September US Auto Sales at 2021 Low Point

Posted on 4 October 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on September US Auto Sales at 2021 Low Point

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Affordability and supply problems dropped US September light vehicle sales to their lowest point during Covid-plagued 2021. They were, in fact, at their lowest level for the month of September since 2010, according to LMC Automotive, a respected independent automotive global forecasting and market intelligence company.

Automakers sold just under 1 million during September, down by -25% YoY. The annualized rate fell to 12 million units, the same level registered in May 2020 and 1 million units under the August Seasonally Adjusted Annualized Rate, aka SAAR. During Q3 light vehicle sales totaled 3.36 million units, down by -14% YoY and the lowest Q3 since 2011 as volumes plunged -22% from the pre-pandemic level in Q3 2019.  (GM Q3 US Sales Drop -33% as Semiconductor Shortage Bites) Continue reading →

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GM Recalls 15,000 SUVs for Sudden Stalling

Posted on 4 October 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM Recalls 15,000 SUVs for Sudden Stalling

Not a winning performance by Vitesco Technologies of Texas.

General Motors recalling 15,000 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The fuel pump power control module may cause the fuel pump to fail or operate intermittently, which can interrupt fuel flow to the engine. The worst case is an unexpected engine stall.

Dealers will replace the fuel pump power control module, free of charge as required by US law. Analysis of field data and returned warranty-replaced parts indicates that the condition was caused by a supplier manufacturing issue by Vitesco Technologies in Seguin Texas. Continue reading →

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EV Battery Gold-Rush – GM and Wolfspeed Cut Deal

Posted on 4 October 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM and Wolfspeed Cut Deal for silicon carbide power devices

GM will participate in the so-called (and unproven) Wolfspeed Assurance of Supply Program, which “is intended to secure domestic, sustainable and scalable materials for EV production.”

General Motors (NYSE: GM) and Wolfspeed (NYSE: WOLF) today announced a supplier agreement to develop and provide silicon carbide power devices for GM’s future electric vehicle programs. Wolfspeed’s silicon carbide devices will allow GM to “install more efficient EV propulsion systems that will extend the range” of its growing EV portfolio. The silicon carbide involved will be used in the integrated power electronics contained within GM’s Ultium Drive units in its next-generation EVs. (Environmental About Face – General Motors Ditching Internal Combustion Engines by 2035. Carbon Neutral by 2040?; GM Needs Range, Battery Cost Cuts to Speed EV Plans; GM Ups Bet by $35B in Autonomous, Electric Vehicle Games)

In a move that is designed to ensure supply and assuage the doubts of the capital markets about the semi-conductor shortage disaster, as part of the agreement, GM will participate in the so-called (and unproven) Wolfspeed Assurance of Supply Program (WS AoSP), which “is intended to secure domestic, sustainable and scalable materials for EV production.” During September, Toyota outsold General Motors by 123,000 units. In fact September was such a weak month for GM that four other OEMs had stronger volume performance, with Hyundai topping GM for the first time ever. Continue reading →

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Rolls-Royce ‘Boat Tail’ Makes Global Debut

Posted on 1 October 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Rolls-Royce ‘Boat Tail' Makes Global Debut

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Rolls-Royce’s Coachbuild Boat Tail makes its global public debut tomorrow at the snobby (boogie?) Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este* on 2 October 2021. The car will be unveiled at 11.30 local time on the Mosaic Lawn by Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, which is owned by BMW**. It will then be available for guests and journalists to view for two days before returning to the seclusion that have surrounded it since it was formally revealed in May 2021.

Boat Tail marks a retrograde moment in the archives of Rolls-Royce, “demonstrating the brand’s commitment to coachbuilding as a central part of its future direction and portfolio. It continues and accelerates a contemporary coachbuilding movement that began with Sweptail, the first Coachbuild Rolls-Royce of the modern era, which also made its first public appearance at Villa d’Este back in 2017.” Continue reading →

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GM Q3 US Sales Drop -33% as Semiconductor Shortage Bites

Posted on 1 October 2021 by Ken Zino

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General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) dealers delivered 446,997 vehicles in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2021, down 218,195 units or -33% from a year ago because of semiconductor supply chain disruptions and historically low inventories.

During the quarter, GM provided an update for investors that its wholesale volumes in North America in the second half of 2021 would be down about 200,000 units from the first half, largely because of supply chain disruptions in Malaysia caused by COVID-19, with most of the impact occurring during the third quarter.

