GM, Cruise, Honda – 2026 Autonomous Ridehail in Japan

Posted on 19 October 2023 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM, Cruise, Honda - 2026 Autonomous Ridehail in Japan

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GM (NYSE:GM), Cruise and Honda today announced a memorandum of understanding to establish a new joint-venture company to launch a driverless ridehail service in Japan starting in early 2026. The so-called Origin vehicle developed by GM, Cruise and Honda will be made in the US. GM will manufacture ~500 Origins for the launch of this new JV at Factory ZERO Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly in Michigan, said to be the launchpad for GM’s multi-brand EV and AV future.*

“GM has always been invested in defining the future of transportation and that’s more true today than ever,” said GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra. “The benefits of AVs – from safety to accessibility – are too profound to ignore and through this important partnership with Cruise and Honda, we’re bringing forward innovation that leverages our expertise in cutting-edge software and hardware to help more people around the world get where they need to go.” Continue reading →

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EPA Approves California Regulation of Ocean-Going Vessels

Posted on 18 October 2023 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on EPA Approves California Regulation of Ocean-Going Vessels

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The California Air Resources Board (CARB) today received authorization from the US EPA under the Clean Air Act for its 2020 At-Berth Regulation, which further reduces pollution from ocean-going vessels while docked at California’s busiest ports by expanding the types of vessels regulated. (AutoInformed: Decarbonizing Shipping Fleets – a Complex, Uncertain Course; COSCO Container Lines Fined $965,000 By CARB; California AG, CARB File Motion To Shield LA Area Communities From Port of Los Angeles China Shipping Terminal Air Pollution)

“California’s At-Berth regulation is an important step in continuing to modernize the state’s ports with the technology that will advance a clean air future,” said Dr. Steven Cliff, CARB’s Executive Officer. “The emissions reductions and public health benefits that will come from cleaner operations are also a relief for communities alongside the state’s ports that deal with the burden of pollution from multiple sources, including vessels.” Continue reading →

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EPA – Lead Emissions from Aircraft Cause Air Pollution 

Posted on 18 October 2023 by Ken Zino

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a final determination that emissions of lead from aircraft operating on leaded fuel cause or contribute to air pollution. “This may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health and welfare under the Clean Air Act,” EPA said. (AutoInformed:EPA Proposes an Endangerment Finding for Aircraft Engines Still Running on Leaded Fuel; Anti-Green Aviation Industry Finally Getting the Lead Out)

“The science is clear: exposure to lead can cause irreversible and life-long health effects in children,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Aircraft that use leaded fuel are the dominant source of lead emissions in our air. With today’s action, the Biden-Harris Administration can move forward in the process to propose new standards to protect all communities from the serious threat of lead pollution from aircraft.”  Continue reading →

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Honda and Isuzu To Show Fuel Cell Powered HD Truck

Posted on 17 October 2023 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Honda and Isuzu To Show Fuel Cell Powered HD Truck

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Isuzu Motors and Honda Motor today announced that they will exhibit the so-called GIGA FUEL CELL, a fuel cell powered heavy-duty truck currently being co-developed by the two companies, at the Isuzu Group booth at the Japan Mobility Show 2023.* This will be the first time the GIGA FUEL CELL will be shown to the general public. The Show will be held from Saturday 28 October to Sunday, 5 November 2023 at Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo Japan.

“Isuzu and Honda believe that FC technology, utilizing hydrogen as fuel resulting in no CO2 emissions, will be effective to achieve carbon neutrality of heavy-duty trucks which are required to achieve high-efficiency transportation with the capability for long-distance driving, large load capacity, quick refueling,” the Japanese companies said in a release. Continue reading →

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Unifor Starts Stellantis Talks Tomorrow. Strike Deadline 29th

Posted on 17 October 2023 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Unifor Picks Ford Motor Company as Detroit Three Target

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Unifor will officially begin talks with Stellantis tomorrow 18 October 2023, and has set a strike deadline for 29 October at 11:59 pm. Unifor’s negotiations will focus on Stellantis following the pattern agreement previously set with Ford of Canada and General Motors.* Unifor represents more than 8200 members at Stellantis facilities in Canada, including the Windsor Assembly Plant, Brampton Assembly Plant, Etobicoke Casting Plant, Red Deer Parts Distribution Centre and Mississauga Parts Distribution Centre. (AutoInformed: Stellantis Pulls Out of Electronics Show to Cut Costs)

“Our union is looking forward to this next, and final round of talks with the Detroit automakers to secure the terms of our Canadian pattern and to make important additional gains on various Stellantis-specific workplace issues,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “We also have the added challenge of negotiating future product commitments for the Brampton Assembly plant that secures a future for all of our Stellantis members in the EV transition.” Continue reading →

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September Global Light Vehicle Sales Grow But Rate Slows

