Ford Motor 2020 US Sales Plunge -16%

Posted on 6 January 2021 by Ken Zino
ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Ford Motor 2020 US Sales

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Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) today reported its fourth quarter and full-year 2020 U.S. sales results. Ford says Q4 total industry sales totaled approximately 4.3 million vehicles – a decline of 2.8 percent over a year ago. In Q4 Ford Motor sales dropped 9.8%, a disastrous result for management.

For the year Ford sales dropped -15.6%. Ford sales were hurt by lower F-150 inventories from the ongoing consequences of the Q2 coronavirus production stoppage, which resulted in an awful F-150 transition to a revised pickup. Super Duty sales maintained pace and were up 14.1% while F-150 sales were off, gulp, -32.7%, which will make for a grim Q4 2020 financial loss. At the moment Ford executives appear to be in the automotive industry equivalent of  an FBI witness protection program – no more sales results press conferences.
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GM 2020 US Sales – Infected by Covid –  Are Down -12%

Posted on 6 January 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on 2020 GM US Vehicle Sales

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General Motors (NYSE: GM) sold 771,323 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2020. Total sales for Q4 were up 5% year over year. GM claimed its best fourth quarter retail sales since 2007, with deliveries up 12%. Sales for the calendar year were 2,547,339 units, with total deliveries down 12% year over year and retail deliveries down 6%. Retail sales for the industry began to recover in May and reached pre-pandemic levels during the fourth quarter. Sales to fleets are recovering – but remain sharply lower, especially daily rental deliveries. Average GM transaction prices set fourth-quarter and full-year records at $41,886 and $39,229, respectively.

GM estimates it gained market share in total, retail and fleet deliveries for both the fourth quarter and calendar year. GM ended 2020 with inventory of 410,875 units, including in-transit units, down 205,148 units year over year. Fourth-quarter incentive spending as a percentage of ATP was 10.7%, close to the industry average, according to J.D. Power PIN estimates. Continue reading →

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GM to Convert More than 650 US Temp Employees to Full-Time

Posted on 5 January 2021 by Ken Zino

General Motors says that more than 650 hourly employees at its sites in the U.S. will transition from temporary to regular full-time employment during January 2021. These employees work at nine GM manufacturing plants and other sites in Michigan, Indiana, Texas and Missouri.

General Motors offers some of the best-paying manufacturing jobs in the United States, including top-of-the-line health care benefits with low out-of-pocket costs compared to other employers in any industry. The temporary employees transitioning to regular full-time status will see medical plan cost-share improvements, the addition of dental and vision coverage, company contributions into their 401(k) plans, profit sharing and life insurance coverage.  Continue reading →

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One-Millionth Subscriber Joins Subaru Connected Services

Posted on 5 January 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Subaru Starlink

Connected Services can be accessed through the vehicle, smartphone or computer.

Subaru of America says it has enrolled the one-millionth subscriber into Starlink Connected Services. Subscription-based services are part of Subaru’s In-Vehicle Technology program that with variations is increasingly offered by other automakers in hopes of generating revenue.

The  Subaru system claims to provide multimedia content, smartphone connectivity, navigation, extra safety, and everyday convenience. Looming as these systems increase are privacy and security concerns as well as the re-selling of customer data, which critics argue the customer owns. Continue reading →

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VW Beetle Ensnared in Takata Airbag Recall

Posted on 4 January 2021 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com

A bug in the airbag propellant, so to speak.

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 105,652 model-year 2012-2014 Volkswagen Beetle and Beetle Convertible compacts. The Takata supplied driver’s side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.The exploding airbag sends shrapnel into the interior, which can cause serious or fatal injuries.

VW maintains that the Takata SDI-D driver frontal airbag inflators installed in the recalled vehicles currently do not pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety to drivers of affected vehicles. “Based on its prior conversations with NHTSA, Volkswagen understands that the Agency is concerned that after additional time, the airbag inflator may not perform properly in the event of a crash,” VW said. Continue reading →

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Commerce – S. Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam Tire Dumping

Posted on 4 January 2021 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) issued at year end a preliminary decision that passenger and light truck tires imported from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value, aka “dumping.”

The petitioner is the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO, CLC (Pittsburgh, PA). Using Census Bureau trade numbers, AutoInformed figures this involves 85,330,506 tires with a value of more than $3.5 billion. The case will drag on well into this year. Continue reading →

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Miss Shilling’s Orifice Fixed Merlin Engines on Spitfires

Posted on 2 January 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Beatrice Shilling and SU Carburetors During WW2

Beatrice continued racing a 1935 Lagonda at Silverstone and took part in sportscar races at Goodwood during the 1950’s but was always known for her Merlin engine modifications.