GM’s financial outlook is still expected to be within the calendar year guidance range previously provided as the company continues to develop solutions to mitigate the impacts of the semiconductor shortage and Chevrolet Bolt EV recall. (Confirmed: General Motors to Recall more Bolt EVs at $1B Cost) Continue reading →

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Mazda, Toyota Building 2022 Corolla Cross in Alabama

Posted on 1 October 2021 by Ken Zino

Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM) and 2,000 non-unionized workers have celebrated the start of production of the all-new 2022 Corolla Cross. MTM, the only North American facility to produce the Corolla Cross, is a joint-venture between Mazda Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation in Alabama. The plant continues to hire in preparation for production of the as-yet-to-be-announced Mazda vehicle.

Alabama, aside from its history of racism and white supremacy, is a right to work*” (for less?) state, which means workers don’t have to be unionized.** Want to bet the Mazda will be a crossover, with maybe a sub-line for a hybrid and or EV? Toyota is vehemently lobbying against the Biden Administration’s ambitious Build Back Better plan that has a provision for made in American by union workers to be eligible for substantial taxpayer-subsidized EV subsidies. This is part of a forward-thinking strategic plan to create middle-class jobs and benefits from the Administration that was put in place by a majority of voters to rid our democracy of the treasonous former Administration still being led from Trump Castle in Mar-a-Lago (Mar-a-Lardo?) that promoted the January 6 insurrection attempt to take over the US Capital and overturn the Presidential election, aka Big Lie. Continue reading →

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Shareholders Vote to Spin-off of Daimler Truck, Rename Daimler AG to Mercedes-Benz Group

Posted on 1 October 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Shareholders Vote to Spin-off of Daimler Truck, Rename Daimler AG to Mercedes-Benz Group

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Today at the virtual Extraordinary General Meeting of Daimler AG (ticker DAI), the shareholders approved by an overwhelming majority on the realignment of the company.

The spin-off of the truck and bus business and the subsequent listing of Daimler Truck Holding AG as an independent company on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange were approved by 99.90% of the capital stock represented for the resolution. About 3000 viewers followed the virtual Extraordinary General Meeting on the Internet. A bare majority of 56.45% of the share capital was represented. Continue reading →

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Nissan R&D Has New Safety Advancement Lab in North America

Posted on 30 September 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Nissan Safety Advancement Lab

To assure data modeling accuracy let’s start with Live Republican Senators since they are acting like dummies and about to crash the economy. Click to Enlarge.

Nissan says it has expanded its Michigan-based engineering center, Nissan Technical Center North America (NTCNA), with a more than $40 million dollar Safety Advancement Lab for vehicle safety testing. Nissan claims the new lab brings more efficiency to the vehicle development process and helps a stated goal of reaching a future with virtually zero fatalities. (Nissan Starts Advanced Brain Training for Formula E Drivers)

The Safety Advancement Lab expansion provides Nissan the onsite capability to conduct full vehicle crash testing, vehicle certification, advanced development testing and benchmarking. Engineers can conduct 48 different passive safety crash test simulations onsite, thereby creating efficiencies in timing and results analysis – if the simulations are realistic of course. Continue reading →

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Climate Change Car Wars – GM to Reach 100% Renewable Energy in 2025

Posted on 30 September 2021 by Ken Zino

General Motors said today that it plans to source 100% renewable energy to power its U.S. sites by 2025 – five years earlier than previously announced, and 25 years ahead of its initial target that was set in 2016. By accelerating its renewable energy goal, GM aims to avoid 1 million metric tons of carbon emissions that would have been produced between 2025 and 2030. It’s the latest p.r. shot in the car marketing wars by automakers that no longer can deny the real damages incurred by fossil fuel use.*

 “We know climate action is a priority and every company must push itself to de-carbonize further and faster,” said GM Chief Sustainability Officer Kristen Siemen. “That’s what we are doing by aiming to achieve 100 % renewable energy five years earlier in the U.S. as we continue to advance on our commitment to lead an all-electric, carbon-neutral future.” Continue reading →

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Connected Cars – GM Debuts Ultifi for Saleable APPs, Services

Posted on 29 September 2021 by Ken Zino

General Motors Today announced Ultifi, its revised software platform designed to “unlock new vehicle experiences and connect customers’ digital lives.” Ultifi will help the frequent and seamless delivery of software-defined apps and services to customers over the air, GM said.

