The WSJ is reporting that Chevy is pulling the plug on the Chevy Sonic and Ford is doing the same with the Fiesta and Taurus. The Sonic and Fiesta compete with the Honda Civic. Both are small compact cars, whose popularity probably peaked when oil prices soared to over $140 per barrel in 2008. But with oil prices now in a modest range, car buyers have decided they actually prefer a roomier SUV/crossover or truck to the cramped compact car. The Taurus isn’t a compact car, but it has apparently fallen out of favor with car buyers. The Taurus has been in near continuous production since 1986, … [Read more...]
Can Musk Pull off a Miracle?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made a lot of promises. With the first quarter ending and an earnings report now due, this is when the rubber meets the road. Can Musk deliver on the plans he's sold his faithful shareholders? Or will the report simply detail his failure to get the job done? Dana Hull reports at Bloomberg: Tesla’s Fremont, California, delivery hub was packed with people Saturday evening as the last hours of the quarter drew to a close. Red couches and tall white tables were set up outside, a DJ played music and a truck selling Vietnamese food was on hand. Behind the scenes, a company … [Read more...]
Can Tesla Deliver on its Model 3 Promises?
Tesla is burning money fast, but the company is having trouble meeting its goals for production of Model 3 sedans. Tim Higgins and Susan Pulliam report in The Wall Street Journal that Tesla must increase its production numbers to 5,000/per week by June, or suffer severe financial consequences. They write: In April, Tesla will reveal whether it is on track to meet an ambitious second-quarter targetof producing 5,000 Model 3s a week—a goal that it already twice delayed. The Model 3 is Tesla’s mainstream electric-car offering, priced more affordably than Tesla’s luxury models, and a key part of … [Read more...]
Has a Challenger Emerged to Tesla’s Battery Supremacy?
Volkswagen is the world's largest carmaker, and now it has its sights set on one of the fastest growing automakers, Tesla. The German automaker will setup battery installation in 16 factories by the end of 2022. Volkswagen has secured $25 billion worth of batteries to build as many as 3 million electric cars by 2025. Bloomberg reports: With the powerpack deliveries secured for its two biggest markets, a deal for North America will follow shortly, Volkswagen said. In total, the Wolfsburg-based automaker has said it plans to purchase about 50 billion euros in batteries as part of its … [Read more...]
Foreign Car Makers Build in America
With the announcement of a new automobile manufacturing plant in Alabama to be shared by Toyota and Mazda, foreign car companies are on track to build more vehicles in America than the Detroit Three. Adrienne Roberts and John D. Stoll report in the WSJ: In the first quarter of 2018, foreign makers are expected to produce 1.4 million vehicles in the U.S., WardsAuto.com projects, equaling their American rivals for the first time. That’s a leap from the same period last year, when foreign companies trailed Detroit auto makers by more than 100,000 vehicles, or roughly 10%. In coming … [Read more...]
Cadillac Flying High in China
The year 2017 set a milestone for Cadillac. Last year, for the first time, more Caddies sold in China than in the U.S. Mike Colias reports: Cadillac sold more vehicles in China than in the U.S. last year for the first time, an unexpected milestone that highlights the storied brand’s severe struggles at home as much as it represents momentum abroad. General Motors Co.’s luxury brand’s sales surged 51% last year to 175,489 vehicles in China, where it began selling cars in earnest only in the last decade. Cadillac’s tally in the U.S.—where it dominated automotive luxury for nearly a century … [Read more...]
The American Auto Market Set for More Big Offerings
Americans love big cars. It's a fact. With relatively wide road and low gasoline prices compared to the rest of the world, America is the perfect place to own a truck or big SUV. For years the companies selling the middle class those vehicles were GM, Toyota, Ford and Chrysler. Now, more foreign companies are looking to cash in on Americans' desire for big automobiles. Chester Dawson writes: Subaru Corp. FUJHY 1.52% has become one of the world’s most profitable car companies by selling Japanese-inspired wagons to American buyers with unconventional tastes. Now, with its dependence on the … [Read more...]
New Autos Will be Built by America’s Most Established Businesses
While brand new businesses like Tesla, Uber and Waymo receive a lot of attention for the ways they are pioneering auto-transport, it will be old companies with powerful innovation pipelines that feed the auto industry the parts and ideas it needs to continue advancing. Companies like 3M, which builds touchscreen displays, and DowDuPont which makes advanced polymers, will develop the basic technologies needed to make the car of tomorrow drive. Andrew Tangel reports at The Wall Street Journal: Auto makers and popular ride-hailing apps aren’t the only companies looking to cash in on the shift to … [Read more...]
Could a Startup Beat Tesla to the Semi Market?
Will Telecoms or Automakers Win Smartcar Tech Race?
The FT reports that a battle is brewing between European telecoms and automakers over which technology will be used to power communications with smart cars. The automakers want to use a short-range vehicle to vehicle technology that could be rolled out very soon. Meanwhile the telecoms want car communications to travel over their networks on bandwidths used for cellular communications. Nic Fildes and Peter Campbell write: Carmakers largely favour a short range technology using a dedicated band of spectrum or radio frequencies for car-to-car communication. This vehicle-to-vehicle system, or … [Read more...]
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