Stellantis, Toyota Expand with New Large Commercial Van

Posted on 31 May 2022 by Ken Zino

Stellantis N.V. and Toyota Motor Europe N.V. (TME) yesterday  announced the expansion of their existing partnership with an agreement for a new large-size commercial van, including a battery electric version. The new vehicle marks the third body type under the agreement, completing a full LCV line-up, with compact-, mid- and now a large-size LCV. (AutoInformed>Stellantis and Samsung SDI JV to Build EV Batteries in Kokomo; Stellantis to Repay Early €6.3B Fiat Credit Facility)

Stellantis and TME’s collaboration started in 2012 with the Toyota’s mid-size LCV produced at Stellantis’ Hordain plant in France, followed in 2019 by a compact-size LCV segment, produced at Stellantis’ plant in Vigo, Spain. The large-size LCV announcement allows Toyota to complete a full LCV line-up in Europe. It also – as many such emerging agreements do – offsets the ruinous development and production costs of the ongoing electrification of offerings demanded by governments and customers. Continue reading →

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The Brickyard – Honda vs Chevy at Indy 500 Sunday

Posted on 27 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino AUtoInformed.com on The Brickyard - Honda vs Chevy at Indy 500 Sunday

The 2013 500 winner Kanaan’s top lap today was 227.114 mph in the No. 1 The American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Teammate Marcus Ericsson was second at 227.004 in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

When the green flag drops the speculation stops this Memorial weekend at the 106th running of Indianapolis 500 starting at 11am Eastern Sunday on NBC.

The race will determine how well  the teams reacted after a new qualifying regime last Sunday that saw NTT P1 Award winner Scott Dixon set the fastest pole speed in 500 history – 234.046 mph. Overall, Honda powered-cars dominated last Sunday. The three cars starting in the front row also set a record at an average of 233.643 mph: Dixon – Honda, Palou – Honda, Veekay – Chevy. Continue reading →

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Supply Chain Disruptions – Government Solutions Working?

Posted on 27 May 2022 by Ken Zino

The White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that Retired General Stephen R. Lyons, former Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command, will be the new Port and Supply Chain Envoy to the Biden-Harris Administration Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force.

Retired General Lyons will take over the role from John D. Porcari. General Lyons will work with the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), the White House National Economic Council (NEC), ports, rail, trucking and other private companies across our US supply chains to continue to address bottlenecks, speed up the movement of goods, and help lower costs for people. Continue reading →

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Adopt a Charger, Rivian Installing EV Chargers in MI Parks

Posted on 26 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Adopt a Charger, Rivian to Install EV Chargers in Michigan Parks

Republicans continue to oppose and block the badly needed Build Back Better legislation. Many governors are embracing the future in ways they can to promote clean energy.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan today joined state and local officials and representatives from Adopt a Charger and startup electric vehicle wanna-be Rivian* at the first of ~15 EV charging sites to be installed at state parks and a fish hatchery in Michigan during the next few years. Two Rivian Waypoints (sic) chargers were unveiled at the 142-acre state park in Ottawa County.

The state park charger installations deliver on Gov. Whitmer’s announcement in 2021 of a Lake Michigan EV circuit, an electric vehicle route with reliable charging options along Lake Michigan and key tourism clusters, creating “the best new road-trip for EV owners in America.” The Lake Michigan EV Circuit is part of ongoing efforts, such as the Charge Up Michigan program, to employ green technologies throughout the state, including solar-powered amenities, carbon sequestration and numerous efficiencies.  Continue reading →

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BREXIT Curse – UK Car Production Falls -11.3% in April

Posted on 26 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on BREXIT Curse - UK Car Production Falls -11.3% in April

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UK car production fell -11.3% in April year-on-year with 60,554 units rolling off factory lines, according to the latest figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The ongoing global shortage of semi-conductors, the impact of the war in Ukraine on supply chains, model changes and broader industry structural changes all contributed to a volatile month’s output.

The same applied to year-on-year export comparisons, with the closure of a major UK car plant in 2021 continuing to impact export figures, particularly to the US. 7,752 fewer cars were made in the month than a year before and the total was -14.7% below the April 2019 pre-pandemic level.

Overall car output itself down -44.5% compared to April 2018, due to shutdowns rescheduled to mitigate against the possibility of a no-deal Brexit1 as that folly continues to haunt the industry and the government with strong independence movements growing in Ireland and Scotland.2 Continue reading →

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Pure EV Sales at All-Time Record in US

Posted on 26 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Pure EV Sales at All-Time Record in US

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Sales of zero emission vehicles (BEV, PHEV, & Fuel Cell) accounted for 5.8% of total vehicle sales in April 2022 (71,714 units), up 2.8 pp from a year ago and down 0.1 pp from March 2022. Sales of battery electric vehicles led the way for ZEVs, accounting for 4.52% of total sales, up 2.4 pp from March 2021.*

Pure EV Sales at All-Time Record in US, whose transaction prices are close to a $70,000 making them a new category – Luxury Clean – in AutoInformed’s view. Republicans, with a long history of backing from Big Oil, continue to block the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better plan that addresses drastic climate change and prepares the way for a cleaner future.
Continue reading →

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Ford Joins 50 First Mover Coalition Companies

Posted on 25 May 2022 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor said today that it will put its purchasing power behind emerging clean technologies as part of the First Movers Coalition’s new aluminum sector. Ford is committing that at least 10% of its primary aluminum* purchases will have near-zero carbon emissions by 2030, a small step in the right direction of addressing planet-killing and people-killing global warming.

