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- First Look – The 2027 Trendsetting Toyota Prius Hybrid
- Volvo Cars Posts Grim Q2 2026 Operating Results
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- Stellantis Increases EU Registrations during H1 2026
- Gasoline National Average Moves Higher Near $4 Gallon!
- Transportation Costs Rising for Producers. You’ll Pay More Too
- Cut Energy Waste. Save $4.8 Trillion or $31,000 a Household!
- Trump-conomics – Consumer Cost For Transportation up 6.5%
- First look – 2027 Toyota Corolla Hatchback. Unequaled Value?
- Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer L Brake Recalls
- Ford Mustang Recalls – Sudden Power Loss, Washer/Wipers
- Park Outside! Kia Recalls ~463,000 Telluride Models for Fires
- Audi of America Q2 2026 Sales Drop 17%
- Loss Making Survival Diet – VW Group Efficiency Quest
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Tag Archives: autoinformed.com
Mass Production eVTOL Soon? Joby Aviation and Toyota JV
“Toyota has been by Joby’s side for nearly a decade, providing invaluable guidance and support as we built the foundation for manufacturing our aircraft,” said JoeBen Bevirt (sic) founder and CEO of Joby Aviation. “Today’s announcement reflects the strength of our relationship and our shared confidence in the opportunity ahead. Together, we share a vision of making aerial mobility an everyday reality, and we look forward to delivering on that promise together.” Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, aviation, economy, electric vehicles, engineering, global warming, mobility company, news, shows and events, transportation
Tagged akio toyoda, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, eVTOL, JoeBen Bevirt, Ken Zino, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, X @KenAutoinformed
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More Ford Motor Recalls for Rollaways ~740,000 Affected
Vehicle rollaways continue to plague Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) vehicles according to the latest safety defect recall filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 740,00 vehicles have a software problem whereby the transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, severely damaging the park system. Affected vehicles were built from 8 January 2020, to 8 October 2021. All are equipped with the so-called with park-by-wire system and 10R80 automatic transmissions.
“In the event of transmission park system damage, the ability of the transmission park feature to hold the vehicle if the parking brake is not applied may be affected. Unintended movement in Park increases the risk of a crash or injury,” Ford said in the mandatory safety defect recall filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, electronics, engineering, quality, safety, software recalls
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ford Expedition recalls, Ford Explorer Recalls, Ford F-150 recalls, Ford Motor recall 26S48, Ken Zino, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, Lincoln Aviator recalls, Lincoln Navigator Recalls, NHTSA Ford Motor recall 26V402 or 26V-402, X @KenAutoinformed
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IMSA Watkins Glen: Cadillac, Corvette, Porsche Run Solid
The four IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes ran at Watkins Glen International for the third IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup race of the season last weekend.* The 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course was used for IMSA and the Sahlen Six Hours of The Glen. Cadillac Racing dominated at Watkins Glen International with Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti winning from the pole in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. Bamber, Aitken and Vesti led 143 of 182 laps to score their second season victory and their record-extending eighth podium finish. The streak is the longest in IMSA GTP history since 2023. They also won last month in Detroit. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, marketing, people, performance, racing, results, shows and events
Tagged Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Cadillac Racing, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, Earl Bamber, GTD PRO, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Ken Zino, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, Watkins Glen International, X @KenAutoinformed
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Sudden EV Power Loss – Toyota BZ, Lexus RZ, Subaru Solterra Recalled
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (NYSE: TM, 7203T) is recalling ~21,000 model-year 2026 Toyota BZ, Lexus RZ, and Subaru Solterra battery electric vehicles. The Denso-supplied electronic control unit (Battery ECU) that controls the high-voltage battery may experience a fault, resulting in a sudden loss of drive power.
