Tag Archives: AutoInformed news

Affordability – Used Vehicle Prices Hit Three Year High!

Posted on 12 June 2026 by Ken Zino

The Cox Automotive analysis of vAuto Live Market View data released today show used-vehicle inventory increased in May as the retail sales pace braked.* Average listing prices rose for the third consecutive month, reaching $26,918, the highest since mid-2023 and … Continue reading →

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Why Wars Are Costing Motorists So Much

Posted on 12 June 2026 by Ken Zino

From our friends across the pond comes a timely warning today about wars and government fuel economy policies. [AutoInformed is thinking here about the relaxation of fuel economy standards by the Trump mis-administration, as well as its foreign wars and … Continue reading →

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Mixed Results on Trump Auto Tariff, Policy Scorecards

Posted on 11 June 2026 by Ken Zino

Plante Moran shared its North American Production Outlook 2026 – 2033 forecast with the Society of Automotive Analysts this week. It is investigating at the mid-2026 point how electrification continues to influence auto industry direction as the year unfolds. The estimable mega-consulting firm that deals in audit, tax, consulting, and wealth management globally has a significant advisory presence in the auto industry.  It says changes are coming later this decade and into the early 2030s. 

“The North American production volume outlook for growth remains, but we’re seeing some geographic shifts, mostly to the US. And amount of this growth will be encountered in the later years of our projections,” said Dan Lee, principal at the Southfield, MI office. And that’s largely due to the delays in EV adoption that we’ve seen whether that’s planned to be paused or not.” Continue reading →

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Striking UAW Reaches Tentative Agreement at American Axle

Posted on 11 June 2026 by Ken Zino

After walking out on strike at midnight on June 1, UAW Local 2093 members at American Axle/Dauch Corporation have reached a tentative agreement with the company, the UAW said last night. The as yet unratified contract gets the workers’ “topline demand” of $30 per hour by 2030, a more than 36% increase to the top wage rate over four years. The UAW claimed there are other “historic gains in a record contract” at the Tier 1 parts supplier to GM.

“Tonight, after 10 days on strike, I am proud to announce that UAW Local 2093 has reached a tentative agreement at American Axle,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “And tonight, after 18 years of sacrifice, these workers are finally winning back a big chunk of what was taken from them.” Continue reading →

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Large Honda and Acura Recall Started for Suspension Failures

Posted on 11 June 2026 by Ken Zino

Dealers will inspect the rear sub-frame and install a rear sub-frame reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear sub frame components, free of charge as required by U.S. law. Owner notification letters are not expected to be mailed until 7 July 2026. Continue reading →

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Harley‑Davidson On-Shoring Motorcycle Production

Posted on 10 June 2026 by Ken Zino

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HOG) said this week that it is bringing production of the Revolution® Max platform for North America back to the United States as part of the Company’s so-called Back to the Bricks strategy. [The venerable company has been clobbered by Trump Administration economic policies – AutoCrat.]. The move returns machining, powertrain assembly, painting, and final vehicle assembly work back to Harley-Davidson facilities in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with union jobs. The motorcycles are Pan America, Sportster® S, and Nightster models. The production transition is expected to be completed ahead of the start of Model Year 2028 production in 2027. Harley-Davidson expects to manufacture more than 100,000 motorcycles out of the Company’s York, Pennsylvania facility in 2027. Continue reading →

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Vehicle Affordability – Price Increases Small as Incentives Grow

Posted on 10 June 2026 by Ken Zino

“Average transaction prices are rising 2 – 4% year-over-year across key vehicle segments, powered by a convergence of product cycles and supply dynamics,” said Erin Keating, Executive Analyst, Cox Automotive, the parent company of KBB. “Redesigned SUVs from Toyota, Kia, Jeep, and Hyundai are commanding higher prices out of the gate, while Ford’s F-Series production constraints are tightening truck inventory, lifting average transaction prices, with freshened Ram pickup stepping in to capture buyers at the premium end,” said Keating. Continue reading →

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Beware! Catalytic Converters are Pursued by Thieves

Posted on 10 June 2026 by Ken Zino

“There are a wide range of vehicles impacted, and most of these are pickup trucks and SUVs, which tend to sit higher off the ground, making it easier for thieves to get in and out,” said Patrick Olsen, Editor-in-Chief at CARFAX. “Experts also tell us that while thieves can make anywhere from $25-$300 for a standard catalytic converter, converters from hybrid vehicles can sell for up to $1400 because they have even more of those precious metals inside.” Continue reading →

