

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On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Stellantis (NYSE: MTA / Euronext Paris: STLA) said it is expanding in European its Autonomy program to provide modified cars with driving and transportation tools for wheelchair users, suitable for various motor disabilities. The program also provides experienced assistance services and special offers to purchase a new car.

Created in Italy by the Fiat brand, the Autonomy program will be extended to all brands in the European markets where the Group maintains a presence. Autonomy has been active in Italy since 1995, with 15 Mobility Centers – specialist facilities where people with disabilities can find the medical and technical advice they need to apply for a special driving license. Partnerships with the main converters in the industry are key to the program. Continue reading →

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November US Light Vehicle Sales Up. Uncertainty Remains

Posted on 2 December 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on November US Light Vehicle Sales Up. Uncertainty Remains

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US Light Vehicle sales totaled 1.11 million units in November,  according to data and analysis just released by LMC Automotive*, a year-over-year gain of 10.5%, not adjusting for the number of selling days.

General Motors led the market, with a 17.6% share, 2.4 pp ahead of Toyota Group. Stellantis saw the largest YoY decline of the major automakers, down by 13.2% YoY. Honda Group continued to struggle with a -6.1% YoY drop.

The YoY comparison needs nuanced interpretation because it was boosted by the fact that sales were extremely weak a year earlier in the midst of the chip shortage. In addition, November 2022 had one extra selling day compared to November 2021. Volumes were down by 6.9% when compared with November 2020. Continue reading →

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Biden Administration Prevents Nationwide Rail Shutdown

Posted on 2 December 2022 by Ken Zino

“The bill I’m about to sign ends a difficult rail dispute and helps our nation avoid what, without a doubt, would have been an economic catastrophe at a very bad time in the calendar,” President Biden said this morning during a signing ceremony of H.J.Res.100, which averts a nationwide railroad strike. “We ensured workers are going to get a historic 24% wage increase over the next five years, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their healthcare,” Biden said.

“Let me begin by thanking my team here. They did one heck of a job in averting what could have been a real disaster and – and ended up with a good product. But we still have more work to do, in my view, in terms of ultimately getting paid sick leave not just for rail workers but for every worker in America. That is a goal I had in the beginning, and I’m coming back at it,” Biden said. Continue reading →

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Honda Motor Reveals Next Gen Automated Driving Technology

Posted on 1 December 2022 by Ken Zino

Honda Motor Co. today in Tokyo unveiled the next-generation Autonomous Driving technologies of its so-called SENSING 360 and SENSING Elite, the most ambitious version of its safety and driver-assistive software and hardware.

Honda said it is working on a collision-free society for everyone sharing the road by pursuing the research and development of safety technologies. The  SENSING safety and driver-assistive system Honda currently applies to its mass-production models is installed to 99% of Honda’s new automobile models sold in Japan and the US,  and 86% globally. Cumulative sales of vehicles equipped with Honda SENSING now tops 14 million units*1. Continue reading →

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RAM Pickup EV to be Shown. Peugeot Returning to US?

Posted on 1 December 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on RAM EV to be Shown. Peugeot Returning to US?

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Stellantis (NYSE / MTA / Euronext Paris: STLA) said today that CEO Carlos Tavares will deliver a keynote address on Thursday, 5 January 5 2023 in the Venetian Palazzo Ballroom in Las Vegas during the Consumer Electronics Show.

The presentation will likely be notable because it includes the global reveals of the Ram 1500 Revolution Battery Electric Vehicle Concept and the Peugeot Inception Concept. RAM of course is badly behind Chevrolet and GMC, Hummer and Ford in electrification of trucks.  The RAM 1500 RBEV based on STLA Frame, the BEV-by-design body-on-frame architecture.(AutoInformed.com on: Stellantis Overhauling European Dealer Network in 2023)

More interesting is Peugeot. The brand has not said it is returning to the US market, so why is the reveal here? “The Peugeot Inception Concept will showcase how the brand takes advantage of the next generation of cockpit platforms to re-invent the whole automobile experience, redesigning the interior space and reshaping driving gestures around the next generation of the Peugeot i-Cockpit,” the release said. Continue reading →

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Auto, Other Industries Pushing for Rail Strike Intervention. Biden Asking for Action from Do Nothing Senate Republicans

Posted on 1 December 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Auto and Other Industries Pushing for Rail Strike Intervention

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More than 400 industry trade groups have called on Congress to intervene in an ongoing labor dispute that threatens to shut down rail shipments by next Monday.

“This overwhelming bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives makes clear that Democrats and Republicans agree that a rail shutdown would be devastating to our economy and families across the country. The Senate must now act urgently. Without the certainty of a final vote to avoid a shutdown this week, railroads will begin to halt the movement of critical materials like chemicals to clean our drinking water as soon as this weekend. Let me say that again: without action this week, disruptions to our auto supply chains, our ability to move food to tables, and our ability to remove hazardous waste from gasoline refineries will begin. The Senate must move quickly and send a bill to my desk for my signature immediately,” said President Biden in a statement on Wednesday. Continue reading →

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Federal Reserve Chair Powell Says Inflation Remains Too High

Posted on 30 November 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Federal Reserve Chair Powell Says Inflation Remains Too High

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The Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) efforts to restore price stability to the US was under discussion today at the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy.

“The report must begin by acknowledging the reality that inflation remains far too high,” said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. “My colleagues and I are acutely aware that high inflation is imposing significant hardship, straining budgets and shrinking what paychecks will buy. This is especially painful for those least able to meet the higher costs of essentials like food, housing, and transportation.”

