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☆ Chip Wars Boost Europe’s Top Tech Company—for Now
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Not even the ASML’s most advanced competitors have managed to copy its extreme-ultraviolet equipment. Photo: Cfoto/DDP/Zuma PressThe more the U.S. government worries about China’s ambitions in the chip industry, the more equipment for making chips that China seems to buy. When ASML, the Dutch company that makes the world’s most advanced lithography machines for manufacturing microchips, reports fourth-quarter results next week, one of the most eye-catching numbers will be the share of sales it made in China. This reached an extraordinary 46% in the third quarter, up from just 8% in the first three months of the year.

Persons: ASML Organizations: DDP, Zuma Locations: China

☆ Tesla’s Cybertruck Is More Marketing Than Profit Machine
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tesla CEO Elon Musk delivered the company’s first Cybertruck pickups to customers at an event in Texas on Thursday. Photo: TeslaThe Cybertruck isn’t good for Tesla ’s finances, so it had better be great for the brand. On Thursday afternoon in Austin, Texas, two years later than initially planned, the electric-vehicle pioneer finally delivered its first pickup trucks, setting the financial ball rolling on its first new product since the Model Y started shipping almost four years ago. But we already know this won’t be a money-spinner for Tesla, at least not in 2024. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said in October it might take 18 months to increase output to the point where the Cybertruck makes a significant contribution to cash flows.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla Locations: Texas, Austin , Texas

☆ China’s Latest EV Stocks Face Uncertain Reception in New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tesla is facing pressure in China from the country’s top electric-vehicle company BYD. WSJ unpacks the business and manufacturing strategy of BYD and Tesla to uncover what the competition in China reveals about the race to own the global EV space. That is the conundrum investors face as they size up the latest EV brands pitching their growth prospects in New York. Lotus Technology is in the final stages of a merger with a Nasdaq-listed special-purpose acquisition company that values it at $5.5 billion. Zeekr Intelligent Technology Holding , which raised money in February at a $13 billion valuation, filed its registration statement earlier this month for a U.S. initial public offering.

Persons: Tesla Organizations: Cheslik, Lotus Technology, Nasdaq, Technology, U.S Locations: China, New York

☆ Australian sheep, cattle prices slump as El Nino scorches pastures
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Peter Hobson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

After three years of plentiful rain and rising livestock numbers, dry weather has withered pastures across Australia. The extreme change in conditions has helped trigger the fastest plunge in cattle and sheep prices in decades, threatening livelihoods in Australia's A$75 billion ($50 billion) red meat and livestock industry. While farmers suffer, falling livestock prices have brought some relief to Australian households hurting from high inflation. Falling U.S. beef production means demand for Australian beef should rise, helping support livestock prices, said Angus Gidley-Baird, an analyst at Rabobank in Sydney. Agricultural consultants Episode 3 estimate that Australian beef processors are reaping their best profits in at least two decades thanks to low local cattle prices and high sale prices in export markets.

Persons: Angus Hobson, Peter Hobson, Angus, Hobson, Stuart Austin, Wilmot, Angus Gidley, Baird, Teys, Mat Larkings, gaunt, haven't, they'll, Sonali Paul Organizations: Livestock, New, REUTERS, Beef, Livestock Australia, Woolworths, Data Monitor, Rabobank, Meat packers, Teys Australia, Farmers, Thomson Locations: Delegate, New South Wales, Australia, Angus Hobson's, Australia's, United States, El Nino, Japan, China, Sydney, Walcha

☆ GM’s Driverless Taxis Need to Slow Down
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Cruise autonomous taxi in San Francisco, California, earlier this year. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg NewsStep on the accelerator with driverless vehicles and you scare off regulators and the public, but hit the brakes and you lose financial backers. It won’t be an easy balance for Cruise to strike as it looks for a route out of today’s crisis. The autonomous-taxi venture 80%-owned by General Motors has lost both its co-founders since Sunday, including Chief Executive Officer Kyle Vogt . The resignations, which capped a tumultuous few weeks since the suspension of Cruise’s autonomous-driving permit by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, might make it easier to convince regulators that the business can make a fresh start.

Persons: David Paul Morris, Cruise, Kyle Vogt Organizations: Bloomberg, General Motors, California Department of Motor Vehicles Locations: San Francisco , California

☆ Are Americans Falling Out of Love With EVs?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Prices of electric vehicles, such those manufactured by Tesla, have been falling. Photo: Bloomberg NewsAmerica’s spendthrift relationship with electric vehicles has lost some spark. It will take new generations of products to rekindle the romance on tighter budgets. Inventories are piling up and prices are falling, led by market leader Tesla . The average new EV sold for about $52,000 in October, down from around $65,000 a year ago, according to Cox Automotive.

