Quirky Startups – Everrati, Aria Group Porsche 911 EVs

Posted on 13 April 2022 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Quirky Startups - Everrati, Aria Group Porsche 911 EVsEverrati Automotive Limited* today said it has a new partnership with Aria Group** to make electric Porsche 911 conversions, aka 964 series, for the US market. Aria has manufacturing plant in Irvine, California, with extensive low-volume manufacturing and composites experience. Today’s announcement follows the recent establishment of Everrati North America in Calabasas, CA.

Everrati’s product range is now available in every major market, it claims. “Surging demand for Everrati products globally is being led by sustainability-conscious millennials and Gen-Z buyers who demand an iconic car from decades such as the 80s and 90s, and demand EV power over ICE,” Everrati said. Everrati buyers are also traditional car collectors with “a passion for the latest in automotive technology… there is one common thread, all Everrati customers are car enthusiasts driven by a desire to enjoy beautiful icons sustainably and responsibly.” Continue reading →

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Stellantis to Consolidate Financial Services in China

Posted on 13 April 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Stellantis Buys First Investors Financial Services

Stellantis has costly plans for 75 new EV models.

Stellantis N.V. (NYSE: MTA – Euronext Paris: STLA) said today that intends to consolidate its auto financial services in China into a Stellantis wholly owned Auto Finance Company (AFC). The latest move comes after the restructuring of financial services in Europe and the United States. It is in keeping with its “asset light business model” developed in part given the extremely high cost of converting to electric and autonomous vehicles in what has become a global race for survival. Stellantis has plans for 75 new EV models by 2030. (AutoInformed on: Stellantis Consolidates Financial Services for All Brands, Dare Forward 2030 – Stellantis Survival Plan Unveiled )

Stellantis now says PSA Finance Nederland (PFN), a fully-owned financing subsidiary of BPF (Banque PSA Finance) and DPCA have entered into an equity transfer agreement with Dongfeng Group, whereby their respective shares in the JV Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Auto Finance Company (DPCAFC is the 15-year-old auto finance joint venture between Stellantis, DPCA and Dongfeng Group) will be sold to Dongfeng Group, subject to regulatory approval. Continue reading →

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FIA Formula E – Nissan Takes Over e.dams Race Team

Posted on 12 April 2022 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on FIA Formula E - Nissan Takes Over e.dams Race Team Today Nissan announced the acquisition of the e.dams race team, thereby taking full ownership of its involvement in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The team is currently based in Le Mans, France, and will continue to race as planned in Season 8. The change in ownership and new management structure will take place with immediate effect. Tommaso Volpe, general manager Nissan Formula E, will also become managing director at e.dams.

Nissan entered the series in 2018 in partnership with e.dams, with both companies racing together in the all-electric championship as the Nissan e.dams Formula E team. In March 2021, the Japanese automaker announced its commitment to the Formula E Gen3 era, which will run from Season 9 (2022/23) through to the end of Season 12 (2025/26) of the series. Continue reading →

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EV Batteries – GM and Glencore Deal on Cobalt

Posted on 12 April 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on EV Batteries - GM and Glencore Deal on Cobalt

Click to Enlarge.

Glencore and General Motors Co. announced today a multi-year sourcing agreement whereby Glencore will supply GM with cobalt from its Murrin Murrin (sic) operation in Australia. Cobalt is a vital metal in the production of EV batteries*. Cobalt is a metal that makes up a mere 0.001% of the earth’s crust. It is known for its heat-resistant properties and is added to lithium-ion battery cathodes to improve energy density and battery longevity.

By the end of 2025, GM plans to have capacity to build 1 million electric vehicles in North America – a doubling from earlier estimates. GM has announced actions to create a new and more secure EV supply chain, including projects targeting key EV materials and components. Cobalt processed from Australia will be used in GM’s Ultium battery cathodes, which will power electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC HUMMER EV and Cadillac LYRIQ. Continue reading →

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Revised 2023 Nissan Leaf Debuts at NYIAS

Posted on 12 April 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on New York International Auto Show - Revised 2022 Nissan Leaf Debuts

Mild trendsetter. Click to Enlarge.

A mildly changed 2023 Nissan Leaf appeared today during media days at the New York International Auto Show prior to its summer on-sale date. The 2023 budding LEAF will be available in two grade levels, LEAF S and LEAF SV PLUS. The trimmed model lineup, Nissan said, reflects the most customer-requested features and technologies. The updates include a tweaked front-end look, with a refreshed front grille, bumper molding and headlights that have a new black inner finish. The Nissan badge is now illuminated and has been updated to the brand’s new design. In addition, the shapes of the tire deflectors at all four corners, rear under diffuser and rear spoiler have all been modified for better aerodynamics, it’s claimed.