The remarks today are important to the US auto industry since it is responsible for a total of 10.3 million American jobs, or about 8% of private-sector employment as well as $650 billion in direct, indirect, and induced paychecks, according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation*. More than $272 billion annually is contributed in the form of federal, state, and local tax revenues. This includes more than $70 billion in income taxes and $10 billion in corporate profit taxes. (AutoInformed’s Conclusion is Below+)
 Continue reading →

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Honda to Build CR-V Fuel-Cell in US

Posted on 30 November 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Honda to Build CR-V Fuel-Cell in US

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Honda said today in Japan that it will assemble an all-new hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) based on the recently launched CR-V compact SUV starting in 2024 at its Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC)* in Marysville, Ohio.

The new CR-V-based FCEV might become North America’s first production vehicle to combine a plug-in feature with FCEV technology in one model, which enables the driver to charge the onboard battery to deliver EV driving around town with the option of hydrogen refueling for longer trips. Continue reading →

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Recycling – Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo at 2022 Automobility LA

Posted on 29 November 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Recycling - Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo at 2022 Automobility LA

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There are prototype concepts and there are phantom or vaporware concepts or an amalgamation of the two. Hyundai’s hydrogen fuel-cell hybrid concept made its US debut at Automobility LA, which closes this Sunday. The recycling of a recycled concept is pertinent in an age where sustainability is necessary for ecological survival. Consider the N vision 2025 that first appeared in an earlier life as we recall at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. Then it was a prototype-build as the Vision Gran Turismo project to commemorate Hyundai’s 50th anniversary coming in 2017.

This time around the N 2025 Vision concept promotes the Hyundai N sub-brand* electrification business centered on zero-emissions technologies. This one first appeared in 2015. The so-called ‘Rolling Lab,’ like so many others before and to come – is a “testbed of future technologies seeking the highest level of emotional involvement for the driver.” …  “This strategic approach allows the N brand to experiment with the most advanced technologies from both motorsport and production car development,” Hyundai said. Continue reading →

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Ford Expands Escape, Bronco Sport Engine-Fire Recalls

Posted on 28 November 2022 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company is recalling 2020-2023 Escape and 2021-2023 Bronco Sport vehicles equipped with 1.5-liter engines because a fuel injector may crack and leak fuel inside the engine compartment starting a fire. More than 521,000 vehicles are affected.

Ford in the required filing made public today by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the safety defect concerned prior under-hood fire reports from oil separator inspections associated with NHTSA Recall 22V-19. Ford reviewed two under-hood fire reports from a 2022 model-year Escape and 2022 model-year Bronco Sport vehicle with the 1.5-liter ‘Dragon’ engine. Continue reading →

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Porsche Supercup Remains Formula 1® Support Series

Posted on 25 November 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Porsche Supercup Remains Formula 1® Support Series

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During 2023 the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will be part of eight European Formula 1® races, the Stuttgart based maker of SUVs, sedans and sports cars said today. Individual rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup Japan and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia also continue as part of the Formula 1® support program. The series has been on the FIA Formula One World Championship™ calendar for three decades.

Both parties have extended the agreement for eight years until 2030. For the 2023 season, the international one-make cup will use the  375 kW (510 PS or 503 horsepower) Porsche 911. During the eight races of the 2022 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, 28 registered competitors and 25 guest drivers competed.
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Mercedes-Benz First Automaker Issuing Green Panda Bonds

Posted on 25 November 2022 by Ken Zino

Mercedes-Benz International Finance issued in the Chinese Interbank Bond Market its first Green Panda Bond yesterday, 24 November 2022, in the amount of RMB 500 million (~€68 million). The term was two years with an annual coupon rate of 2.9%.

A so-called green bond is a fixed-income financial instrument used to support climate-related or environmental projects. They may or not be tax free. The Green Panda Bond further reflects what Daimler said is the openness and innovation of the Chinese capital market in ESG sectors. Continue reading →

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EU Commercial Vehicle Registrations -8.5% in October

Posted on 24 November 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on EU Commercial Vehicle Registrations -8.5% in October.

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In a demonstration of  the murky answer to the question “is the ongoing European-recession glass half-empty or half-full?”, ACEA* said today that the EU market for new commercial vehicles continued to scuffle, declining for the sixteenth month in a row at -8.5% vehicles.

However, year-to-date registrations of new commercial vehicles across the European Union contracted by 16.8% to 1.3 million units. So things are improving somewhat since the rate of decline is decreasing. Moreover, the truck and bus segments performed better than in October 2021. Continue reading →

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Stellantis Overhauling European Dealer Network in 2023

Posted on 24 November 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Jeep Avenger EV Debuts in Paris

Jeep sales in Europe will be a challenge. Click for more info.

Stellantis (NYSE / MTA / Euronext Paris: STLA) said today in Amsterdam once again that it aspires to be first in customer satisfaction in all markets, products and services.

Environmental and regulatory changes, of course, are now increasingly affecting the auto industry’s long-standing distribution model with the inevitable electrification of product lines the prime mover in the need to maintain customers and their satisfaction – while complying with evolving law and shareholder expectations. Continue reading →

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November US New Vehicle Sales Forecast Record Consumer Spending of $42.8B. Global Sales Good, but Fluid

Posted on 23 November 2022 by Ken Zino

Retail sales of new vehicles this month are expected to reach 933,400, a 0.3% decrease from November 2021, according to a joint forecast from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive just released. November 2022 has one additional selling day than November 2021. Comparing the same sales volume without adjusting for the number of selling days translates to an increase of 3.8% from 2021.

New-vehicle transaction prices continue to rise, but slower than earlier this year. The average price in November will set a record for the month of $45,872, an increase of 3.1% from a year ago. The record transaction prices mean that buyers are predicted to spend nearly $42.8 billion on new vehicles this month, the highest level ever for the month of November and a 7.0% increase from November 2021 as the Biden Administration recovery continues. Continue reading →

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