Ford Changes Supply Chain and Product Development Execs

Posted on 22 September 2022 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) today said it is making leadership changes to support the development of electric vehicles, strengthen its internal combustion product line, and alter the company’s global supply chain management.* The announcement comes after Ford warned the capital markets earlier this week that because of parts shortages, as well as higher payments made to suppliers to account for the effects of inflation that Q3 supply costs will be ~$1.0 billion above plan. Ford predicts a Q3 adjusted EBIT of between $1.4 billion and $1.7 billion. (AutoInformed: Ford Motor Q3 Earnings to Take $1B Cost Hit)

It’s the latest example of the intricate routes automakers are negotiating in the transition to electric vehicles that is accelerating in the face of the dire effects of global warming, some of it caused by the transportation industries’ ongoing use of fossil fuels and what was in effect denial of the negative consequences of the exclusive use of fossil fuels. Ford’s challenge is to profitably maintain a line of both EVs from Ford Model e and so-called Ford Blue internal combustion vehicles that at some point – perhaps near at hand – are doomed. ** Continue reading →

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Dealers Think Online Sales to Expand Markedly by 2030

Posted on 22 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Dealers Think Online Sales to Expand Markedly by 2030

GM’s Saturn Brand went down this road years ago, until other GM brand dealers started squawking.

Data from PwC’s 2022 Car Consumer and Dealer Survey just published indicate that shifting customer behaviors show more than half would consider purchasing an EV. Moreover, auto dealers say that online sales are growing markedly. A majority of car dealers expect at least two-thirds of all vehicle purchases will be done online by 2030. Mainstream adoption of complete online vehicle purchasing is approaching a tipping point, according to PwC. With 49% of car dealers surveyed* reporting that at least 9% of recent vehicle sales took place entirely over the internet.

Now wonder then that Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, has been telling dealers they need to trim $2000 from their cost of selling a vehicle to remain competitive in the marketplace. This of course apples to Ford Motor Company as well. Ford is working on an e-commerce program for purchasing EVs at non-negotiable prices. Continue reading →

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Toyota Sequoia and Tundra Now Texans

Posted on 21 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Toyota Sequoia and Tundra Now Texans

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Toyota (NYSE:TM) started of production for the all-new, all-hybrid Toyota Sequoia SUV today at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas. Gen 3 of the full-size Tundra-pickup-based Sequoia abandons the Princeton, Indiana plant, aka TMMI, where the body-on frame Tundra was also built from November 2007 until January 2022. (AutoInformed on: First 2022 Toyota Tundra Built in Texas)*

Sequoia SUV is all-hybrid with a twin-turbo V6 hybrid i-FORCE Max powertrain rated at 437 horsepower, 583 lb.-ft. of torque. It was first used on Tundra. The i-FM has a motor generator within the bell housing between the twin-turbo engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission. Sequoia’s fuel economy ratings are a ~7-8 mpg improvement compared to the old V8 engine: Two-wheel-drive Sequoia – 21 miles per gallon in the city, 24 on the highway and 22 combined. Four-wheel-drive are rated or predicted at 19 mpg city, 22 highway, 20 combined. Those numbers are the same regardless of trim. Continue reading →

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Nissan Develops Breakthrough Technology to Disarm Viruses

Posted on 21 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Nissan Develops Breakthrough Technology to Disarm Viruses

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Nissan Motor Company in Japan today announced it has jointly developed a technology with Tohoku University’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences that inactivates viruses using catalyst active species for aerobic oxidation.

This appears to be a medical science breakthrough since the technology has potential applications for inactivating viruses by oxidizing, denaturing and degrading proteins and other substances on the virus surface. With oxygen in the air acting as an oxidant, the catalyst species produces this effect even under dark conditions at room temperature without requiring light irradiation, as is usually the case with oxidation. Continue reading →

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Hertz and GM Plot Major EV Rental Expansion

Posted on 20 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Hertz and GM Plot Major EV Rental Expansion

Hertz’s current goal is for one-quarter of its fleet to be electric by the end of 2024.

Hertz (NASDAQ: HTZ) and General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today announced an agreement whereby Hertz plans to order as many as 175,000 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and BrightDrop EVs during the next five years.

