Automobile Industry

Industry Roundup

Electric & Hybrid Vehicles

GM may be developing all-electric, two-door car-based pickup truck to compete with Ford Maverick EV pickup reports Automotive News; truck pricing could start at US$30,000
Hybrid Cars (01/23)

Commentary: China's e-commerce market expected to grow at CAGR of 11.6% between 2021-2025, reaching US$3.3T, with 1.2 billion active users; e-commerce among China's key industries to watch in 2023, which includes tourism, new energy vehicles, healthcare
Thailand Business News (01/23)

Light Vehicles

DesRosiers reports 2022 Canadian light vehicle sales were down 9.1% year-over-year at an estimated 1.49 million units, the lowest annual sales since 2009; December 2022 sales up 5.5% from 2021 to 109,000 units
Ward's Auto World (01/23)

Nissan launches revamped Versa subcompact sedan in Mexico to take on the Kia Rio; Versa had been best-selling model in Mexico from 2016-2021 until Kia Rio took top spot last year with 50,958 units sold while Versa recorded sales of 48,055 in 2022
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (01/23)

Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs)

NHTSA closes six-year investigation into exhaust odors in Ford Explorer passenger cabins, finds SUVs don’t need to be recalled; probe covered nearly 1.5 million Explorers from the 2011 to 2017 model years
Associated Press (01/23)

Mitsubishi Motors Mexico forecasts sales increase by 2023 with arrival of Outlander PHEV SUV, launch of other new, high-impact products; Mitsubishi Mexico reports 2022 sales up 10% from the previous year
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (01/20)

Heavy Trucks/Commercial Vehicles

Oakland, California-based startup Forum Mobility announces US$400M JV to acquire electric semi-trucks, build charging depots, funded by CBRE and Homecoming Capital; company provides trucks, chargers to drayage drivers for a monthly subscription fee
Transport Topics (01/18)

Schneider announces that the first of its almost 100 battery-electric vehicles from Daimler Truck North America has arrived to join its Southern California Intermodal operations; trucks have potential to avoid over 81,000 lbs. of CO2 emissions/day
Business Wire (01/17)

Pickup Trucks

Magna Int'l releases Clearview vision technology on Ram 2500, 3500 trucks; system combines camera and mirror technology to potentially reduce blind spot accidents and enhance visibility around the vehicle
Canada StockWatch (01/18)

Ford Wins Two 2023 Edmunds Top Rated Awards; F-150 Named Top Rated Truck for Third Straight Year and F-150 Lightning Awarded Top Rated EV Truck
Ford Motor Co. (01/18)

Auto Interior

New Volkswagen ID.7 with smart air conditioning
Volkswagen AG (01/19)

Automotive Care

Aftermarket test equipment firm Innova Electronics releases software, firmware updates for current generation of OBD2 scanner tools, dongles; free update provides expanded model year coverage, added functionality, enhanced RepairSolutions2 app features
PR Newswire (01/19)

Automotive Use

Asahi Kasei, National Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu College and Tokyo University of Science develop carbon fiber recycling technology; fibers are extracted from reinforced plastics used in automobiles, retain same properties as original fibers
Chemical Industry Digest (01/19)

AMD Adaptive Computing Technology Enables Next-Generation DENSO LiDAR System, Delivering 20X Improvement in Resolution
GlobeNewswire (01/19)

Auto Parts & Accessories

GM to invest US$68.0M in Rochester, New York, manufacturing facility to produce EV battery components, parts for next-generation Gen6 V8 light-duty truck engine reports US Senator Charles Schumer; the plant employs about 750 workers
U.S. Fed News (01/23)

Stellantis to source over one million M3 electric motors annually from its Emotors manufacturing plant in Tremery, Lorraine, France, by 2024; motors to be used in a variety of Stellantis vehicles as car maker aims for 100% BEV car mix in Europe by 2030
Auto Business News (01/20)

Tires

Bridgestone Americas selected as exclusive tire partner for new Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato; Sterrato to come equipped with Bridgestone Dueler All-Terrain AT002 tires with run-flat technology that allows for up to 50 miles of driving after a puncture
Auto Business News (01/20)

Bridgestone reports 2022 North American sales of Bandag tire retreads up 9% year-over-year, with forecasts calling for total sales to be over 7 million units; company invests US$60.0M in Abilene, Texas, retread plant to increase production capacity
CE NAFTA 2.0 Newswire (Mexico) (01/20)

Batteries

Honda partnering with Asian EV battery supplier GS Yuasa to jointly develop high-capacity lithium-ion batteries and create production methods, material supply chain; the two firms may form joint venture by end of 2023
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (01/23)

Economic experts weigh Virginia governor’s decision to halt Ford/CATL plant; Center for Economic Accountability calls economic incentives to attract manufacturing ‘terrible idea for city or local governments to be doing’
Watchdog.org Virginia Bureau (01/23)

Car Dealers

Blink Charging signs exclusive agreement with Mitsubishi as EV charging infrastructure provider for all 323 US dealerships; Blink to supply MQ 200, IQ 200 Level 2 chargers and offer DC Fast Chargers to all participating Mitsubishi dealers in North America
GlobeNewswire (01/19)

Autonomous Transportation Technology

Lambert Vet Supply expands partnership with Korber with agreement to deploy 24 of Locus Robotics' autonomous robots across warehouses for Jeffers Pet Supply in Dothan, Alabama; software-driven solution allows for scalability, adaptability to peak periods
MENAFN (01/19)

