December US Auto Sales Forecast – Lower Volume with Record Prices, Profits

Posted on 24 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on December US Auto Sales Forecast - Lower Volume, Record Prices, Profits

Click on Chart to enlarge.

New-vehicle retail sales for December 2021 are forecast to decline when compared with December 2020, according to the latest forecast from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. Retail sales of new vehicles are expected to reach 1,105,800 units, a -17.4% drop compared with December 2020 when adjusted for selling days. December 2021 has one fewer selling day than December 2020. Comparing the same sales volume without adjusting for the number of selling days translates to a decrease of -20.4% from 2020. New-vehicle retail sales in Q4 2021 are projected to reach 2,923,600 units, a -17.7% decrease from Q4 2020 when adjusted for selling days. New-vehicle retail sales for 2021 are projected to reach 13,074,500 units, a 6.5% increase from 2020 when adjusted for selling days.

Total new-vehicle sales for December 2021, including retail and non-retail transactions, are projected to reach 1,245,600 units, a -20.5% decrease from December 2020. Truck/SUVs are tracking at a record 80.2% of new-vehicle retail sales in December. Comparing the same sales volume without adjusting for the number of selling days translates to a decrease of -23.3% from 2020. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) for total new-vehicle sales is expected to be 13.0 million units, down –3.5 million units from 2020. Continue reading →

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IMSA – Porsche Virtually Shows LMDh Car

Posted on 23 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Porsche Virtually Shows 2023 LMDh Car. First Maker image for 2023 IMSA Top-Tier Prototype Class

This should become a great racing class.

Porsche is set to start the 2022 motorsport racing season with ambitious goals and extensive international programs. The prime focus will be on the two factory entries in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship. However, the bigger news might be in 2023. At Porsche’s annual Night of Champions toasting the German marque’s global motorsports accomplishments for 2021 – held virtually due to the ongoing pandemic – Porsche showed images of its 2023 LMDh racer.

They were the first images of an actual race car from any of the five manufacturers committed to competing in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship’s new top-tier prototype class – LMDh – when it debuts in 2023. Porsche is partnering with Team Penske and chassis maker Multimatic on the project as Porsche Penske Motorsport. The team will compete in both the WeatherTech Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship. For the first time in some 30 years, it will be possible to compete for overall victories in the endurance classics at Le Mans, Sebring and Daytona with cars of identical construction. The 500 kW and 680 PS (or ~670 hp that they admit to – Autocrat) hybrid racing car is scheduled to complete numerous test runs in 2022. (AutoInformed: Corvette Racing Goes Global – IMSA, FIA WEC in 2022) Continue reading →

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FAA Warns Broadband Could Pose Safety Threat to Airlines

Posted on 23 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Safety threat to Airlines from C-Band Wireless Broadband Use

Technology can cause problems. Consider social media helping the Republican led insurrection at the US Capital to overturn an election.

Today the Federal Aviation Administration issued a so-called Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) telling aircraft manufacturers, radio  altimeter manufacturers, operators and pilots of the planned deployment of 5G wireless broadband networks in the 3700-3980 MHz bands (C-Band).1 The FCC and its apparently careless regulations on high-speed internet, and corporate lobbyists for the telecommunications industry are the sources of the problem. Broadband is also being proposed by some automakers and suppliers as a way to wirelessly recharge electric vehicles.

Broadband deployment is currently underway and there is scarce data on it’s actually safety effects on flying. In short, your smartphone or someone else’s or the Verizon or AT&T cellphone tower (they own the frequencies that appear to be the most problematic with overlap interference) could kill you if it affects airline navigation, particularly in the safety critical instrument-approach-to-landing phase of flying. The device does not have to be in use on the plane. “There have not yet been proven reports of harmful interference due to wireless broadband operations internationally, although this issue is continuing to be studied,” said the FAA. See pilot Juan Browne on automatic landings in poor visibility click here. Continue reading →

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Nikola to Pay $125 Million to SEC on Fraud Charges

Posted on 23 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Nikola to Pay $125 Million to SEC on Fraud Charges

Badger (Noun) secondary meaning: The weasel that dug a hole for Trevor Milton of Nikola.

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Nikola Corporation, a publicly traded company created through a special purpose acquisition company transaction, will pay $125 million to settle charges that it defrauded investors by misleading them about its products, technical advancements, and commercial prospects. The settlement follows the SEC’s litigated action filed earlier this year against Trevor Milton, the company’s founder and former Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman. (AutoInformed: SEC Charges Nikola Founder Trevor Milton With Fraud)

The SEC’s order says that “before Nikola had produced a single commercial product, Milton embarked on a public relations campaign aimed at inflating and maintaining Nikola’s stock price. Milton’s statements in tweets and media appearances falsely gave investors the impression that Nikola had reached certain product and technological milestones.”1 Continue reading →

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Lotus Elise, Exige, Evora Production Ends

Posted on 22 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Lotus Elise, Exige, Evora Production Ends

End of the road for Evora.

