Auto News Today Archives - Page 22 of 63

July 25, 2022

Chevy, GMC to sell gasoline-powered models with EV

Chevy’s EV cadence will pace up sooner, but all of its large nameplates will go on to present gasoline powertrains by 2026.

“We are now coming to current market with an EV onslaught that compliments some seriously superb ICE portfolio now and will carry on to devote in the portfolio for years to arrive,” claimed Steve Majoros, vice president of Chevy promoting.

The brand name ideas to launch the Blazer EV and Equinox EV crossovers subsequent 12 months and will discontinue the Bolt EV and EUV driven by previous-era batteries in 2023 and 2024. The Bolts most likely will be replaced by identical-sized, Ultium-driven EVs. GM and Honda Motor Co. partnered to co-acquire a line of economical crossovers setting up in 2027.

Silverado EV: The function variation of the pickup is scheduled to go on sale in spring 2023, adopted by the retail RST trim in the drop. The Silverado EV will have extra than 400 miles of driving assortment, Tremendous Cruise driver-help technologies and a tow score of up to 10,000 pounds.

The get the job done truck begins $41,595 which include shipping. The RST trim will start out at $106,695. Following manufacturing begins, Chevy ideas to expose a full portfolio with trims ranging from about $50,000 to $80,000.

Anticipate a freshening of the Silverado EV in 2027.

Sierra EV: The Sierra EV, crafted at Manufacturing facility Zero and Orion Assembly in Michigan, likely will go on sale in the 2nd 50 {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of 2023. GMC designs to expose the pickup this yr.

Hummer EV SUT: After starting off deliveries of Version 1 in late 2021, GMC will introduce decrease trims of the Hummer pickup through spring 2024 before a slight freshening in 2026.

Colorado EV/Canyon EV: Count on electric versions of GM’s midsize pickups in 2026, constructed at Orion Assembly in Michigan. They will market alongside the gasoline-run types.

Tahoe/Yukon EV: Electrical ver- sions of the complete-dimensions SUVs are expected to go on sale in 2026. They will sell alongside the gasoline-driven models.

Hummer EV SUV: Version 1 of the Hummer SUV is slated to launch early next 12 months. Lessen trim amounts will proceed to roll out by way of spring 2024. Anticipate a minimal refresh in 2026.

Categorical EV/Savana EV: GM is expected to introduce electric powered variations of its Chevy and GMC professional vans in 2026. They will probably be crafted in Wentzville, Mo. GMC programs to include two motor vehicles to its business portfolio: a full-sized battery electric powered cargo van and a medium-obligation truck powered by Ultium batteries and Hydrotec hydrogen fuel-cell know-how.

Blazer EV: Chevy designs to launch the electric Blazer in summer months 2023. It will be constructed at Ramos Arizpe Assembly in Mexico. Chevy programs to start the Blazer EV in a trim-by-trim cadence commencing with the 2LT design priced at $47,595 which include shipping and delivery. Setting up costs throughout trim degrees will assortment from $44,995 to $65,995.

Dependent on the trim stage, the Blazer EV has a GM-believed selection of 247 to 320 miles on a entire charge.

July 24, 2022

Lithia ahead of AutoNation in new-car sales race

By the first fifty percent of the calendar year, Lithia offered 133,694 new cars, up 3.6 per cent. AutoNation bought 114,332 automobiles for the identical time period, down 22 p.c.

AutoNation CEO Mike Manley in a get in touch with with analysts Thursday explained the second quarter new-motor vehicle volume drop “when you contemplate our minimal level of new inventory and our substantial stock turn fees, was in my see purely a final result of continued constrained supply.” AutoNation didn’t react to a request for comment from Automotive Information on the sales race.

Lithia has also bested AutoNation so far this 12 months on the sale of new and employed cars combined. Lithia retailed 288,409 cars all round for the to start with 50 percent, a 12 p.c attain, while AutoNation offered 271,175 cars, a 9.3 per cent drop.