Posted on 17 October 2023 by Ken Zino

The Global Light Vehicle (LV) selling rate ended its 6-month rising streak by falling to 93 million units/year in September, from a revised figure of 100 million units in August, according to data just released by the respected consultancy GlobalData.* With 8 million units sold in September, the global LV market has grown 8.5% Year-over-Year (YoY). Year-to-date (YTD), there have been 66 million units sold, posting an increase of 10.2% YoY. (AutoInformed: August Global Light Vehicle Sales Up Again)

The US, Western and Eastern European countries all had double digit YoY growth, partly due to the COVID plague year of 2022 being a weak base and also because of an alleviation in supply-side issues. Chinese sales grew 5.7%, helped by a booming export sector, while the domestic market was helped by personal income tax cuts and price reductions across automakers, according to GlobalData Light Vehicle Sales Forecasting Team. Continue reading →

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Stellantis Pulls Out of Electronics Show to Cut Costs

Posted on 17 October 2023 by Ken Zino

In a terse statement this morning from Amsterdam,  Stellantis (NYSE: STLA) said “as the costs of the ongoing UAW strikes against Stellantis continue to mount, the Company has decided to cancel its planned display and presentations at CES® 2024.” It was scheduled to appear there during January 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“In light of the current status of negotiations in the United States, preserving business fundamentals and therefore protecting the future of the company is a top priority of Stellantis leadership,” Stellantis said. Continue reading →

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Honda Autonomous Vehicle Test at Toronto Pearson Airport

Posted on 17 October 2023 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Honda Autonomous Vehicle Test at Toronto Pearson Airport

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Honda today demonstrated its fully-electric prototype Autonomous Work Vehicle (AWV) at the Toronto Pearson Airport to plug the next stage of development – engaging airfield operators and airport authorities in field testing the AWV at their worksites. The demonstration of an autonomous perimeter fence inspection solution showed how the Honda AWV could be used to address the challenges of labor shortages, safety and security, and emissions reductions to bring “new value to airfield operations.” (AutoInformed: Honda Shows New Prototype Autonomous Work Vehicle)

“Our Honda Autonomous Work Vehicle has been verified to help improve worksite efficiencies and safety through previous field tests, so we’re ready to move to the next stage of exploring real world applications with airfield operators,” said Jason VanBuren, systems engineering manager at American Honda Motor Company. Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls Explorer SUVs for Loss of Power, Rollaways

Posted on 17 October 2023 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company is recalling ~240,000 2020-2022 model year Explorer SUVs because the rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect. This leads to a sudden loss of power or vehicle roll-away if the parking brake is off. This is an expansion and correction of two previous recalls.* Ford’s previous recall repair was to add a software update that automatically applies the electronic service parking brake to keep the vehicle from rolling away in the event of a driveshaft failure. However, there is no safety remedy addressing the failed rear axle horizontal mounting bolt.

“The recalled Explorers were built with a 3-point mounted axle design. On some units the rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture. Powertrain torque through the driveline causes axle rotation of the pinion angled towards the sub-frame, which exerts a bending force on the rear axle bolt. Peak torque is normally experienced during a launch event. After numerous peak torque events are experienced, the bolt may suffer a fatigue failure, which will lead to the axle housing moving out of position, resulting in a condition described by customers and dealer technicians as loud, grinding, binding, or clunking noises,” Ford said in the required filing made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Ford does not publicly release recalls.
 Continue reading →

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Bill Ford Asks UAW to Choose His View of the Right Path

Posted on 16 October 2023 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor (NYSE: F) Executive Chair Bill Ford spoke on You Tube live this morning expressing his view on the Future of American Manufacturing. The eight minute talk came after Canadian Unifor members ratified at GM yesterday the pattern contract first reach with Ford. A more significant development came this morning when JP Morgan in an investors note said Ford Motor is now losing ~$44 million a day after the UAW struck its most profitable plant in Kentucky. Ford is due to report Q3 earnings on 26 October, and it will need to account for ~$500 million it has incurred as the result of its inability to come to an agreement with the UAW. Needless to say, Ford stock is under downward pressure and half a billion dollars – thus far – has been noticed on the 14th floor of Ford World headquarters in Dearborn, as well as in the global financial markets starting with Wall Street. (AutoInformed: No Surprise as UAW Strikes at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant; UAW Shifts Tactics – No New Strike Actions Today; Canadian Unifor Members Approve GM Pattern Agreement)

“Every set of negotiations has been challenging. But at the end of the day, we’ve always recognized that we’re all Ford and we will succeed or fail together. We know how vital the UAW is to the success of our company. And we want our employees to do well. We didn’t wait for the current contract talks to create thousands of jobs or invest billions of dollars beyond what was required by the letter of a deal. And we agree that our UAW colleagues deserve even more and that’s why we’ve offered a record contract, which would make our UAW employees among the best paid manufacturing workers in the world,” Ford said. Continue reading →