Today, Lotus said the last of the Elise, Exige and Evora sports cars were made. Their assembly lines will be dismantled to prepare for production of the new Lotus Emira mid-engine and last Lotus petrol-fueled (gasoline Yank) sports car. A total of 51,738 of the traditional rear-drive sports cars were built during the past 26 years.

Combined, they represent almost half of the total production of Lotus in its 73-year history. In addition, 9,715 sports cars were built for Lotus’ third-party clients, including GM and Tesla. (AutoInformed: Lotus Emira to Make US Debut with F1 Racer Jenson Button; Hazel Chapman Co-Founder of Lotus Dead at 94; Alpine and Lotus to Study Joint Development of an Electric Sports Car as Groupe Renault Restructures) Continue reading →

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GM Stalks $20B Electric Conversion Market

Posted on 22 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM Stalks $20B Electric Conversion Market

Continuing the Hot Rod culture with high voltage.

General Motors announced today a plan to offer EV technology more broadly beyond its own group and automotive applications. This so-called “one component at a time” tactic will allow GM to expand its reach to a larger, more diverse group of commercial customers. Such organizations likely have their own desires to meet the growing demand for zero-emissions technology while achieving their sustainability targets.

It’s the latest step in GM’s breakthrough commitment to electric vehicles that have fossil-fueled equity analysts grappling with a strategy they don’t understand given their questions during GM earnings calls. They are in a different cloud, so to speak. (AutoInformed: Environmental About Face – General Motors Ditching Internal Combustion Engines by 2035. Carbon Neutral by 2040?; GM’s Dual Platform Strategy – Doubling Revenues by 2030?; GM Needs Range, Battery Cost Cuts to Speed EV Plans) Continue reading →

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Non-Spy Shot – Maserati MC20 Convertible

Posted on 21 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Non-Spy Shot – Maserati MC20 Convertible

One of a kind so far…

An early prototype of the new Maserati MC20 convertible has left the gates of the Modena plant. Rather than waiting for a spy shot to appear, Maserati has released the new look for its camouflage. The cloud treatment is okay for a convertible and the alleged news hook for a marketing publicity stunt.

Maserati claims that as with the MC20 coupé, the new model remains one of a kind, at least so far. The body is made exclusively of carbon fiber and composite materials. This engineering likely will be used for all the configurations planned: coupé, convertible and, in the Global Warming regulated future, electric.
 Continue reading →

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Census – US Population Growth Slowest Ever

Posted on 21 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on US Population Growth Slowest Ever

Click to Enlarge.

The population of the United States grew in the past year by 392,665, or 0.1%, the lowest rate since the nation’s founding, according to the Census Bureau. This means that the U.S. population grew at a slower rate in 2021 than in any other year since the founding of the nation, based on historical decennial censuses and annual population estimates. The slow rate of growth can be attributed to decreased net international migration, decreased fertility, and increased mortality due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since April 1, 2020 (Census Day), the nation’s population increased from 331,449,281 to 331,893,745, a gain of 444,464, or a mere 0.13%. Between 2020 and 2021, 33 states saw population increases and 17 states and the District of Columbia lost population, 11 of which had losses of more than 10,000 people. This is an historically large number of states to lose population in one year.

Given our urgent need to be internationally competitive and the staunch Republican opposition to helping poor families and young children in favor of tax cuts for the super wealthy, the news comes at a particularly bad time for the Party of Nope , aka Republicans or the grand old white NOPe. When will they put country over ideological allegiance to what is now the party of insurrection and treason? Continue reading →

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Toyota AZ Proving Grounds Now Accessible to Other Makers?

Posted on 20 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Toyota’s Arizona Mobility Test Center

A way to offset costs by adding some green?

The Toyota Arizona Proving Grounds (TAPG), Toyota’s proprietary U.S. vehicle development and testing facility, will become available to the broader industry as a vehicle testing resource as it officially launches the Arizona Mobility Test Center1 (AMTC) at TAPG in Wittmann. Toyota (NYSE:TM) has contracted with Intertek Transportation Technologies to operate the facility and provide tenant management and related services under a new multi-year agreement, while Toyota maintains ownership and continues its testing activities at TAPG. Intertek will also market AMTC to attract tenants and manage the leasing business.

This is an unusual move in AutoInformed’s view because testing grounds by their very definition are involved with the operation and testing of future products that are usually closely guarded secrets. It might be the latest example of the extreme demands on capital and resources that automakers are grappling with as the industry rushes headlong into the unknown future of mobility involving autonomous and electric vehicles. It is one way to offset some of enormous and ongoing costs involved. Continue reading →

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Recalls – Unintended Acceleration on Hyundai Ioniq EVs

Posted on 20 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Hyundai Ioniq EVs software recall for Unintended Acceleration

IONIQ 5’s crossover body has short overhangs due to its elongated wheelbase.

Hyundai Motor America is recalling 2017-2019 Ioniq electric vehicles because an “unstable” electrical ground may cause the vehicle to enter a fail-safe mode with reduced acceleration and power leading to unintended acceleration.