“Toyota observed certain diagnostic data during development testing of a new Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) model. After investigation, Toyota found that the memory in the battery ECU can fail an operation check because a part of the memory address location utilized by the battery control IC overlaps with a part utilized by the monitoring IC. The monitoring IC could repeatedly overwrite data at the same memory address used by the battery control IC when the memory operational check cycle matches the monitoring IC’s write operation cycle,” Toyota said in the mandatory safety defect recall filling made published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this morning. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, connected vehicles, customer satisfaction, electric vehicles, electronics, engineering, news analysis, quality, safety, software defined vehicles, software recalls
Tagged 49 CFR § 573, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, Lexus and Toyota recalls 26LA07 and 26TA11, NHTSA Recall 26V393 or 26V-393, X @KenAutoinformed
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Milestones – 15 Million Honda Accords Sold in U.S.
The 15 millionth Accord, a 2026 Accord Sport-L Hybrid, was purchased from Norm Reeves Honda in Cerritos, Calif. by Andrea, a 26-year-old insurance agent from Southern California. Her new Accord replaces a 2017 Accord Sport that was passed down by her father, whose first vehicle purchase in 1997 was also a Honda Accord. Andrea’s younger sister, Alondra, also purchased a new Honda Accord from the same dealership that day. The 24-year-old chose a 2026 Accord Sport-L Hybrid and is now the owner of the 15,000,001st Honda Accord sold in America. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, manufacturing, marketing, milestones, mobility company, opinions, people, shows and events
Tagged 2026 Accord Sport-L Hybrid, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Jessika Laudermilk, Ken Zino, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, Norm Reeves Honda, X @KenAutoinformed
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UAW to “Practice Pickett” Tomorrow at Woodward MPC
More than 800 members of UAW Local 5101, representing workers at Woodward MPC, have voted by 71% to authorize a strike after months of company stall tactics and unfair labor practices during contract negotiations the UAW claims. Woodward workers voted … Continue reading
Posted in labor issues, manufacturing, news, opinions, people, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, boeing, Chip Blankenship, Jose Tapia, Ken Zino, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, Shawn fain, UAW Local 5101, unfair labor practices, Woodward MPC, X @KenAutoinformed
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June 2026 U.S. Auto Sales Forecast Up 3.6%
“The average interest rate on new-vehicle loans is expected to fall 0.35 percentage points to 6.66%, the lowest June reading since 2022. However, the average transaction price of a new vehicle has increased to $46,387, an increase of 0.8% from a year ago, while average monthly finance payments have climbed 3.4% to $813, the highest ever for the month of June. A key driver of the higher monthly payment, despite longer loan terms, is lower trade-in equity. Many of the buyers returning to showrooms today purchased when prices were at their peak several years ago when inventory was scarce. This is manifesting itself as more buyers carrying negative equity on their trade-in. A total of 29.5% of trade-ins had negative equity in June, up 1.4 percentage points from a year ago.
“Manufacturers are leaning harder on discounts to keep buyers in the market. Average incentive spending per vehicle is trending towards $3,217, a 12.7% increase from a year ago. Part of that jump reflects tariff dynamics last year, since several OEMs made nonseasonal pullbacks in incentive spending last June as they cut discounts precautionary to offset tariff costs,” said King. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, manufacturing, marketing, news analysis, opinions, sales
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, cost of financing a new vehicle, David Oakley, Global data, Incentive spending, j.d power, jd power, JD Power and GlobalData, Ken Zino, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, Thomas King, X @KenAutoinformed
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BMW Expands Factory Use of Humanoid Robots
“Plant Spartanburg is the birthplace of humanoid robotics in BMW Manufacturing’s operational day-to-day activities,” said Ulrich Wieland, Vice President of Production Control and Logistics, BMW Manufacturing. “Having already successfully completed a pilot with Figure 02 in our body shop, we are now looking forward to deploying Figure 03 for a sequencing use case in logistics.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, labor issues, manufacturing, milestones, news analysis, opinions
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Brett Adcock, Figure AI, humanoid robots, Ken Zino, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, Physical AI, R2-D2, Ulrich Wieland, X @KenAutoinformed
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“Disasters” – UAW on NAFTA, U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreements
“There is no way back to the American Dream without undoing the damage of NAFTA and its successor, the USMCA,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “There is no future for the U.S. working class that doesn’t address the free trade disaster. Progressives and working-class allies need to understand that trade is at the heart of the rise of global authoritarianism, wealth inequality, and the political weakness of the working class.”
