Vijay Sankaran Rejects Information Officer Job at Ford

Posted on 20 November 2020 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company in a classic late Friday bad news  announcement ploy said late today that Vijay Sankaran will not rejoin the company, “citing personal reasons.” Ford has previously said that Sankaran, 47, had accepted an offer to become Ford’s chief software and information officer beginning this week, after serving seven years with TD Ameritrade. Sankaran, previously had served 12 years with Ford’s information technology team until 2013.  Ford will announce a permanent senior leader to oversee technology, software and data “in the near future.”
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GM’s Factory ZERO – First U.S. Plant to Install 5G

Posted on 20 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Cadillac Lyric EV

Cadillac Lyric – a serious run at German luxury SUVs that define the segment.

General Motors today said that Factory ZERO, aka Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center, is the first automotive plant in the U.S. to install dedicated 5G fixed mobile network technology. Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband service is operating now at Factory ZERO, with its claimed exponential increases in both bandwidth and speed supporting the ongoing transformation of the all-electric vehicle assembly plant as it prepares to begin producing EVs in 2021. (Cadillac LYRIC – Taking Back the Luxury EV Lead?)

A 5G Ultra-Wideband network has considerably faster download speeds and greater bandwidth than 4G networks. Factory ZERO is being completely retooled with a $2.2 billion investment, the largest ever for a GM manufacturing facility. Once fully operational, the plant will have more than 2,200 good-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs. Hamtramck is huge with 4 million square feet of space. (see AI – GM Doubles Down on EVs in Bid to Win Global Race) Continue reading →

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GM Doubles Down on EVs in Bid to Win Global Race

Posted on 19 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM's Growing EV Plan

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General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said today that the company will offer 30 all-electric models globally by mid-decade. Forty percent of the company’s U.S. entries will be battery electric vehicles by the end of 2025. Barra also announced an increase in GM’s financial commitment to EVs and AVs today to $27 billion through 2025 – up from the $20 billion planned before the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of GM’s capital spending and product development team will be devoted to electric and electric-autonomous vehicle programs. (Cadillac LYRIC – Taking Back the Luxury EV Lead?  Honda, GM Ink MoU on North American Alliance!)

“Climate change is real, and we want to be part of the solution by putting everyone in an electric vehicle,” said Barra. “We are transitioning to an all-electric portfolio from a position of strength and we’re focused on growth. We can accelerate our EV plans because we are rapidly building a competitive advantage in batteries, software, vehicle integration, manufacturing and customer experience.”  Barra’s announcement is in line with President Biden as of 20 January 2021.

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM making EVs the core product lines of the future.

GM is making EVs the core product lines of its future.

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JLR to Use Irish Smart City Hub for Self-Driving Tests?

Posted on 19 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on JLR Autonomous Hub in Ireland

Brexit remains a problem of JLR.

Timing is everything. Amid the Brexit disaster, Jaguar Land Rover is working with global software, mobility and telecoms companies to create a smart city hub in Ireland. If this ever comes about on the scale envisioned, it will allow real-world testing of connected technology where self-driving vehicles share the streets with cars, pedestrians and cyclists. The testbed will be in the Limerick-Shannon metropolitan area at Shannon Free Zone, Shannon, Co. Clare. The future of Irish trade, political sovereignty and access to the EU is dependent on the resolution of Brexit. Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest automotive manufacturer.

Brexit talks were stopped yet again today (Thursday) when head European Union negotiator Michel Barnier announced a member of his team tested positive for COVID-19. Significant gaps in the auto industry’s ability to plan still exist, with a lack of clarity on the nature of the UK-EU’s future relationship hampering the efforts of almost nine in 10 firms to prepare according to a trade group. A disastrous ‘no deal’ outcome, or failure to achieve workable deal for auto, would mean £47 billion hit to UK sector over next five years – on top of ongoing corona virus crisis costs, the auto industry claims. Ah, such is the price of failed ideologies grimly held by blind ideologues who ignore real consequences, economists and political scientists to their own detriment if not self destruction. (see AutoInformed – SMMT – Final Plea for Zero-Tariff Trade Deal As Brexit Negotiations Near End) Continue reading →

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Truck Wars – 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 470hp V8

Posted on 17 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 470hp V8

“This is the most powerful, quickest, most capable Jeep Wrangler we’ve ever built.”

