Tilt! Stellantis Now Favoring Hybrids in Europe

Posted on 9 July 2024 by Ken Zino
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Stellantis (NYSE: STLA) said today that is changing its self-described multi-energy approach to respond to the sharp rise in sales of hybrid vehicles in Europe, including models equipped with its new “advanced hybrid eDCT technology.”* The company will offer 30 hybrid models in Europe during 2024 but now plans to bring six more to market by 2026. Hybrid versions reduceCO2 emissions somewhat, at a more affordable price than cleaner 100% electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids. Stellantis currently produces hybrid vehicles in more than 70% of its European sites. Through a joint venture with eTransmissions, Stellantis and its partner are currently manufacturing eDCTs in Metz, France and Turin, Italy, feeding 11 car production sites, with a combined capacity of more than 1.2 million eDCTs per year.

“Combining sustainable development and innovation, Stellantis reaffirms its ultimate commitment to offer advanced hybrid technology to its European customers,” said Uwe Hochgeschurtz, Chief Operating Officer of Stellantis Enlarged Europe. “This technology not only improves the efficiency and performance of traditional combustion engines, but also drives us to a low-emission future, with increased vehicle range and a more affordable price for our customers. ” Stellantis offers a range of  fuel system technologies, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid and 100% electric. Continue reading →

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Biden Administration – $1.6B in Semiconductor Manufacturing

Posted on 9 July 2024 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Biden Administration - $1.6B in Semiconductor Manufacturing

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The US Department of Commerce today published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to open a competition for new research and development (R&D) activities that it said will establish and accelerate domestic capacity for semiconductor advanced packaging. The CHIPS for America program predicts that up to $1.6 billion in funding will go to five R&D areas.* These were first outlined in the vision for the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP).** Through potential cooperative agreements, CHIPS for America would make several awards of ~$150 million federal funding per award in each research area.

“President Biden was clear that we need to build a vibrant domestic semiconductor ecosystem here in the U.S., and advanced packaging is a huge part of that. Now, thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to investing in America, the U.S. will have multiple advanced packaging options across the country and push the envelope in new packaging technologies. This announcement is just the most recent example of our commitment to investing in cutting edge R&D that is critical to creating quality jobs in the U.S. and making our country a leader in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Continue reading →

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Annals of Marketing – Porsche 4Kids and LEGO

Posted on 8 July 2024 by Ken Zino
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Porsche said today that its free Porsche 4Kids summer holiday program this year is Porsche meets LEGO. To celebrate the latest LEGO Technic GT4 e-Performance model, the program running from 30 July to 18 August 2024 is entirely about the all-electric racing car. Because the LEGO company also evokes childhood memories for grown-ups, the Schwabenstein 2×4 e.V. club is building unique LEGO models and landscapes for the Porsche Museum, which are not for sale and which will be part of the LEGO activity area during the program and can only be seen in the museum.

“Our younger visitors can look forward to meeting Tom Targa and Tina Turbo as walking acts in the museum on the weekends of 3/4 and 10/11 August 2024. The Porsche mascots will be walking through the museum every hour on the hour between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with lots of time for souvenir photos, high fives and all kinds of fun,” Porsche said. Continue reading →

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GM Recalls 2024 Colorado and Canyon Models for Fuel Leaks

Posted on 8 July 2024 by Ken Zino

General Motors is recalling ~9000 2024 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon vehicles for fuel tank leaks. The lock ring that secures the fuel pump to the fuel tank assembly may not have been fully locked during assembly by the supplier Plastic Omnium. This can cause a leak during a crash, possibly leading to a fire, according to GM recall filings released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Dealers will inspect and fully lock the fuel tank lock ring as necessary, free of charge as required by U.S. law. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed 13 August 2024. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-102 0r the GMC Customer Call Center at (888) 988-7267. GM’s number for this recall is N242451330. Customers may also check their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for field actions in  the GM Owner Center at https://experience.gm.com/ownercenter/recalls. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY1-800-424-9153)  or go to www.nhtsa.gov about NHTSA recall 24V491.