The agreement covers electric vehicle deliveries through 2027 as Hertz increases EVs in its fleet as GM accelerates production of EVs broadly. Hertz estimates that its customers could travel more than 8 billion miles in these EVs, saving approximately 3.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions compared to similar gasoline-powered vehicles traveling such a distance. Continue reading →

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Deadly Cocktail – Marijuana and Alcohol

Posted on 20 September 2022 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Deadly Cocktail - Marijuana and AlcoholOne-third of drivers who drink alcohol and use marijuana simultaneously report getting behind the wheel within two hours of consumption, a new study released today from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows.* There’s some evidence that the combination of alcohol and marijuana worsens driving performance more than either substance by itself.**

“Alcohol impairment is associated with almost 30% of the fatalities on our roadways, and we have made very little progress to reduce this toll over the past three decades. Now we are adding another impairing substance to the mix,” IIHS President David Harkey said ahead of his presentation at the annual meeting of the Governors’ Highway Safety Association in Louisville, Kentucky.  Continue reading →

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Ford Motor Q3 Earnings to Take $1B Cost Hit

Posted on 19 September 2022 by Ken Zino

In an attempt to shape expectations, Ford Motor late today again affirmed its expectation for full-year 2022 adjusted earnings before interest and taxes of between $11.5 billion to $12.5 billion. This is in the face of parts shortages, as well as higher payments made to suppliers to account for the effects of inflation.

However, the short term is grimmer. Based on recent negotiations, inflation-related Q3 supply costs will be ~$1.0 billion above plan. Ford predicts a Q3 adjusted EBIT of between $1.4 billion and $1.7 billion. In the slight of hand of automaker accounting practices, revenue is booked when a vehicle is shipped to a dealer, not sold to the end user. Continue reading →

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An Idea Whose Time has Come – Smart Infrastructure

Posted on 19 September 2022 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Department of Transportation just announced this afternoon that it is accepting applications for two programs that will make ~$160 million available annually for the next five years for projects that use technology to improve our transportation infrastructure and make communities safer.

Instead of tax-cuts for the super-rich, here comes the new Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program. It’s an idea whose time has come again  – going back to canal building, railroads, land-grant colleges and the interstate highway system, among other effective examples.
Continue reading →

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BrightDrop eCart – GM Suddenly Joins Grocery Industry

Posted on 19 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on BrightDrop eCart - GM Suddenly Joins Grocery Industry

Electrification, autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence are beginning to open up endless opportunities, some of which are still unforeseen.

General Motors (NYSE: GM) said today that BrightDrop* is expanding its business and product portfolio with the launch of a new temperature-controlled eCart that can streamline order fulfillment and pickup for online grocery purchases. Online grocery is an expanding market that’s expected to reach $240 billion by 2025, GM said.

Kroger (NYSE: KR), a large unionized grocery chain, is scheduled to be the first customer to introduce the so-called BrightDrop Trace Grocery into its e-commerce operations beginning this year. Trace Grocery is available to order in limited quantities today, with full availability expected in 2024. BrightDrop and Kroger completed an initial pilot program in Lexington and Versailles, Kentucky. During this pilot, it’s claimed “Kroger experienced a noticeable improvement in the customer and associate experience.” Continue reading →

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Mercedes-Benz to Build Wind Farm at Papenburg Test Track

Posted on 19 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Mercedes-Benz to Build Wind Farm at Papenburg Test Track - Courtesy of and Copyright M-B

Another advancement – not pr puff – against global warming.

Mercedes-Benz  said today that it plans to build a wind farm at its test track in Papenburg in northern Germany with an output of more than 100 MW to cover ~15% of the annual electricity demand of Mercedes-Benz Group* AG in Germany.

The wind will keep blowing as M-B with a partner plans to build a “double-digit number of wind turbines by the middle of the decade. Mercedes-Benz is also planning a long-term power purchase agreement with a partner, equivalent to a “triple-digit million euros amount.” 
Continue reading →

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August EU Car Sales Increased after 13 Months of Decline

Posted on 16 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on August European Car Sales Increased after 13 Months of Decline

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During July 2022, new car registrations in the European Union decreased again (-10.4%), even with low base of comparison caused by the ongoing semiconductor shortage according to ACEA* today. All the four major EU markets performed worse than one year ago, with Germany (-12.9%) and Spain (-12.5%) posting the strongest declines.