This latest move is part of an ongoing transition in the auto industry toward more cloud-based services, faster software development and new opportunities to increase revenue and, maybe, customer loyalty. Ultifi is enabled by hardware built into some next-generation products starting in 2023, encompassing internal combustion and electric vehicles. Continue reading →

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Sunshine as Disinfectant or Glare? – SEC Proposes Enhanced Proxy Voting Disclosure

Posted on 29 September 2021 by Ken Zino

The Securities and Exchange Commission today proposed to enhance the information mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and certain other funds report about their proxy votes. The rulemaking would require funds to tie the description of each voting matter to the issuer’s form of proxy and to categorize each matter by type to help investors identify votes of interest and compare voting records. The proposal also would prescribe how funds organize their reports and require them to use a structured data language to make the filings easier to analyze. Funds would also be required to disclose how their securities lending activity impacted their voting.

While the intent is to slow down the insider trading practices in the capital markets, it is by no means certain it will do so. Without doubt it will increase the complexity and length of disclosure documents thereby leading to more confusion among the people it is trying to help. Continue reading →

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Rolls-Royce Announces First Full Electric Car

Posted on 29 September 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Rolls-Royce Spectre, Its First Full Electric Car

A Rolls sports coupe? Click to Enlarge.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced today that on-road testing of its first fully electric motor car – Spectre – is about to begin. It will come to market in Q4 2023, lagging significant competitors such as Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Cadillac and BMW Group – it owns Rolls* – among others. Global testing will cover 2.5 million kilometers – a simulation of 400 years of use, according to Rolls. By 2030 all Rolls-Royce products will be fully electric. The first one, Spectre debuts  Rolls-Royce’s own spaceframe architecture.

“The use of electric motors is not a new concept for Rolls-Royce. Sir Henry Royce was fascinated by all things electrified, and his first venture, named F. H. Royce and Company, created dynamos, electric crane motors and patented the bayonet-style light bulb fitting,” said Chief Executive Officer, Torsten Müller-Ötvös. Continue reading →

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US September Auto Sales Projected Down -25%

Posted on 28 September 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on US September ’21 Auto Sales Projected Down

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New-vehicle retail sales for the month of September 2021 are expected to drop when compared with September 2020 and September 2019, according to a joint forecast from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. Retail sales of new vehicles this month are expected to reach 888,900 units, a -24.8% decrease compared with September 2020, and a -19.8% decrease compared with September 2019 when adjusted for selling days*.

New-vehicle retail sales in Q3 2021 are projected to reach 2,990,500 units, a -14.3% decrease from Q3 2020 and an 18.8% decrease from Q3 2019 when adjusted for selling days. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) for total new-vehicle sales is forecast at 12.2 million units, down 4.0 million units from 2020 and down 4.9 million units from 2019. Continue reading →

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EVs – Ford to Spend $11.4B Creating a Tennessee Campus, Twin Battery Plants in Kentucky

Posted on 28 September 2021 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company claims it is making the largest U.S. investment in electric vehicles at one time by any automaker. With its partner, SK Innovation, Ford plans to invest $11.4 billion and create ~11,000 new jobs at the Tennessee and Kentucky “mega-sites.” Overall, Ford expects 40% to 50% of its global vehicle volume to be fully electric by 2030.

Both states are “right to work” (for less?) states, which means workers don’t have to be unionized. Tennessee sent $500 million in incentives from its taxpayers. Kentucky donated $300 million and what appears to be about 1500 acres of free land. Thus Ford is the latest automaker attempting to lay off some or more of the huge capital costs needed to build EVs as global warming make their increasing use inevitable. SK Innovation will split off its battery business on October 1 as a wholly owned subsidiary. (EU Gets Tougher on Climate Change – Wants All EVs by 2035; Toyota, Subaru at Shanghai Introduce Latest Joint-Venture EVs; Volvo to Only Sell EVs Online as a Pure EV Company by 2030; GM Doubles Down on EVs in Bid to Win Global Race) Continue reading →

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Palou Driving a Honda is 2021 IndyCar Series Champion

Posted on 27 September 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on NTT IndyCar Series Long Beach Grand Prix

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The new NTT IndyCar series champion Alex Palou earned his first title with a composed, calculating drive to fourth place Sunday in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Colton Herta won the race. Palou became the first Spaniard to win a championship and is now Chip Ganassi Racing’s second consecutive title winner. Once again the pace car was on the track many times for crash induced yellow flags,

Several crashes marred the Long Beach race – consistent with the season – as several IndyCar drivers demonstrated the idiocy of making moves that were almost always likely to hurt theirs and other driver’s chances. Reigning 2020 champion Simon Pagenaud finished fifth with a decent run. Other drivers in contention weren’t so lucky or level headed. Josef Newgarden finished second and Scott Dixon, the six-time and reigning champion, finished third. Palou took the championship by 38 points over Newgarden. Continue reading →

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