My first knuckle-skinning love of SU Carburetters (sic) came along with sundry ground-bound Austin-Healey and MGs I owned and thrashed over New Jersey and New York roads. Little did I know, that late in 1940, years before I was born, an engineer named Beatrice Shilling introduced a modification that allowed the Merlin engine to overcome “fluff” or fuel starvation, thereby allowing war production of automotive parts to defend Old Blighty during the Battle of Britain.

In one of those odd and startling connections, we are in a war now against Covid that will require the collective sacrifice and patriotism that was on display during the British battle and subsequently – in another parallel – our struggles under the Roosevelt Administration that followed a demonstrably incompetent Republican one. Continue reading →

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Aston Martin Returns to Formula 1 in 2021?

Posted on 1 January 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Aston Martin Returns to F1 in 2021

A dubious proposition then and now?

For the first time in six decades, Aston Martin will make its racing debut at the start of the 2021 Formula 1 season in Melbourne.

The Aston Martin Formula One Team will reveal in February its 2021 livery – working on sponsors – and driver line-up with four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel,  from Ferrari and infrequent Grand Prix podium finisher Lance Stroll from Williams and Racing Point –  at the home of Aston Martin in Gaydon.

The Aston Martin name had been established on the hill-climb courses of Great Britain during beginning of the last century. Lionel Martin had success at the wheel of his own car. However, Grand Prix racing around Europe promised the wider fame and sales he wanted for his company.

Whether that holds true today given the tatters that F1 was in last year remains to be proven. The 2020 F1 season is one I won’t miss. (I guess the nicest way to characterize the last race is “strategic.” This is a polite way of saying there wasn’t any racing going on. Ferrari with six straight losing seasons. Mercedes dominating qualifying and the races as it had for years on years. YAWN. Changing 2021 down-force doesn’t appear to be anything but a meaningless tweak. I know: don’t write your lede on the way to Australia in 2021. Still it reminds me of the McClaren mid-1980s domination years that badly damaged F1 with its lack of racing. ) Continue reading →

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Setback – Ford Motor and Mahindra End JV Discussions

Posted on 31 December 2020 by Ken Zino

In a classic 4:15pm release on New Year’s eve designed to bury bad news, Ford Motor Company has just announced that it is ending a proposed joint-venture with Mahindra that would have been responsible for expanding the Ford brand in India and exporting Mahindra products to Ford entities globally. Ford would have continued to own the brand (a valuable asset that could be borrowed against as it did during the Great Recession), and its branded vehicles would be distributed through the current Ford India dealer network. Mahindra would have continued to own the Mahindra brand and operate its own independent dealer network in India. (See AutoInformed.com on Ford Restructuring – Mahindra Joint Venture Announced and Mahindra, Ford to Study Links in India, Emerging Markets)

The failure “was driven by fundamental changes in global economic and business conditions – caused, in part, by the global pandemic – over the past 15 months.  Those changes influenced separate decisions by Ford and Mahindra to reassess their respective capital allocation priorities,” Ford said. Ford in AI’s opinion is on track to lose $400 billion this quarter. Ford and Mahindra announced an alliance in September 2017, and it was expected to be operational by mid-2020. (Things move glacially at Ford see Ford Motor Changes CEO from Jim Hackett to Jim Farley and Weak Ford 2018 Financial Results Prove Need for Shakeup) The joint venture would have been operationally managed by Mahindra, and its governance will be composed of representatives of Mahindra and Ford. Continue reading →

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Small Business Pulse Weak – Large Negative Covid Effects

Posted on 31 December 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Small Business Pulse is Weak as Trump is Ousted

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The Small Business Pulse Survey that describes information from businesses with one to 499 employees on things such as location closings, employment changes, disruptions in the supply chain, the use of federal assistance programs, and expectations concerning future operations, was a timely addition by the Census Bureau this year.

It continues to show the deadly effects of COVID-denial and incompetence among Trump Administration officials that is killing ever more Americans daily with no end in sight. At the very least it provides insight as to what relief is really needed even as Mitch McConnell and his band of Republican outlaws and traitors refuse to provide federal aid to people who plainly need it. Continue reading →

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Alexa Voice Now Available on FCA’s New Fiat 500 EV

Posted on 30 December 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Fiat 500 EV adds Alexa

Alexa is the intelligent cloud-based voice service that you can talk to.