‘Pretty very good flow’
The country’s publicly traded dealership groups have all observed restricted income simply because of the new-car or truck shortages, but each Lithia and AutoNation professional offer advancements, albeit slight, amongst the conclusion of March and the stop of June.

Lithia claimed a 32-day source of new vehicles on June 30, up from 27 days on March 31.

AutoNation described an 11-day provide of new autos on June 30, up from just 8 days at the conclusion of March.

The two companies’ offer metrics usually are not comparable as Lithia’s calculations consist of in-transit cars.

“Our domestic [brands] day offer on new is all over 60 times, so we have quite fantastic stream even although there is certainly some in-transit on that,” Lithia CEO Bryan DeBoer stated Wednesday in a call with analysts. “Seriously our softness in working day offer, which is wherever we definitely are promoting every single motor vehicle that we get about as brief as we can get them, is in our imports, which we’re sitting at a 16-day supply. Our luxuries are sitting at about a 29-working day supply.”

He estimated that a single-3rd of Lithia’s new-vehicle volume is pre-offered, down from about fifty percent 90 days ago.

“Due to the fact fascination fees have come up, it certainly has influenced points, but it is… even now a sturdy surroundings exactly where individuals cars and trucks hit the ground and it is really someone that needs to push the car or truck and you can find two other persons waiting around to travel the exact automobile,” DeBoer mentioned. “It’s even now a little bit of a frenzy, and we think about that it’s going to go on by means of the rest of the year, particularly understanding that offer strains for most makers are going to stay rather tight right up until Q1 or Q2 of next calendar year.”

AutoNation CFO Joe Decrease mentioned in the firm’s analyst connect with that the retailer expects “demand to continue to outpace supply into the back again half of 2022.”

He pointed out that 35 to 40 {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of domestic-brand autos are pre-requested right now, down from about 50 percent in the first quarter. 50 percent of import-manufacturer motor vehicles are pre-ordered, the identical share as the very first quarter, he mentioned, and AutoNation’s luxurious-brand name pre-get rate has dropped a little to 60 to 65 p.c right now as opposed with 70 {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in the 1st quarter. Nevertheless, all pre-orders are “considerably previously mentioned” the degrees they were at in advance of the coronavirus pandemic began, Decreased mentioned.

Lithia’s shopping spree
Lithia passed longtime No. 2 Penske Automotive Group Inc. in new-car product sales past year as it ongoing an acquisition tear. Lithia bought Michigan’s 34-keep Suburban Collection in April 2021, its biggest of numerous buys past 12 months. And the retailer has continued to get dealerships at a swift clip in 2022.

Earlier this month, Lithia, of Medford, Ore., purchased a Ford retailer in Northern California. At the conclude of June, Lithia acquired 10 dealerships in a few transactions across South Florida and Nevada. In the very first quarter, Lithia bought 6 dealerships in Northern California and Las Vegas in two transactions. Lithia has also drop some stores this 12 months.

AutoNation, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., obtained 20 franchised dealerships in 2021 in two significant transactions. The organization, which has not noted any dealership acquisitions so considerably in 2022, is employing some of its cash to increase its AutoNation Usa standalone utilised-car business from 11 retailers right now to a planned 130-additionally by the stop of 2026.

Melissa Load contributed to this report.

July 23, 2022

Rivian rolls out its first batch of electric Amazon delivery vans

Rivian Automotive delivered its to start with batch of electrical delivery vans on Thursday to Amazon, an early trader that has been ready out production delays at the EV startup but can now put the futuristic vehicles to function in important U.S. metropolitan areas.

“In 2019, Rivian and Amazon committed to quickly-monitoring a new kind of shipping and delivery auto that would final result in a sizeable reduction of carbon emissions,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe stated in a joint statement by the organizations. “That vision is now staying understood.”

The go is another move ahead for Rivian, which has struggled to ramp up manufacturing of its electric powered R1T pickup, and has only not long ago introduced the formal launch of its R1S SUV. Rivian’s consumer autos are crafted on the R1 platform at its manufacturing facility in Typical, Ill., and the electrical delivery vans are built on a different line.

