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Recent Posts
- BMW 2024 U.S. Sales Up Slightly
- GM 2024 U.S. Sales 2.7 Million
- Volkswagen ID.4 Stop Sale Lifted After Recall
- Milestones – F1, Can Am and Le Mans Winner Jacky Ickx
- Milestones 2025 – the Goodyear Blimp 100th Anniversary
- Census Bureau – U.S. Population at ~341,145,670
- First Look – EPA AirNow Mobile App
- Significant 2024 Automotive Stories and Trends
- US Electrified Vehicle Sales Soar in 2024
- Private Equity Buys Comau. Stellantis has Minor Stake
- BMW i Ventures Buys into Phoenix Tailings
- Kia Recalls 2024-2025 model year EV9s
- Another Ford F-150 Safety Recall – Steering Loss
- Hyundai Claims EV Altitude Change Record
- Annals of Marketing – Honda Prelude Returns as Hybrid
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Tag Archives: Automotive news and analysis
GM 2024 U.S. Sales 2.7 Million
GM claimed it had a strong 2024 today in a social media post saying, GM expanded overall U.S. sales by 4%, to 2.7 million vehicles, its highest total since 2019. GM estimates its 2024 U.S. market share at 16.5%.
“We finished the year with inventory of about 54 days, meeting our target. All of our brands -Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac – posted strong sales gains. For the fourth quarter, sales were up 21% from the year-earlier period,” said Rory Harvey, GM executive VP and president of global markets. “How did we do it? By investing to have the best portfolio in the industry. We have something for everyone, no matter what they like to drive.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, electric vehicles, marketing, news analysis, results, sales
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Cadillac Escalade and LYRIQ, Chevrolet Equinox EV, gmc canyon, GMC Denali, gmc sierra, Ken Zino, Rory Harvey, X @KenAutoinformed
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Volkswagen ID.4 Stop Sale Lifted After Recall
The long-delayed availability of new parts once again allows existing vehicles in dealer stock to be sold. Assembly of ID.4 will resume in Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, TN, factory in the coming weeks. “Owners have been advised that the affected parts can be replaced,” Volkswagen said. Year-over-Year, ID.4 sales at ~17,000 during 2024 dropped -55%. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, customer satisfaction, electric vehicles, electronics, engineering, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, compact suvs, Ken Zino, Pablo Di Si, Volkswagen Group of America, Volkswagen ID.4 recalls, volkswagen of america, X @KenAutoinformed
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Milestones – F1, Can Am and Le Mans Winner Jacky Ickx
Jacky Ickx, was born on 1 January 1945 in Brussels. His father Jacques Ickx, a motorsport journalist, no doubt awoke his interest in fast vehicles. His first successes came in motocross and Formula 2 racing – becoming Formula 2 European champion in 1967. One year later, Ferrari put him on the Formula 1 grid while he was in his early twenties. His expertise of wet-weather driving was apparent on numerous occasions, including in Rouen where he landed his first Grand Prix victory. Ickx would win eight Grands Prix for Ferrari, Brabham and Lotus. Porsche congratulated Jacky Ickx on his 80th birthday this week.
“After his career in Formula 1, Ickx shifted his focus to endurance races,” Porsche said. “In his first year at Porsche in 1976, he picked up three victories in the World Championship for Makes and four in the World Sportscar Championship. Ickx also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ford GT40 in 1969 and repeated this triumph for Porsche in 1977, 1981 and 1982. The race in June 1977 not only saw him mount one of the best recoveries from a trailing position in motorsport history; it is also considered one of the most incredible races in his career. The sports car manufacturer from Zuffenhausen entered two Porsche 936 models. Continue reading
Posted in milestones, people, performance, racing
Tagged 24 Hours of Le Mans, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Brabham, ferrari, GT40, Henri Pescarolo, Hurley Haywood, Jacky Ickx, Ken Zino, Lotus, Porsche 936, X @KenAutoinformed
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Milestones 2025 – the Goodyear Blimp 100th Anniversary
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT) will celebrate the 100th anniversary in 2025 of the Goodyear Blimp with flights over more cities to appearances at new events, and chances for fans to fly. There will also be “limited-edition … Continue reading
Posted in aftermarket, aviation, marketing, milestones, news, shows and events, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Goodyear Blimp, Goodyear Blimp 100th Anniversary, Goodyear Blimp Pilgrim, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Ken Zino, Mark Stewart, X @KenAutoinformed
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Census Bureau – U.S. Population at ~341,145,670
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the U.S. population was 341,145,670 at midnight EST, on 1 January 2025. This is an increase of 2,640,171 (0.78%) from 1 Jan 2024, and 9,696,329 (2.93%) from Census Day on 1 April 2020. The Census Bureau’s Population Clock displays simulated real-time growth of the U.S. and world populations. Continue reading
First Look – EPA AirNow Mobile App
“State and local air agencies issue AQI forecasts as a public service to help people plan their outdoor activities. The agencies provide them to EPA, which shares them on the AirNow app and Airnow.gov website. Until now, AirNow users had to remember to check the app or website to see their forecasts; with the updates to the AirNow mobile app, people can opt to be notified when the daily forecast reaches an AQI category of their choosing,” EPA said. Continue reading
Posted in environment, milestones, news, news analysis, public health
Tagged air pollution, Air Quality Index forecasts, AQI, asthma, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, ground-level ozone, Ken Zino, public health, X @KenAutoinformed
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Significant 2024 Automotive Stories and Trends
Once again at the beginning of 2025 AutoInformed notes – matter-of-factly – that its vision is 20-20 on the consequences of long past occurrences. However, in the here and now our perception is cloudy. We do not have the advantages of historians re-assessing events years later with help from other news outlets, blogs, letters, memoirs, magazines and whatever new forms of expressed thought emerge. Thus far the most valued revisions and nuanced interpretations appear in books and essays after more documents and perspectives surface from the players or perpetrators engaged in them. These are not yet available, and under Trump 2.0 they would likely be banned anyway. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, AutoInformed Editorial, car sharing, connected vehicles, economy, environment, fools 'n frauds, global warming, labor issues, manufacturing, marketing, news, news analysis, sales, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Biden Administration, George Santayana, industrial policy, Ken Zino, Trump 2.0, X @KenAutoinformed
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US Electrified Vehicle Sales Soar in 2024
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released its monthly update to National Transportation Statistics (NTS), a guide to historical national-level transportation trends. Of interest to AutoInformed are trends in Gasoline Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Sales; the Average Age of Automobiles and Trucks in Operation; and U.S.-Canadian and U.S.-Mexican Border Land-Freight Gateway Travel and Goods Movement.
