First Electric Lexus Ever Debuts in China Today

Posted on 22 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on Lexus UX 300e

The Lexus UX 300e’s high-output motor should make for sharp acceleration. High-capacity batteries located directly underneath the floor of the cabin deliver a low center of gravity and 400 km-driving range. Combined it’s claimed with new connectivity technology, the 300e maximizes advantages of EVs while realizing driving performance and sale-ability in a popular crossover package.

The world’s largest car market with a communist government that could set the course of clean air vehicles for decades was home to the global debut the first battery electric vehicle from Lexus at the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition. Designed to meet the regulations of China and Europe, the world premier was a reminder – as if automakers need another one – that regulators and emerging green customers have a large say in their designs. Lexus of course is late to the amperage party, puzzling since it led the predecessor hybrid segment. Continue reading →

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Fasten Your Seat Belt – General Motors Files RICO Lawsuit Against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Posted on 21 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com

When President Obama took office, the American auto industry was on the brink of collapse.

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) filed a federal racketeering lawsuit yesterday against FCA (FCA US LLC and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV) and former FCA executives who have previously pled guilty in an ongoing federal corruption probe. The lawsuit alleges that a multi-year pattern of corruption at FCA undermined the integrity of the collective bargaining process, causing GM substantial damages. The UAW and its officials are not Defendants, however. At this point there are no credible estimates on potential requested damages but AutoInformed estimates they will  be in the billions of dollars.

The 95-page complaint filed with the United States Court Eastern District of Michigan is sweeping, complex and potentially far-reaching for both companies, the UAW and organized labor, as well as the ongoing consolidation or reordering of the automobile business. It plays against the financial crisis that was the backdrop of the taxpayer bailouts of bankrupt GM and Chrysler that saw the last major regrouping of the Detroit Three – one that is by no means conclusive. (Troubled Asset Relief Program – Total Cost $32B) Continue reading →

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Continental, 3M to Develop Intelligent Infrastructure Technology

Posted on 21 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on Connected Vehicles V2V or V2I Telematics

V2V allows vehicles to send and receive from each other information such as location, speed, direction of travel. V2I shares data about traffic signal phase, road attributes and surface conditions. This has the potential to mitigate traffic collisions and congestion. They can be integrated with active safety features, such as forward collision warning and side blind zone alert, already available on production cars. Crucial is also infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) interface between infrastructure-related objects and technologies. It’s a complex problem in execution.

In the latest twist on the bumpy road to autonomous vehicles, Continental has entered into a “collaborative evaluation partnership” with 3M to assess the infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) interface between infrastructure-related objects and technologies. This includes pavement markings, conspicuity film, signs and other landmarks on or near the roadways as well as vehicle-related technologies. In short, many milestones that need to be safely and repeatedly passed if and/or when vehicles are to become more autonomous.

By Continental’s admission, and an awareness of the enormity of the task that is becoming more collective admitted among previously unbridled automaker promoters, “current infrastructure is lacking some aspects of consistency, uniformity, performance specifications, and maintenance standards that are important for the industry to optimize the perception and localization capabilities of automated vehicles…
 Continue reading →

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GM and Isuzu Diesel JV Coming at New Ohio Plant

Posted on 21 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com

LaShannon Oldham (left) and Thu Dang install lower head covers onto Duramax diesel engines at the Dmax plant in Dayton, Ohio.

General Motors and Isuzu announced today a $175 million investment through its DMAX joint venture to build an all-new, diesel engine components plant in Brookville, Ohio. The new 251,000 square-foot facility would expand the production of engine components for the company’s current DMAX diesel engine manufacturing operation in Moraine, Ohio. DMAX is a joint venture, 60% owned by GM, 40% owned by Isuzu Diesel Services of America, Inc.

The new investment it’s claimed will create more than 100 new manufacturing jobs at the Brookville. Preliminary work has begun and construction on the new facility will be completed by the end of 2020. When the new Brookville site is up and running, it will operate concurrently with the current DMAX operations in Moraine. Continue reading →

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2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible Global Debut in Los Angeles

Posted on 21 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on 2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible

The roof can be opened or closed at speeds up to 31 mph while an animated display on the instrumentation panel shows the top’s progress.

While it was introduced at the Los Angeles International Motor Show during fall rains, the future looks sunny for the 2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible. Going on sale next summer, the convertible top opens in ~15 seconds and the 471-horsepower 5-liter V8 engine is mated to a Direct-Shift 10-speed automatic transmission that will provide brisk acceleration. Given the $~94,000 t0 ~$100,000, it’s going to take a lot of fast bucks to catch one.

