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Tag Archives: autoinformed
Toyota Motor North America Reports December 2020 Sales Increase 22.9%. Yearly Sales Drop -11.3%
For the year, Toyota reported sales of 1,837,900 vehicles, down 11.9% on a volume basis and down 12.4% on a DSR basis. Lexus division posted December sales of 38,223 vehicles, up 8.2% on a volume basis and down 3.4% on a DSR basis. For the year, Lexus reported sales of 275,041 vehicles, down 7.7% on a volume basis and down 8.3% on a DSR basis. Continue reading
Posted in economy, results, sales
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, Ken Zino, Toyota Motor North America
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Ford Motor 2020 US Sales Plunge -16%
For the year Ford sales dropped -15.6%. Ford sales were hurt by lower F-150 inventories from the ongoing consequences of the Q2 coronavirus production stoppage, which resulted in an awful F-150 transition to a revised pickup. Super Duty sales maintained pace and were up 14.1% while F-150 sales were off, gulp, -32.7%, which will make for a grim Q4 2020 financial loss. At the moment Ford executives appear to be in the automotive industry equivalent of an FBI witness protection program – no more sales results press conferences. Continue reading
Posted in economy, results, sales
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, Ford Motor 2020 US sales, Ken Zino
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GM 2020 US Sales – Infected by Covid – Are Down -12%
However, on Tuesday it was agreed by most of OPEC that it will keep production stable while Saudi Arabia offered to make a big voluntary cut. The price of oil, as well as when – or if – the US economy recovers are external factors beyond GM’s control that could stop the chortling in Detroit. Continue reading
VW Beetle Ensnared in Takata Airbag Recall
VW maintains that the Takata SDI-D driver frontal airbag inflators installed in the recalled vehicles currently do not pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety to drivers of affected vehicles. “Based on its prior conversations with NHTSA, Volkswagen understands that the Agency is concerned that after additional time, the airbag inflator may not perform properly in the event of a crash,” VW said. Continue reading
Commerce – S. Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam Tire Dumping
Using Census Bureau trade numbers, AutoInformed figures this involves 85,330,506 tires with a value of more than $3.5 billion. The case will drag on well into this year. Continue reading
Miss Shilling’s Orifice Fixed Merlin Engines on Spitfires
In one of those odd and startling connections, we are in a war now against Covid that will require the collective sacrifice and patriotism that was on display during the British battle and subsequently – in another parallel – our struggles under the Roosevelt Administration that followed a demonstrably incompetent Republican one. Continue reading
Aston Martin Returns to Formula 1 in 2021?
Whether that holds true today given the tatters that F1 was in last year remains to be proven. The 2020 F1 season is one I won’t miss. (I guess the nicest way to characterize the last race is “strategic.” This is a polite way of saying there wasn’t any racing going on. Ferrari with six straight losing seasons. Mercedes dominating qualifying and the races as it had for years on years. YAWN. Changing 2021 down-force doesn’t appear to be anything but a meaningless tweak. I know: don’t write your lede on the way to Australia in 2021. Still it reminds me of the McClaren mid-1980s domination years that badly damaged F1 with its lack of racing. ) Continue reading
Posted in marketing, news analysis, racing
Tagged aston martin, auto industry commentary, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, Formula 1, Ken Zino, red bull, Sebastian Vettel
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Setback – Ford Motor and Mahindra End JV Discussions
The failure “was driven by fundamental changes in global economic and business conditions – caused, in part, by the global pandemic – over the past 15 months. Those changes influenced separate decisions by Ford and Mahindra to reassess their respective capital allocation priorities,” Ford said. Ford in AI’s opinion is on track to lose $400 billion this quarter. Ford and Mahindra announced an alliance in September 2017, and it was expected to be operational by mid-2020. Continue reading
Small Business Pulse Weak – Large Negative Covid Effects
A tip of the AutoInformed racing helmet to Census Bureau employees for doing their jobs whilst under constant and ongoing attacks from the Republicans and COVID19. Help is on the way for others, but it took the election of President Biden to signal the beginning of the beginning of recovery on 20 January 2021 at noon. Better late than never. But for the suffering it’s small compensation for enduring a President for four years who – based on his actions in office was unemployed all the while being pampered, housed, fed and subsidized – aka welfare for the rich – by taxpayers he disdains. Continue reading
Alexa Voice Now Available on FCA’s New Fiat 500 EV
The launch Alexa on the Fiat 500 continues a global collaboration between FCA and Amazon. FCA customers were initially introduced to Alexa through FCA’s custom Alexa Connected Car Skills, including MyJeep and MyAlfa, which allows customers with Alexa-enabled devices at home to easily ask Alexa to check the battery level of the car, lock/unlock doors, among other trifles. The integration of Alexa on the Uconnect Services suite “deepens the experience by bringing Alexa into the vehicle itself” claims FCA. Continue reading
Droning On: FAA Belatedly Issues Unmanned Aircraft Regs. Bits of Aircraft Rules Pilots Obey Now Will Eventually Apply
These rules come at a time when drones are the fastest-growing segment in the entire transportation sector – with currently more than 1.7 million drone registrations and 203,000 FAA “certificated” (not even close to what private pilots must know on the FAA written test) remote pilots. Continue reading
FAW To Enter EU with a Luxury Electric SUV – Hongqi E-HS9
FAW Hongqi is a premium manufacturer of passenger vehicles with a time-honored history in China as First Auto Works – established in 1953 under a communist 5-year plan and initially making Russian trucks. FAW became China’s first automobile manufacturer when it unveiled the nation’s first domestically produced passenger car, the Hong Qi, in 1958. Continue reading
Posted in news analysis
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, faw, First Auto Works, Hongqi E-HS9, Ken Zino
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Honda Recalls a Recall on 2002-06 CR-V Models for Fire Hazard
What started out as a recall on CR-V power window master switches has resulted in a recall of that recall because the recall fix (NHTSA ID 12V-486) of applying butyl tape to seal the power window master switch (PWMS) from moisture was “insufficient.” Continue reading
Volkswagen of America Q4 Sales up 11%, 2020 Sales Down 10%
However, VW year-to date sales of 325,784 were down 10% from 2019. The YTD SUV share of sales was 58% or 188,121. It was the best December since 2012 with sales of 38,432 up 38%. Continue reading →