Tag Archives: autoinformed.com

New Grille and Battery for 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS

Mercedes‑Benz said today that the EQS Sedan for 2025 model year has numerous upgrades with a new larger 118-kWh battery for increased electric range, a front fascia with a new grille and the Mercedes-Benz standing star on the hood, as well as new standard and optional equipment. The 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan arrives at U.S. dealerships later in 2024. The EQ brand is all electric, of course. The EQS SUV is a two- or three-row large vehicle produced at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa, which is currently, so to speak, experiencing labor issues. Continue reading

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March Western European Passenger Vehicle Sales Up. But…

The Western Europe passenger vehicle (PV) selling rate slipped backwards in March, to 11.3 million units/year, with 1.3 million vehicle registrations, according to the respected GlobalData* consultancy. This is 2.5% below March of 2023. However, year-to-date (YTD) sales increased by … Continue reading

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EPA – Final Rule on Chemical Plant Cancer Causing Toxins

Today’s action applies to certain equipment and processes at ~200 plants that make synthetic organic chemicals and a variety of polymers and resins, including neoprene. Once implemented, it will reduce both EtO and chloroprene emissions from covered processes and equipment by nearly 80%. Long-term exposure to these two chemicals can increase the risk of certain types of cancer, such as lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer and liver cancer. EPA also expects the rule to better protect children, who are more exposed and more susceptible to the effects of toxic chemicals including EtO and chloroprene. Continue reading

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More US Jobs Coming from Chips and Science Act

With investments such as those at TSMC Arizona, the United States is now on track to produce roughly 20% of the world’s leading-edge chips by 2030. With total capital expenditures of more than $65 billion, TSMC Arizona’s investment is the largest foreign direct investment in a greenfield project in U.S. history. Continue reading

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SEC Gets Final Judgment Against Volkswagen on Dieselgate

The final judgment orders VWGOAF to pay $34.35 million in disgorgement and $14.4 million in prejudgment interest. Following the entry of the final judgment, the SEC dismissed its outstanding claims against VWGOAF’s ultimate parent company, Volkswagen AG, and Volkswagen AG’s former CEO, Martin Winterkorn. The Court had previously dismissed the SEC’s claims against VW Credit, Inc. on 20 August 2020. These actions have resolved the SEC’s case against Volkswagen in its entirety. Continue reading

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Mercedes-Benz Alabama Workers Ask NLRB for Union Vote

Energy appears to be on the side of the union. Alabama has been a so-called “right to work state (for less?) since 2016, meaning that union-membership is not required for employment. By late February, less than two months after Mercedes workers went public with their drive to join the UAW, a majority of them had signed union cards.

The Mercedes workers are part of the growing national movement of non-union autoworkers organizing to join the UAW in the wake of the historic Stand Up Strike victory at the Big Three auto companies last fall. More than 10,000 non-union autoworkers have signed union cards in recent months, with public campaigns launched at Mercedes, Volkswagen, Hyundai in Montgomery, Ala., and Toyota in Troy, Mo. Workers at least two dozen other facilities are also actively organizing. The main event in this fight will likely be at Tesla in AutoInformed’s view with Twitter owner Elon Musk, mustering all the anti-worker tweets he can. Continue reading

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Ford Stumbles on EVs – Two Year Delays on Three-Row Entries

“There will be unexpected setbacks in the transition to EVs, but we fully expect Ford to investigate every available option to support our Oakville members. It is unacceptable, after 120 years of operation in this country, that Ford does not plan to build a single vehicle in Canada for years on end,” said Local 707 Oakville Assembly Complex Chairperson Marc Brennan. Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector and represents 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. Continue reading

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US Auto Sales Hitting Streak – 20 Months of Growth in March

US Light Vehicle (LV) sales grew 5.5% year-on-year (YoY) in March to 1.44 million units, according to an analysis just released by the respected GlobalData consultancy.* This means that under the Biden Administration the economy had another month of YoY … Continue reading

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UAW Files Anti-Labor Charges in Germany Against Mercedes

“MBUSI’s actions not only violate U.S., German and international law, they also violate Mercedes-Benz’s Principles of Social Responsibility and Human Rights. Those principles state: In the event of organization campaigns, the company and its executives shall remain neutral; the trade unions and the company will ensure that employees can make an independent decision” the UAW said. 

“Mercedes-Benz’s aggressive anti-union campaign against U.S. autoworkers in Alabama is a clear human rights violation under the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains. If found guilty, Mercedes-Benz faces billions in penalties, including significant fines and bans on government contracts,” the UAW said. Continue reading

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Baltimore Bridge – Japanese, Korean, German Makers at Risk

“Japan, Korea and Germany are the main origins for vehicles entering the US market, so brands with heavy production concentrations in those locations have the potential to be impacted more significantly, especially those in Europe,” said the GlobalData* consultancy. “It is no surprise that Hyundai and Toyota were the top importers, though General Motors (GM) was the third largest, with vehicles coming from Korea and China. VW Group is among the top 5 importers, while BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Stellantis are also exposed to potential disruption.” Continue reading

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Volkswagen Recalls Audi E-Tron models for Battery Fires

Volkswagen Group is recalling various 2022-2024 Audi E-Tron GT and the RS versions because the high-voltage battery may undergo a short circuit without warning and cause a fire. This is the result of the same safety defect that caused the recall of Porsche Taycan hybrids, according to documents released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading

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Porsche Recalls Taycan Hybrids for Battery Fires

Porsche Cars North America is recalling various Taycan models from the 2020 through the 2023 model years because the high-voltage battery may undergo a short circuit without warning within the battery modules of its first four-door electrified SUV. According to the required safety defect filing released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today, the hybrid battery modules were produced by LG energy Solution in Wrocław, Poland. Continue reading

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Heavy-Duty Emissions Standards – Missed Opportunity?

“The final rule also leaves more work to be done, and state legislatures should spur use of electric and other zero-emission trucks by adopting the Advanced Clean Truck rule. By delaying the final standards for sleeper cabs until model year 2030 vehicles, EPA missed out on the additional climate and health benefits that would have started accruing much earlier from some of the highest-polluting vehicles on the roads. Continue reading

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Greenhouse Gas Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles Set

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced final national greenhouse gas pollution standards for heavy-duty vehicles for model years 2027 through 2032 – the “Greenhouse Gas* Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3.” Trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles are central to the economy by moving goods and freight as well as providing services for industry, transit, among other sectors. Heavy-duty vehicles account for 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, which is itself the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Under these new standards, the heavy-duty industry is expected to realize annualized savings of $3.5 billion compared to annualized costs of about $1.1 billion from 2027 through 2055 Continue reading

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Bidenomics – Fiscal Policy Increased Car Sales During 2020

“In the months following the outbreak of COVID-19, Economic Impact Payments and the Paycheck Protection Program provided fiscal support to households and businesses,” said the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings this week, citing a new research paper on Economic Incentive Programs (EIPs) during the early years of the Biden Administration economic recovery.

Using data on motor vehicle sales and the Consumer Expenditure Survey, Jack Dunbar of the University of Pennsylvania and co-authors Christopher Kurz, Geng Li and Maria D. Tito find that these policies boosted new car sales by 12% in 2020, or 1.75 million cars. They also find that the increase in sales caused by the fiscal programs accounted for 70% of the declines in inventory through 2021. The stimulus-induced demand, which coincided with supply constraints that reduced inventories, accounted for 20% of the increase in vehicle prices compared to pre-pandemic pricing. Continue reading

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