5-Liters of Fun – Mustang Mach 1 a Go for 2021

Posted on 29 May 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino onfAutoInformed.com on 2021 Mustang Mach 1

Mustang Mach 1 is due back next spring.

The fastback that debuted during the muscle car era in 1960s – as a cut-rate version of the Boss or Shelby – returns for global buyers. It will have a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 engine with performance to match but is no longer the cheap fast Mustang that made it a legend. Well, fast it will be. Price is another matter to be announced.

In 1971 Mach 1 with its competition suspension appeared – longer and larger than the original, with an assortment of powerful engine options. In 1974 Mach 1 changed again to a hatchback. This Mach 1 generation had a five-year run and beefed up its handling capabilities more with an optional Rallye Suspension Package. Continue reading →

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Nissan Posts -¥671.2 Billion Loss for Fiscal Year 2019

Posted on 28 May 2020 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Nissan Financial Results for Fiscal Year 2019.

On a management pro forma basis, which includes the proportionate consolidation of results from Nissan’s joint venture Dong Feng operation in China, operating profit was ¥116.7 billion, which equates to a +1.0% operating margin, and net loss was -¥671.2 billion.

Nissan Motor Co. today posted large financial losses for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2020, aka Japanese fiscal year. The global COVID-19 pandemic substantially affected Nissan’s production, sales, and other business activities in all regions. Overall market demand decreased amid the current global environment, which has resulted in a slowdown in global total industry volume (TIV). In fiscal year 2019, the global TIV fell by 6.9% to 85.73 million units. Nissan’s sales dropped 10.6% to 4.93 million vehicles; market share maintained 5.8% as previously forecast. However, Nissan’s business and brand problems go back several years. Nissan today announced the closure of three factories in Barcelona, with the loss of 3,000 jobs and a further 20,000 jobs in the supply chain. (Renault, Nissan Motor, Mitsubishi Slice, Dice World by Brand)

During fiscal year 2019, consolidated net revenue declined to ¥9.8789 trillion yen, resulting in an operating loss of ¥40.5 billion yen and a net loss1 of -¥ 671.2 billion. This includes costs associated with restructuring and impairments of ¥603.0 billion as Nissan tried to improve operational and efficiency improvements. Free cash flow for the automotive business was, gulp, negative -¥641.0 billion.
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Rolls-Royce, Daimler Truck to Develop Stationary Fuel-Cells

Posted on 28 May 2020 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on Daimler Truck and Rolls-Royce to unite on stationary fuel-cell generators

A PEM fuel cell is structured like a sandwich. In the center is a thin plastic film, the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM). This is coated on both sides with a catalyst layer and a gas permeable electrode of graphite paper. The membrane is surrounded by two bipolar plates with milled gas ducts. Through these ducts flows hydrogen one side, and oxygen on the other. Several individual fuel cells are stacked to produce CO2 free energy.

Daimler Truck and Rolls-Royce plan to unite on the development of stationary fuel-cell generators as CO2-neutral emergency power generators for safety-critical facilities such as data centers.

They will offer emission-free alternatives to diesel engines, which are currently used as emergency power generators , or to cover peak loads. They have signed an preliminary agreement, with a comprehensive agreement due and signed by the end of the year.

In April, Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group signed a preliminary, non-binding agreement to establish a new joint venture for the development, production, and sale of fuel-cell systems for heavy-duty commercial vehicles and other uses. The Rolls-Royce Power Systems business unit plans to rely on these fuel-cell systems from the planned joint venture – as well as Daimler’s experience in the emergency power generators it develops and distributes for data centers under the MTU product and solution brand.
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Draining the Swamp – California, 22 States Sue to Stop Trump Emissions Rollback Citing Economic, Health and Climate Goals

Posted on 28 May 2020 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on CO2 Increases in California from Trump EPA Rollback Decree - Source CARB

Click to Enlarge.

Yesterday, California led a lawsuit with 22 more states and other jurisdictions challenging the Trump Administration’s plan to roll back vehicle emissions standards. Since these emission rules were enacted eight years ago, they have reduced air pollution and protected the air we breathe. Now the Federal swamp along the banks of the Potomac is over-populated by big money special interests and giving off fetid emissions that need to be cleaned up through more regulation.

The California Air Resources Board helped develop the original 2012 rules and is represented in this case by the California Attorney General. Trump is among global warming deniers, a position – as usual – that has no basis in fact, but is funded by lobbying groups working for those who benefit from exploiting and increasing the use of carbon-based fossil fuels. The 2012 rules would have had automakers increase the average fuel economy of cars and trucks to ~54 miles per gallon by 2025. The new Trump mini-standards require automakers to only improve their average fleet-wide fuel economy to 40 miles per gallon.
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Renault, Nissan Motor, Mitsubishi Slice, Dice World by Brand

Posted on 27 May 2020 by Ken Zino

Groupe Renault, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation today announced several initiatives as part of a new business model “to enhance the competitiveness and profitability” of the three sometimes at odds companies.** It’s a “survival by consolidation strategy,” which will have international political and product and employment implications for autoworkers, dealers and suppliers.