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Ford Mustang, F-Super Duty Recalls for Steering and Brakes

Posted on 8 July 2024 by Ken Zino

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)  today made public more safety defect recalls on 2022-2023 Ford Mustangs, some 2024 Mustangs, as well as 2025 F-Super Duty F-650 and F-750 pickup trucks.  The safety defects come from a variety of causes including, improper heat treating, power steering control module (PSCM) software and body control module (BCM) software.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed in July and August. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

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June 2024 U.S. Transportation Sector Unemployment at 4.8%

Posted on 5 July 2024 by Ken Zino
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The unemployment rate in the U.S. transportation sector was 4.8% (not seasonally adjusted) in June 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said today. Seasonally adjusted, employment in the transportation and warehousing sector rose to 6,593,700 in June 2024 — up 0.1% from the previous month and up 0.1% from June 2023. Employment in transportation and warehousing grew 16.2% in June 2024 from the pre-pandemic June 2019 level of 5,675,200.

Unemployment in the transportation sector was higher than overall unemployment. BLS said that the U.S. unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, in June 2024 was 4.3% or 0.5 percentage points below the transportation sector rate. Seasonally adjusted, the U.S. unemployment rate in June 2024 was 4.1%. (AutoInformed on: Biden Administration Sets Job Creation Record at 15.7 million) Continue reading →

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Biden Administration Sets Job Creation Record at 15.7 million

Posted on 5 July 2024 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Biden Administration Sets Creation Record at 15.7 million

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics today said that the American economy added 206,000 jobs in June. The prime-age labor force participation rate hit a 22-year high. The unemployment rate remains low at 4.1%. Jobs increased in government, health care, social assistance, and construction. Both the unemployment rate, 4.1%, and the number of unemployed people, 6.8 million, changed little. These measures are higher than a year earlier, when the jobless rate was 3.6 % and the number of unemployed people was 6.0 million.

“This strong jobs report demonstrates another month of steady, stable economic growth, said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “Employment gains were widespread across industries, with notable growth in health care, social assistance, construction and local government. Increased employment in these sectors is not only meaningful for workers and their families, but these jobs will improve the lives of all Americans as cities and towns hire more first responders, firefighters, librarians and other city workers.” Continue reading →

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Chinese Light Vehicle Market Recuperating In May

Posted on 5 July 2024 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on May Chinese Light Vehicle Market Recuperating

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During May 2024, the Chinese Light Vehicle (LV) market showed a firm uptick with continuous structural optimization, according to an analysis and data released by the respected GlobalData consultancy.* Within the LV segment, Passenger Vehicle (PV) sales, influenced by the high base of the same period last year, declined by 3.5% YoY, yet still accounted for 1.7 million units. Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) sales totaled 222,000, a Year-over-Year decline of 0.6%.

“Domestic LV sales, excluding exports, reached 1.9 million units, marking a 3.2% year-on-year (YoY) decrease but a commendable 5.0% month-on-month (MoM) increase,” GlobalData said.** Continue reading →

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The Fourth of July 2024 – March to the Spirit of 1776

Posted on 4 July 2024 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on The Fourth of July 2024 – March to the Spirit of 1776

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On the Fourth of July 1776 the Continental Congress after much debate issued our Declaration of Independence – our still continuing manuscript of then awakened American ideals. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston – the so-called Committee of Five – did much of the enlightenment conceptual work. Jefferson, regarded as the most eloquent writer in the Congress, created one of our essential documents. It states that all of us equals could and would work at Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

These ideas that they were – in the course of human events  – ultimately fighting for in our following War of Independence were bigger than the despots, Redcoats, Hessians and other mercenaries deployed against us. We overcame this oppression and the Divine Right of Kings against long odds. Continue reading →

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CDK Cyberattacks Wound June US Light Vehicle Sales

Posted on 3 July 2024 by Ken Zino
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The CDK Cyberattack [1] negatively affected the US Light Vehicle Market, according to preliminary estimates just released by the respected GlobalData consultancy.* Light Vehicle (LV) sales fell by 3.8% year-on-year (YoY) in June, to 1.33 million units. The CDK cyberattack has caused significant disruption across the industry, and therefore some brands could potentially see larger revisions than would normally be the case. Still, sales in June are unlikely to change for many of the largest OEMs, while there is a possibility that volumes in July will see a boost instead,” according to GlobalData.**

“Although the industry has become accustomed to dealing with adversity in recent years, the CDK cyberattack was another curve ball that disrupted activity on a number of levels during June. Many dealers that use CDK’s software found it difficult to conduct normal business operations, although reports suggest that workarounds were found in many cases,” said David Oakley, Manager, Americas Sales Forecasts, GlobalData. Continue reading →

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Ex VP of KanRus Trading Guilty Exporting Avionics to Russia

Posted on 3 July 2024 by Ken Zino

Douglas Edward Robertson, 56, of Olathe, Kansas, the former vice president of KanRus Trading Company Inc., pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a years-long conspiracy to circumvent U.S. export laws by filing false export forms with the U.S. government and, after Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. KanRus continued to sell and export sophisticated and controlled avionics equipment to customers in Russia without the required licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Justice Department said. The so-called Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB aka FSS) the main security agency of Russia, successor agency to the KGB of the  Soviet Union also used KanRus.