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Magna CEO Swamy Kotagiri Speaking on Decisions That Will Shape the Next Decade of Automotive Manufacturing

Posted on 9 June 2026 by Ken Zino

“There is no single future. We are no longer moving towards one predictable outcome. We are navigating in multiple plausible futures or paths at a time, and you see that in the different adoption curves. Across regions, you see different investment logic across companies and obviously different policy priorities by margin. Electrification is a good example. The direction is clear for the long term. But the pace and the path are not uniform, and that creates fragmentation. Product mix evolves differently by region. We are seeing that investment timing varies. Industrial policies influence footprint decisions in real time.

“Historically, success came from getting the forecast right. Today’s success comes from staying effective when the forecast is wrong. So the shift is pretty fundamental from optimizing for one expected future to building systems that can perform across several realities. So that’s a different capability and increasingly a competitive one,” said Magna CEO Swamy Kotagiri. Continue reading →

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First Look – Audi Tazio Nuvolari Hybrid Super Car

Posted on 8 June 2026 by Ken Zino

Audi has shown its first supercar with, ahem, a high-performance hybrid powertrain. This is technological progress of a sort with an as yet unknown response from potential customers. Deliveries of the supercar, limited to 499 units, will begin in the first half of 2027. It is the fastest and most powerful production vehicle in the brand’s history.

“With the Audi Nuvolari, we are accelerating technological progress,” claimed Gernot Döllner, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG. “It shows what is possible when the focus is on technology, performance, and execution through teamwork – and when we achieve progress together.” Continue reading →

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Trump Thumped – U.S. Air Carriers Fuel Costs Climb 26%!

Posted on 8 June 2026 by Ken Zino

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics [BTS  is part of the Department of Transportation – AutoCrat.] released today the April 2026 fuel cost and consumption numbers of U.S. Air Carriers. The airlines used 1.573 billion gallons of fuel, 2.6% less fuel than in March 2026 (1.615 billion) and 0.2% less fuel than April 2025 (1.575B).*

“Total fuel expenditure ($6.47B) of U.S. scheduled service airlines was up 26.2% from March 2026 ($5.12B) and up 78.0% from April 2025 ($3.63B). The cost per gallon of fuel in April 2026 ($4.11) was up 94 cents (29.6%) from March 2026 ($3.17) and up 181 cents (78.2%) from April 2025 ($2.31),” BTS said. All fuel consumption data is in regard to fuel paid for by the carrier. Continue reading →

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Stellantis – Solar Now Powers Two-Thirds of EU Plants

Posted on 5 June 2026 by Ken Zino

Stellantis (NYSE: STLA. STLAM.MI) said today that it is accelerating the establishment of renewable energy generation and storage across its European manufacturing network. The company is maintaining its long-term goal of decarbonized electricity to reach carbon net-zero  operations. Photovoltaic installations are being scaled across 27 manufacturing sites in Europe.

“Energy management is a critical enabler of our decarbonization roadmap. By expanding on‑site renewable solutions — including solar, wind, geothermal and biomass – together with energy storage, we are reducing emissions, improving energy autonomy and reinforcing the competitiveness of our manufacturing footprint,” said Francesco Ciancia, Global Head of Manufacturing at Stellantis. Continue reading →

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Ralph Nader Arises Again in Uber Legal Accountability Bout

Posted on 5 June 2026 by Ken Zino

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader has released an open letter to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi condemning the company’s efforts to limit legal accountability for crashes involving rideshare drivers and autonomous vehicles. It objects to Uber’s push for federal legislation sponsored by Representative Vince Fong (Republican – Bakersfield, CA) that would limit the company’s legal exposure for crashes involving drivers using its platform. Continue reading →

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Nissan to Build Chinese Chery Vehicles in UK?

Posted on 3 June 2026 by Ken Zino

Nissan (7201T and NSANY ADR) and Chery International UK (9973.HK) said today they have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the study of contract manufacturing for Nissan to manufacture Chery International UK passenger vehicles at its Sunderland Plant. … Continue reading →

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Goodyear to Make Tires for Pegasus Lunar Terrain Vehicle

Posted on 3 June 2026 by Ken Zino

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT) said today that it is returning to the Moon.* As part of NASA’s Artemis program, Goodyear will supply advanced lunar tires for Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), projected to support astronaut … Continue reading →

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