Automobile Industry

Industry Roundup

Electric & Hybrid Vehicles

Citigroup: Collapse in lithium prices likely over, and prices should rebound by as much as 40% by the end of 2023 as downstream producers start to restock and policy support in China boosts sales of electric vehicles
Business Weekly (Zimbabwe) (05/22)

EnergySource Minerals signs contract to supply Ford with sustainable, American-sourced geothermal lithium for use in future EVs produced by Ford; ESM's lithium hydroxide to be produced at Project ATLiS in Imperial Valley, California starting 2025
PR Newswire (05/22)

Light Vehicles

Ford and Nemaska Lithium enter 11-year lithium hydroxide supply agreement; agreement calls for the delivery of up to 13,000 tons of lithium hydroxide per year
PR Newswire (05/22)

Ford to focus on connected vehicles and digital services, CEO Farley says; company to stop competing in over-served markets and focus on tailored ownership experiences
Associated Press (05/22)

Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs)

VW unveils upgraded Tiguan with BS6 RDE-compliant 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and Level 1 ADAS auto park function for 2023 model year
Auto Business News (05/22)

Mitsubishi recalls 89,907 2022-2023 Outlander and 2023 Outlander PHEV vehicles in US because backup camera image may not appear on display; dealers to update software free of charge
Contify Automotive News (05/19)

Heavy Trucks / Commercial Vehicles

HBIS's Handan Steel Co. reports delivery of 300 tons of 1500MPa hot-formed square pipe steel to customers; 1500MPa is China's strongest steel for thermoforming square pipes which supports lightweight development of commercial vehicles
China Business News (05/22)

Bridgestone's commercial truck and bus radial tire plant in Warren County, Tennessee, receives its sixth Volunteer Safety Through Accountability and Recognition award from Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development
ENP Newswire (05/22)

Pickup Trucks

Council in Allen County, Indiana, approves 10-year US$24.5M tax abatement for GM's Fort Wayne assembly plant in Roanoke, Indiana; abatement to be applied to next generation of internal combustion engines for full-sized pickup trucks
Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, IN) (05/19)

Toyota unveils all-new 2024 Tacoma pickup based on TNGA-F global truck platform; truck features two turbocharged four-cyclinder engine options, comes with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 standard on all models
Toyota Motor Corp. (05/18)

Vans

Mercedes-Benz USA names Melody Lee Chief Marketing Officer, Heike Scheuble managing director of Mercedes-Benz Vans, Jee-Seop Kim head of Customer Services; all three to be based in Atlanta, Georgia
Business Wire (05/18)

Mercedes-Benz reports it will launch luxury mid-size electric passenger vans and factory-built RVs in the US and China starting in 2026; vans to be built with shared components
Green Car Reports (05/16)

Auto Interior

GM recalls 688,000 Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain SUVs from model years 2020-2023 because anchor bars may prevent child seats from being hooked to the anchors; dealers to inspect anchors, correct the issue if necessary
Associated Press (05/18)

Kia launches 10 must-have sustainability items to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, including phasing out leather and investing in bio-based materials
Kia Motors Corp. (05/16)

Automotive Use

UAW to resume negotiation with Constellium this week after filing unfair labor practice charges; 160 workers at Constellium, aluminum supplier for Ford's F-150, have been on strike since May 17 over health and safety issues, and management discipline
States News Service (05/22)

Albemarle Corporation enters agreement with Ford to supply lithium hydroxide for 3 million future Ford electric vehicle batteries starting in 2026; agreement focuses on supply from the US or from US Free Trade Agreement countries
Albemarle Corp. (05/22)

Auto Parts & Accessories

Continental sells Kaluga, Russia, tire plant to S8 Capital for undisclosed amount; plant has about 1,100 employees, makes passenger car tires, air suspension system parts, power steering and air condition lines for Russian market
SeeNews Deals (05/22)

Donaldson to display dual-stage flex battery vent for EV, hybrid vehicle battery protection at Battery Show Europe in Stuttgart, Germany, May 23-25; company to also showcase intake air filtration solutions, ePTFE membranes, fuel-cell vents
Industry Intelligence Inc. (05/19)