In 2022, Nissan lowered the MSRP1 of the LEAF to provide the “best value to customers.” The 2023 LEAF S and SV PLUS will continue this popular positioning, with both models maintaining similar starting prices for 2023. Qualified purchasers may also be eligible for a potential federal tax credit of up to $7,500.2 (AutoInformed.com on: US Battery Electric Vehicle Market – Progress or Proliferation? Tesla has a 75% Share. Is the Nissan Leaf a Best Buy?) Continue reading →

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Court Upholds EPA on Imports from Chinese Vehicle Makers

Posted on 11 April 2022 by Ken Zino

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia late last week denied a challenge to EPA’s successful litigation of Clean Air Act vehicle importation violations, upholding the agency’s right to enforce the law and protect the public from dangerous air pollution.

Moreover the District Court also affirmed the $1,601,150 civil penalty assessed by the Administrative Law Judge. The challenge was brought by Taotao USA, Inc, Taotao Group Co., Ltd., and Jinyun County Xiangyuan Industry Co., Ltd. (plaintiffs). Continue reading →

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Mercedes-Benz Digital ESG Touts Cutting CO2 Emissions

Posted on 11 April 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Mercedes-Benz Digital ESG Touts Cutting CO2 Emissions

Too little, too late?

At its first digital ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) Conference for investors and analysts, Mercedes-Benz announced actions aimed at cutting CO2 emissions while creating value for all  stakeholders. “The shift towards climate neutrality is changing the financial world and green financing is gaining in importance. Therefore, the variety of green financing instruments like Green ABS and green KPI-linked bilateral funding agreements will be increased. Mercedes-Benz also expects a significant increase in EU taxonomy aligned CapEx until 2026 in accordance with its all-electric strategy,” said Mercedes. As promised at the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference* in November 2021, Mercedes-Benz wants a faster transition to electric cars. The question facing all major automakers is whether this it too little to late to stop the extreme weather, property destruction, social disruptions and perhaps extinction of people inhabiting planet earth.

The German auto industry is currently under heavy criticism for its lobbying the German government to not impose sanctions on the use of Russian or other fossil fuels, saying it can’t be done. However, the latest UN report – IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) – says: “The application of diverse policy instruments for mitigation at the national and sub-national levels has grown consistently across a range of sectors By 2020, over 20% of global GHG emissions were covered by carbon taxes or emissions trading systems, although coverage and prices have been insufficient to achieve deep reductions. By 2020, there were ‘direct’ climate laws focused primarily on GHG reductions in 56 countries covering 53% of global emissions. Policy coverage remains limited for emissions from agriculture and the production of industrial materials and feedstocks.” Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls F-150 Pickups for Sudden Shifting into Neutral

Posted on 11 April 2022 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) is recalling 47,084 model year 2021 F-150 vehicles for shifting into neutral without warning. Affected vehicles are equipped with 3.5L GTDI, 2.7L and 5.0L engines, 10R80 transmissions and not equipped with Auto Start-Stop technology built between July 28, 2021 and December 20, 202. The safety defect is because a “transmission diagnostic logic inadvertently activated.” (Read AutoInformed on Billion Dollar Oops – Ford F-150s, Edges Without Electronics; Ford Motor Recalls 160,000 F-150 Pickups for Bad Wipers)

Ford has also stopped delivery and demonstration of the F-150 pickups.* The Transmission Fluid Pressure Low Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) may falsely activate and cause the transmission to shift into a neutral. This can occur at any speed. If a false activation occurs, the vehicle will coast to a stop as if it is in Neutral, and the electronic shifter will attempt to engage Park below speeds of 2 mph/3 kph. Once the vehicle comes to a complete stop, the electronic shifter will automatically shift into Park. Ford is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition. Continue reading →

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Three-Peat for Penske at Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Posted on 11 April 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Three-Peat for Penske at Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Penske and Chevy power. Click to Enlarge.

Josef Newgarden kept Team Penske and Chevy unbeaten in three NTT IndyCar Series races this season with his second consecutive win of 2022, capturing the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Newgarden earned his first career Long Beach victory in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, holding off Romain Grosjean in the No. 28 DHL Honda and reigning series champion Alex Palou in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Grosjean tied a career best by finishing second. The 2014 series champion Will Power finished fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Team Penske has claimed at least two of the first four spots at the finish in all three races this season. The last time Team Penske won the first three races of the season was 2012, and Chip Ganassi Racing in 2020 was the last IndyCar  team to start a season with three straight wins. Continue reading →

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BMW Cutting CO2 Emissions from Aluminum Wheel Casting

Posted on 8 April 2022 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on BMW Group Cutting CO2 Emissions from Aluminum Wheel CastingThe BMW Group claims that working on sustainability it will use cast aluminum wheels produced with so-called for its BMW and MINI brands from 2024 onwards. The transition applies, in particular, to the energy-intensive electrolysis used in producing aluminum and to the wheel-casting process. Agreements have been reached with all BMW Group wheel suppliers. Up until now, wheels have accounted for  ~5% of supply chain CO2 emissions. Transitioning to more sustainable production that relies on green power will reduce these emissions by more than half. The BMW Group procures ~10 million light-alloy wheels per year; 95% of these are made from cast aluminum.

