Biden Proposes New Clean Energy Policies and Actions on Offshore Winds, Public Lands, Transmission Lines

Posted on 13 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Biden Administration Proposes New Clean Energy Policies

Build Back Better will, no doubt, continue to be opposed by the Republican party comprised of nope-dopes heavily financed by fossil-fuel and related businesses.

The Biden-⁠Harris Administration yesterday released a complicated, multi-aspect plan to advance offshore wind electricity generation, use public lands for clean energy, and build the bipartisan infrastructure law’s transmission lines needed to fix the neglected power grid. It’s an intelligent, hopeful, long-term plan for repairing our country in a way that points toward a cleaner electrified future.

In a release the White House said: “The Administration continues to use every tool available to deploy clean energy at a record pace. But to fully seize the opportunities of a clean energy economy, President Biden is pressing forward on passing the Build Back Better Act. The historic legislation will amount to the nation’s largest investment in combatting climate change, lowering energy costs for working families, and building a clean energy future.  Continue reading →

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Automobili Lamborghini Posts Record 2021 Sales

Posted on 12 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Automobili Lamborghini ended 2021 with an all-time record: 8,405 cars delivered worldwide, making it the company’s best year ever.

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Automobili Lamborghini ended 2021 with an all-time record:of 8,405 cars delivered worldwide, making it the  best year ever, the company said today. Yes, today, even though Italian bankers invented double entry book-keeping, these things take time. Global sales were up by 13% compared to 2020 said the release from Sant’Agata Bolognese of the exotic car company that is owned by the Volkswagen Group under Audi.

There was double-digit growth in all three of the regions where Lamborghini is established: America (+14%), Asia Pacific (+14%) and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) +12%. The company says it has a fairly balanced split between them in global volumes, which stand at 35%, 27% and 39% respectively. Continue reading →

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NADA Predicts 2022 New-Vehicle Sales of 15.4M, up 3.4%

Posted on 11 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on NADA Predicts 2022 New-Vehicle Sales

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The National Automobile Dealers Association predicted today 2022 new-vehicle sales of 15.4 million units – an increase of +3.4% compared to 2021. NADA is a trade and lobbying group comprised of 16,000 auto dealers. (See AutoInformed.com: First Place! Toyota Ousts GM as US Sales End 2021 at 14.9m, Significant 2021 Automotive Stories and Trends, Toyota Motor US Sales off -31% in December, +10.4% in 2021)

Whether such long-term predictions are of any use is an open question at AutoInformed given the volatility of the ongoing COVID pandemic. Consider that 2021 closed with new light-vehicle sales of 14.93 million units, an increase of 3.1% compared to 2020’s sales volume of 14.47 million units. However, December 2021’s SAAR totaled just 12.44 million units, a decrease of -23.7% compared to December of 2020. (Whither US Vehicle Sales in 2021? Is 14 Million a Stretch?) Continue reading →

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Used Car Marketplace Catch Up? GM introduces CarBravo

Posted on 11 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Manufacturing, Not Online Shopping Largest in E-Commerce

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General Motors introduced today CarBravo, a used-vehicle service that it claims give customers access to an expansive inventory with a multi channel shopping method. Customers can shop online, at a dealership or a combination of both. The available inventory will include non-GM models. Dealer enrollment begins immediately, and the consumer launch is forecast to begin in spring 2022.