However, during August, the European new car market returned to growth (+4.4%), bringing an end to thirteen months of consecutive decline. Continue reading →

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EPA Releases Final Smog Air Quality Standards. More Inspection Programs and Reformulated Fuel Areas Coming?

Posted on 16 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on EPA Releases Final Smog Air Quality Standards. More Inspection Programs and Reformulated Fuel Areas Coming?EPA Releases Final Smog Air Quality Standards. More Inspection and Maintenance Programs and Reformulated Fuel Areas Coming?AutoInformed.com

More than 90 million live in areas that don’t meet air quality health standards for ground-level ozone or smog.

EPA today announced the final determinations for whether certain areas have met the 2008 or 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, as required by the Clean Air Act. EPA is finalizing determinations regarding the air quality progress of six non-attainment areas classified as “Serious” for the 2008 ozone NAAQS, and for 28 non-attainment areas classified as “Marginal” for the 2015 ozone NAAQS.

These final rules establish new time periods and next steps states must take to improve ozone air quality in remaining non-attainment areas. EPA said its final decisions are based on a scientific evaluation of certified, publicly-available air quality monitoring data for the years 2018-2020. From a vehicle owner’s viewpoint of his means certain areas will have to implement inspection and maintenance programs and/or use reformulated fuels.* Continue reading →

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GM – $491M Goes to Indiana For EV Parts Making

Posted on 16 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM - $491M Goes to Indiana For EV Parts Making

Making the middle class great again….

General Motors (NYSE:GM) will spend $491 million at its Marion, Indiana metal stamping operations to prepare for making steel and aluminum parts for future products, including electric vehicles, built at multiple GM assembly plants. 

The announcement was made yesterday as President Biden was in Detroit saying: “American manufacturing is back. Detroit is back. America is back. And, folks, we’re proving it’s never, ever, ever a good bet to bet against the American people. Never, never, never.” …  “And, by the way, American manufacturing is roaring back. Just since I’ve been in office, we’ve already created 10 million new jobs – more jobs in that time period than any time in American history. (Applause.) The unemployment rate is 3.7%, near a 50-year low… Guess what? First year in office, we reduced the deficit by $350 billion. (Applause.)  And guess what? This year – this year, we’re on track, at the end of the fiscal year, to reduce the deficit by over $1 trillion.” Biden certainly had valid points. Continue reading →

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Detroit Auto Show on the Path of Dinosaurs?

Posted on 15 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Detroit Auto Show on the Path of Dinosaurs?

A bleak picture. We’ll see what happens to the show.

President Joe Biden’s visit  to the Detroit Auto Show – aka NAIAS – closed the show floor for hour upon hours during what traditionally was an exciting and new-product dense press preview day.* Well, that was once upon a time. This for decades used to start the lead up to the paid-attendance public days in an attempt to spur buying interest during the dark days of winter.

Instead, this year as the show moved to warmer times there was a pervading atmosphere of what could be the demise of the show at Cobo Hall – now Huntington Place, which was refurbished at great taxpayer expense to ensure the future of the show. Continue reading →

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New Mustang Debuts After Media Day at NAIAS

Posted on 15 September 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on New Mustang Debuts After Media Day at NAIAS

Some much for previews at the Detroit Auto Show.

In a surprising example of fair-weather automaker debuts, the movement of the struggling Detroit Auto Show – aka NAIAS – to September of 2022, allowed FMC to skip media day at the Auto Show and debut the new Mustang after press previews ended with the traditional Automotive Press Association welcoming opening night reception.

Mustang was arguably the only product news of substance yesterday. President Joe Biden’s visit, which closed the show floor for hours to the media added to an atmosphere of impending demise of the show at Cobo Hall – now Huntington Place, which was refurbished at great taxpayer expense to ensure the future of the show. The seventh generation of the vehicle that literally coined the name pony car is the true to its heritage with a digital cockpit as well as advanced turbocharged and naturally aspirated engines. Continue reading →

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