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Canadian Unifor Members Approve GM Pattern Agreement

Posted on 16 October 2023 by Ken Zino

Joining with their brothers and sisters who work at Ford Motor, Unifor members at General Motors have voted to ratify the pattern agreement by 80.5% yesterday afternoon. The newly ratified three-year collective agreement covers more than 4300 workers at the Oshawa Assembly Plant, St. Catharines Powertrain Plant and Woodstock Parts Distribution Centre. The new contract expires on 20 September 2026. (AutoInformed: Unifor GM Master Bargaining Agreement Voting Underway)

“I am proud of our members at General Motors for their solidarity throughout their brief but decisive strike action and for ratifying this contract that contains life-changing improvements,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “This agreement reflects true collective bargaining. Our goal was to bring more fairness and equity to auto workplaces and to lift everyone up. We did that.” Continue reading →

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Unifor GM Master Bargaining Agreement Voting Underway

Posted on 14 October 2023 by Ken Zino

Under the succinct heading of “A Pattern Worth Fighting For,” Unifor has released to its Canadian autoworker members the GM Master Bargaining Agreement, recommending that the membership vote to approve it this weekend. Significantly, General Motors has committed to a moratorium on facility closures over the life of the collective agreement by amending and renewing the existing Letter of Understanding. (AutoInformed: An Awakened GM Agrees to Unifor Pattern Agreement, Oh Canada! – GM Rejects Pattern Agreement – Unifor Strikes)

“In this agreement, we secured the pattern set with Ford. Legacy workers will receive pension improvements for the first time in 15 years. Those hired on or after September 20, 2016, will move into a more predictable and secure DBplus pension plan. Wages will grow substantially over the 3-year deal. Members at St. Catharines secured the same EV transition supports as Unifor members at Ford Oakville, among many other gains. Equally as important: this agreement locks in the special, all-Canadian, Universal Health Care Allowance for our retirees,” Unifor said.* Continue reading →

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UAW Shifts Tactics – No New Strike Actions Today

Posted on 13 October 2023 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on UAW Shifts Tactics – No New Strike Actions Today

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Shawn Fain in a Facebook Live broadcast this morning once again caught the Detroit Three automakers napping when he said “We’re entering a new phase of this fight, and it demands a new approach. We’re not announcing expansion of our strike, but we are prepared at any time to call on more locals to stand up and walk out… So tomorrow, I’m calling all of our UAW members and our allies to head to a picket line,” in a show of support for all workers.

Fain then praised union democracy. “The picket line is a sacred place. There’s a lot of long, dark nights and there’s some bright, joyful days. We reunite with old friends and we make new ones. We learn what it means to stick together through hard times…  His ultimate point – as AutoInformed interprets it – is the automakers were gaming the UAW’s approach to 2023 bargaining and waiting until Fridays when strike actions were previously expanded to make another offer. When Ford did that last week, the UAW struck Kentucky Truck Plant, one that generates $25 billion in revenue a year. That’s $48,000 a minute. Now the UAW is changing the rules of the game. Continue reading →

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New Car Prices Up 34% in last Four Years. UAW Pay 6%

Posted on 13 October 2023 by Ken Zino

The UAW released a video this week asserting that Big Three CEOs make far more than their counterparts at rival automakers and can easily afford the union’s demands. The new video, “Competition,” shows that average pay last year for the CEOs at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis was $25 million – five times the $5 million average for their counterparts at other leading automakers.

The video also shows that Big Three price gouging, not UAW pay, has been responsible for rising car prices in recent years. Average new car prices went up 34% over the last four years while pay for UAW members rose just 6%. The cost of labor for the Big Three is ~4-5% of total operations. The video notes that Ford, General Motors and Stellantis could double UAW wages, not raise car prices and still make billions of dollars. Continue reading →

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Michigan Wins Clean Hydrogen Hub Funding

Posted on 13 October 2023 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Toyota, FuelCell Energy Make Renewable Hydrogen and Electricity

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Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) today announced that a Michigan-backed clean hydrogen hub project, the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2) has been awarded up to $1 billion by an awakened US Department of Energy to develop regional supply chains for the production, distribution, and use of hydrogen in trucks and heavy-duty vehicles. The project is projected to create ~13,600 direct jobs, 12,100 in construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs. Michigan was recognized as the top state in the Midwest for clean energy jobs in the Clean Jobs America report from Environmental Entrepreneurs released in September 2023.

“Manufacturing is a fundamental part of the Midwest region’s identity and economic prosperity. Today’s announcement will allow us to stay true to this heritage while advancing innovation to remain globally competitive in the ongoing transition to clean energy,” said Governor Whitmer. “With this landmark achievement, made possible by the Biden Administration and support of our Congressional Delegation, we are not only securing a more sustainable future for our region and state, but we are also unlocking new opportunities for job creation and economic growth.” Continue reading →

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