CarBravo1 uses the resources of GM, GM Financial and the GM dealer network to create a flexible, shopping and buying service that is already in full use at True Car, Edmunds, Autotrader, Cars Direct, Carvana and AutoNation, among others. Major automakers have been slow to use the resources of the web, but Covid has forced changes in standard business practices across the vast automotive industry and the aftermarket. Continue reading →

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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Posts Highest Sales in 117 Years

Posted on 10 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Rolls-Royce ‘Boat Tail' Makes Global Debut

Click to Enlarge the Boat Tail.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars today reported record sales for 2021 of 15,586 vehicles, the highest in its 117-year history. In spite of ongoing Covid chaos, the BMW owned company set all-time record sales in most regions, including China, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, as well as in multiple countries. It was a 49% increase year-over-year. (AutoInformed.com on BMW and Rolls Note Rolls-Royce Founder’s Birthday)

The company said that growth came principally by Ghost sales, with demand increasing following the launch of Black Badge Ghost in October 2021. This, together with sales of the Cullinan and the marque’s pinnacle product, Phantom, means that at the moment order books are full well into the third quarter of 2022. The company’s Provenance (pre-owned or used) also posted an all-time record.
 Continue reading →

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BMW – Digital Art Coming in Cars During 2022?

Posted on 10 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on BMW’s four all-new My Modes

Well, it appears that we are not in Bavaria any more. Wherever the haus has landed after a tornado of words is a place where ‘ultimate driving machine’ becomes the 21st century equivalent of a stoner looking at a lava lamp – the ultimate digital high?

BMW has shown a new “Digital Art Mode,” claiming it will be the first to bring digital art into vehicles. The so-called Digital Art Mode is part of the four all-new My Modes*, which are broader applications beyond the Sport, Efficient and Personal modes in use at BMW, and under similar customization names at other automakers. Until now these electronic settings dealt with traditional ride, performance and handling aspects of the machinery. AutoInformed views the latest programming as perceptual and emotional tripping, so to speak. It’s coming during the second half of this year as options.

These new modes in BMW geek speak, filtered through a marketing babble wash: “Their unique moments enhance BMW’s driving experience by creating a synergy of the vehicle’s functions and its interior design. Depending on the driving situation and the overall mood, a holistic user experience featuring both a functional and an emotional level can be created at the touch of a button or via voice control. To that end, drive control and steering control, mood lighting and sound as well as the color scheme and graphics of the BMW Curved Display are precisely synchronized.” Continue reading →

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BMW 2021 US Sales up ~21% Beating Mercedes-Benz

Posted on 7 January 2022 by Ken Zino

BMW of North America has posted Q4 2021 and full year 2021 sales results for the BMW and MINI brands in the US. During Q4 2021, BMW brand sales in the U.S. totaled 93,031 vehicles, a -5.8% decrease from the 98,750 vehicles sold in Q4 of 2020. For the full year 2021, BMW brand sales increased 20.8% on total sales of 336,644 compared to the 278,732 vehicles sold in 2020. Rival MBUSA clearly trailed BMW with  posted sales of 276,102 Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles during 2021. Continue reading →

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Mercedes-Benz 2021 USA Sales Soft at 329,574

Posted on 7 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Mercedes-Benz 2021 USA Sales Soft at 329,574

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Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported Q4 2021 sales of 60,326 Mercedes-Benz models. Mercedes-Benz Vans recorded Q4 sales of 15,705, bringing MBUSA to 76,031 vehicles for the quarter, a decrease of -20.2% compared to the comparable period last year. Year-to-date MBUSA posted sales of 276,102 Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles and 53,472 Vans or a total 329,574 units, a slight increase of 1.1% versus 2020.

Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) models recorded sales of 33,098 vehicles during Q4 of 2021, +6.6% versus to Q4 2020. On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 143,423 vehicles, an increase of 13.1% compared to last year. Continue reading →

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First Place! Toyota Ousts GM as US Sales End 2021 at 14.9m

Posted on 6 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM Ousted by Toyota as Leader as US Light Vehicle Sales End 2021

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General Motors’ light-vehicle sales during 2021 fell more than those of any other automaker. GM also suffered the ignominy of ceding its top selling position for the first time in more than 80 years, as Toyota outsold GM for the first time in automotive history. In other changes of fortune, Hyundai sold more than Honda, and Tesla was the fastest-growing OEM. SUVs reached a record 55% share in 2021, according to the respected LMC Automotive consultancy. AutoInformed notes that in the rigged for the rich US economy, luxury vehicle sales clearly outran the broader market.

