C’est Bien – Corvette Racing off to Le Mans 24 Hour

Posted on 11 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on IMSA. Photo by Richard Prince for Chevy Racing

The #3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R driven by Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor takes the checkered flag first in the GTLM class Saturday, July 4, 2020 during the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship WeatherTech 240 on the Road Course at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The stands were empty per IMSA and Florida Covid regulations.

Corvette Racing is returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Only days following its most recent IMSA race at Road America, the program heads across the Atlantic for the French endurance classic – one of the most famous and storied races still running. The twice-around-the-clock race is set for Aug. 21-22 around the 8.4-mile circuit that is a mix of permanent racetrack and public roads. Corvette Racing and other teams – including seven other entries in GTE Pro – will have nine hours of track time Sunday during the official Test Day.

This year’s Le Mans is the first time in France for the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, and this year’s race marks Corvette Racing’s return after missing the 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It ended a run of 20 consecutive years at Le Mans that started in 2000. In that time, Corvette claimed eight victories with three different generations of Corvette… all with the engine in the front. Continue reading →

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911 Safety Technology – OnStar Expands with RapidDeploy

Posted on 11 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of Auto Informed.com on OnStar Expands with RapidDeploy on 911 Public Safety Technology

Public safety and public health are reasons for a government working toward the collective good. Click to Enlarge.

GM Ventures* today announced its participation in the $40 million Series B funding round for RapidDeploy**, a public safety technology company working to accelerate so-called Next Generation 911 in the United States. The General motors press release claimed  that the investment “will enable RapidDeploy to help improve the public safety community’s situational awareness with a cloud-native, data-driven solution.”

“This latest milestone in our collaboration with RapidDeploy demonstrates OnStar’s commitment to keeping members and first responders safe during emergencies and supporting new innovations to advance Next Generation 911 initiatives,” said Catherine Bishop, senior manager, OnStar Emergency Services.
 Continue reading →

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Hyundai-Aptiv Startup Motional Expands on West Coast

Posted on 10 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Lyft and Motional Self Driving progress

Lyft and Motional Self Driving prototype.

Motional, a Hyundai and Aptiv joint-venture in driverless technology*, is expanding West Coast operations. The expansion follows 18 months of existence for Motional during which it closed the formation of a joint venture, extended Asia operations to Seoul, and increased headcount. Motional was the first in the auto industry to have operations in the U.S. and Asia.

This move comes as Motional accelerates towards mass commercialization, which includes a landmark agreement with Lyft to launch a multimarket fully driverless service starting in 2023. Motional claims to be one of the world’s key AV players. “We’ve had a presence in Los Angeles for more than five years and are now increasing our investment in California with a new operations facility and road testing in the Los Angeles area, a new San Francisco Bay Area office, and extensive hiring that will more than double the size of our California team,” Motional said in a release. (AutoInformed.com on Lyft and Motional to Deploy Fully Self-Driving Vehicles in 2023; Argo AI, Ford to Launch Self-Driving Vehicles on Lyft Network; Hyundai Motor, Kia to build American-made Electric Vehicles) Continue reading →

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FAA – Global COVID-19 Testing Required for ALL Entering US

Posted on 10 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of Auto Informed.com on - Global COVID-19 Testing Required for ALL Air Passengers entering the US

Delta – the virus variant – continues as a plague.

Reaffirming a CDC recommendation, the FAA has just issued Notice Number – NOTC1986 – that stipulates global COVID-19 testing is required for all air passengers entering the country. If you plan to travel internationally, you will need to get tested for COVID-19 no more than 3 days before you travel by air into the United States (US) and show your negative result to the airline/operator before you board your flight or be prepared to show documentation of recovery (proof of a recent positive viral test and a letter from your healthcare provider or a public health official stating that you were cleared to travel). The CDC order does not replace the Presidential proclamations.

This order applies to all flights; private flights and general aviation aircraft (including 14 CFR 135 charter flights and 14 CFR 125 flights). On January 12, 2021, CDC announced an Order requiring all air passengers arriving to the US from a foreign country to get tested no more than 3 days before their flight departs and to present the negative result or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 to the airline before boarding the flight. Air passengers will also be required to confirm that the information they present is true in the form of an attestation. Continue reading →

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Subaru of America Recalls for Sudden Stalling 165K Vehicles

Posted on 9 August 2021 by Ken Zino

Subaru of America is recalling 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail. Sudden stalling may result. Continue reading →

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Mercedes-Benz USA Recalls Rear Seatbelts on 2021-22 Models