A trend of note is that during the last three years, sales of Hybrids, EVs and PHEVs have come close to doubling, representing ~2,500,000 in annual sales during 2024. Continue reading
Posted in electric vehicles, environment, global warming, news analysis, sales, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Ken Zino, U.S. National Transportation Statistics, X @KenAutoinformed
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Private Equity Buys Comau. Stellantis has Minor Stake
Stellantis N.V. (NYSE: STLA ) has confirmed that One Equity Partners – a private equity firm – has completed its majority investment in Comau S.p.A. a global company specializing in industrial automation and advanced robotics. It’s the latest move at struggling Stellantis to clean up its ailing automotive pursuits.*
“I want to express my gratitude to Comau’s employees for providing innovative products and services to all its customers,” said Stellantis Chairman John Elkann in a pro-forma statement. “I am confident that Comau, under its new ownership, has the right leadership, strategy and operational discipline to create sustainable, long-term value for all its stakeholders, from Italy to the world.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, manufacturing, milestones, news analysis
Tagged Ante Kusurin, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Comau, John Elkann, Ken Zino, NYSE: STLA, One Equity Partners, Pietro Gorlier, X @KenAutoinformed
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BMW i Ventures Buys into Phoenix Tailings
BMW i Ventures announced today an investment in Phoenix Tailings, a inventive metals production company dedicated to creating a zero-waste, zero-emission future. The Series B financing, which was led by Envisioning Partners and included additional participation from Yamaha Motor Ventures and Escape Velocity, will enable Phoenix Tailings to scale its rare earth processing operations to produce ~200 tons of rare earth metals annually. The output can be used in electric motor magnet , batteries, semiconductors – among other applications.
Phoenix Tailings says it was “founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts to transform how critical metals are produced – metals essential to the technologies that power modern society.” The nascent firm was heavily subsided by U.S. taxpayers via the United States Departments of Energy and Defense, as well as the State of Massachusetts. With the monies, Phoenix Tailings secured initial off-take agreements, validated its technology to process mining waste, and hired a team of workers to make the metals. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, connected vehicles, economy, electric vehicles, electronics, environment, global warming, insurance, manufacturing, milestones, news, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, BMW i Ventures, electric motor magnets, Escape Velocity, Ken Zino, Nick Myers, Phoenix Tailings, US taxpayer subsidies, X @KenAutoinformed, Yamaha Motor Ventures
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Kia Recalls 2024-2025 model year EV9s
“Seats with missing seat mounting bolts may not properly restrain an occupant during certain collisions, thereby increasing the risk of injury,” Kia told NHTSA. “Missing seat mounting bolts are due to plant assembly worker error.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, customer satisfaction, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety
Tagged 49 CFR §573, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, Kia Autoland Gwangmyeong plant, Kia EV9 recall SC329, NHTSA 24V962 or 24V-962, X @KenAutoinformed
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Another Ford F-150 Safety Recall – Steering Loss
The driver may experience vehicle vibration and hear a clunk or rattle noise during suspension compression and extension. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, car sharing, customer satisfaction, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety
Tagged 49 CFR §573, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, F-150 Lightning recalls, Ford Motor F-150 Lighting recall 24S76, Ford Motor quality problems and recalls, Ken Zino, NHTSA campaign number 24V949 or 24V-949, X @KenAutoinformed
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Hyundai Claims EV Altitude Change Record
Hyundai Motor Company said today that an IONIQ 5 recorded a record-breaking total elevation change of 5802 meters over a +4900 km run across India. The publicity route began in Umling La in Ladakh, through steep Himalaya mountain passes, to the finish in the coastal region of Kuttanad, Kerala. (Read AutoInformed.com on: Hyundai Revises Ioniq EV for 2022 with New Platform) Continue reading
Annals of Marketing – Honda Prelude Returns as Hybrid
Honda has announced that an all-new hybrid-electric Prelude* sports coupe will be re-introduced to the U.S. market late next year, presumably as a 2026 model. The first prelude appeared in November 1978. This new one will debut Honda S+ Shift, … Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, awards, car sharing, global warming, marketing, mobility company, news analysis
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Honda Electrification Strategy, Honda S+ Shift, Jessika Laudermilk, Ken Zino, X @KenAutoinformed
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BMW 2024 U.S. Sales Up Slightly
“This is a fantastic result, which is a direct reflection of the BMW brand’s strength and superior product line-up. U.S. customers really love our ‘Ultimate Driving Machines’ – regardless of drivetrain – which fueled sales growth of both ICE and BEV vehicles,” said Sebastian Mackensen, President & CEO, BMW of North America. Continue reading →