Jeep has revealed its new 2021 Wrangler Rubicon 392, which is clearly the most powerful factory Wrangler yet with a 6.4-liter V8 engine, rated at 470 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque. AutoInformed has not driven the V8 in these Covid infested times, but we won’t quibble with the stated zero to-60 mph ET of 4.5 seconds about ~40% faster than a V6 Wrangler Rubicon. The 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 goes on sale in the first quarter of 2021. (See AI on GMC 2021 Canyon AT4 Off-Road Performance Edition, First Look – Jeep Wrangler Rubicon V8 Concept, Ford Bronco Sequel Appears with First-Ever Four-Door)

Whether this beast is the better choice for off-roading will likely be debated for some time. It has a 2-inch factory lift. True to the trend among performance truck makers, capability is there with larger approach and departure angles (approach, breakover and departure angles of 44.5, 22.6 and 37.5 degrees, respectively), more suspension articulation, and water traversing up to 32.5 inches. Marketing babble alert – a Tri-level Hydro-Guide air intake system can channel up to 15 gallons of water a minute away from engine.  A secondary air path built into the hood allows engine breathing up to top speed even if the hood scoop is completely clogged by mud, snow or debris.
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GMC 2021 Canyon AT4 Off-Road Performance Edition

Posted on 17 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on 2021 GMC Canyon AT4 Off-Road Performance Edition

“When customers are looking for a capable off-road truck, we know that they want improved vehicle height as well as additional protection.”

The profitable and relatively new performance pickup truck segment continues to expand with fresh offerings. Latest is the 2021 GMC Canyon AT4 Off-Road Performance Edition, an upsell/upgrade of the Canyon AT4. It is equipped for rugged off-road environments. The base Canyon AT4 debuted in January with 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires, an off-road tuned suspension package with Advanced Hill Descent Control System and a four-wheel drive system with Eaton G80 Rear Automatic Locking Differential.
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Plug&Charge Pay on Mustang Mach-E, Porsche Taycan

Posted on 16 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Electrify America and Fast Charging Stations.

Electrify America is the largest DC fast charging network with 500 charging stations and +2,200 chargers.

Continuing a series of announcements that indicate the growing sophistication of electric vehicles,  Electrify America’s ultra-fast charging network now  has technology called Plug&Charge that allows EV drivers to begin a charge without reaching for their wallet or smartphone. After an online registration, drivers can automatically pay for charging by simply plugging in their EV. The charger communicates with the vehicle to identify, authenticate, authorize and bill the customer’s registered account for the charging session.

This technology is now available on all Electrify America chargers across the U.S. in advance of the anticipated arrival in the coming months of Plug&Charge–capable EVs, including the 2021 models of the Porsche Taycan, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Lucid Air. Continue reading →

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Driver Phone Distraction During 41% of Daytime Trips

Posted on 13 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on CMT’s DriveWell Technology

Big Brother run rampant or a socially beneficial use of data?

Driver distraction is a fast-growing problem that has proven difficult to quantify and contain, thanks to the lack of a consistent method of measurement and varying levels of enforcement across the U.S. According to a new report on phone use by Cambridge Mobile Telematics*. The data combined with CMT’s research and analysis offers” the most comprehensive overview of the state of phone distraction on our roads today,” CMT claims. Critics note that this is ”Big Brother” taken to a higher level. AutoInformed is in the early stages of testing the software on cars in use.

CMT claims (it specializes in smartphone telematics and driving behavioral analytics) that U.S. drivers were distracted by their phones during 41% of all daytime drives in 2019. Smart phone use has steadily risen over the last decade, so too has the issue of phone distraction behind the wheel, CMT observes. Continue reading →

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Europe’s F-Series – All-Electric Ford E-Transit Revealed

Posted on 12 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Ford E-Transit

E-Transit reduces  cost of ownership by approximately 40% compared with internal combustion engine-equipped models because of lower maintenance expenses, Ford claims.

Ford today showed the new E-Transit van in the UK. It claims E-Transit will offer customers enhanced productivity enabled by its fully electric powertrain, software solutions, services and Pro Power Onboard options. The vehicle will eventually be produced for North American customers at the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri. It will likely be priced starting at about $45,000.

E-Transit, which starts arriving with European customers in early 2022, is part of Ford’s more than $11.5 billion global investment in electrification through 2022. The all-new, all-electric Mustang Mach-E will be in European dealerships from early next year and the fully electric F‑150 appears at North American dealers in mid-2022.
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Covid Casualties – Consumers Forcing Digital Auto Financing as Trump Sulks and Virus Continues to Spread

Posted on 12 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on 2020 Consumer Finance satisfaction and Covid changes

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The profitable meeting with the auto dealership’s finance department as vehicle buyers are presented with the dealer’s recommended financing options and offered add-ons (aka sell ups) is evolving to more of a digital experience. It is also being shaped by consumer demand. According to the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Consumer Financing Satisfaction Study released today, more vehicle buyers than ever have turned to digital channels when it comes to pre-transaction research and lining up financing options for a new vehicle.

It’s just another example of how the ongoing Covid crisis will change well-established business practices in the auto industry. Auto dealers, who tend to be Republican in AutoInformed’s experience, can thank the ousted -ex-president Trump for this very real threat to their profitability. Wearing a mask won’t help the spread of this change as Covid continues to expand unabated due to the lack of a national policy – one that won’t be forthcoming until January 20th 2021.
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Federal Reserve President on Do Nothing Republicans – The Economy Goes Where The Virus Goes

Posted on 12 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Covid Crisis

If Trump continues his 4-year-old tantrum and keeps kicking his feet and holding his breathe while Covid continues unabated, he will turn into a Blue State…

Mary Daly, President of the San Francisco Federal Reserve this morning observed on CNBC that the US economy continues to expand “but at a slower pace than we had right after we came back from the shelter in place orders, and that’s really a reaction to two things. First of all, we had to ramp up to get back into activity and that caused a surge in growth, so a natural slowing is expected.

