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- IndyCar Cheating – New Independent Officiating for 2026 Series
- Ford Expands Mustang Cup USA Series in 2026
- GM Canada Leadership Change – Jack Uppal new President
- Toyota Enhances Arizona Proving Ground
- Happy Nightmare! Holiday Travel to Set New Record
- First Look – $34,995 Subaru Uncharted EV
- Stellantis and Bolt Partner on Driverless Mobility
- Detroit Auto Show – Official U.S. Route 66 Centennial Project
- Genesis Recall for Sudden Unintended Braking
- Road Hazard – Ford Escape Liftgate Hinge Cover Recall
- Lando Norris Wins Formula One World Drivers’ Championship
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- Daniel Ricciardo Global Ford Racing Ambassador on Ford Performance Rebranded as Ford Racing
- Gen 3 2026 Nissan Leaf Less than $30,000? | AutoInformed on Milestones – Nissan Begins Assembly of 2013 LEAF EV in Tennessee
- ACSI – Customer Satisfaction with Autos Dropping | AutoInformed on New DOGE Scorecard Announced to Track Trump
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Tag Archives: autoinformed.com
UK Car Production Down. Trump’s Tariffs Threaten Future
“A March uplift to manufacturing is overdue good news, although the performance was boosted by a comparatively weaker month last year, when holiday timings and product changeovers combined to reduce output. With the last quarter showing demand for British-built cars rising overseas, navigating the new era of trade uncertainty is now the major challenge. Government has rightly recognized automotive manufacturing’s critical role in Britain’s export economy and must now show urgency and creativity to deliver a deal that supports our competitiveness, spurs domestic demand for the latest cleanest vehicles, and helps factory lines flourish,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, environment, global warming, manufacturing, news analysis, sales
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, King Trump decrees, Mike Hawes, SMMT, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Trump protectionism and retaliatory tariffs, UK exports of goods, X @KenAutoinformed
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Hybrid-Electric Cars Dominate EU Car Sales
During Q1 2025, new EU car registrations declined by 1.9% compared to Q1 2024, with March 2025 figures showing a slight 0.2% year-on-year (YOY) decline according to registration data released today by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, aka ACEA derived from its French name.* The battery-electric car market share stood at 15.2% market in Q1 2025, far from where it was expected to be by regulators and analysts. Hybrid electric models continue to grow in popularity, retaining their place as the most popular power type among buyers. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, electric vehicles, global warming, marketing, news analysis, public health, results, sales
Tagged acea, ACEA European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Death of the diesel, eu march sales, hybrid-electric car sales, Ken Zino, X @KenAutoinformed
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Stellantis – Notable Progress in Solid State Batteries
Stellantis N.V. (NYSE: STLA) and Factorial Energy today announced the successful validation of Factorial’s automotive-sized FEST® (Factorial Electrolyte System Technology) solid-state battery cells. This feat claims to be a significant step forward on the path to bringing next-generation electric vehicle (EV) batteries to market.
“Reaching this level of performance reflects the strengths of our collaboration with Factorial,” said Ned Curic, Stellantis Chief Engineering and Technology Officer. “This breakthrough puts us at the forefront of the solid-state revolution, but we are not stopping there. We continue working together to push the boundaries and deliver even more advanced solutions, bringing us closer to lighter, more efficient batteries that reduce costs for our customers.” Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, connected vehicles, electric vehicles, electronics, engineering, global warming, mobility company, news analysis, public health
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Factorial Energy, Ken Zino, Ned Curic, Siyu Huang, X @KenAutoinformed
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California Continues Expanding ZEV Programs
The State of California has awarded $500 million to school districts and other educational agencies to buy zero-emission school buses and chargers. Zero-emission school buses are part of the state’s relentless move to a clean-energy future and lead to better health for students and communities. California’s transition to zero-emission transportation is also accelerating with support from the state’s Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP). Funded primarily with proceeds from the Cap-and-Trade Program, HVIP underwent 177% year-over-year growth in 2024. This February, more than 200 HVIP-funded zero-emission trucks and buses were deployed with $31 million in incentives. The incentive program is a collaboration between the California Air Resources Board (CARB)* and the California Energy Commission (CEC), and is administered by CALSTART, a non-profit transportation organization. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, environment, fuel economy or emissions, global warming, news analysis, public health, transportation
Tagged and the California Energy Commission, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, California Air Resources Board, California’s Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Market, CALSTART, carb, CEC, Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project, Ken Zino, Liane Randolph, X @KenAutoinformed
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New Toyota and Lexus Models Debut at Auto Shanghai
Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM) announced at Auto Shanghai 2025 in China today that it will be expanding its battery electric vehicle (BEV) lineup in China.