Overall, US Light Vehicle sales in December fell by 27% YoY, ending a chaotic 2021 at 14.9 million units. LMC noted that even December – traditionally one of the strongest months of the year – flopped and registered the steepest YoY decline of the calendar. The rate of change in the Covid infected world is increasingly making traditional long-term based indexes – such as calendar years irrelevant, or even downright harmful indicators for policy makers, businesses and anyone who uses them for planning. Continue reading →

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GM, Qualcomm Enabling Hands-Free Driving in 2023

Posted on 6 January 2022 by Ken Zino

GM said this week in an English-like language that its next-generation hands-free driver assist system, Ultra Cruise (originally Super Cruise#), will be powered by a system-on-chips developed by American semiconductor company Qualcomm Technologies. GM will be the first company to use the Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Ride platform for advanced driver assistance technology, which has what is claimed as an industry-leading 5-nanometer Snapdragon SA8540P SoC and SA9000P artificial intelligence accelerator. (AutoInformed.com: Autonomous Vehicle Nod – Super Cruise on All Cadillacs)

In Silicon Valley geek speak: “The Ultra Cruise compute is comprised of two Snapdragon SA8540P SoCs and one SA9000P AI accelerator to deliver key low-latency control functions on 16-core CPUs and high-performance AI compute of more than 300 Tera Operations Per Second for camera, radar and lidar processing. The Snapdragon SoCs are designed with 5nm process technology, enabling superior performance and power efficiency. The Snapdragon SA8540P SoCs will provide the necessary bandwidth for Ultra Cruise’s sensing, perception, planning, localization, mapping and driver monitoring.” Continue reading →

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Volvo Car 2021 Global Sales +5.6% at 698,693

Posted on 6 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Volvo Car 2021 Global Sales +5.6% at 698,693

Volvo C40 Recharge.

Volvo Cars’ global sales increased by 5.6% to 698,693 cars in the full year 2021, the Chinese-owned company said today. Volvo said the results demonstrated the continued popularity of Volvo Cars’ Recharge line-up of cars with a fully electric or plug-in hybrid powertrain. Sales of Recharge models grew by 63.9% in 2021 compared with 2020. Recharge cars made up 27% of the company’s total sales volume in 2021. The number of Volvo cars sold directly online increased by 316% in 2021 compared with 2020. This growth was driven by increasing customer demand in combination with more choices in more markets. (AutoInformed.com: Volvo to Only Sell EVs Online as a Pure EV Company by 2030)

However, Volvo delivered 64,436 retail vehicles in December, a decline of -18.1% compared to the same month in 2020. “The result was significantly influenced by continued component supply shortages, which affected production and consequently deliveries to customers,” Volvo said. Almost 40% of all new Volvo cars sold in December were Recharge models, with fully electric cars comprising 7.4%. Continue reading →

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Chevrolet Introduces 2024 Silverado EV 

Posted on 5 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Chevrolet Introduces 2024 Silverado EV pickup

Giving Ford’s Lightning a run for it’s EV money?

In a virtual keynote today at CES 2022, General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra reaffirmed the obvious trend that GM embraced more than a year ago – society is moving toward the mass adoption of electric vehicles.

She also teased the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV, a full-size pickup developed from GM’s Ultium platform. Customers will have the ability to buy or lease the truck within various price ranges, with MSRPs around $50,000, $60,000, $70,000, $80,000 and much, much more for the more for the flagship RST First Edition, which will debut with an MSRP of $105,000, plus $1695 for shipping. The Silverado EV will be offered only in Crew Cab models.
 Continue reading →

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Amazon and Stellantis to Connect Vehicles to Digital Services

Posted on 5 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Amazon and Stellantis to Connect Vehicles to Digital Services

You will be tracked in real time.