Tires

Kumho Petrochemical to source bio-styrene monomer used to make Solution Styrene Butadiene rubber for high-performance tires from Idemitsu Kosan and Sumitomo; Bio-SM is made from bio-based bionaphtha made from waste and residue
ASEAN Tribune (05/18)

Bridgestone produces demo tires made from 75% recycled and renewable materials, including synthetic rubber from recycled plastics and natural rubber harvested from shrubs in the Arizona desert; company makes 200 demonstration tires
CE Noticias Financieras (05/17)

Batteries

University of Manchester spinout Watercycle Technologies reports recovery of commercial grade lithium carbonate, graphite from black mass containing metals and impurities from recycling end-of-life batteries; discovery a step toward battery circularity
ENP Newswire (05/22)

European battery market valued at US$250.0B, is expected to continue to grow due to increasing EV sales; Europe has 2.3 million plug-in EV registrations, with ECVs making up over 30% of new vehicle sales in Northern Europe in 2021
Accesswire (05/22)

Car Dealers

GM expands Chevrolet EV distribution network in Mexico to 19 points of sale; Chevrolet to add Blazer and Equinox EVs to portfolio in Mexico by 2024
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (05/19)

Porsche recalls 71 2020-2022 Taycan vehicles in US because warning indicator in instrument cluster displays incorrect color when notifying of worn brake pads; dealers to update software free of charge
Contify Automotive News (05/19)

Autonomous Transportation Technology

Californian start-up Nautilus flies sub-scale tech demonstrator; aim is family of remotely piloted 'unique blended-wing body design' freighters capable of carrying more cargo compared to traditional airplanes of similar size
Drones World (05/19)

Komatsu and Toyota partner up to develop autonomous light vehicle for mining applications; vehicle to use Komatsu's Autonomous Haulage System
JCN Newswire (05/18)

Electric Vehicle Charging

US Joint Office of Energy and Transportation announces US$51M funding to enhance EV charging resilience, offer equitable access to electrification, improve charging performance and reliability
Joint Office of Energy and Trasnportation (05/22)

US Joint Office of Energy and Transportation launches National Charging Experience Consortium to enhance EV charging experience in US; consortium to focus on EV charging nationwide to ensure reliable and frictionless experiences for drivers
Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (05/22)

Ride-Sharing / Mobility Services

San Francisco startup Ample deploys battery swapping stations for EVs aimed at ride-sharing and delivery fleets, offering a quicker fill-up than current fast-charging options; stations feature machines to switch out depleted battery in about five minutes
Transport Topics (05/18)

Uber plans to switch all London cabs to electric by end of 2025, making London company's first entirely electric city; company's Clean Air Plan offers drivers 'EV assistance' credits towards the cost of purchasing or leasing an electric vehicle
TaxiPoint (05/16)

Automotive & Driving

SQM announces long-term lithium supply agreement with Ford; SQM to supply sustainably produced battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide from sources in Chile to help Ford vehicles qualify for Inflation Reduction Act consumer tax credits
PR Newswire (05/22)

Compass Minerals signs multi-year supply agreement with Ford for battery-grade lithium carbonate from its Ogden, Utah, lithium brine development project; agreement calls for about 11 kMT of battery-grade lithium carbonate by 2025
Business Wire (05/22)

Albemarle and Ford sign five-year agreement for battery-grade lithium hydroxide to support EV production growth plans; Albemarle to supply over 100,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide for approximately 3 million batteries from 2026-2030
Associated Press (05/22)

Auto Parts & Accessories

Continental's new MK 120 ESC electronic brake system enters production with Chinese automaker Changan, offering cyber security features, over-the-air functionality, reduced weight; Changan is first automaker to equip its vehicles with the brake system
Continental AG (05/17)

Hankook Tire wins four iF Design Awards in product, professional concept, and communication categories for innovative designs; winners include Hankook's iON evo EV tire and Wheel Bot robotic wheel system
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (05/17)