“China is a highly advanced market that leads the way in electrification, with BEVs accounting for a high proportion of new car sales. Toyota announced the new bZ7 BEV, which follows the bZ4X, bZ3, bZ3X, and bZ5, while Lexus announced the new ES BEV, which follows the UX and RZ BEVs, in order to further accelerate a multi-pathway approach while responding to the needs of local customers,” Toyota said. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, electric vehicles, global warming, mobility company, news analysis, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, Auto Shanghai 2025, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Guangzhou Automobile Group, Guangzhou Toyota Motor Company, Ken Zino, Kohei Chiashi, Lexus ES BEV, Toyota bZ7, X @KenAutoinformed
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Tesla Tanking as Musk Leaves DOGE
Tesla said late yesterday that 2025 profits during Q1 plunged from $1.39 billion to $409 million. This was a drastic drop from analyst guess-timates as the Elon Musk’s DOGE chainsaw kicked back on the company and slashed revenue from $21.3 billion to $19.3 billion. Amidst the carnage of lower customer deliveries, lower margins and lower profits, Elon Musk also claimed that he was leaving DOGE behind as his major work there was finished.
“So at Tesla, we’ve gone through many, many of crisis over the years and actually been through many near death experiences. Like, we probably were on the ragged edge of death at least on maybe a dozen times,” Musk claimed. “This is not one of those times.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, electric vehicles, financial results, news analysis, quality, results, sales, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, DOGE, elon musk, Ken Zino, Tesla Q1 2025 Financial Results, X @KenAutoinformed
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Toyota to Make Next-Gen Hybrid Transaxles at West Virginia
Toyota’s North American subsidiary announced today an additional investment of $88 million in Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia to assemble the next generation of hybrid transaxles.
“Production is set to begin in late 2026, with plans to incorporate the drivetrain component into future Toyota and Lexus models, TNA said. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, electric vehicles, manufacturing, news analysis
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, hybrid transaxles, Ken Zino, Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia, Toyota North American West Virginia assembly plant, X @KenAutoinformed
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Audi Airbag Recall – RS E-TRON GT and E-TRON GT
Audi, part of Volkswagen Group of America, is recalling ~4000 2022-2023 model year RS E-TRON GT and E-TRON GT vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may experience a fault in the wiring and deactivate the front passenger air bag when the seat is occupied.
“A manufacturing error may cause the passenger occupant detection system(PODS) to detect a malfunction and switch off the passenger airbag even though the seat may be occupied. As designed, a warning light in the instrument panel comes on together with an acoustic warning sound and an error message is displayed in the instrument cluster. The airbag indicator light shows Passenger Airbag OFF,” Audi said in the mandatory safety recall filing made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading
Ford Recalls Expedition and Navigator SUVs for Bad Brakes
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is recalling ~124,000 model year 2017-2018 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster. Customer complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration prompted this latest expansion of a previous safety defect recall.