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Stellantis N.V. (NYSE/MTA/Euronext Paris: STLA) today announced a series of global, multi-year agreements that will change the in-vehicle experience for millions of Stellantis customers and advance the mobility industry’s transition to – what else – a software-defined, fee generating future. Amazon Web Services and Stellantis will work to deliver software for Stellantis’ new digital cabin platform, STLA SmartCockpit, starting in 2024. (Autoinformed: FIH Mobile, Stellantis JV Begun on Connected Car Technology; Stellantis Ups Electrification Strategy by $35.54 Billion)

Amazon and Stellantis will collaborate to deliver software for STLA SmartCockpit, which will run in millions of Stellantis vehicles globally starting in 2024. The software-defined platform will seamlessly integrate with customers’ digital lives to create personalized, intuitive in-vehicle experiences through AI-enhanced applications for entertainment, Alexa-enabled voice assistance, navigation, vehicle maintenance, ecommerce marketplaces, and payment services. Amazon will be the first commercial customer for the new Ram ProMaster Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) in 2023.

The STLA SmartCockpit platform will use Amazon products that are purpose-built for vehicles, it’s claimed. Stellantis will produce custom, brand and vehicle-specific capabilities. The software will offer services through an app store displayed through an “adaptive user interface design that presents timely, relevant information and features suited to each occupant’s individual needs and preferences.” In other words, you will be tracked. What happens to your personal information – how it is used, sold or resold or given to government entities – was not disclosed in the announcement.
 Continue reading →

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Toyota Motor US Sales off -31% in December, +10.4% in 2021

Posted on 4 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Toyota Motor US Sales off - 31% in December, +10.4% in 2021

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Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) today reported December U.S. 2021 sales of 174,115 vehicles, a decrease of -30.2% on a volume basis or -27.7% on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis compared to December 2020. For calendar year 2021, TMNA reported U.S. sales of 2,332,262 vehicles, an increase of 10.4% on a volume basis and an increase of 11.5% on a DSR basis.

Based on early sales reports, TMNA was the leading seller of electrified vehicles for the 22nd consecutive year with electrified powered vehicle – hybrids, plug-ins and fuel cells – at 583,697or +73.2% in 2021. EPV sales now make up one-quarter of total volume. There now are 18 total EPVs available in dealerships between both the Toyota and Lexus brands, the most among any automaker, with two more in showrooms by middle of 2022. Continue reading →

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GM Delivers 2.2M Vehicles in US During 2021 off -13%. Q4 -43%

Posted on 4 January 2022 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM 2021 US Light Vehicle Sales Decline -13%

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General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) and its dealers delivered 2.2 million vehicles in the US during 2021 with  the ongoing inventory shortage caused by semiconductor supply issues resulting in a year-over-year decrease of -13%. Results were helped by strong pickup truck and SUV sales Combined sales of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra LD and HD were 768,689. The company’s share of the retail truck market in 2021 was approximately 39%, according to J.D. Power PIN estimates. Leaving aside individual brands, preliminary data show that overall Toyota* is the number one retail brand for the 10th consecutive year. GM’ Q4 sales dropped -43% y-o-y to 441,000.

The GM pickup claim is ~10 points higher than the next closest competitor, the Ford F-Series. However, GM is combing the sales of two brands – Chevrolet and GMC. Ford F-Series has led the full-size pickup truck market for 45 years running. By using the combined numbers, GM has led the industry in retail sales in the full-size pickup segment every year since 2003, according to J.D. Power. GM commercial fleet sales of full-size pickups increased 10%, while Medium Duty trucks were up 30%. Commercial sales of GM full-size SUVs (up 59%) and midsize pickups (up 37%) also increased during 2021. Another misleading use of the combined number comes with Ram. The Ram pickup truck easily beat sales of the Chevrolet Silverado. During 2021 Ram sold 569,388 pickups; Silverado 529,765. Continue reading →

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