The member companies plan to build on existing Alliance “benefits” in areas such as joint purchasing by using their respective positions and geographic strengths to support their partners’ business development. The three companies of the Alliance will cover all vehicle segments and technologies globally, while increasing their respective competitiveness.
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Risks Versus Odds Versus “WE the People”

Posted on 27 May 2020 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on Can I Get COVID-19

You decide the odds because they are based on the nature of contacts, their duration, location and the behaviors of others. The risks are certain.

It appears that large sub-segments of the U.S. population are anti-science, anti-vaccine or is that dumb and proud of it? They are putting other people at risk.

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Canada Contracts GM to Make 10 Million Face Masks

Posted on 26 May 2020 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on GM Canada Workers assemble masks using ultrasonic welding stations

GM Canada Workers assemble masks using ultrasonic welding stations, which bind the ear strings to the material.

The Government of Canada today contracted General Motors of Canada to provide 10 million face masks over the next year with production to begin immediately. GM Canada will manufacture the face masks at cost at its Oshawa Operations for the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Canada received its Medical Device Establishment License on April 22 and the company built and installed the mask making machinery, sourced materials and trained its workers in approximately one month. Continue reading →

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Graveyard Whistling? UK Auto Calls to Re-Open Showrooms

Posted on 22 May 2020 by Ken Zino

AutoInformed,com on Money over LivesThe UK automotive industry is today calling on government to allow the country’s 4900 new car showrooms to reopen “as a matter of urgency,” as new calculations from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal a £61 million daily cost to the Treasury of keeping dealerships closed.

The move at first glance appears to a bad one given the scope of the COVID-19 crisis in the UK and the ineptness of the response from 10 Downing street. Coronavirus Cases are currently listed at 254,195, with 36,393 Deaths. These numbers are most assuredly understated given the disarray of policy, confusing government briefings, complications at the National Health Service, and perhaps political interference in the reporting system – a global problem. (Government scientist admits March halt on community testing and tracing for coronavirus was due to limited capacity)
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Xpeng Gets Production License for Zhaoqing Factory

Posted on 21 May 2020 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on Xpeng P7 Sport Sedan

A serious competitor for western automakers with the world’s largest vehicle market as home.

Xpeng Motors, an electric vehicle and technology company, says that it has received the official production license from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for its newly-built, wholly-owned factory, the Zhaoqing Xpeng Motors Intelligent Industrial Park in Guangdong Province.

The approval will accelerate the production of the “super-long range” sports sedan Xpeng P7, a pure EV, the company’s second production model, ensuring customer deliveries scheduled for 2Q 2020 at ~$32,400 – $49,200.

“The Zhaoqing manufacturing plant is an essential component of our vision to build a smart mobility ecosystem, from in-house R&D to smart manufacturing to customer services. Obtaining the production approval for the plant will hasten our progress in producing and delivering best-in-class products and services for our customers,” said He Xiaopeng, Chairman and CEO of Xpeng Motors, which also built the plant.
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Two Spanish Nissan Plants on Strike over Job Security

Posted on 21 May 2020 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on Struggling Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance

COVID-19 continues as a Global disaster.

Workers at two Nissan auto plants in Barcelona are on indefinite strike due to a lack of clarity about the future of Nissan operations in Spain, according to the global union IndustriAll. The Barcelona factories shut due to the corona virus lockdown in mid-March, and partially reopened on 4 May, only to be hit almost immediately by strike action over a failure to confirm a commitment to maintaining employment levels. (2020 Nissan Frontier – Hinting at a Next Gen Version)

The workers are striking due to Japanese media reports that Nissan intends to reduce its staff by 20% globally and shut the Barcelona plants. Nissan could in theory shut all its European plants, as the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance continues its post Carlos Ghosn struggles. Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced about 600,000 vehicles.

On 14 May, the Nikkei Shimbun published a speculative story on Nissan’s future production strategy. “Nissan in fiscal 2019 produced about 55,000 vehicles in Spain, accounting for about 10% of its European output. It will shift its Barcelona production to Renault plants in France and elsewhere,” said the Nikkei,

“Nissan has not made any official statement on this subject. Nissan’s midterm planning is in progress and has not been concluded yet. As announced earlier, Nissan will announce a revised midterm plan along with fiscal year 2019 financial results on May 28,” said a Nissan statement.