Posted on 9 August 2021 by Ken Zino

Mercedes-Benz USA is recalling model year 2021 G550, AMG G63, E350, E450, AMG CLS53, AMG E53, AMG GT43, AMG GT53, AMG GT63 and 2021-2022 CLS450, and AMG E63 vehicles. The rear seatbelt automatic locking retractors may “deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly.” These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, “Occupant Crash Protection.” Continue reading →

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Kia America Dabbles with On-Demand, At-Home Car Shopping

Posted on 9 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of Auto Informed.com on Kia@Home sales and shopping

The all-new 2022 Kia Carnival Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) replaces the outgoing Sedona. Carnival has a 3.5-liter V6 engine rated at 290 horsepower. This provides up to 3,500 pounds of towing capacity for trailer, boat, or camper trips. It also has standard Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The 2022 Carnival will be offered in four (confusing, complicated? – Autocrat) trim levels: LX, EX, SX, and SX-Prestige.

Kia America has announced “Kia@Home” which delivers scheduled test drives of two of vehicles direct to consumers at a location of their choosing in several major cities. It is the latest example of an automaker exploring the boundaries of the traditional franchised dealer network.

The all-new Carnival MPV and the all-electric Niro EV are available in some locations. The hour-long sales pitch includes a detailed vehicle walk-around from a Kia@Home Drive Specialist. Ultimately, customers interested in buying a Carnival MPV or Niro EV “will work with a local Kia dealer to purchase a vehicle.” The people conducting the test drives/vehicle walk-arounds are third-party product specialists that Kia has enlisted in each market. No other details were provided to AutoInformed. Continue reading →

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US Vehicle Sales Drop in July for Third Month Running

Posted on 6 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of Auto Informed.com on US Vehicle Sales Drop in July for Third Month Running

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US sales in July volumes were at 1.28 million units, according to LMC Automotive. The is only a 3.5% Year-over-Year increase, resulting from an improved economy and market reopening since last July. The annualized selling rate (SAAR) shows a more pronounced cool-down from previous months. The SAAR fell to 14.5 million units in July from 15.3 million in June – and by more than four million units from the peak back in April. Sales dropped “more substantially in the last week of the month, suggesting that more challenges are ahead,” said LMC. (AutoInformed.com on 2021 Q2 US Sales – Light-Trucks, Crossovers, SUVs Rule)

Toyota, General Motors and Hyundai were the three bestselling OEMs, while Ford had the weakest performance compared to last July. Ford remains mired in semi-conductor shortages and long-standing troubled relationships with suppliers. Hyundai re-introduced the Compact Pickup segment in July when the first units of the Santa Cruz were delivered. This segment of course was once dominated by GM and Ford before Toyota and Nissan moved in. Now come the Koreans to fill an obvious need. Continue reading →

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US Trade Deficit in Goods and Services Increases to $75.7B

Posted on 5 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of Auto Informed.com on US Trade Deficit in Goods and Services Increased to $75.7B

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The US international trade deficit in goods and services increased to $75.7 billion in June from $71.0 billion in May (revised) because imports increased more than exports. This was the highest on record. However, the June exports of goods ($145.9 billion) were also the highest on record. Continue reading →

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President Biden Targets 50% Electric Vehicle Sales in 2030

Posted on 5 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of Auto Informed.com on President Biden Announces Target of 50% Electric Vehicle Sales Share in 2030

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President Biden will sign an Executive Order that sets an aggressive new target to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles, the White House said this morning. The Executive Order also starts the development of long-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards to save consumers money, cut pollution, boost public health, advance environmental justice, and tackle the climate crisis.

The weak points in the plan is allowing for hybrids, and worse plug-in hybrids, which have laughable range running as an EV. However this is a politically needed SOP for most automakers that have been slow to embrace pure EVS. This is industrial policy on a grand scale that proponents argue is needed to survive in the global economy. Less than 4% new vehicles sold in the U.S. during June were electric or plug-in hybrids. This puts the Republicans in a tough spot. Helping Big Business – in effect tax cuts for the rich – is their highly selective policy. But creating middle class jobs while acknowledging Global Warming and setting policy that benefits all of “we the people” is counter to their failed attempts at governing for the selective few.

Continue reading →

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Nissan Motor Posts ¥75.7B Operating Profit for Q1 FY

Posted on 5 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of Auto Informed.com on Nissan Motor Posts ¥75.7B Operating Profit

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Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has announced decent financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2021. In a filing with the Tokyo Stock exchange it also increased its full-year profit outlook for fiscal year 2021.