The LC Convertible’s four-layer soft top design comprises a folding mechanism that includes a tonneau cover for when it is stored. This allowed engineers to focus on accentuating the lines of the convertible without “significant intrusions” into the trunk and cabin space from a heavier, bulkier hard top.

Making a virtue of mechanical necessity, the trunk that is vertically enlarged, and the spoiler broadened to emphasize the low, wide stance of the car. The center brake light is now integrated into the trunk lid, unlike the coupe where it rests higher on the top of the rear windshield.
 Continue reading →

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Porsche Taycan 4S, Macan Turbo, 99X Electric at Los Angeles

Posted on 19 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on Porsche Taycan 4S

Both variants of the Taycan 4S accelerate to 100 km/h in 4.0 seconds it’s said.

The Porsche Taycan 4S debuts in the U.S. at the LA Auto Show on 20 November 2019. The all-electric, four-door sports sedan has performance with a claimed “everyday usability.” The new Taycan 4S, is now the starting point of a range that previously contained Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S. Taycan 4S is available with two battery sizes: The Performance Battery generates up to 390 kW (530 PS), while the Performance Battery Plus delivers up to 420 kW (571 PS) of “overboost” power. Continue reading →

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Pew Research Center on Americans’ Views About Privacy, Surveillance and Data-Sharing

Posted on 18 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on Pew Research Center - American Attitudes toward Data Collection

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Pew Research Center notes that today’s digitally networked society runs on, well, quid pro quos. In this non-impeachable case, people exchange details about themselves and their activities for services and products on the web or apps. “Many are willing to accept the deals they are offered in return for sharing insight about their purchases, behaviors and social lives. At times, their personal information is collected by government on the grounds that there are benefits to public safety and security,” says Brooke Auxier,  a research associate focusing on internet and technology research at Pew Research Center.

Attitudes are relevant to the so-called mobility companies that most automakers claim to be metamorphosing to since the sale and use of your personal data are key revenue aspects of the business plan. Continue reading →

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Audi Debuts 2020 E-tron Sportback, all-new RS, S models at Los Angeles Auto Show

Posted on 18 November 2019 by Ken Zino

AutoInformed.com on Audi 2020 e-tron SportbackAn all-new Audi E-tron Sportback makes its global debut at the  Los Angeles Auto Show this week. The first electric Sportback from Audi combines electric driving in a five-passenger SUV package. Consumers will also be able to see the all-new 2020 RS models including the Audi RS 6 Avant, RS 7 and highlighted by the global debut of the high-performance SUV, the Audi RS Q8.

The Audi E-tron Sportback, is the second fully electric model to bear “e-tron” badging that it’s claimed emphasizes emotional design that conveys a stylish presence on the road. The five-passenger SUV coupe will have German driving dynamics and is equipped with standard electric all-wheel drive to help provide  good control on a variety of surfaces and driving settings.
 Continue reading →

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All-Electric Ford Mustang Mach-E ‘SUV’ Debuts in 2020

Posted on 18 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on All-Electric Mustang Mach-E SUV

A pony SUV crossover?

From the people who brought you the ill-fated Mustang 2 here comes an all-electric ‘Mustang’ hatchback dubbed the Mach-E SUV. It too is pursuing buyers that were not in the equation that made the real thing successful. The electric non-pony car is pursuing an EPA-estimated range of 300 miles with the optional extended-range battery, along with rear-wheel drive and software that can direct you to public charging stations. All-wheel drive powered by permanent magnet motors will be optional.

Depending on your point of view, it’s either the corruption of the Mustang brand name or a creative use of it. Time and sales reports will provide some real data. Either way, it’s the latest come from behind assault on Tesla from an old-line automaker. If you overlook the name, on paper – as a test drive awaits – Mach-E has the right powertrain in the right body style, and is just right for meeting global CO2 emission regulations.  (Porsche Claims 20,000 Potential Taycan Buyers,   Porsche Opens Zuffenhausen Factory for All-Electric Taycan)
 Continue reading →

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Volkswagen Group Debuts Investment Plan for 2020-2024

Posted on 16 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on Volkswagen Group Together 2025 Plan

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The Volkswagen Group has revealed its investment plan for 2020 to 2024*. The Group plans to spend nearly €60 billion on hybridization, electric mobility and digitalization in the next five years. This is slightly more than 40% of the company’s investments in property, plant and equipment and all research and development costs during the period. Compared with the Group’s last Planning Round, it’s an increase of around 10%. The Group intends to invest around €33 billion of this in electric mobility. (Drinking the Electrolyte? Audi Plans to Sell 800K EVs in 2025)

“We are resolutely pressing ahead with the transformation of the Volkswagen Group and focusing our investments on the future of mobility. This is part of our systematic and consequent implementation of the Group’s strategy,” said Hans Dieter Pötsch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Volkswagen Group.
Continue reading →

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UAW-Ford Agreement Closes Engine Plant, Protects 8500 Jobs

Posted on 15 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on UAW Ford Contract

“Every Ford employee and temporary employee will be at the top-rate for full-time status at the end of this four-year agreement.”

