Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and General Motors Co. [NYSE: GM] are teaming up to develop new series of autonomous Electric Vehicles. Exact technical details are unknown, likely because they are closely held trade secrets, but the impending Artemis program appears to be the reason for a latter-day version of the famous skunk works. Some of the wizardry will likely evolve and morph into higher gravity-bound autonomous mobile devices. Continue reading
The Justice Department’s reputation and adherence to law in the Boeing matter was subject to debate in January of 2021 when soon to be ex-president Trump and former Attorney General William Barr shepherded the first 737 Max plea deal.
The Boeing Company will pay at least $17 million in penalties and undertake multiple corrective actions with its production under a new settlement agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA found that the Chicago-based manufacturer installed equipment on 759 Boeing 737 MAX and NG aircraft containing sensors that were not approved for that equipment; submitted approximately 178 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for airworthiness certification when the aircraft potentially had nonconforming slat tracks installed; and improperly marked those slat tracks.
“Keeping the flying public safe is our primary responsibility. That is not negotiable, and the FAA will hold Boeing and the aviation industry accountable to keep our skies safe,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, omitting the FAA’s role in Boeing’s history of fraud that resulted in the deaths of 346 passengers who died in the Boeing 737 MAX crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.*** (Boeing to Pay More Than $2.5 Billion for 737 Max Fraud) Continue reading
The Biden Administration Covid Recovery Plan continues to work.
New-vehicle retail sales for May 2021 are forecast to be the highest ever recorded for the month of May, according to a joint prediction from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. Retail sales for new vehicles could reach 1,388,600 units, a 34.0% increase compared with May 2020, and a 10.6% increase compared with May 2019. May 2021 has the same number of selling days as May 2020 and May 2019. May is usually one of the highest-volume sales months with buying activity peaking around the Memorial Day weekend when manufacturers typically offer incremental incentives.
Total new-vehicle sales for May 2021, including retail and non-retail transactions, are projected to reach 1,555,600, a 39.6% increase from May 2020 and a 1.9% decrease from May 2019. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) for total new-vehicle sales is expected to be 16.7 million units, up 4.7 million units from 2020 but down 0.7 million units from 2019. The overall sales results for manufacturers will be mixed. Some are experiencing greater production problems because of semiconductor shortage. This will hurt, perhaps materially in the financial sense, various manufacturers monthly sales and profit performance for May and the months to come. Continue reading
Plant Leipzig’s fourth hydrogen filling station (left to right): Michael Kretschmer, Minister President of Saxony, Hans-Peter Kemser, Director of BMW Group Plant Leipzig, and Dr. Reiner Haseloff, Minister President of Sachsen-Anhalt.
BMW Group said today that it has clear goals for effective climate protection and sustainable mobility up to the year 2030 – and its products and production are affected.
“Our solution to the challenges of environmental policy is technological innovation. Technology is where the key to the future lies – and it’s our constructive response for climate protection,” said Hans-Peter Kemser, Director of BMW Group Plant Leipzig. Leipzig aims not only to be carbon-neutral but also to operate carbon-free production. “Our vision is to fully de-carbonize production by replacing fossil fuels with future fuels in the shape of green hydrogen,” he added. Continue reading
Ford’s latest attempt at platform commonality. Click to Enlarge.*
Ford Motor finally embraced conventional industry wisdom today – the future is electronic and digital – at an event for investors hyped as “Delivering Ford+.” It also attempted to counter the widespread opinion that it is behind the industry in its move toward electrification. (GM Doubles Down on EVs in Bid to Win Global Race, Volvo to Only Sell EVs Online as a Pure EV Company by 2030, Toyota, Subaru at Shanghai Introduce Latest Joint-Venture EVs)
Ford claims it is breaking away from a “transactional, build-and-sell business model” that it has used for decades. Instead, Ford+ is characterized by “close, enduring customer relationships – enabled by the company’s foundational strengths, improving financial performance, and capabilities and investments in disruptive technologies.”
Well, one wild card is the great unknown about the future of internal combustion engines that Ford is heavily dependent on. Will the change to EVs mean big write offs or mark downs of the value of existing plants, tooling and the elimination of jobs? Another potentially negative is Ford’s dismal record of introducing and then incurring huge warranty costs of complex vehicles with electronics. It has cost stockholders billions of dollars. Fixing these huge warranty costs is potentially worth $1-$2 billion annually given recent history. Continue reading
Hyundai shipped only 46 XCIENTs to Switzerland in 2020. Click to Enlarge.