“The moral vision of a society where working-class people reclaim their dignity relies on reining in the rising billionaire dictatorship,” Fain said. “NAFTA and similar trade agreements are the social contract as written by multinational corporations. It’s time we rip it up and start over and take back the American Dream.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, labor issues, manufacturing, news analysis, opinions, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, china, Democratic President Bill Clinton, Ken Zino, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, Labor Rights, nafta, North American Free Trade Agreement, Republican George H.W. Bush, Shawn fain, the USMCA, United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement renegotiations, World Trade Organization, X @KenAutoinformed
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Connectivity Snags Haunt Improvements in New-Vehicle Quality
“As more technology is introduced into vehicles, keeping the experience simple matters more than ever,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at JD Power. “The biggest gains in quality come from features that are easy to use—simple controls, less-intrusive driver assistance and software that works the way customers expect. When technology becomes too complicated, the likelihood of customers experiencing a problem rises considerably.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, awards, connected vehicles, customer satisfaction, distracted driving, electronics, news analysis, quality, safety, shows and events, software defined vehicles
Tagged Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, body panel fit and finish, driving assistance alerts, electric vehicle range, Frank Hanley, J.D. Power 2026 IQS, JD Power 2026 IQS, Ken Zino, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, road noise, X @KenAutoinformed
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Trumped! – 2026 Vehicles Sales Forecasts All Down
“The top theme over the last year or so has really been affordability, and this isn’t only related to the auto industry but really about everything facing consumers. And the issue is ALL about purchasing power or more clearly – the erosion of purchasing power for many Americans over the last several years. We’ve all seen new highs in the stock market that have happened many times this year, and those equity gains and asset appreciation really help high income households. Those consumers are driving a lot of consumption across the economy, but the wealth effect gains are concentrated at the very top of the pyramid. The vast majority of the US population sees little gain from the wealth effect and their number one source of income are the paychecks they take home every week. That’s why inflation matters,” said Jeremy Robb, Chief Economist Cox Automotive. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, economy, manufacturing, marketing, news analysis, opinions, people, sales, transportation, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, AutoInformed news, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Charlie Chesbrough, Cox Automotive, ford motor, Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Jeremy Robb, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, Ken Zino of AutoInformed, Ram Truck, tesla, Toyota 4Runner and hybrid Camrys, X @KenAutoinformed
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Annals of Marketing – Chevrolet Heartbeat of America Revived
Scenes for the commercial were filmed in Texas and in Maine, and include the Chevrolet Bolt, Trax, Equinox, Equinox EV, Traverse, Colorado, Silverado and Silverado HD.
The “Heartbeat of America” revival is part of the brand’s America 250 initiative – a year-long campaign that “honors the people, places and values that continue to shape the nation. With more than 115 years in the U.S., and nearly 3000 dealers across the country, Chevrolet is woven into the fabric of America.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, marketing, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, AutoInformed news, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, colorado, corvette, Dinah Shore, Heartbeat of America, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, Ken Zino of AutoInformed, Silverado ev, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Steve Majoros, The Red Clay Strays, X @KenAutoinformed
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Milestones – Nissan Canton Builds 1 Millionth Frontier Truck
“This milestone reflects the skill of our Canton team and the strength of the community behind them,” said Victor Taylor, division vice president, U.S. Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management and Production Engineering. “Canton’s precision, pride and consistency are in every truck that rolls off the line.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, manufacturing, milestones, mobility company, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, AutoInformed news, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant, christian meunier, Frontier pickup, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, Ken Zino of AutoInformed, Victor Taylor, X @KenAutoinformed
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Bridgewater Interiors Workers Ratify New UAW Contract
UAW members who build seats for Ford F-150 pickup trucks and Dodge RAM Trucks have ratified a new contract by ~80%, the UAW said today.
“UAW Local 400 members at Bridgewater Interiors are another example of workers in the IPS sector [Independent Parts Suppliers – AutoCrat.]*who are ready to stand up and win their fair share,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “They don’t treat IPS CEOs like second-class citizens. So why do they treat IPS workers that way? Whether you build axles or seats, the days of allowing IPS workers to be treated like second class citizens is ending.” Continue reading →