“Nissan unions have been in communication with the company since last year about the global business plan and the future of the factories in Spain. These are still under consideration and no decisions have been communicated. European works council representatives confirm that they had not been consulted on any restructuring plan,” according to IndustriALL.
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US COVID-19 Crisis = Struggles with Healthcare, Housing, Food

Posted on 20 May 2020 by Ken Zino

The first results from the new U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey released today show that many households have experienced loss in employment income, are concerned about food security, and have deferred decisions to access health care.

The data provide some dreary insights on employment status, spending, food security, housing, education disruptions, and health. In this initial release, the Household Pulse Survey Interactive Tool provides data for select indicators at national and state levels. National data also are available in table format. Census subsequent weekly releases through late July and will include additional estimates for states and the 15 largest metropolitan statistical areas.

The results might be skewed positive to current Republican Wishful thinking, rather than stark reality since the Trump Administration perverted the Bureau as part of a failed ploy on  Republican Repression of Voters by dictating unprecedented questions on the Census designed to discourage less affluent people from participating.
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2020 Nissan Frontier – Hinting at a Next Gen Version

Posted on 20 May 2020 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on 2020 Nissan Frontier - Chicago Auto Show Debut February 2020

Both the engine and transmission are key elements in the next-generation Frontier.

The 2020 Nissan Frontier is an example of how regulations are now dictating auto design by either delaying or pulling ahead or revising vehicle updates to comply with a bewildering set of global regulations that are not in sync with one another. The Renault Nissan Alliance is due to announce a global production revision next week that will determine where products are made and how many of them are built. With all-new 3.8-liter V6 and all-new 9-speed automatic transmission, Frontier originally due this spring will now appear in US showrooms at the end of July. Stay tuned.

Along with the 49-horsepower improvement compared to the previous Frontier V6, fuel economy is expected to increase. Also contributing to the 2020 Frontier’s improved acceleration and fuel economy is the all-new 9-speed automatic transmission. These alone make it a credible entry into the compact, now mid-size pickup truck segment, long the pick of younger buyers.

However, the $20,000 pickup is no more. Along with the Chevrolet Colorado and the Ford Ranger, the price of entry is now at least $28,000 ranging up to, gulp, $38,000. (Ford to Bring Back Ranger Pickup to North America, Off-Road Cruise Control on 2019 F-150 Raptor and Ranger, Chevy Marks Four Years of Colorado Sales with Sales Editions)
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CAR Launches Research Exploring the Auto Industry 4.0

Posted on 19 May 2020 by Ken Zino

The Center for Automotive Research has a new consortium-based research initiative, Auto 20/20: The State of Industry 4.0, to investigate the current business and propose recommendations for a path towards successful Industry 4.0 implementation. Auto 20/20 will chart a course for the 4th Industrial Revolution in the automotive industry by providing industry stakeholders a strategic understanding of the real-world challenges and opportunities in implementing Industry 4.0 initiatives.

CAR has assembled a consortium of funding firms, targeting partners representing critical aspects of the Industry 4.0 ecosystem, including hardware, data management, digital solutions, consulting, and cloud infrastructure. Accenture, Cloudera, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, PTC, and Rockwell Automation are founding partners of this consortium.
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First Virtual Look – 2021 Toyota Venza Two-Row Crossover

Posted on 19 May 2020 by Ken Zino

AutoInformed.com on the Screen debut of the 2021 Toyota VenzaTwo of the more than 50 debuts originally planned for the Covid-cancelled 2020 New York International Automobile Show were unveiled digitally by Toyota. The 2021 Sienna and an all-new 2021 Venza were shown for the first time online.

All Venza’s will be hybrids – supporting Toyota’s stated goal of selling 25% of its product line as hybrids by 2025 – and all will be AWD. More pertinent to buyers, the 219 horsepower, 5-seat Venza is projected to have an EPA combined mileage of 40 mpg (LE trim and Electronic On-Demand All-Wheel Drive) when it goes on sale this summer.

Pricing is not released yet and could be critical to Venza’s success in the salesroom or as is likely online as the U.S. is far, far behind in social distancing and a national response. It does however lead the world in Covid plague deaths.
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Failed Pre-Collision – Ford Recalls Expedition, Navigator

Posted on 18 May 2020 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company is recalling more than 25,000 Expedition and Navigator models because the camera-only Pre-Collision Assist does not enable itself. Because of incorrect computer coding of interfacing modules, the Pre-Collision Assist feature is not enabled, and the driver cannot access the menu functions necessary to enable the Pre-Collision Assist feature. Obviously, this is a safety defect because if the driver is unaware that the Pre-Collision Assist system is not enabled, they may rely on a system that is not functional, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
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