Tag Archives: autoinformed.com

First CHIPS for America Funding Applications Now Open

Awards will take the form of direct funding, federal loans, and/or federal guarantees of third-party loans. Awards are designed to complement—not replace—private investment and other sources of funding, and applicants are strongly encouraged to bring capital to the table. CHIPS for America awards will be made as soon as applications can be rigorously evaluated and negotiated. The automobile industry, of course, has been hobbled by interruptions in its supply of offshore-produced chips or semi-conductors. Continue reading

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Honda Performance Development Shows CR-V Hybrid Racer

“The CR-V Hybrid Racer is our ‘rolling electrified laboratory,’ to investigate where the talented men and women of HPD and Honda could go with electrification, hybrid technology and 100% renewable fuels,” said Salters. “It epitomizes Honda’s fun-to-drive ethos, showcases electrification and it just rocks our car culture roots and racing heritage! We present the CR-V Hybrid Racer–aka ‘The HPD Beast’!” AutoInformed notes, wryly, that this isn’t in keeping with meeting the nicest people on a Honda, but it has, well, light comedy or entertainment value. Continue reading

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Honda, LG Energy Solution Break Ground for New Battery Plant

The location of the joint venture between Honda and LGES was announced on 11 October 2022, and was formally established on 12 January 2023. The plant aims to start mass production of pouch-type lithium-ion batteries by the end of 2025, to be provided exclusively to Honda auto plants to produce EVs to be sold in North America. Continue reading

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US Electric Vehicle Satisfaction Shifting to Quality, Styling

“The electric vehicle landscape is changing quickly, and newer models are bringing in more mainstream, first-time EV buyers,” said Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power. “Recent vehicle launches from both new brands and traditional automakers have had a profound effect on what factors are most important in the ownership experience. Today’s EV owners are looking for quality, reliability, driving enjoyment, safety and technology features.” Continue reading

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Stellantis to Convert Three Indiana Plants to EV Components

As a result more than 265 jobs will survive. Stellantis* said that its total investments in Indiana since 2020 to support electrification goals will increase to nearly $3.3 billion, including gigafactory joint venture with Samsung SDI. This is to support the goal of 50% battery electric sales in the U.S. by 2030. Continue reading

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Cadillac to Run the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Three Entries

The engineering challenge – of course – is to bring the old success of Cadillac’s DPi V.R, which won two titles and four consecutive Rolex 24s in its six years in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship – to the new car. Notably, this will mark the brand’s return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans after 22 years. Continue reading

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Biden Harris Administration Announce $1B in Airport Funding to Meet Growing Travel Demand as Covid Recovery Continues

Today’s fiscal year 2023 funding is from the Airport Terminal Program, one of three aviation programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law provides $1 billion annually for five years for Airport Terminal Program grants. In total, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided a historic $25 billion to modernize our country’s airport infrastructure. Continue reading

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EVs – Stellantis Now Large Shareholder in McEwen Copper

Copper, of course, is a strategic raw material for the future of electric mobility. Estimates predict that global demand for the conductive metal will triple in the coming years. By making this investment in one of the top international projects in development of this commodity, Stellantis will be able to supply some of the projected copper demand starting in 2027, Stellantis claimed. Continue reading

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Hyundai Recalls Genesis Models Again for Seat Belt Shrapnel

Hyundai Motor America is recalling more than 65,000 2020-2023 Genesis vehicles because the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment. Affected models are 2020-2023 Genesis GV80, 2021-2023 Genesis G80, 2022-2023 Genesis GV70, and 2023 Genesis GV60, according to a NHTSA filing just made public. Vehicles previously repaired under recall 21V-796 will need to have the new repair completed. Continue reading

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Ford Motor Recalls 2023 Model Year F-150 Air Bags

The “non-conforming instrument panel toppers” were built by Faurecia Interior Systems in Michigan with either an injection molded substrate that was manufactured with contaminated resin or with a skin cover extruded with contaminated colorant material. Continue reading

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Brooklands Winning 100-year-old Bentley to be Auctioned

“Very rarely do we find cars with such racing pedigree and over sixty years of continuous ownership,” comments James McWilliam, senior motorcar specialist, H&H Classics*. “From winning events at Brooklands, to eventually finding its way to an owner who has looked after ‘Wilfred’ for over sixty years, it’s a real delight to bring this car to auction.” Continue reading

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EVs – Honda, Ascend to Buy Recycled Nickel, Cobalt, Lithium

Through this collaboration, Honda will seek to acquire a consistent supply of nickel, cobalt and lithium that Ascend Elements reclaims from recycled lithium-ion batteries. Honda will then use these materials in its battery supply chain. Continue reading

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Nissan Testing Heavy-Duty EV Trucks for Vehicle Deliveries

The proof-of-concept project will help Nissan and its logistics partners understand more about the use of all-electric trucks for vehicle delivery. Following the initial trial with four BEV car hauler trucks, Nissan plans to deploy additional trucks in the Los Angeles area. Building on lessons learned from these projects, Nissan could eventually begin using BEV trucks for a variety of logistics uses. Continue reading

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Recession? US Consumer Auto Spending at Record Levels

Retail sales of new vehicles this month are expected to reach 907,900 units, a 0.1% increase from February 2022. New-vehicle transaction prices continue to rise, with the average price reaching a February record of $46,229, a 4.8% increase from a year ago. Consumers are forecast to spend ~$42.0 billion on new vehicles this month—the most ever for the month of February and an increase of 5.0% from February 2022, as the Biden Administration economic recovery continues. Continue reading

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IIHS Toughens Musts for Top Safety Pick Ratings

The biggest change to the criteria for both awards is the replacement of the original IIHS side crash test with the updated evaluation launched in 2021. The updated test involves 82% more energy than the original test. Vehicles must earn an acceptable or good rating to qualify for Top Safety Pick, while a good rating is required for the “plus.” Notably absent from the highest Plus rating are products from what were once called the Detroit Three makers thus far. Continue reading

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