“Robertson, by his own admission, conspired to sell advanced U.S. avionics equipment to Russian customers in violation of U.S. law,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen. “The Justice Department will not tolerate those who seek to undermine the effectiveness of export controls that protect critical U.S. technology and deter Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.” Continue reading →

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Stellantis Adds Another $55 Million to Archer Aviation

Posted on 2 July 2024 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Stellantis Adds Another $55 Million In Archer Aviation

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Stellantis N.V. (NYSE: STLA) and Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR), a leader in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, today announced Archer has received an additional $55 million investment from Stellantis under the companies’ strategic funding agreement following the achievement of its transition flight test milestone last month. This investment builds on Stellantis’ series of open market purchases of 8.3 million shares of Archer’s stock in March of this year that was previously announced. During 2023, Stellantis invested $110 million in Archer through a combination of open market stock purchases and investments under the companies’ strategic funding agreement. Stellantis previously increased its strategic shareholding of Archer through a series of purchases of Archer stock in the open market on 19 June 2023. (AutoInformed: Paris Air Show – Stellantis and Archer to Debut eVTOL Aircraft)*

“Few things rival the excitement of seeing a dream take flight. I applaud the innovation, expertise and hard work of the engineering and manufacturing teams from Stellantis and Archer,” said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO. “With this additional investment in Archer, we remain on course for a future where freedom of mobility extends beyond today’s roads.” Continue reading →

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Ford Motor Recalls More than 550,000 F-150 Pickups

Posted on 1 July 2024 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company is recalling more than 550,000 2014 model F-150 vehicles, the National High Traffic Safety Administration said today. A loss of the signal between the transmission output shaft speed sensor and the powertrain control module can cause the transmission to unexpectedly downshift into first gear at any vehicle speed. A downshift to first gear without warning could result in a loss of vehicle control, obviously increasing the risk of a crash.

“A downshift to first gear may illuminate a Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL). In some cases, the OSS signal could recover while driving and the vehicle will resume normal function; in other cases, the vehicle may need to be stopped and restarted to regain normal transmission operation,” Ford said in the required NHTSA filing. Continue reading →

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First Gen Four BMW 1 Series Made in Leipzig

Posted on 1 July 2024 by Ken Zino
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The first of the fourth-generation BMW 1 Series came off the production line at BMW Group Plant Leipzig today. BMW said  it was a 120 model in Alpine White for a customer in Germany.* The new BMW 1 Series is due for market launch in October 2024. When first introduced in 2007, the 1-series was a successful bet that a small hatchback doesn’t need to equate to cheap.

“The new BMW 1 Series will remain a key factor in maintaining high capacity utilization here at plant Leipzig,” said Petra Peterhänsel, Plant Director. The strongest markets for the 1 Series have been Germany and Europe, and the UK and Italy. Continue reading →

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Honda CR-V Fuel Cell EV – $389 a Month!

Posted on 28 June 2024 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Honda CR-V Fuel Cell EV - $389 a Month!

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Honda this week announced lease options for the 2025 Honda CR-V e:FCEV, America’s first production plug-in hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle. The zero-emissions compact CUV will be available in California starting 9 July, with three leasing options, at $389, $459, and $489 per month. This is a form of space age NASA advanced technology at Honda prices without the requisite trip to the moon, unless you have those views about California.

Lease options are based on a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)7 of $50,000. You can’t buy one. Most customers will likely choose the 3 year/36,000 mile lease for $459 per month1, including $15,000 of hydrogen refueling credits during the lease term. The terms also include up to 21 days of access to a rental vehicle from Avis while in California, 24/7 roadside assistance5, and eligibility for California’s Clean Air Vehicle Stickers6 to allow single-occupant HOV access. Continue reading →

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