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☆ Your next Tesla could be made by China
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk invited the suppliers to Mexico as part of plans for cheaper Teslas, Bloomberg reported. That move could be stoking concerns among US officials and EV makers over China's influence. China has a "highly organized, highly efficient supply chain," Venkatesh Prasad, chief innovation officer at the Center for Automotive Research, told Bloomberg. AdvertisementTesla, which also makes cars in the US, and other US-based EV makers may also be feeling the heat from competitors. Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Bloomberg.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Tesla's, Venkatesh Prasad, Tesla, stoke, Katherine Tai, Tai, Biden, EVs, China's, Tesla's Musk, Mary Lovely Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Center for Automotive Research, Business, Trump, Chinese Communist Party, US Trade Rep, Nikkei, EV, Peterson Institute for International Economics Locations: Mexico, Monterrey, Shanghai, Mexican, Nuevo Leon, Austin, China, Beijing, Washington, DC, United States

☆ Car repairs are getting more expensive. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Robert Ferris | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Your eyes aren't fooling you — your car repair bill really is getting more expensive. Repair costs are rising relative to the overall rate of inflation. Motor vehicle maintenance and repair costs increased 4.1% per year from November 2013 to November 2023, compared with just 2.8% for the overall consumer price index. Meanwhile, talent to repair cars is scarce. Many in the auto space think costs can't continue to rise at these rates.

Persons: David Goldsmith, Mitchell, hasn't, Matt Moore, Goldsmith, Ryan Mandell, Mandell, Alan Amici Organizations: Urban, Data, Insurance Institute for Highway, Mitchell, Technicians, Center for Automotive Research Locations: Brooklyn, New York City, U.S

☆ What Wall Street needs to know about UAW talks, a potential strike, and what it could all cost
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

AEG estimates the total economic loss by calculating potential losses to UAW workers, the manufacturers and to the auto industry more broadly if the sides cannot reach tentative agreements before the current contracts expire. $825 millionThe UAW has more than $825 million in its strike fund, which it uses to pay eligible members who are on strike. The strike pay is $500 per week for each member – up from $275 in 2022. Assuming 150,000 or so eligible workers, that's all-in weekly strike pay of about $75 million. The UAW is scheduled to hold a procedural strike authorization vote next week, which would grant union leaders the ability to strike, if warranted.

Persons: Michael Wayland, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Shawn Fain, there's, Melissa Atkins, Kristin Dziczek, Rebecca Cook, Stellantis, Fain, Joe Biden, Leah Millis Organizations: United Auto Workers, General Motors, Hamtramck Assembly, CNBC DETROIT, U.S, GM, Ford Motor, New UAW, UAW, Detroit, Bloomberg News, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's, Sterling Heights Assembly, Center for Automotive Research, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, Anderson Economic Group, AEG, Deutsche Bank, Reuters Locations: Detroit, Hamtramck, Omaha, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's Detroit, Sterling Heights, Sterling Heights , Michigan, U.S, Michigan, Warren , Michigan

☆ Detroit's Big 3 automakers are headed for a clash with their workers' union as they gear up for another contentious contract negotiation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The United Auto Workers union is negotiating new four-year contracts with Ford, GM, and Stellantis. UAW President Shawn Fain isn't ruling out a strike, potentially at more than one company. The White House has weighed in as the automotive industry's labor union, the United Auto Workers, is gearing up for a fight with Detroit's Big Three car companies this summer and fall. The average labor costs for the Detroit Three heading into contract talks four years ago hovered between $55 and $60 per hour. Correction: July 27, 2023 — An earlier version of this story incorrectly said workers at GM's Ultium plant were not represented by a Union.

Persons: Shawn Fain isn't, Detroit's, Joe Biden, Biden, Ford, Shawn Fain, He's, Fain, Biden's, John Deere, Tesla Organizations: United Auto Workers, Ford, GM, Detroit, UAW, Morning, Chrysler, Jeep, Facebook, University of California, EV, Lordstown, Labor, Center for Automotive Research, Union Locations: Tennessee

☆ Volkswagen Seeks to Regain Edge in China as It Cuts Delivery Forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Melissa Eddy | More About Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

But overall revenue increased 18.2 percent as the company stemmed some of its losses in China, where deliveries were down 1.2 percent. Western Europe provided the company with its strongest business, with 1.65 million vehicles ordered in the first half of the year, and 200,000 of them — or 12 percent — were electric vehicles, the company said. Volkswagen hopes that its investment in XPeng will help advance the German automaker’s electric vehicle software to the standards produced by Chinese manufacturers. Some analysts interpreted the move as a concession that Volkswagen was unable to compete with Chinese companies on the latest technology. But Oliver Blume, Volkswagen’s chief executive, expressed confidence that VW customers, including those in China, want more variety in their vehicles.

Persons: ”, Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, Oliver Blume, Mr, Blume, “ Organizations: Volkswagen, Volkswagen Group Rus, China, BYD, Audi, SAIC, British, Center for Automotive Research, “, Tesla, Volkswagen Group, Porsche, Lamborghini, VW Locations: China, Western Europe, Russia, Avilon, Moscow, XPeng, Duisburg, Germany

☆ A big clash is coming for Detroit's Big 3 automakers as their workers' union gears up for another round of contentious negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The UAW is negotiating new four-year contracts with Ford, GM, and Stellantis. UAW President Shawn Fain isn't ruling out a strike, potentially at more than one company. The automotive industry's labor union, the United Auto Workers, is gearing up for a fight with Detroit's Big Three car companies this summer and fall. Fain has said he is not ruling out a strike in this round of talks, potentially at more than one company. The average labor costs for the Detroit Three heading into contract talks four years ago hovered between $55 and $60 per hour.