There is not a globally agreed methodology, approved audits or accounting principles or common terminology in the increasing use of sustainability by large manufacturers. The German auto industry is currently under heavy criticism for its lobbying the German government to not impose sanctions on the use of Russian or other fossil fuels, saying it can’t be done. There isn’t even an agreed way to spell or say aluminium in English. Continue reading →

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Another? Ford GT Heritage Edition – Holman Moody

Posted on 8 April 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Latest Ford GT Heritage Edition - Holman Moody

Click to Enlarge.

The Ford GT is no longer in production,  so AutoInformed thought the 2022 Ford GT Heritage Edition was the end of the line. That super-car offered marketing homage to the 1964 Ford GT prototypes that led to America’s only Le Mans-winning super-car 

Wrong – there’s big money involved as long as there are paying customers.

The original Ford GT40 prototype debuted at the 1964 New York Auto Show. Now Ford is returning to New YAWK for the first public appearance of its new GT Heritage Edition – the 2022 Ford GT Holman Moody Edition. This marks the final 2022 Heritage Edition paying tribute to the GT40 MK II race car that completed the famous 1-2-3 sweep at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966,  with wins from 1966 to 1969, and in born-again form in 2016. The GT Heritage Edition will debut alongside the 1966 Ford GT40 MK II. (AutoInformed on: First Look: 2022 Ford GT Heritage Edition. The Last?) Continue reading →

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FAA – Largest Fines Ever for Two Unruly Passengers

Posted on 8 April 2022 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today proposed the largest-ever fines ever against two passengers for alleged unruly behavior.* The fines of $81,950 and $77,272, respectively, are part of the ~$2 million the agency has proposed since January 2022. The passengers have 30 days after receiving the FAA’s letter to respond to the agency. The FAA does not identify passengers against whom it proposes civil penalties.

“If you are on an airplane, don’t be a jerk and don’t endanger the flight crews and fellow passengers. If you do, you will be fined by the FAA,” U.S. Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg said when he announced the fines. Continue reading →

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NLRB – Ban Mandatory Anti-Union Employee Meetings

Posted on 7 April 2022 by Ken Zino

The National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo today issued a memorandum to all Field offices announcing that she will ask the Board to find mandatory meetings where employees are forced to listen to employer speech concerning the exercise of their statutory labor rights, including captive audience meetings, a violation of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

Abruzzo noted that that the Board has long-recognized that the Act protects employees’ right to listen to – or refrain from listening to – employer speech concerning their rights to act collectively to improve their workplace. Forcing employees to attend captive audience meetings under threat of discipline discourages employees from exercising their right to refrain from listening to this speech and is therefore inconsistent with the NLRA. Such meetings are often scripted or run by outside consulting groups that attempt to paint a harmful picture of unions. (Must Read by AutoInformed: John Oliver discussing the mechanics of union busting, and why the companies who do it face so few consequences.) 
Continue reading →

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‘Entry Level’ Mercedes-AMG SL 43 4-Cylinder?

Posted on 7 April 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on ‘Entry Level’ Mercedes-AMG SL 43 4-Cylinder?

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During the 70 years of its development history, what is known in shorthand as the SL series has undergone mutations from a racing car to an open-top luxury sports car. Now, the new Mercedes-AMG SL 43 is mutating again shedding eight-cylinders for four-cylinders, after two V8 models in the nascent Mercedes-AMG performance brand. Price range is unknown but in this league, 0h, $135,000+ is a good guess. (AutoInformed: Sports Car Market Magazine Hooks Hagerty as Sponsor of The SCM Modern and Classic Touring Series. AMG Invitational First)

The SL 43  is a 2+2-seater with fabric soft top and, ahem, a 2-liter inline four-cylinder gasoline engine rated at a combined fuel consumption 9.4-8.9 l/100 km with combined CO2 emissions of 214-201 g/km. In the new SL 43, materials used include aluminum, magnesium, fiber composites and steel, from which the windscreen frame is made, for example. This serves as roll-over protection in conjunction with the roll bar system behind the rear seats, which pops up when needed. Continue reading →

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March European Sales Plummet – Supply, Pandemic, War

Posted on 7 April 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on March European Sales Plummet - Supply, Pandemic, War

Click to Enlarge.

The West European selling rate dropped to 9.0 mn units/year in March, from 10 mn units/year in February, bringing the Q1 2022 average to just 9.6 mn units/year, according to the LMC Automotive* consultancy.

“The start to 2022 has been very disappointing as the automotive industry continues to endure the impact of supply problems. To make matters worse, the horrific war in Ukraine only adds to these issues,” LMC said. (AutoInformed: West European Car Sales Flat Before Russian War On Ukraine; Global Light Vehicle Sales Rate Drops in February; German Automakers Bearing Brunt of Putin’s War on Ukraine) Continue reading →

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