Ford Motor the largest producer of vehicles and the largest employer of UAW-represented autoworkers, with ~55,000 hourly employees in the U.S., confirmed today that it has reached a four-year contract. It will result in a $700 million Q4 charge, primarily associated with a ratification bonus that prompted only 56.3% of  UAW Ford members to ratify the 2019 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

“Every Ford employee and temporary employee will be at the top-rate for full-time status at the end of this four-year agreement,” said Acting UAW President Rory Gamble, who is Director of the UAW Ford Department. “This is a life-changing.”

The International Executive Board recently put Gamble in charge to address the egregious misconduct that was revealed by FBI criminal investigations of Gary Jones, in the fraudulent diversion of funds from FCA Fiat that were supposed to support UAW worker training1.
 Continue reading →

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New Ford Thanksgiving Parade Float Debuts

Posted on 15 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on New Ford Thanksgiving Parade Float

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Ford Motor Company’s “Creating Tomorrow Together” will be on display with an all-new float making its debut at the 93rd America’s Thanksgiving Parade in downtown Detroit on Thursday 28 November.

At more than 100 feet long and 25 feet tall, Ford’s new float claims to showcase its future –from the innovation hub being developed at the historic Michigan Central Station in Detroit, to the transformation of Ford’s research and engineering campus in Dearborn, and to its robotics lab in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Continue reading →

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First ‘Renault City’ opens in France

Posted on 15 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on Renault City - Concept Store

Not Exactly Amazon Prime, yet.

Groupe Renault, in partnership with the Sofibrie Group has established its first ‘Renault City’ concept store in the Val d’Europe shopping center in Seine-et-Marne. With this new experimental format in the heart of a major shopping area, Renault is establishing itself close to the places most frequented by potential customers. Open 7 days a week, it welcomes visitors from 10am to 9pm from Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 8pm on Sunday. It’s the latest attempts by an automaker to address new age shopping habits. (Group Renault Debuts Hydrogen in Light Commercial Vehicles and Renault, Klépierre Join on Shopping Center Mobility Services)

“A site manager and five ambassadors take turns accompanying visitors in their discovery of the latest innovations from Renault through a physical and digital journey specifically designed for Renault City. The concept store is structured around several areas: an exhibition area for the two latest combustion and electrical or hybrid vehicles, and information corners, including a personalization and accessories area, equipped with a digital configurator,” said Renault. (Unattended Car Buying versus Traditional Purchasing;  Carvana Ups Size, Price of Common Offering. Results Unknown,  Carvana Launches First Vending Machine in California) Continue reading →

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McLaren Wants Tailors and Dressmakers to Build Cars

Posted on 15 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on composite materials

Composite materials, together with future Powertrain technology, will save vehicle weight, boost performance and provide more energy-efficient vehicles.

British luxury supercar maker McLaren is hiring for its new £50m innovation and manufacturing facility in Yorkshire in the North of England. Applicants with experience in a variety of sectors from boat-building to the textiles trade and sporting goods industries are urged to apply for jobs, apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships that will help double the workforce at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre  to ~200 when it is in full production next year.

Those skills are required because materials such as carbon fiber start life as a fabric that has to be cut, put into molds before being treated and becoming a hard material. McLaren claims to be a world-leader in innovating lightweight composite materials, a claim that could plausibly challenged by other automakers. (See stories below) Continue reading →

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Capital Punishment Day for Auto Workers at Daimler

Posted on 14 November 2019 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com on Daimler Business Plan

“This will have a negative impact on our earnings in 2020 and 2021.”

Daimler is cuttings costs and workers as it focuses on a “sustainable business strategy,” said Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG in its Ambition 2039 plan that embraces the Paris Climate Accord. It will take three product cycles.

Daimler will continue to concentrate on individual mobility and transportation of goods and people, but its profitability is negatively impacted by CO2 reduction and the ongoing transformation of automotive industry to new-age mobility providers, Källenius claimed at a presentation for the financial industry yesterday in London.

Personnel costs will drop by the  end of 2022 as Mercedes-Benz Cars plans to save more than €1 billion in personnel costs. Jobs will be cut in both management and “indirect areas.”
Continue reading →

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Posted in financial results, labor issues, mobility company, news analysis | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment