Automotive News

Nikola battles for scarce funding as it launches its first truck

Like every other startup, Nikola is in search of funds to continue its mission to deliver zero-pollution cargo-moving trucks. Last week, it floated a $100 million stock offering that underwhelmed Wall Street. The company’s cash is being spent in three major areas: building trucks, creating a network of hydrogen fueling stations and developing software for autonomous driving. Any one of those pursuits would be a huge project for a startup. Perfecting all three seems like a moonshot. But Lohscheller has been able to sign up partners to help defray some of the costs. And thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act,…

Automotive News

Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Fix a Damaged Windshield

We’ve all seen other drivers going down the road with a cracked or otherwise damaged windshield. Perhaps you’ve even done it yourself. As long as you can see, why should you worry about fixing something right away? Unfortunately, procrastination can be one of your worst enemies when it comes to repairing your windshield. The following are several reasons you shouldn’t wait to get your windshield repaired. Poor Visibility Car manufacturers spend a lot of time designing their cars with safety in mind. This extends to the design of the windshield as well. While a small chip may not affect your…

Automotive News

The Intersections 3-26-23 | Automotive News

Stress test for the EV transitionA business’ survival is dependent on smart risk management. As the auto industry takes its biggest risk in the era of mass production — the electrification transition — this week’s Automotive News highlights the magnitude of the batch being made. Ford Motor Co., for example, for the first time publicly disclosed how much money it lost in its Model E electric vehicle division last year ($2.1 billion) and how much it expects to lose this year ($3 billion). Offsetting these large losses, if Ford’s projections hold true, will be large profits from its Ford…

Automotive News

Car dealers see drop in per-franchise sales in 2022

Throughput fell for 30 franchised brands and increased to 11, not counting Polestar which was new to the list. Mitch Phillips, global director of data at Urban Science, a consulting firm that also tracks dealership counts, attributed the industry’s decline in throughput not only to inventory shortages, but also to the economy and consumer perception of the economic conditions to come. Toyota, which has long held the top spot for throughput, again was No. 1 with 1,494 vehicles sold per franchise, though also down 8.8 percent from a year ago, as its inventory was constrained. Lexus again finished No. 2,…