Amazon unveiled street-ready EDVs at a previous-mile shipping heart in Chicago, the businesses stated. Amazon has been tests preproduction cars since final calendar year.

“Beginning now, customers throughout the U.S. will start to see tailor made electrical delivery vehicles from Rivian delivering their Amazon offers, with the electric powered cars hitting the road in Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas Town, Nashville, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle and St. Louis, among other metropolitan areas,” the companies stated.

“This rollout is just the beginning of what is envisioned to be hundreds of Amazon’s personalized electric delivery vehicles in much more than 100 towns by the stop of this 12 months — and 100,000 across the U.S. by 2030,” the release said.

The vans for Amazon’s fleet will come in unique dimensions, based on cargo capacity.

Rivian has claimed the EDV 700, with 700 cubic toes of cargo place, is rated at just a lot more than 200 miles of array. The automaker is also making a smaller EDV 500, and options a bigger EDV 900 — both of those with at least 150 miles of array.

Amazon claimed it has included countless numbers of charging stations at its delivery centers across the place and will keep on the expansion to support the electrification of its supply fleet. Amazon is also purchasing electrical Ram ProMaster vans from Stellantis.

Rivian mentioned in its fourth-quarter 2021 earnings report that it experienced begun manufacturing and deliveries of the electric powered shipping and delivery vans, and some check vehicles have been noticed in big metropolitan areas.

“Amazon has been screening deliveries with Rivian preproduction motor vehicles due to the fact 2021, delivering more than 430,000 offers and accumulating about 90,000 miles,” the firms claimed. “This considerable tests has allowed Rivian to constantly boost the vehicle’s performance, protection and sturdiness in numerous climates and geographies.”

July 22, 2022

Public comments show overwhelming support for FTC car dealer rules

The to start with 7 days of public opinions on the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed principles for dealership promotion and finance and insurance policy offices saw the Countrywide Automobile Sellers Affiliation and the American Money Providers Association request for an extension.

The 60-day general public comment window opened July 13, with reviews owing by Sept. 12. Both of those NADA and AFSA asked for at least yet another 120 days on top rated of that.

Quite a few dozen remarks arrived in all through the 1st week, the huge the greater part in guidance of the FTC getting motion. Some credited the Your Advocate Alliance vehicle procuring and shopper training organization for encouraging them to remark.

Listed here are excerpts.

Dustin Ervin: “Sales [practices] continually evolve in a competitive surroundings. Automobile sales are among the the most aggressive environments out there. Furthermore, nothing at all could be much less capitalistic than a rule these as this. There are presently many legal guidelines covering every situation lifted in the rule. This is an undue load.”

Christopher Brown: “I have obtained a new automobile just about every couple of many years given that 1977, labored in two various car or truck dealerships in the 1970’s and 1980’s, and have owned far more than fifty various cars and trucks over the earlier fifty many years. … Sellers are quite innovative in obtaining means to increase their earnings when advertising to customers, a lot of of them are dishonest and predatory. The proposed regulations goal the newest spate of these pretty very well. The full construction of a automobile dealership rewards their personnel for obtaining sneaky ways to boost revenue when working with prospects/buyers.”

Al Camp: “What are we waiting around for? Demonstrate me a person buyer that loves (likes, enjoys, considers it a good experience) working with car sellers?”

JP Fowler: “There is no way to get the genuine rate until you stroll in the door or contact and communicate to them 3-4 times. It is like a next work you you should not get compensated for.”

JD Tomlinson, Tomlinson Motor Co.: “I have been in the motor vehicle business my overall grownup life and my wife and I have owned and operated our latest dealership for 25 many years. … I would strongly assistance the polices that you are contemplating. … Selling cars to the typical community has been decreased to a contest of which dealership can successfully lie the best. In our current environment, even the most savvy clients are deliberately perplexed and deceived. It is a terribly unfriendly and unfair market.”

Celia Winslow, American Fiscal Companies Association: “Finance providers that get assignment of retail installment income contracts and vehicle leases are reviewing the Rule with wonderful problem.”

Richard Dunn: “I currently individual a Tesla. One of the main factors I bought a Tesla is so I would not have to offer with a dealership. I have been fascinated in a Ford Mach-E for a even though but will not contemplate just one because I will not offer with any dealership any far more. You proposed rule handles several, but not all of the explanations.”

Anthony Ballato: “I am an lawyer in personal apply in NY symbolizing shoppers for 33 decades. It never ceases to amaze me how vehicle sellers defraud straightforward trusting people sizeable sums of dollars by way of many common deceptive and fraudulent methods ranging from altering files, concealing paperwork, getting customers signal blank paperwork, lying about the product conditions of the offer, altering the charges, adding on other contracts or objects hardly ever talked about and offering autos with undisclosed damages and flaws.”

Shannon Harper, Harper Vehicle Square: “I am a 2nd generation car vendor at our household owned and operated auto dealership in Knoxville TN. … We will go on to serve our customers in east TN and across the country with our clear technique. Regrettably this invoice does not tackle the considerations made by a handful of bad actors that will remain poor actors regardless of the laws. This produces supplemental complexity for the the vast majority of dealerships which then provides prices and time delays to the shoppers. … With the quantity of on the web testimonials that exist in today’s globe, the vehicle dealer that frequently creates a destructive gross sales working experience will are unsuccessful. … Be sure to work out warning with including regulation to an business previously swamped with polices simply because the spouse and children owned dealerships that build positions and give back again to their communities will finally be squeezed out by the general public teams that treatment only for their share selling price, not you the client.”

Brent Reynolds: “We would set down a deposit on the automobile a few of months earlier and agreed to the selling price at MSRP, but didn’t get all the things in writing. Just before the automobile arrived, I explained to the typical supervisor I did not want them to include-on nearly anything other than window tinting. When the auto arrived, they included ‘Nitrogen’ for $199 and ‘Ceramic coating’ for $999 in addition to $599 for the window tint. The common manager informed me these ended up not optional, even however they ended up vendor put in immediately after their getting the car and I would currently reported do not put in them. He explained to me if I failed to want the car with the mounted options, he had a lot of other prospects waiting to acquire a motor vehicle and he was now including a $1500 ‘Market Adjustment Fee’, so he’d make additional if I did not purchase it.”

Scott Neblett: “Not all dealers do these items but they’re currently pursuing the proposed principles. This requires to conclude. My only issue is if there will be correct and extensive enforcement as folks will check out to cheat.”

Ralph DiCecca: “Why is it that a dealership can promote a lease regular monthly payment and in no way have a car that qualifies for that sum.”

Chris Bailey: “It is a unhappy working day when a regulation has to be developed to simply just pressure a organization to truthfully promote the price tag of their products. Clearly show me the selling price, display me [fees] these as registration, condition inspection, etcetera. [Then]exhibit me factors you would like to try and sell me. It actually is very simple. Just faux it is a washing device, how are those offered?”

Malcolm Stallons: “Anyone who states the client can just take the time essential to study and comprehend every single term created into a revenue deal has in no way gone through a closing at any dealership that I have. The F&I men and women will not let you the time to study and realize just about every term. I as soon as remaining the F&I office at a good nearby supplier and counted my fingers to make sure the F&I guy failed to steal any of them, the encounter was that lousy. The dealership soon fired the man. The dude was the difficulty, not the dealership.”

July 21, 2022

Cox Automotive Lowers Full-Year New-Vehicle Sales Forecast as Persistent Supply Problems Continue to Hold Back Auto Industry

UPDATED, July 5, 2022 – The Cox Automotive Industry Insights team had expected a year-over-year decline in June auto sales. The actual decline, however, was even greater than expected. Sales last month came in at approximately 1.125 million; the forecast was for 1.2 million.

Some declines were particularly notable, with large year-over-year declines at Buick, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and others. The Honda drop was hard to ignore, with June sales being 54{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} lower than a year ago. The year-over-year decline last month was similar to Honda’s year-over-year drop in April 2020, when the global COVID pandemic had shut down much of the U.S. market. Honda has simply run out of inventory. In June 2021, Honda had nearly 130,000 new vehicles for sale on dealer lots across the U.S., according to our vAuto team’s estimates. Last month, the number was closer to 40,000, a drop of nearly 70{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}. Another significant decrease was Buick, down by more than 45{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} compared to June 2021. Mazda was off more than 50{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}. Nissan fell 40{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} year over year.

As Cox Automotive Senior Economist Charlie Chesbrough continues to note, without a material change in inventory levels, new-vehicle sales in the U.S. will continue to underperform expectations. Yes, the combination of high new-vehicle prices and ongoing inflationary concerns are slowing the market, but new-vehicle sales are primarily being held in check by low inventories.

Our team had expected some improvements in new-vehicle inventory by summer, but the gains have not materialized. We continue to operate in a seller’s market, where good deals are hard to find. Inventory levels have improved in some corners of the market, mainly with the domestic nameplates: Dodge, Ram, Jeep, Ford and Chevrolet. But overall, inventory remains tight, particularly for small, fuel-efficient vehicles.

Cox Automotive last month lowered its full-year forecast for new-vehicle sales in the U.S. to 14.4 million units, down from 15.3 million. At current sales rates, new-vehicle sales volumes in 2022 will finish below the pandemic year of 2020, as inventory has become the industry’s long-haul problem.

ATLANTA, June 28, 2022 – June U.S. new-vehicle sales are expected to show a market still constrained by a lack of supply and one that is virtually unchanged since January. According to the Cox Automotive June sales forecast released today, the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of new-vehicle sales this month is expected to hit 13.8 million, up from last month’s 12.7 million pace but well below last year’s 15.5 million level.

The sales volume in June is expected to finish near 1.2 million units, down 7.5{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} from last year’s volume of 1.3 million sales. However, this is an increase of 7.5{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} from May’s volume of nearly 1.1 million units. There is one more selling day this June than last year and the same number as last month.

Tight inventory continues to negatively impact new-vehicle sales. Since June 2021, monthly sales volume has been stuck in a tight window, with little deviation, averaging 1.1 million units a month and peaking only at 1.3 million in June 2021. With no clear timeline for any notable recovery in new-vehicle inventory levels, Cox Automotive is lowering its full-year 2022 U.S. auto sales forecast to 14.4 million units, down from its current forecast of 15.3 million. The current forecast now is for new-vehicle sales volumes to fall below the 14.6 million sold in 2020 when the market was initially ravaged by the global COVID pandemic.

“Last June, I wrote that the concern about the supply situation could not be overstated, as we were in untested territory for the market,” said Charlie Chesbrough, senior economist, Cox Automotive. “That sentiment remains, as there has been no significant shift in the conditions on the ground since last fall. Even though economic conditions have worsened in the past months, the lack of supply is still the greatest headwind facing the auto industry today.”

June 2022 SALES FORECAST HIGHLIGHTS

In June, light vehicle sales are forecast to reach 1.2 million units, down 7.5{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} from June 2021. Sales volume in June is expected to rise by nearly 181,000 compared to May, or 7.5{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}.
The SAAR in June 2022 is expected to be 13.8 million, below last year’s 15.5 million level and up from May’s 12.7 million pace.
Second-quarter 2022 sales are forecast to fall 19.3{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} compared to Q2 2021
First-half sales are forecast to be down 17.3{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} from the same period in 2021.
General Motors is forecast to outsell Toyota in Q2, jumping back into the top-seller position.
Tesla is the only major brand to increase sales year over year in the first half. Honda, Nissan and VW all see first-half sales drops in excess of 30{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} year over year.

June 2022 SALES FORECAST

Q2 2022 SALES FORECAST

FIRST-HALF 2022 SALES FORECAST

All percentages are based on raw volume, not daily selling rate.

About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using vehicles easier for everyone. The global company’s more than 27,000 team members and family of brands, including Autotrader®, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, VinSolutions®, vAuto® and Xtime®, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with annual revenues of nearly $20 billion. www.coxautoinc.com

Media Contacts:
Mark Schirmer
734 883 6346
mark.schirmer@coxautoinc.com

Dara Hailes
470 658 0656
dara.hailes@coxautoinc.com

July 19, 2022

Nutson’s Weekly Auto News Wrap-up July 10

AUTO CENTRAL CHICAGO – July 17, 2022; Every Sunday Larry Nutson, The Chicago Car Guy and Auto Channel Executive Producer, with able assistance from senior editor Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau, compile The Auto Channel’s “take” on this past week’s automotive news, condensed into easy to digest news Nuggets.

LEARN MORE: Complete versions of today’s news nuggets, along with thousands of pages of relevant news and opinions, information stored in a million-page library published and indexed on The Auto Channel during the past 25 years. Complete information can be found by copying a headline and inserting it into any Site Search Box.

Nutson’s Automotive Weekly Auto News Wrap-up – Week Ending July 16, 2022 Below are the past week’s important, relevant, semi-secret, or snappy automotive news, opinions and insider back stories presented as
expertly crafted easy-to-understand automotive universe news nuggets.

* Gas prices fell this week to a national average of $4.67, 12 cents lower than last week’s average, according to new data from AAA. The national average is 32 cents less than a month ago, but $1.53 more than last year, AAA reported. Just last month, gas prices reached an all-time high, surpassing $5 per gallon and hitting the highest point since AAA began tracking prices in 2000.This recent decrease came despite a surge in demand for gas after the July 4th holiday, according to AAA.

* Michael Sivak Sivak Applied Research examined the differences between the prices of gasoline in blue and red states. Blue states were defined as those states where in 2020 Joe Biden won all or a majority of electoral votes (26 states); red states are those where Biden won no or a minority of electoral votes (25 states). The average prices of regular gasoline on July 14, 2022 came from AAA. The average of state averages in blue states was $4.81 per gallon, while in red states it was $4.50. There was only 1 blue state in which the average price was below $4.35 (GA), compared with 11 red states (AL, AR, FL, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, SC, TN, and TX). Conversely, there were only 3 red states in which the average price was above $5.00 (AK, ID, and UT), compared with 6 blue states (CA, HI, IL, NV, OR, and WA).

* The average price paid for a new vehicle in the U.S. in June was the highest on record and marked the first time the average transaction price (ATP) surpassed the $48,000 mark, according to new data released by Kelley Blue Book, a Cox Automotive company. The new-vehicle ATP increased to $48,043 in June 2022, according to KBB, beating the previous high of $47,202 set in December 2021. June prices rose 1.9{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} ($895) from May and were up 12.7{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} ($5,410) from June 2021. The average price paid for a new non-luxury vehicle last month was $43,942, up $615 from May, the highest price for a non-luxury vehicle on record. The average luxury buyer paid $66,476 for a new vehicle, up $1097 month over month, the highest price for a luxury vehicle ever.

* Tesla Inc.’s new assembly plant in Gruenheide, Germany, is building the Model Y only in black or white, according to a report from Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche. Customers who choose red, blue, or silver vehicles will be supplied from the automaker’s Shanghai factory and will not receive their vehicle until March 2023 at the earliest. If they opt for black or white, they can expect their cars in October. Facing a global shortage of semiconductor chips and other supply-chain disruptions, other automakers in Europe are offering pared-down options for cars so customers can get their new cars quickly. Renault is offering “fast track” delivery for its Arkana crossover to customers who choose black, pearl-white or gray.

* New-vehicle sales in the second quarter struggled, up only modestly from the first quarter and down more than 20{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} from Q2 2021. But, Cox Automotive reports sales of battery-powered electric vehicles – pure EVs – jumped to 196,788, a record high and a 13{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} increase from Q1. Sales of electrified vehicles – combined EVs, hybrids, and fuel-cell-powered vehicles – jumped to 442,740 in Q2, an increase of 12.9{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} from year-ago levels. Electrified vehicles account for 12.6{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of the U.S. market last quarter. In Q2, EV sales accounted for 5.6{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of the total market, an increase from 5.3{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in Q1 and a record high. EV share in Q2 2021 was 2.7{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}.

