automotive articles

Tesla Cybertruck production finally starts in TexasTesla Cybertruck production finally starts in Texas

July 24, 2023| 4:28 pm

Tesla initially said it would sell the Cybertruck in three configurations: A single-motor version with more than 250 miles of range, starting at $39,900 (all figures in USD). A dual-motor model with more than 300 miles of range, starting at $49,900. And a tri-motor iteration with more than 500 miles of range, starting at $69,900. But in October 2021, the company removed pricing and specifications from its Cybertruck order page, without explanation. When asked in April this year for updated specs and pricing, Musk demurred, saying Tesla would save that information for a [...]

Ford seeks a ‘blueprint’ contract with Unifor amid transition to electric vehiclesFord seeks a ‘blueprint’ contract with Unifor amid transition to electric vehicles

July 19, 2023| 3:15 pm

“It’s been a tough environment in recent years between COVID, between the economic pressures with inflation, with housing prices, and that’s something the entire industry is having to reconcile.” A counterbalance to high levels of inflation is “something that’s going to be on the table through these negotiations,” the official added. Income security for workers in Oakville when Ford’s assembly plant shuts down for retooling next year, is also likely to be among the key issues the company will “need to address together with Unifor,” as part of the talks, the official said. From the automaker’s side, the official pointed… [...]

Ferrari adds powerful SF90 Stradale derivativesFerrari adds powerful SF90 Stradale derivatives

July 1, 2023| 3:44 am

The most recent addition to the XX program was the FXX-K EVO coupe unveiled in 2017 and produced in several dozen units. Ferrari’s marketing boss, Enrico Galliera, said the SF90XX Stradale coupe and SF90XX Spider are “true high performance racing cars” that are road legal. Ferrari gave the SF90 XX Stradale cars aerodynamic features, mostly from the FXXK-EVO coupe. A rear fixed wing was added – the first to appear on a road-going Ferrari since the F50. This delivers 1,168 pounds of downforce at 250 kph (155 mph). Ferrari said the focus of the SF90 XX Stradale’s development was to… [...]

Canada’s Linamar will ‘immediately’ break ground on new plantCanada’s Linamar will ‘immediately’ break ground on new plant

May 18, 2023| 6:12 pm

Canadian auto supplier Linamar Corp. plans to break ground “immediately” on a new plant in Welland, Ont., that will house three giga-casting presses capable of producing very large aluminum structural parts for electric vehicles. The Guelph, Ont.-based parts supplier announced the new site in the city south of Niagara Falls as it reported its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Company CEO Linda Hasenfratz said the state-of-the-art plant will be a “flagship location” for the company’s structural castings business. “As the first supplier to invest in this equipment in North America, Linamar will naturally take a market leadership position in this technology,”… [...]

BMW Q1 earnings: Higher margins for the car businessBMW Q1 earnings: Higher margins for the car business

May 10, 2023| 4:47 pm

BERLIN — BMW AG reported a higher earnings margin for its cars segment, with a rise to 12.1 percent in the first quarter from 8.9 percent a year earlier. BMW benefited from continued stable pricing for both new and used cars, it said in a statement on Thursday. The automaker attributed a drop in first-quarter earnings before tax to 5.1 billion euros ($5.65 billion) from 12.2 billion last year to the impact of last year’s full consolidation of its Chinese joint venture, BMW Brilliance Automotive. The company kept its outlook unchanged in the face of ongoing high costs and rising… [...]

Leasing a Nissan Leaf just got cheaperLeasing a Nissan Leaf just got cheaper

April 30, 2023| 3:08 pm

Nissan was an early proponent of local sourcing for the Leaf, when it constructed a dedicated battery plant next to its Smyrna vehicle assembly that produced its own battery cells. Japanese supplier Envision AESC now operates that battery production center on the Smyrna site. But now, to qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit, at least 40 percent of the value of the EV battery’s critical minerals must be extracted or processed in the US or in a country where the US has a free-trade agreement, or from materials recycled in North America. In addition, at least half of… [...]

Ford Oakville plant’s switch to EVs will start in 2024Ford Oakville plant’s switch to EVs will start in 2024

April 16, 2023| 11:49 am

Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday said the previously announced $1.3 billion transformation of its Oakville Assembly Plant for electric vehicle manufacturing will begin in the second quarter of next year and take about six months to complete. During that time some of the 3,000 workers at the Ontario, Canada, the site will be furloughed, although the company expects to retain virtually all of the employees when the plant comes back online at the end of 2024. Ford said the site, which currently builds the gasoline-powered Edge and Lincoln Nautilus crossovers, will be renamed the Oakville Electric Vehicle Complex and include… [...]

VW halts sale of some ID4 EVs over door riskVW halts sale of some ID4 EVs over door risk

April 9, 2023| 9:39 am

Volkswagen Group has ordered dealers in the US and Canada to stop selling it ID4 electric compact crossover because its doors might open while in motion, and the German carmaker doesn’t yet have a fix for the problem. Nearly 18,000 vehicles were built at VW’s Chattanooga assembly plant in Tennessee may have door handles that are malfunctioning because of water seeping in, according to a stop-sale notice dated April 3. This can “cause a situation where a vehicle door could open unexpectedly” at low speed, VW said. First reports of ID4 driver and passenger doors opening surfaced in January, prompting… [...]

Smart’s European dealers pleased with direct-sales planSmart’s European dealers pleased with direct-sales plan

April 3, 2023| 6:33 am

BRESCIA, Italy – Smart dealers say they are happy with the brand’s change to a direct-sales agency model, which the joint Mercedes-Geely brand initiated last year by negotiating new contracts ahead of the launch of the #1 full-electric small SUV. “We are happy about the commission structure we are getting for the #1; our only complaint is that we need more product, so we don’t have consumers waiting for too long,” Ossuama Kaddoura, a Paris-based dealer who is also president of ASP (Smart Partner Association) told Automotive News Europe last week on the sidelines of a dealer event in Brescia.… [...]

Car cybersecurity firm expects consumers to emerge as hackersCar cybersecurity firm expects consumers to emerge as hackers

March 14, 2023| 5:25 pm

Add vehicle owners to the growing list of potential cyber security threats against automakers in 2023. Early adopters of new digitized offerings from automakers will find ways to bypass premium features by manipulating their vehicles’ systems fraudulently, according to executives from Israeli cybersecurity firm Upstream. Speaking at a cybersecurity webinar Tuesday, the Upstream team said consumers may push back as automakers launch subscription-based services and features in new vehicles. Automakers — from BMW and Tesla to Volkswagen, Toyota and General Motors — have offered monthly subscriptions for services like heated seats, global positioning systems, music streaming and remote keyless start… [...]

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