Tag Archives: Kenneth Zino

Half of Pandemic Layoffs Will Result in Permanent Job Loss

The authors say that even if the crisis is resolved quickly, many pandemic-induced shifts in consumer demand and business will linger. Therefore, they conclude that the reallocation of labor is likely to persist and estimate that 42% of recent pandemic-induced layoffs will result in permanent job loss. Continue reading

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Einride and Oatly to Electrify Transport in Sweden

“Road freight transport as it currently exists is a system that drastically needs to change. Nearly 7% of global CO2 emissions come from this road freight, a figure that will only increase if we do not switch to more sustainable,” says Robert Falck, CEO and Founder of Einride. Continue reading

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VW: Three-Month Warranty Extension On New, Used Vehicles

Volkswagen and Volkswagen Credit (VCI) also announced an extension  of customer payment relief options put in place because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading

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COVID Journal – Our Correspondents on Politics, Policy and Insights in these Medieval Times of a 21st Century Plague

Well, we are isolating in place. I have seen all of Fleabag and the Crown, and The Medici, among others. Hoarding here is more contagious than Corona virus. King Trump, as always, is trying to bluff his way out of the crisis he abetted by dismissing the threat and then – even now – refusing to act while self-praising his not quiet, not genius approach and attacking media for using his own words/babble against him. Continue reading

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Penske Automotive Q1 2020 Results -46% at $0.64 per share

In the U.S., through February same-store new and used automotive retail unit sales increased 7.5% and declined 1.1% internationally. In March, the outbreak of COVID-19 began to impact Penske in all markets. Many U.S. and Germany dealerships were impacted by shelter-in-place orders while operations in Italy, Spain and the U.K. were closed. As a result, same-store new and used automotive retail unit sales for the month of March declined -40.2%. Continue reading

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More than 20 Million Jobs Lost in April as ~15% Unemployed

Employment fell sharply in all major industry sectors. There were  particularly heavy job losses in leisure and hospitality where the spread was initially ignored as Washington slept – until people, now former customers stopped traveling or died. This was out of self-preservation as the corpses mounted in non-living color on the news and in statistical counts. It was also the result of some Democratically-controlled states where shelter in place was imposed out of concern for the health of residents and not for the health of the increasingly infected Trump reelection campaign. Continue reading

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Ford to Begin Phased Restart in North America 18 May

Ford initially refused a UAW request to shut down over to weekend of 16 March. Bowing to pressure from the UAW and with a belated portion of common sense and awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ford Motor Company on 18 March said it would stop production at U.S., Canadian and Mexican manufacturing facilities after Thursday evening’s shifts through March 30 to thoroughly clean and sanitize the company’s plants. Continue reading

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General Motors to Offer More Senior Unsecured Notes

“We expect the New 364-Day Revolving Facility to be unsecured and to provide available borrowing capacity of approximately $2 billion in U.S. Dollars only, and we have received commitments from lenders in excess of this amount.” Continue reading

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How To Disinfect a Vehicle Without Damaging Its Interior

The CDC recommends wearing disposable gloves for cleaning and then disinfecting surfaces. If a surface appears dirty, it should be wiped down with soap and water prior to disinfection. For vehicle interiors, a soft or microfiber cloth dampened with soap and water can be used to wipe down hard surfaces. Continue reading

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COVID! GM Q1 Earnings Drop -89% to $0.17 a Share

It’s going to be a long year of going backwards into the Great Depression v2.0 Continue reading

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COVID Effects: BMW AG FY Earnings Guidance – Zero

The updated guidance does not, in particular, include, a longer and deeper recession in major markets, a more severe economic slow-down in China as a result of recessions in other parts of the world, significant market distortions due to an even stronger competitive environment and possible implications caused by a second wave of infections and associated containment measures. Continue reading

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Consumer Feelings on Future Mobility Technologies Declines

The quarterly study claims to be “the pulse of market readiness and acceptance for self-driving and battery-electric vehicles, as seen through the eyes of consumers and industry experts.” Continue reading

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Multi-Seasonal Self-Driving Data Issued by Ford

Leaving aside for the moment giant unresolved privacy issues and how companies can sell your personal information their benefit not yours, data is needed to help engineers and researchers create software that can teach self-driving vehicles how to analyze their environments. This software used to be called the driver. Continue reading

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Alexandra Ford English to Join Rivian’s Board of Directors

The announcement comes at crucial point for Ford Motor as analysts are speculating that future of a challenged Ford – operational competence, liquidity, as well as quality and warranty issues – will require a merger with another global automaker, perhaps Volkswagen. (Bill Ford has been quoted – second hand – by insiders as saying “No.” Then after a pause “Hell No.”) Continue reading

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US Q1 GDP Estimates – Negative Growth as Economy Retracts

Given Wilbur Ross’s previous statements the upcoming GDP estimates will be Trump re-election campaign documents, likely as disconnected from economic reality as Trump and his courtiers who stood by and watched the ongoing US COVID-19 disaster happen, claiming it would disappear by the beginning of April. Continue reading

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