For the first quarter of the Japanese fiscal year, consolidated net revenue was ¥2.008 trillion, consolidated operating profit was ¥75.7 billion, and the operating profit margin was 3.8%. The net income1 in the first quarter was ¥114.5 billion.

During the first three months of the fiscal year, Nissan unit sales increased sharply as the industry rebounded from the pandemic disruption of 2020. Both total industry volumes and global Nissan retail sales increased by more than 60% with keeping pace with the industry volumes. Nissan’s digitally influenced sales have further increased in quarter one. Continue reading →

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GM Posts Record Q2 Earnings of $4.1B Amid Delta Doubts

Posted on 4 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of Auto Informed.com on GM Posts Record Q2 Earnings of $4.1B amid Delta Doubts

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General Motors extended its winning record today by posting strong earnings again, including a record earnings (EBIT-adjusted) of $4.1 billion in the second quarter, and $8.5 billion in the first half. Chair and CEO Mary Barra said that it is also “accelerating our engineering and capital investments in electric vehicles (EVs) and self-driving technology (AVs) by $8 billion to $35 billion from 2020-2025.” (AutoInformed.com on GM Posts Formidable First-Quarter 2021 Results; GM Ups Bet by $35B in Autonomous, Electric Vehicle Games)

With GM’s evolving view on Automobility it is placing itself squarely in the middle of a global battle royal among other automotive giants such as Honda,Toyota, Stellantis and Volkswagen Group, by developing a full EV portfolio that doesn’t depend on “partial solutions” like hybrids and “electrified” ICE vehicles. It is also a warning about an emerging industry problem – battery fires. Barra said on the earnings call that this is rare but recalled about 69,000 Bolt vehicles to ensure customer safety. Continue reading →

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Stellantis Posts Record H1 Results. Full-Year Guidance Upped

Posted on 3 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Stellantis Posts Record H1 Results.

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Stellantis today posted record H1 Pro Forma(1) Results with an 11.4% Margin. The conglomerate created in January by the merger of Fiat-Chrysler and Peugeot Group showed that all segments were making money. All segments were also profitable so full-year guidance was raised to ~10% of adjusted operating income(2) margin.

“While delivering this strong operational performance the Company also made significant progress on strategic matters related to electrification acceleration and software, which are fundamental pillars of our strategy,” claimed Carlos Tavares, CEO. Continue reading →

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Super Car First Look – Honda NSX Type S

Posted on 3 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of Auto Informed.com on Honda NSX Type S

The first-generation NSX in 1990 was a new-generation mid-engine sports car it brought together state-of-the-art technologies of the time and achieved both excellent dynamic performance and ease of driving at a high level. I was at Road&Track at the time, and the staff was blown away by how good the sports car was. It was in essence a Japanese Ferrari with Japanese quality and pricing unheard of in the sports cars of the era.

Honda Motor today released early information on a new limited production NSX Type S, which is scheduled to be officially introduced before the end of August 2021. The new NSX Type S will be the final model of the second-generation NSX. Marketing and the development team are attempting to wring the last possible enhancements to performance and design (marketing babble alert> “with the goal to create a model that goes beyond all NSX models that came before.”

The second-generation NSX proposes a “New Sports eXperience,” made possible by a three-motor Sport Hybrid SH-AWD, an original Honda electrification technology. It’s claimed that it has a high-level responsiveness and handling performance, not possible with an engine alone.  Continue reading →

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Bentley Cautiously Posts Record 2021 Half-Year

Posted on 2 August 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of Auto Informed.com on Bentley Cautiously Posts Record 2021 Half-Year

“While we celebrate these results, we are not taking the full year outlook for granted as we know there are still sizable risks to the year-end…

Bentley Motors has posted the company’s 2021 half-year performance with sales and profits unmatched in its 102-year history. This includes an operating profit of €178 million, greater than any profit posted for a full-year by the firm with a deep background in racing. Retail sales increased by 50% from a pre-COVID 2019 figure of 4,785 to 7,199 in 2021. On the financial side of the ledger, Bentley’s revenue for the first six months of 2021 was €1.32 billion, up from a pre-COVID figure of €834.8 million in 2019. The operating result was €178 million and a subsequent return on sales of 13%, a record high return.

These figures in context are significant: Bentley’s previous record half-year performance was in 2014, with a revenue of €887 million and an operating result of €95.2 million. That year closed as Bentley’s most successful year with a profit of €170 million. This is now surpassed at the half-year point 2021. Continue reading →

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