Persons: Shawn Fain isn't, Detroit's, Shawn Fain, He's, Fain, John Deere, Tesla Organizations: UAW, Ford, GM, Detroit, Morning, United Auto Workers, Chrysler, Jeep, Facebook, University of California, EV, Lordstown, Labor, Center for Automotive Research Locations: Tennessee

☆ Auto industry braces for contentious contract talks as UAW formally kicks off bargaining
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Rebecca Cook | ReutersDETROIT — United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain promised union members he'd do things differently during contract talks with the Detroit automakers this year. Playing hard ball"We're in the process of changing the culture of this union from a reactionary, defensive union, to an aggressive and offensive-minded union," Fain said last month during a Facebook livestream. The deals cover roughly 150,000 UAW members who work for the automakers. United Auto Workers members on strike picket outside General Motors' Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in Detroit, Sept. 25, 2019. "The federal government is pouring billions into the electric vehicle transition, with no strings attached and no commitment to workers," Fain said earlier this year.

Persons: Shawn Fain, Rebecca Cook, he'd, Fain, Gary Jones, Bill Ford, Ford Fain, —, Jim Farley, Chuck Browning, We've, … We're, Joe Biden, John Murphy, Stellantis, Reuters Stellantis, What's, Michael Wayland, BofA's Murphy, Steve Fecht Organizations: Reuters DETROIT — United Auto Workers, Detroit, UAW, Motors, Ford Motor, Ford, Headquarters, Facebook, " Bank of America Securities, General Motors, BofA Securities, GM, Fiat Chrysler, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, FCA Sterling Heights Assembly, Reuters, United Auto, United Auto Workers, Hamtramck Assembly, CNBC, Center for Automotive Research, Deere, Co, Caterpillar, Ultium Cells, LG Energy, Tech Center Locations: Detroit, Illinois, Stellantis, Sterling Heights , Michigan, Hamtramck, Lordstown , Ohio, Warren , Michigan

☆ US lawmakers urge FTC to finalize new consumer protections for car buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) - A group of 17 Democratic U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday urged the Federal Trade Commission to finalize new consumer protections for car buyers despite objections from auto dealers who argue the rules would actually raise the cost of buying a car. They argued that "unfair and deceptive practices involving motor vehicle dealers have widespread consequences." The lawmakers said the FTC should require dealers to provide a legally enforceable "Offering Price" "that includes all pre-installed and mandatory add-on products" and finalize regulations prohibiting specific misrepresentations, among other reforms. The FTC wants to ban fees for add-on products and services that provide no consumer benefits like "nitrogen-filled" tires that contain no more nitrogen than normal air. "Dealers also pack vehicle sales with mandatory and price-inflated add-ons, increasing the cost and creating further confusion and uncertainty about a vehicle’s ultimate price," the lawmakers wrote.

Persons: Ed Markey, Ron Wyden, Cory Booker, Brian Schatz, Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Pramila Jayapal, David Shepardson, Chris Reese, David Gregorio, Leslie Adler Organizations: Democratic U.S, Wednesday, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Reuters, National Automobile Dealers Association, Center for Automotive Research, Alliance, Automotive Innovation, General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Thomson

☆ Kia and Hyundai Thefts Are Soaring — and It's TikTok's Fault
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Britta Lokting | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Lebeau-Chorn and Jenkins are just two victims of an unprecedented surge in car thefts that has swept across US cities in the past two years. The situation has become so critical that two major auto-insurance companies, State Farm and Progressive, have stopped insuring vulnerable Kia and Hyundai models. Safety shortcutsThe TikTok video that sparked the challenge — a how-to reportedly created by user @robbierayyy — exposed a security flaw in Kia models from 2011 to 2021 and Hyundai models from 2015 to 2021. All Kia vehicles are subject to and comply fully with rigorous testing rules and regulations outlined in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards." In Illinois last month, three 13-year-olds were arrested after being seen in a stolen Kia that hit and killed a 71-year-old man.

☆ Shift to EVs Triggers Biggest Auto-Factory Building Boom in Decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Nora Eckert | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. auto industry is entering one of its biggest factory-building booms in years, a surge of spending largely driven by the shift to electric vehicles and new federal subsidies aimed at boosting U.S. battery manufacturing. Through November, about $33 billion in new auto-factory investment has been pledged in the U.S., including money for the construction of new assembly plants and battery-making facilities, according to the Center for Automotive Research, a nonprofit organization based in Michigan.

☆ Next up for US unions: Major contracts for 700,000 workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In terms of big US labor contracts, however, this is just the opening act. And as with the rail unions, members are focused on staffing shortages and scheduling problems that they say have brought many employees to a breaking point. And soon after the Teamsters contract for UPS ground workers expires, contracts for UPS pilots and aircraft mechanics become amendable. That’s a major concern for unions whose members build engines and transmissions. But that settlement did not address the looming question of what a switch to EVs will mean for union workers going forward.

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