* Electric vehicle chargers are coming to highway truck-stop gasoline stations. GM and Pilot Company (Pilot and Flying J) are collaborating on a national DC fast charging network that will be installed, operated and maintained by EVgo. This network of 2,000 charging stalls, co-branded “Pilot Flying J” and “Ultium Charge 360”, will be powered by EVgo eXtend and open to all EV brands at up to 500 Pilot and Flying J travel centers. Many of these sites will feature canopies to help protect customers from the elements while charging, as well as pull-through capability allowing convenient charging for electric pickup trucks and SUVs pulling trailers.

* There is an alarming increase in people being struck and killed while walking. The number of people struck and killed while walking reached yet another new high in 2020. More than 6,500 people were struck and killed while walking in 2020, an average of nearly 18 per day, and a 4.5 percent increase over 2019. This epidemic continues growing worse because our nation’s streets are dangerous by design, designed primarily to move cars quickly at the expense of keeping everyone safe. The result in 2020 was a significant increase in all traffic fatalities, even with less driving overall due to the pandemic. See the report here: https://smartgrowthamerica.org/dangerous-by-design/

* Various members of the automotive media were all abuzz over a story that BMW was going to charge a subscription fee for features such as heated seats to be activated in a vehicle. This led BMW of North America to issue a clarifying press release saying that’s not the case. BMW Functions on Demand on the other hand is designed to offer premium features through software upload that use data and sensors from factory option hardware already built into BMW vehicles. As an example, some BMW models equipped with certain specific options from the factory can currently add the first two Functions on Demand features available in the US – namely a dash cam function called BMW Drive Recorder and BMW Remote Engine Start function—through a software download in a customer’s vehicle.

* Yay, a new sedan is coming to market–and not another utility vehicle. Toyota pulled the sheet off the 2023 Toyota Crown. The Crown is a 4-door sedan with coupe-like styling, a traditional trunk opening and slightly lifted ride height. It will be have a hybrid powertrain and come with all-wheel drive as standard. The Crown is a premium sedan that will replace the Avalon.

* Bloomberg reports Chinese drivers are souping up their electric scooters, helping to grow one of the most successful corners of battery-powered transportation. Electric two-wheelers sold by companies like Niu Technologies have proved to be incredibly well-received in China’s megacities by delivery drivers and commuters who need to bypass traffic and travel short distances in little time. Their popularity has endured despite a 2019 move by the government to force manufacturers to cap speeds at 25 kilometers per hour (16 mph). Drivers and sellers have fought back by hacking software and taking online tutorials that allow them to bypass the controls, enabling some advanced models to hit speeds of 50 kph (31mph or more.)

* The Jeep brand is being recognized for the 20th consecutive year as America’s Most Patriotic Brand in the annual Brand Keys Inc. 50 Most Patriotic Brands survey. “Since 1941” is a badge of honor proudly displayed on all Jeep brand vehicles, recognizing the Jeep brand’s long-standing military heritage for over 80 years. Consumers surveyed based results on brands that best embody the value of patriotism in 2022.

* Nissan is recalling certain 2020-2022 Frontier and Titan vehicles. The transmission parking pawl may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, which can result in a vehicle rollaway. 180,176 units are affected.

* Autoweek reports former NASCAR driver and three-time USAC National Champion racer Bobby East died following a stabbing attack at a gas station in Westminster, Calif., on July 13. East was 37. East is credited with 56 career USAC feature race wins, including 48 in national divisions. He won the USAC Silver Crown Series championship in 2012 and 2013 with Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing. In 2012, East became just the ninth driver in USAC history to win on dirt and pavement tracks in the three top categories: Silver Crown, National Sprint Car and National Midget. He made 31 career starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and 11 starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series between 2005 and 2008. His best NASCAR finishes were eighth-place finishes in the Truck Series for team owner Jack Roush at Texas and Memphis in 2008. He raced for the famed Wood Brothers Racing team in the Truck Series in 2006.

Stay safe. Be Well.