“In some of the affected vehicles, a seal in the rear of the brake master cylinder may become compromised, allowing brake fluid to leak into the brake booster. If the brake fluid reservoir is depleted below a predetermined level, the driver will be alerted that brake system service is required by a combination of an audible chime, a full screen message center alert, and illumination of the red brake warning indicator,” Ford said in the mandatory safety defect recall notification made public this morning by NHTSA. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ford Expedition brake recalls, Ford Expedition recalls, Ford Motor brake recall 25S37, Ford Motor recall, Ken Zino, Lincoln Navigator brake recalls, NHTSA recall 25V236 or 25V-236, X @KenAutoinformed
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Porsche 911 GT3 – Sets Nordschleife Record
“More and more 911 GT3 customers are opting for the six-speed manual transmission. And more and more often we are asked by these customers how fast a 911 GT3 with manual transmission would be on the Nordschleife,” said Andreas Preuninger, Director GT Model Line. “We have now answered this question and – although we know that the variant with PDK seven-speed is significantly faster – we drove our official lap time with a manual six-speed gearbox. Even without the automated, super-fast and precise gearshifts of the PDK, and with a conventional instead of electronically controlled limited-slip differential, the new 911 GT3 shaved ~3.6 seconds off the time of its predecessor with PDK.” Continue reading
Q1 2025 U.S. EV Sales Up 10%. Tesla Down
“General Motors sold a lot of EVs in Q1 of 2025. While GM suffered through painful and slow product launches in 2023 and 2024, the long-promised EVs are starting to flow. More than 30,000 EVs from General Motors brands were sold last quarter, nearly doubling the volume from a year ago and passing both Ford Motor Company and Hyundai Group along the way. And worth noting, Honda and Acura added more than 14,000 EVs to the U.S. market last quarter as well, up from zero a year ago, all courtesy of a short-lived partnership with GM. Stellantis got in the EV game in Q1, with new products from Dodge, Jeep and Fiat. It’s a start.” said Cox Automotive. Continue reading
Trump Tariff Pandemic is Crisis for the U.S. Auto Industry
Swamy Kotagiri the Chief Executive Officer of MAGNA spoke to the Automotive Press Association this week in Michigan about the complexities of the global automobile industry. He spoke as global volumes are relatively flat and volumes in North America and Europe are down. Now programs are being canceled after the investments are made. Volumes are being reduced after the capacity is installed.
“There is increased spending over a smaller number of units. This is sub-optimal for returns. And what does our industry look for? Scale and we need stability to be efficient through the value chain, given how the industry works to be efficient,” said Kotagiri, whose next big event is the Shanghai Motor Show at the end of the month to be held in the midst of the ongoing Trump versus the world trade wars. Last year MAGNA did ~$5.5 billion in sales in China, growing 15%. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, engineering, manufacturing, mobility company, news analysis, shows and events, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, magna, Magna International, Swamy Kotagiri, X @KenAutoinformed
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VW Shows 2026 Tiguan SEL R-Line Turbo
Volkswagen of America has unveiled the all-new 2026 Tiguan SEL R-Line Turbo at the New York Auto Show, which will be the nameplate’s top trim beginning in the 2026 Model Year starting this fall. The Tiguan Turbo incorporates the “refined” aspects of the 2025 Tiguan adding 67 more horsepower to give the compact SUV more oomph. The 2.0-liter EA888 turbo four-cylinder engine is rated at 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, an increase of 67 hp and 51 lb.-ft. compared to the base engine
“The improved performance compared with the base engine comes from a number of changes. The engine has a larger turbocharger that enables higher boost pressure, combined with a lower 10.5 to one compression ratio. Internally, the engine benefits from stronger pistons and connecting rods, as well as a nitrided crankshaft. The engine also has oil cooling for the pistons, as well as variable valve lift on both the intake and exhaust side. It still uses Miller-cycle technology to help improve fuel economy compared to a conventional four-cycle engine, and runs on regular gasoline,” VWoA said. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, engineering, marketing, new vehicle, news analysis, performance, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, MQB evo platform, new york auto show, VW 2026 Tiguan SEL R-Line Turbo, X @KenAutoinformed
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Nissan Revised Outlook ¥700-750B Loss
“Compared with the outlook issued at the time of Nissan’s third quarter results in February, the forecast full-year sales volume has been lowered to 3.35 million units. Full-year net revenue is now expected to reach ¥12.6 trillion, with operating profit of ¥85 billion. This is primarily due to changes in the competitive environment and deterioration in sales performance,” Nissan said. Continue reading →