“In certain conditions while in fail-safe mode, the vehicle may accelerate after the gas pedal is released,” Hyundai said in the required filing with NHTSA. The Ioniqs were made in Korea with a computer from Korean supplier MOBUS. Continue reading →

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Goodyear’s Aftermarket EV Tire. Web Ordering Skips Stores

Posted on 17 December 2021 by Ken Zino

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company today debuted its new ElectricDrive GT. It’s Goodyear’s first replacement tire in North America tuned for electric vehicles. EDGT is not a male health disorder, but rather high performance, all-season tire that is claimed to provide long-lasting tread wear and a quiet ride for EV drivers and passengers.

Goodyear says it will expand the ElectricDrive product line in 2022. The initial release of the EDGT is size 255/45R19 104W XL. They will be available only through goodyear.com. and fits some of the most popular EV high-performance models. Continue reading →

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Volkswagen Spending $20M on 50-State EV Dealer Fitness

Posted on 16 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Volkswagen Spending $20M on 50-State Electric Vehicle Dealer Fitness

Two electric motors, 295 horsepower, estimated 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds for the AWD Pro model, means ID.4 is competitive.

Volkswagen of America today said dealers have added 23,490 kW of charging capacity, trained more than 1,260 EV service technicians, and implemented dedicated EV Specialists to create “e-mobility centric consumer experiences across the country.” Volkswagen is also preparing its Chattanooga, TN facilities for the production of the electric ID.4 during 2022. (Volkswagen ID.4 – Most Affordable AWD Electric Vehicle in US?; Future Fuel – VW Group Expands Investments in Batteries)

VW also has begun an “EV Technician Retention Program” by increasing training, motivating skilled technicians, and adding new talent to address the transition to EVs. This allows Volkswagen and participating dealers to reward technicians with a retention bonus of $2,000 per year, “empowering them to gain new individual certifications to enhance their skills and build up expertise for the ID.4 and all coming electric Volkswagens.”
 Continue reading →

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Building Back – FAA First-Year Airport Funding $2.89B

Posted on 16 December 2021 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will award $2.89 billion made available by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that barely past with the usual Republican opposition last Now 3,075 airports around the nation will have money that can be invested in runways, taxiways, safety and sustainability projects, as well as terminal, airport-transit connections and roadway projects.

Many of these enhancements are crucial for automakers, suppliers and millions of workers as just in time delivery practices have collided with the non-vaccinated covid resurgence and the semiconductor shortage. The money will come from the Airport Infrastructure Grant program, one of three new aviation programs created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The law provides $15 billion over five years. The FAA estimates the backlog of airport modernization and safety projects totals $43.6 billion. For an interactive map and listing of funding for individual airports, see www.faa.gov/bil/airport-infrastructure. Continue reading →

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GMC Teases Electric Sierra Denali Pickup

Posted on 15 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GMC Teases Electric Sierra Denali Pickup

Well?

GMC gave a glimpse of its upcoming all-electric Sierra pickup truck today, previewing the truck’s unique exterior lighting, which looks to AutoInformed to be thoroughly mainstream or the LED lighting of luxury vehicles for years now. The electric Sierra will launch in the expensive Denali trim. It will be the third all-electric vehicle in GMC’s portfolio after the GMC HUMMER EV ‘supertruck’ and GMC HUMMER SUV. (read AutoInformed.com on GMC Adds Hummer SUV EV. Direct Selling Without Dealers?)

Ford Motor is clearly leading GM in the electric pickup track race so far with the sold-out (for years?) Lightning EV pickup. Furthermore, an all-electric 2022 F-150 Lightning Pro is due next year with a platform that adds the means to improve productivity and reduce operating costs will start at $39,974 with standard battery and dual motor power 4×4 targeting 426 horsepower and an EPA-estimated 230 miles of range. The more useful  extended-range version hopes to claim 563 horsepower and an EPA-estimated range of 300 miles. It starts at an MSRP of $49,974. (read AutoInformed on EV Pickup! Ford is Betting Lightning Can Strike Twice, Ford Introduces All-Electric F-150 Lightning Pro – Bring Money) Continue reading →

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Toyota – Annual Global Sales of  3.5Mn Battery EVs by 2030

Posted on 14 December 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Toyota Annual Global Sales of 3.5M Battery EVs by 2030

Toyota plans to invest ~$70 billion globally in electrified vehicles.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda announced today in Japan that the company will roll out 30 Battery Electric Vehicles and is anticipating sales of 3.5 million BEVs globally by 2030. The Lexus brand aims to have BEVs account for 100% of total sales in Europe, North America, and China by 2030, which given the current regulatory pace is the price of survival for all major automakers. Toyota Motor overall will offer a full lineup of battery EVs in the passenger and commercial segments. (EU Gets Tougher on Climate Change – Wants All EVs by 2035; Climate Change Car Wars – GM to Reach 100% Renewable Energy in 2025)

This is a sweeping claim, emulating GM’s breakthrough EV announcement in January, is by a giant company that sells more than 100 models of engine-only vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell electric vehicles in more than 170 countries and regions under the Toyota brand. The Lexus brand has more than 30 models of engine-only vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in more than 90 countries and regions. (Environmental About Face – General Motors Ditching Internal Combustion Engines by 2035. Carbon Neutral by 2040?) Continue reading →

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