Automotive Use

US lawmakers propose bipartisan legislation to require automakers to keep AM radio in new cars for emergency communication and public safety; some automakers have cited interference from electric motors as reason for dropping AM radio from newer models
Canadian Press DataFile (05/19)

GlobalData's Technology Foresights reports that in the past three years there have been over 1.2 million patents filed and granted in the automotive industry and 290+ innovation areas that will shape future of the industry
just-auto (05/18)

40 years of people, product and purpose
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (05/17)

Batteries

Ford outlines growth plan at capital markets event, including KPIs and financial targets for three global business segments; Ford aiming for new battery raw material deals, production capacity run-rate of 2 million EVs by end of 2026
Ford Motor Co. (05/22)

Panasonic reportedly considering building new EV battery factories in North America to increase capacity for 4680 batteries reports Reuters; company aiming to increase car battery capacity to 200GWh each year by March 2031
MarketLine (05/19)

Canadian government officials visit Korea to strengthen partnerships with EV and battery firms; officials meets with SK Group, POSCO Holdings, LGES, Hyundai Motor, Solus Advanced Materials, and Hanwha Aerospace
Korea Times (05/18)

Electric & Hybrid Vehicles

Hyundai unveils N Vision 74 high-performance hydrogen fuel cell electric hybrid 'Rolling Lab' at Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este; concept pays homage to the 1974 Pony Coupe Concept, serves as guide for future sustainable high-performance mobility
Hyundai Motor Co. (05/20)

Toyota Kentucky opens new flexible engine line capable of making three types of engines, making it the only Toyota plant in North America with such capability; the US$145M investment will supply 2.4L turbo and 2.5L hybrid engines to Toyota and Lexus
Contify Automotive News (05/19)

Porsche debuts Spyder RS 718 Boxster, its most powerful internal-combustion-engine Boxster yet, with 493 hp and 331 lb.-ft. of torque; vehicle set for North American release in 2024 ahead of transition to battery-electric power in 2025
Ward's Auto World (05/19)

Electric Vehicle Charging

Rocky Mountain Power partners with Electrify Commercial to install DC fast chargers at 20 sites in Utah to increasing charging access; first sites to open in 2024
Green Car Reports (05/18)

Ford Joins the National Charging Experience Consortium to Improve the Quality of Electric Vehicle Charging in the U.S.
Ford Motor Co. (05/18)

Honda unveils new EM1 electric scooter for urban use with 1.7kW hub-mounted motor, swappable lithium-ion battery with six-hour charge time, range of about 48km; vehicle to launch in Europe first, then other markets
Auto Business News (05/18)

Light Vehicles

Former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler pleads guilty to charges related to VW diesel scandal, faces US$1.2M fine
NBC - 4 WCMH (Columbus, OH) (05/19)

Volkswagen Group sells shares in Volkswagen Group Rus LLC and local subsidiaries to Art-Finance LLC; Russian government has approved deal, which includes production facilities in Kaluga, Russia
Volkswagen AG (05/19)

Hyundai celebrates restoration of iconic Pony Coupe Concept at Hyundai Reunion in Italy; the concept car led to the creation of the brand’s Pony line-up, Korea’s first independently developed mass-production models
Hyundai Motor Co. (05/19)

Pickup Trucks

Ram Truck introduces limited-edition 2023 Ram 1500 Rebel Havoc pickup truck; truck features 5.7-liter HEMI eTorque V-8 engine, has starting price of US$70,310, plus $1,895 destination
PR Newswire (05/17)

Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs)

Ford recalls 422,000 Ford Exporers, Lincoln Aviator SUVs from model years 2020-2023, Lincoln Corsairs from 2020-2022 , to fix rear camera issue; Ford working with suppliers to develop repair
Associated Press (05/18)

Tesla developing affordable SUV EV to be manufactured in Mexico, priced at about US$25,000, or half the cost of Model 3
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (05/17)

Stellantis recalls nearly 220,000 Jeep Cherokees SUVs worldwide from 2014-2016 model years due to fire risk from defective power liftgates; owners advised to park vehicles outdoors and away from other cars; fix for the problem has not yet been developed.
Associated Press (05/16)

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