Alexa voice is now embedded in the new Fiat 500, along with the new MyFiat Connected Car Skill. With Alexa built-in, occupants can ask Alexa to play music, hear the news, check weather, control smart home devices, access tens of thousands of Alexa skills, and other technical curiosities. (New Fiat 500 Debuts at the Quirinale and Palazzo Chigi)

The Alexa invasion, offered as part of FCA’s Uconnect Services option, is first available to customers in Italy, with new models continuing to roll out through 2021 in Austria, France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

The launch Alexa on the Fiat 500 continues a global collaboration between FCA and Amazon. FCA customers were initially introduced to Alexa through FCA’s custom Alexa Connected Car Skills, including MyJeep and MyAlfa, which allows customers with Alexa-enabled devices at home to easily ask Alexa to check the battery level of the car, lock/unlock doors, among other trifles. The integration of Alexa on the Uconnect Services suite “deepens the experience by bringing Alexa into the vehicle itself” claims FCA. (Eightieth Anniversary of the Fiat 500 ‘Topolino’) Continue reading →

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Droning On: FAA Belatedly Issues Unmanned Aircraft Regs. Bits of Aircraft Rules Pilots Obey Now Will Eventually Apply

Posted on 29 December 2020 by Ken Zino

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Belated FAA Drone RegulationsThe U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced final rules for Unmanned Aircraft (UA), commonly known as drones. The new rules – years upon years late – finally will require Remote Identification (Remote ID) of drones and allow operators of small drones to fly over people and at night under some conditions. Private and commercial pilots flying aircraft in the same airspace as drones have been doing this for decades – well into the last century – and are also required to possess a license that require rigorous training in airspace, among other areas such as weather, aerodynamics, and operator medical factors.

These rules come at a time when drones are the fastest-growing segment in the entire transportation sector – with currently more than 1.7 million drone registrations and 203,000 FAA “certificated” (requirements not even close to what private pilots must know on the FAA written test) remote pilots. Continue reading →

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FAW To Enter EU with a Luxury Electric SUV – Hongqi E-HS9

Posted on 28 December 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Hongqi E-HS9 Luxury SUV EV

AutoInformed defers to your taste and definitions to determine if the Hongqi E-HS9 delivers “great sportiness and stylishness” as FAW says.

The Hongqi E-HS9, an electric premium SUV, was unveiled in Boao, Hainan, China on 4 December 2020. Now comes word that this  flagship electric SUV manufactured in China by the formidable communist FAW Group, that Hongqi will first implement its Europe strategy in Northwestern Europe with E-HS9. It says that it will gradually assist European users to become familiar with Hongqi brand. In coming years, Hongqi will roll out small-and-medium-size SUVs and sedans.

The first European sales partner of Hongqi is a relatively obscure Norwegian auto distributor called Motor Gruppen with 45 years of history. Hongqi E-HS9 will be officially distributed in Norway by Motor Gruppen, while FAW will provide parts and technical support. “Both sides will make joint efforts to promote the development of Hongqi in Norway. In the future, starting from Norway, FAW will gradually establish sales service networks in other European countries and regions and launch its models, striving to extend its success in China to Europe and even the world,” FAW said. Continue reading →

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Honda Recalls a Recall on 2002-06 CR-V Models for Fire Hazard

Posted on 26 December 2020 by Ken Zino

What started out as a recall on CR-V power window master switches has resulted in a recall of that recall because the recall fix (NHTSA ID 12V-486) of applying butyl tape to seal the power window master switch (PWMS) from moisture was “insufficient.”

The butyl tape could separate from the master switch  if improperly applied. Moisture can then enter through an open driver’s window and reach the switch on the door. Over time, moisture can cause electrical resistance in the switch, which ultimately can cause the switch to overheat and melt, damaging the switch made in Japan by Nidec Mobility and potentially damaging an associated wire harness. If a switch melts, it could produce smoke and increase the risk of a fire. Continue reading →

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FAA Grants Santa Claus Special Flight and Launch Permissions

Posted on 24 December 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Santa and COVID Christmas

Ho, ho, ho…

The Federal Aviation Administration has granted Santa Claus and his reindeer-powered sleigh special operating authority to engage in interstate air-cargo-delivery services directly to rooftops throughout the United States on Christmas Eve.

In addition, for the first time ever, the FAA issued Santa a special commercial space license for a crewed mission to the International Space Station using his StarSleigh-1 space capsule powered by the Rudolph Rocket. The mission license includes both launch and reentry operations and will occur from a U.S.-based spaceport.

Santa knows this Christmas is different from other years and agrees with the FAA decision to give priority to flights carrying COVID-19 vaccines and other cargo critical to the nation’s response to the ongoing public health emergency that was made worse by a naughty and decidedly not nice Republa-Grinch group. Follow Santa’s progress as he travels across the U.S. by visiting the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) website, where NORAD tracks Santa’s Christmas Eve voyage. Continue reading →

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