Hyundai Motor Company has released images of its newly “upgraded” XCIENT Fuel Cell truck.
In a running battle with Toyota, Hyundai claims this will be the world’s first mass-produced, heavy-duty truck powered by hydrogen. Hyundai will begin production of 2021 XCIENT Fuel Cell in August this year. It’s a slow moving vehicle – road block? – at 85 km/h. *(Toyota Gen 2 Prototype Fuel-Cell Trucks to Start Drayage Runs at the Ports of L.A. and Long Beach. Carbon Free Hauling) Continue reading
Click to enlarge
Hyundai has shown its ‘all-new’ 2022 IONIQ 5 for the North American market. The electric crossover utility vehicle (CUV) has a targeted driving range of ~300 miles, relevant connected car technology and a claimed best-in-class ultra-fast charging from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes. IONIQ 5 is built on Hyundai’s Electric-Global Modular Platform – E-GMP – that allows for more interior space and optimized performance, according to the Korean automaker. IONIQ 5 is part of Hyundai Motor Group’s plan to introduce 23 BEV models and sell 1 million BEV units worldwide by 2025. IONIQ 5 goes on sale this fall with a pre-reservation program for early purchasers.
IONIQ 5’s crossover body has short overhangs due to its elongated wheelbase. Measuring 182.5 inches in overall length, 74.4 inches wide and 63.0-inches tall on a 118.1-inch wheelbase, IONIQ 5 offers a large-car- interior space in a compact CUV. In fact, IONIQ 5’s wheelbase is almost 4 inches longer when compared with a Hyundai Palisade mid-size CUV, but its overall length is 14 inches shorter than Palisade’s. Continue reading
The all-electric 2022 F-150 Lightning Pro 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, Ford Motor said today. (EV Pickup! Ford is Betting Lightning Can Strike Twice)
Ford is the only automaker, thus far, to offer an 80-amp charge station as standard equipment with the so-called extended-range truck. It uses the only dual onboard charging system in the industry to cut the 15%-to-100% charge time to roughly eight hours for the hoped-for EPA-estimated 300-mile-range. This might help “reduce charging infrastructure investments and battery wear,” but this is Ford speculating about what remains a core issue with EVs – the ability to charge them and America’s outdated grid and infrastructure that the Republicans refuse to cooperate with job-creating Democrats to update. Continue reading
This is also consistent with public commitments that ridesharing companies have made. Now, they will actually have to solve the problem.
The California Air Resources Board has mandated that rideshare companies begin electrification of their fleets starting in 2023. This is the latest step in California’s longstanding – pre- and post-Trump – quest of meeting what are now the state’s 2030 climate goal of cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 40% below 1990 levels and achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. This aids implementation of Governor Newsom’s Zero Emission Vehicle Executive Order (N-79-20) , aka the state’s air quality goals.
The transportation sector accounts for almost 50% of GHG emissions in California and is responsible for the majority of the state’s air pollution. Though rideshare vehicles are a relatively small portion of California’s vehicle fleet, they often travel many miles beyond the average of other vehicles, so electrifying them can provide significant environmental benefits. Continue reading
A pleasant up to date SUV in a crowded segment. Click to Enlarge.
Will the last passenger car maker please turn out the lights when exiting? That’s the way things are heading industry-wide as the 2022 Hyundai Tucson motors into a marketplace overwhelmed by SUVs and trucks. Hyundai Motor America’s total March SUV sales were up 133% compared with March 2020. Hyundai’s 2021 first quarter SUV sales are up 41% year over year. SUVs now represent 67% of total Hyundai vehicle sales. Easy to understand why Hyundai plans twelve new and “significantly enhanced” SUVs through calendar year 2021.
The most notable thing about the latest Tucson is that a sub-compact albeit long-wheelbase version was developed for the U.S. and Canadian markets to meet buyer demand for bigger vehicles. Tucson now offers a 2.5-liter, direct-injected and multi-port-injected gasoline engine as well as a 1.6-liter, direct-injected, turbocharged hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. Continue reading
The first dedicated Kia battery-electric vehicle, the EV6 crossover, comes to the “US early in 2022,” after a global reveal last March. EV6 goes on sale in all 50 states, but the performance GT version won’t be available until late 2022. So much for Kia’s original positioning as the sporty brand within the Hyundai auto conglomerate.