Volvo Group Venture Capital invests in Canadian AI-based autonomous trucking startup Waabi; company recently unveiled Waabi Driver, supported by scalable simulator Waabi World which exposes Driver to various driving scenarios to advance commercialization
Cision (01/18)

Electric Vehicle Charging

Tata Power to install public EV Charging points at GAIL Gas' CNG Stations in Bengaluru
Contify Energy News (01/23)

EV Connect and Skycharger Remove CAPEX for EV Fleet Charging
Contify Automotive News (01/18)

Ride-Sharing/Mobility Services

Cab drivers allegedly attack, intimidate tourists attempting to use Uber in Cancun, Mexico, including preventing passengers from boarding and assault; some incidents result in arrest of cab drivers
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (01/23)

Uber to pay between €17M to €20M to 139 drivers in Lyon, France, after court rules that drivers are to be considered employees instead of self-employed; company to appeal, citing that drivers are free to organize their hours and not obligated to work
AFP World News (01/20)

Automotive & Driving

Tesla signs lease for about 1.03 million square-feet of space in Brookshire, Texas, and appears to be preparing to establish a large industrial facility
Off the Kuff (01/23)

Tesla jumped from 1.9% of all researched brands on Edmunds website to 4% after EV maker announced price cut January 13; Tesla Model Y second most researched vehicle on Edmunds after Honda CR-V, Tesla Model 3 jumps 36 spots to 11th most researched vehicle
Contify Automotive News (01/23)

Indonesia reports it is finalizing agreements with BYD, Tesla to invest in EV production facilities in the country; Indonesia, a major nickel supplier, has banned exports of nickel in effort to attract EV manufacturing to the Southeastern Asian country
Big News Network (United Arab Emirates) (01/23)

Auto Parts & Accessories

Dana named Great Workplace for Diversity by Newsweek magazine; Dana rated for corporate culture, proactive management, sustainability and awareness, compensation and benefits, training and career progression, work-life balance, work environment
Dana Holding Corp. (01/17)

Autonomous Transportation Technology

Tesla executive testifies during deposition that 2016 video promoting Tesla’s self-driving technology was partially staged to show what was possible to build into the system; deposition part of car crash lawsuit against Tesla
Independent, The (UK) (Online) (01/18)

Batteries

South Korean battery maker SK On signs contract to obtain natural graphite anode materials for its EV batteries from US-based graphite producer Urbix; anode materials to be designed specifically for SK On’s batteries
Auto Business News (01/20)

GlobalData expects global battery electric vehicle demand to rise 41% to 11 million units in 2023; China to still dominate global BEV sales despite increases in other markets, as Europe should pick up speed, North American BEV sales to top 1 million units
Greentechlead.com (01/20)

Global Battery Alliance launches proof of concept for its Battery Passport at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos; the passport is key to facilitating the rapid scaling of sustainable, circular and responsible battery value chains
Contify Automotive News (01/20)

Electric & Hybrid Vehicles

Commentary: Tesla's EV price war makes it harder for startups like Rivian, Lucid to grab share in industry competing for shrinking consumer wallets; some startups may not be able to afford lower prices, as they struggle with raw material, production costs
Reuters (01/20)

McKinsey expects automakers to release over 400 different EV models in 2023, aside from existing brands like Tesla, Rivian already taking up market share; bulging demand also means automakers plan to bring more production facilities online in coming year
ValueWalk (01/20)

BMW expands its joint development agreement with solid-state rechargeable battery maker Solid Power to add an R&D license; license allows BMW to create an ASSB prototype line in its Cell Manufacturing Competence Center in Germany
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (01/20)

Light Vehicles

BMW updating iDrive Operating System 7 and 8 used in about 4.7 million BMW vehicles; update allows users to share BMW Digital Key between Apple iPhones and Android smartphones, introduces remote control parking function in certain countries and vehicles
German Equity Markets (Web Disclosure) via PUBT (01/20)

Nissan urges Renault to not provide patented technology such as next-generation batteries to third parties as part of capital relationship restructuring talks; Renault holds 43% of Nissan’s shares, Nissan holds 15% of Renault shares
Gov Japan Live (01/19)

Mercedes-Benz unveils 2023 CLA facelift with an arcing roofline, bonnet bulges, reshaped front bumper and radiator grille, revised rear diffuser, other body changes; vehicle options include mild-hybrid 1.3-liter, four-cylinder engine that generates 134bhp
Auto Business News (01/19)

Pickup Trucks

Ram 1500 named to Car and Driver's 10 Best Vehicles for fifth consecutive year
PR Newswire (01/17)

Best of the Best: Ford Bronco and Maverick Recognized by Car and Driver in '10 Best Trucks and SUVs' List
Ford Motor Co. (01/17)

Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs)

Mitsubishi launches two 2023 Outlander special editions to celebrate 40 years in the US; special vehicles include anniversary editions of top-selling Outlander and newly launched Outlander plug-in hybrid EV
PR Newswire (01/20)

Hyundai unveils new, second-generation Kona subcompact SUV; Hyundai designed electric version of vehicle first, with internal combustion engine models to be introduced later with same exterior style
Korea Times (01/19)

Maserati introduces new Grecale SUV in US in GT, Modena, Trofeo trim levels; GT and Modena equipped with a four-cylinder mild hybrid engine with 296bhp in GT, 325bhp in Modena and Trofeo equipped with 523bhp V6 engine
Auto Business News (01/19)

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