“But I also see the rising caseloads and we know that, voluntarily, people are going back into their homes; they’re less confident in going out when caseloads rise, and so I would expect some further slowing as we go forward consistent with the rising caseloads. Same thing we’ve been hearing for a while, top priority is getting the virus under control.” Continue reading →

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Safran Won’t Deal with Black Women in Mississippi

Posted on 12 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on IIndustriALL affiliate Workers United versus Safron aerospace

The union says that although they tried to find middle ground, they have been met by a brick wall.

Black women at Safran’s aircraft engine plant in Mississippi have not had a pay increase since 2018, are not entitled to sick days and have had to work throughout the pandemic. Yet Safran is refusing to bargain in good faith with IndustriALL affiliate Workers United, the global union claims.

Workers United has bargained with Safran since September for a new agreement. Negotiations broke down when the employer refused to accept pay increases for the coming three years and insisted that they would be able to use any criteria to lay-off or recall workers. Safran already has the right to lay-off and recall employees in tiers of most efficient workers and least efficient workers. Safron Engine did not immediately respond to a request for comment or clarification.
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Nürburgring – Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S Beats Porsche

Posted on 11 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S

Just bring about $163,000 to the dealership for one – if you can find one.

A 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S set a record time on so-called Nordschleife “North loop” of the Nürburgring. Making it first on the official list of best cars in the “luxury class” category. AMG development engineer Demian Schaffert, a former racing driver, beat his own previous lap record set in the fall of 2018 by 2.3 seconds. The officially measured and notary-certified values are: 7:23.009 min for the 12.8-mile-long version* (without straight-line measurement for track section T13) and 7:27.800 min for the 12.944-mile-long complete track (with straight-line measurement for track section T13).

This variant and this lap time are officially listed by Nürburgring GmbH on their homepage. Mercedes-AMG has regained the crown in the class for the moment. The freshened Porsche Panamera Turbo S set a 7m 29.81s earlier this year, bettering the 7m 30.11s lap Schaffert set a couple of years ago. The AMG record footage shows a mostly clean run, albeit with some curb clipping/banging and the Michelin tires screaming in protest during turns.
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SMMT – Final Plea for Zero-Tariff Trade Deal As Brexit Negotiations Near End

Posted on 11 November 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on SMMT Plea For Brexit Deal

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The UK automotive industry has issued a last-chance plea for a zero-tariff, zero-quota trade deal as Brexit negotiations enter the endgame this week. The call comes as a new survey from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveals the cost to the sector of preparing for Brexit has surpassed £735 million, with more than £235 million spent in 2020 alone. (Brexit – UK Car Production Declines -10.6%. Exports Hit, No Deal Brexit to Cost UK Auto Sector £9 Billion Per Year, Brexit Panic Takes Hold. Auto Industry Urges – Begs? – Negotiators to Avert the Business Killing Worst-Case Scenario, Brexit Automaker Winners, Losers – Predictable and Surprising, Doomsday? No-Deal Brexit Impact on UK Light Vehicle Market)

Most companies (67%) across the industry say they are doing everything in their control to prepare for new processes that will come into play on 1 January, with 70% securing GB Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) numbers, 60% spending significantly on stockpiling and 52% employing customs agents, as companies also try to prepare for any disruption or delay to supply chains.

However, significant gaps in the industry’s ability to plan still exist, with a lack of clarity on the nature of the UK-EU’s future relationship hampering the efforts of almost nine out of 10 (86%) firms to prepare. A disastrous ‘no deal’ outcome, or failure to achieve workable deal for auto, would mean £47 billion hit to UK sector over next five years – on top of ongoing coronavirus crisis costs, the auto industry claims. Ah, such is the price of blind ideologies who ignore real consequences, economists and political scientists. Continue reading →

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General Motors to Add 3000 New Jobs to Advance Virtual Testing and Software Skills

Posted on 10 November 2020 by Ken Zino
GM Hiring Software and Technical Engineers

GM Software Automation Engineer Daniel Heintzel works with a telematics robot at the Infotainment Lab.

General Motors says it will hire 3,000 new employees in engineering, design and IT to help product development and ‘software as a service’ activities. The positions in engineering, IT and design will contribute to GM’s EV and “customer experience” priorities. GM will also offer more remote opportunities than ever as development of autonomous and electric vehicles and advanced platforms like the Ultium battery system continue. GM claims that recent virtual development innovations made by the company’s engineering team have allowed GM to speed up the product timelines of upcoming EVs while keeping costs low.

“As we evolve and expand our software expertise and services, it’s important that we continue to recruit and add diverse talent,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “This will clearly show that we’re committed to further developing the software we need to lead in EVs, enhance the customer experience and become a software expertise-driven workforce.” Continue reading →

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