Tag Archives: autoinformed.com

GM Delivers 2.2M Vehicles in US During 2021 off -13%. Q4 -43%

Both GMC and Chevrolet are preparing all-electric pickups, including the Chevrolet Silverado EV, which will be revealed virtually on Jan. 5, during the Consumer Electronics Show – a segment where it is trailing Ford with its sold-out Lightning EV pickup. Ford said today that it is planning to nearly double production capacity of the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup to 150,000 vehicles per year at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, to meet soaring customer demand. Deliveries start this spring. Ford is sitting on 200,000 “reservations” for the Lighting. Continue reading

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Significant 2021 Automotive Stories and Trends

With that in mind, here’s our perspective on the last annum, from autonomous vehicles to global warming, to driving high disasters, to trade and tariffs and to the rise of fascism. We do this with a humble awareness that AutoInformed conducts its education in public. We begin with our take on significant automotive stories as we enter another year of plagues – covid, political, social or otherwise. Continue reading

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Notable Deaths During 2021

“This is a crisis. More than 20,000 people died on U.S. roads in the first six months of 2021, leaving countless loved ones behind. We cannot and should not accept these fatalities as simply a part of everyday life in America,” said United States Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Continue reading

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Recall – New F-Series Aluminum Driveshafts Fracture

There have been 27 reports of fractured aluminum driveshafts potentially related to a sagging underbody insulator on these vehicles. Continue reading

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Washington Diddles. India Puts Billions into Securing EV Jobs

This is not an isolated occurrence. Electric vehicles, the so-called hydrogen economy and connected cars are the future of the planet and high paying employment. Virtually all major industrial nations are promoting policies and incentives to become major forces where no automaker dares to go alone. Except the dis-United States it seems. Even Senator Manchin’s next Maserati that he drives to his yacht will likely be an EV. Built where? The question facing Washington politicians of his ilk is simple: Do you care about the people in your district? Continue reading

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Census – Who Aren’t Vaccinated Against COVID?

Most of the Household Pulse Survey response options are either about information (“Don’t know if it will protect me”) or trust (“Don’t trust the vaccine”). However, one involves access: “It’s hard for me to get a COVID-19 vaccine.” Continue reading

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Nissan to Sell Renewable Electricity to Japanese Employees

The program will first be made available to employees living in the Kanto region at the start of fiscal year 2022 at the end of March. This moves an automaker into an energy segment that is now dominated by public utilities and Big Oil. It could be the beginning of a trend. It also could be the beginnings of massive political and lobbying battles. Continue reading

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Ford Motor Recalls F-Series, Ranger, Bronco, Transit, Transit Connect, Maverick for Various Safety Defects

In a series of recall documents filed on 16 December but made public by the National Highway. Traffic Safety Administration today, Ford Motor Company has recalled ~60,000 vehicles for a variety of safety defects including bad tailgates, cruise control radar, separation driveshaft separation from the transfer case, panoramic roofs flying off, and fuel tanks damaged by drill holes. All repairs will be made free of charge as required by federal law. Continue reading

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Mustang Mach-E SUVs Delivered to ‘Customers’ in China

The locally-produced Mach-E is being sold via Ford BEV’s tiny network of 25 direct-to-customer stores located in major Chinese metropolitan markets Continue reading

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Happy Holidays!

All the best for the 2021 Holiday Season. Continue reading

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December US Auto Sales Forecast – Lower Volume with Record Prices, Profits

Consumers are projected to spend $50.6 billion on new vehicles this month, the second highest on record for the month of December and the fifth-highest amount for any month on record during the ongoing Biden Administration recovery. Continue reading

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IMSA – Porsche Virtually Shows LMDh Car

They were  the first images of an actual race car from any of the five manufacturers committed to competing in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship’s new top-tier prototype class – LMDh – when it debuts in 2023. Porsche is partnering with Team Penske and chassis maker Multimatic on the project as Porsche Penske Motorsport. The team will compete in both the WeatherTech Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship. For the first time in some 30 years, it will be possible to compete for overall victories in the endurance classics at Le Mans, Sebring and Daytona with cars of identical construction. The 500 kW and 680 PS (or ~670 hp that they admit to – Autocrat) hybrid racing car is scheduled to complete numerous test runs in 2022. Continue reading

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FAA Warns Broadband Could Pose Safety Threat to Airlines

Broadband deployment is currently underway but there is scarce data on it’s actually safety effects on flying. In short, your smartphone or someone else’s or the Verizon and AT&T cellphone towers (they own the frequencies that appears to be the most problematic with potential overlap interference) could kill you if it affects airline navigation, particularly in the safety critical instrument-approach-to-landing phase of flying. The device does not have to be in use on the plane. “There have not yet been proven reports of harmful interference due to wireless broadband operations internationally, although this issue is continuing to be studied,” said the FAA. Broadband is also being proposed by some automakers and suppliers as a way to wirelessly recharge electric vehicles. Continue reading

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Nikola to Pay $125 Million to SEC on Fraud Charges

The SEC’s order says that “before Nikola had produced a single commercial product, Milton embarked on a public relations campaign aimed at inflating and maintaining Nikola’s stock price. Milton’s statements in tweets and media appearances falsely gave investors the impression that Nikola had reached certain product and technological milestones.” Continue reading

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Lotus Elise, Exige, Evora Production Ends

Combined, they represent almost half of the total production of Lotus in its 73-year history. In addition, 9,715 sports cars were built for Lotus’ third-party clients, including GM and Tesla. Continue reading

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