Led by the World Economic Forum and the US Government, the First Movers Coalition targets sectors including aluminum, aviation, chemicals, concrete, shipping, steel, and trucking, which are responsible for 30% of global emissions – a proportion expected to rise to over 50% by mid-century without urgent progress on clean technology innovation. According to the World Economic Forum, aluminum represents 2% of global emissions. Continue reading →

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Semiconductor Crisis – Toyota Again Suspending Production

Posted on 24 May 2022 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor Corporation said today that it is suspending production for the balance of  May and in June  at 16 lines in 10 plants – out of 28 lines in 14 plants – in Japan.

“We at Toyota would like to again apologize for the repeated adjustments to our production plans due to the parts shortage resulting from the spread of COVID-19, and for causing considerable inconvenience to our customers, suppliers, and other parties concerned,” Toyota said. Continue reading →

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Stellantis and Samsung SDI JV to Build EV Batteries in Kokomo

Posted on 24 May 2022 by Ken Zino

Stellantis N.V. and Samsung SDI today said that they have executed binding, definitive agreements to establish an electric-vehicle battery manufacturing facility in Kokomo, Indiana, US*.

Scheduled to start in 2025, the plant aims to have an initial annual production capacity of 23 gigawatt hours (GWh), with an aim to increase to 33 GWh in the next few years. The total capacity would increase further as demand for Stellantis electric vehicles is expected to rise. Continue reading →

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Toyota 4Runner 40th Anniversary Special Edition Debuts

Posted on 24 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Toyota 4Runner 40th Anniversary Special Edition Debuts

It won’t be this clean on pavement or dirt. Click to Enlarge

The Toyota 4Runner will reach the 40-year mark with the 2023 model year. To cash in, Toyota is offering a 4WD-only 2023 4Runner 40th Anniversary Special Edition.

Toyota will make 4,040 of these special editions available for the US market. Over the past four decades, 4Runner has tallied more than 4 million cumulative sales, so the latest marketing push is only incremental revenue.
 Continue reading →

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BMW Group to Open Cell Manufacturing Center this Fall

Posted on 23 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on BMW Group to Open Cell Manufacturing Center this Fall

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The BMW Group said today it will open its so-called Cell Manufacturing Competence Center (CCMC) in the fall. With the emission control approval procedure now completed, the necessary conditions are in place for commissioning of “near-standard production” of lithium-ion battery cells at Parsdorf, outside of Munich.

In an area of ~15,000 square-meters, the BMW Group claims it will demonstrate industrial feasibility of future generations of high-performance battery cells. The pilot line will make it possible to analyze and fully understand cell value creation processes. “This will enable future suppliers to produce cells to the BMW Group’s own specifications and thereby further optimize battery cell production with regard to quality, output and costs. The company is currently ruling out the option of establishing its own large-scale battery cell production,” BMW said. Continue reading →

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NHTSA – Hyundai and Kia Recalls for Rollaways

Posted on 23 May 2022 by Ken Zino

Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motor America are recalling 2022 Ioniq 5 vehicles and EV6s, respectively. A software error in the Shifter Control Unit (SCU) may disengage the parking mechanism, which can allow the vehicle to rollaway. NHTSA recalls: Hyundai 22V-324 and Kia 22V-322.

The potentially unsafe vehicles are equipped with a shift-by-wire system that contains a Shifter Control Unit (SCU) and a parking pawl actuator motor. If a voltage fluctuation occurs when the vehicle is off and in the parked position, the command signal from the SCU to the parking pawl actuator may be affected, resulting in the temporary disengagement of the parking mechanism and potential vehicle roll-away. An SCU software update prevents the SCU from allowing the parking pawl to be moved out of the park (P) position.

Continue reading →

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SVRA to Sanction Chattanooga Motorcar Festival Pace GP

Posted on 20 May 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on SVRA to Sanction Chattanooga Motorcar Festival Pace Grand Prix

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The Chattanooga Motorcar Festival has announced that the Pace Grand Prix at the Bend this year will be sanctioned by Sportscar Vintage Racing Association. This will be its third annual event on 14-16 October 2022. The course, along the banks of the Tennessee River, will now include an infield loop and other track improvements. Practice laps begin on Thursday. Racing will take place on Friday and Saturday of the Festival. Continue reading →

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Hyundai Motor Group to Build EV and Battery Plant in Georgia

Posted on 20 May 2022 by Ken Zino

Hyundai Motor Group today said it has entered into an agreement with the State of Georgia to build its first dedicated full electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facilities in the US.

The new plant represents an investment of ~$5.54 billion. Commercial production to begin during the first half of  2025 with annual capacity of 300,000 units. With the additional EV and battery production capabilities, the Group aims to become one of the top three EV providers in the US by 2026. Continue reading →

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CARB Presents Six 2020-2021 Haagen-Smit Awards

Posted on 20 May 2022 by Ken Zino

The California Air Resources Board today honored recipients of the 2020-2021 Haagen-Smit Clean Air Awards, widely recognized as California’s premier award recognizing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to improving air quality. The contributions of this year’s award winners will have lasting impacts for air quality and climate goals not only in California, but throughout the world, CARB said.

“The Haagen-Smit Award is our way of honoring individuals who have championed public health with innovative and far-reaching contributions to air pollution research, science, clean air technology and advocacy, policy and leadership,” CARB Chair Liane Randolph said. “From shaping our understanding of the human health impacts of toxic diesel pollution to groundbreaking work in atmospheric chemistry research, the long and distinguished careers of these six extraordinary people have changed how we address climate change and fight air pollution around the world.” Continue reading →

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