Starting with the EV6, Kia’s lineup will the “EV” designation followed by a number that indicates the car’s position in the lineup. The so-called E-GMP* modular platform allegedly “maximizes development efficiency and enables the Kia brand to expand its dedicated EV portfolio across multiple vehicle segments – sedans, CUVs, SUVs – in a short time and with minimal complexity.” (Hyundai Motor, Kia to build American-made Electric Vehicles) Continue reading
The original Lightning – a fast V8-powered gas guzzler – was the first truck on the cover of Car and Driver.
F-Series, America’s best-selling truck for four decades is about to offer the F-150 Lightning with full electrification and connected technology. Lightning will have an aimed for 563 horsepower and 775 lb.-ft. of torque – the most torque of any F-150, and the ability to power a home if needed. Powered by dual in-board motors and with standard 4×4, F-150 Lightning has a high-strength, aluminum alloy body, a new independent rear suspension claims improved ride comfort, while an all-new frame uses the strongest steel ever put in an F-150 frame and supports a maximum 2,000-pound payload and up to 10,000-pound towing capacity. (Ford – 100 Years of Trucks – 1917 Model TT to 2017 Raptor)
Two giant questions lurking the floors of the Dearborn Glass House are: When Ford builds it next year in 2022 will they come; Can Ford build a complicated new technology vehicle without a series of recalls, glitches and bugs that have been standard equipment on previous high-technology launches including the current generation Explorer? (See AutoInformed* below) Another unknown is EV tax credits. The maximum Federal tax credit is $7,500 for any vehicle no matter the cost. It ceases for automakers at 200,000 total EVs sold. Both General Motors and Tesla have hit the subsidy wall and currently do not qualify for the $7,500 tax credit. The Biden Administration could change this. Continue reading
Stellantis NV (NYSE / MTA / Euronext Paris: STLA) and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., (“Foxconn”) (TPE: 2317), together with its subsidiary FIH Mobile Ltd., (“FIH”) (HKG:2038), today announced the signing of a non-binding memorandum of understanding to form Mobile Drive, a 50/50 voting rights joint venture aimed at accelerating development timelines to bring “in-vehicle user experiences enabled by advanced consumer electronics, HMI interfaces and services.”
Leaving the marketing babble aside, Mobile Drive will combine Stellantis’ global vehicle design and engineering with Foxconn’s development in the changing software and hardware realms of smartphones and consumer electronics. It’s hoped that the combination will position Mobile Drive ahead of other automakers in the global race to global provide in-cabin information and entertainment capabilities. At best these could be connected inside and outside the vehicles in which they are installed. Continue reading
The bare-bones chassis from a bare bones startup with big ideas to flesh out.
EV startup Zoom said today that pre-orders are now open for purchases of its so-called Lifestyle van and Pickup Truck. Starting today, the Lifestyle vehicle, MPDV and pickup truck can be reserved in the United States with a $100 deposit per vehicle at www.canoo.com. The Lifestyle Vehicle will be the first vehicle to market late in 2022, it’s promised, and has targeted pricing starting from $34,750 -$49,950i for Delivery, Base and Premium models, before incentives, or optional equipment. Range topping Adventure trim pricing will be announced in the coming months. Deliveries for the Pickup truck and scaled production for MPDV are scheduled to begin “as early as 2023.” (First Look – Canoo EV Pickup Truck)
It’s not coincidental that Zoom is scheduled to announce its Q1 financial results after the New York markets close. The larger story, perhaps, is the company, not the vehicle. Canoo is a Los Angeles-based company that has, arguably, pioneering technologies. Its business model drops traditional ownership and is a glimpse at the future of automobility that other companies are also pursuing. Canoo will not have a physical sales network. The company will offer its product directly to customers via subscription, not ownership. Continue reading
Volkswagen, Carmel, IN to Test Cameras and Machine Vision Software to Speed Traffic. Potential Privacy Threats?
This joint project is the first for Volkswagen globally. The company says that its software could have applications in various multi-modal transportation solutions in cities worldwide.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWGoA) and the City of Carmel, IN, have a research project that uses existing city cameras and Volkswagen machine-vision software to help optimize traffic flows, analyze street usage patterns and support emergency response.
The city will have a dashboard that gathers data from various locations and highlights key learnings. The software does not track individuals or individual vehicles; it automatically pixelates faces and license plates. Still, there are privacy concerns here. The software also does not store images, but only the counting data it generates, as a further form of privacy protection. Still, there are privacy concerns here as there is no assurance that tracking could be enabled. Continue reading →