Persons: Tesla Organizations: Tesla, Bloomberg, Cox Automotive Locations: U.S

☆ Why Rivian Can’t Be the Next Tesla
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rivian raised its production forecast for 2023 on Tuesday, Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg NewsRivian is on a better road than Lucid , but none of America’s electric-vehicle startups looks much like being the next Tesla . Rivian is finding its cruising speed—slower but more controllable than the breakneck expansion envisaged in its initial public offering two years ago. The company, which is focused on electrifying pickup trucks, three-row sport-utility vehicles and delivery vans, raised its production forecast for 2023 to 54,000 on Tuesday, when it reported third-quarter results after the market close. This was the second consecutive quarter that it has raised this closely watched number after drastically cutting expectations just months after its IPO. The stock was up about 7% in premarket trading on Wednesday.

Persons: Rivian, Bing Guan Organizations: Bloomberg

☆ Ford’s Cost Problem Isn’t Just About EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The United Auto Workers union said it reached a new tentative deal with Ford that could bring an end to a six-week strike at one automaker while negotiations continue at General Motors and Chrysler-parent Stellantis. Photo: Michael Swensen/Getty ImagesFord Motor lost about $37,000 on each electric vehicle it sold last quarter. It doesn’t help that the company’s gas-engine business also costs more than it should—a difference from crosstown rival General Motors that investors are ignoring at their peril. The third-quarter results Ford reported after hours on Thursday weren’t great, with an adjusted operating profit of $2.2 billion. By way of comparison, GM’s operating profit in the third quarter was $3.6 billion.

Persons: Michael Swensen Organizations: United Auto Workers, Ford, General Motors, Chrysler

☆ Jeep Maker Stellantis Bets on a Chinese EV Startup, but Is It the Right One?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chinese companies can produce EVs 30% more cheaply than Western ones, according to Stellantis’s research. Photo: Leonhard Simon/Getty ImagesBuying into a Chinese automaker sounds like a great answer to the challenge of making cheaper electric vehicles. If only it were easier to pick winners. Chrysler owner Stellantis said Thursday that it was spending the equivalent of about $1.6 billion to buy a roughly 20% stake in Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology . It will get two board seats and become Leapmotor’s exclusive export partner via a Europe-based joint venture in which Stellantis will own 51%.

Persons: Leonhard Simon, Stellantis Organizations: Chrysler, Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology Locations: Zhejiang Leapmotor, Europe

☆ General Motors Finds Itself in a Jam
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

UAW union members have been striking over job security and pay as automakers push forward in developing EV’s, which require fewer workers and cost more in raw materials. So what does that mean for the future of auto workers and the union? Illustration: George Downs/The Wall Street JournalGeneral Motors is still churning out healthy profit—just not on the electric vehicles or potentially autonomous ones that investors care most about. GM’s third-quarter results on Tuesday came in better than expected. Net income of roughly $3.1 billion was down 7% from a very strong quarter last year, but higher than the $2.5 billion consensus that analysts had penciled in, according to FactSet.

Persons: George Downs Organizations: Street, Motors

☆ Ozempic Maker Novo Nordisk Has a Weight Problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ozempic packets at a Novo Nordisk facility. When the company’s shares become more than 10% of Danish fund managers’ holdings, they are forced to sell. Photo: Carsten Snejbjerg/Bloomberg NewsThe company behind diabetes and obesity phenomena Ozempic and Wegovy is overweight. Novo Nordisk became Europe’s most valuable company last month, overtaking luxury goods maker LVMH, which itself took the title from food giant Nestlé in 2021. This might be a reason why the shares trade at a discount to those of its closest peer, U.S.-listed Eli Lilly .

Persons: Carsten Snejbjerg, Eli Lilly Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Bloomberg Locations: Novo, Danish

☆ Tesla Hits the Brakes on EVs, but Not on AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

UAW union members have been striking over job security and pay as automakers push forward in developing EV’s, which require fewer workers and cost more in raw materials. So what does that mean for the future of auto workers and the union? Illustration: George Downs/The Wall Street JournalAfter years of growing at breakneck speed, Tesla seems to be slowing down. This is sensible, but investors haven’t bestowed a $867 billion market value on the company because they like common sense. And he bemoaned the impact of higher interest rates on vehicle affordability, which implies that Tesla is struggling to shift inventories despite this year’s price cuts.

Persons: George Downs, Tesla, haven’t, Elon Musk

☆ Tesla Is Hitting the Brakes on Everything but AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

UAW union members have been striking over job security and pay as automakers push forward in developing EV’s, which require fewer workers and cost more in raw materials. So what does that mean for the future of auto workers and the union? Illustration: George Downs/The Wall Street JournalAfter years of growing at breakneck speed, Tesla seems to be slowing down. This is sensible, but investors haven’t bestowed a $867 billion market value on the company because they like common sense. And he bemoaned the impact of higher interest rates on vehicle affordability, which implies that Tesla is struggling to shift inventories despite this year’s price cuts.

Persons: George Downs, Tesla, haven’t, Elon Musk

☆ EVs Are on a Lithium Roller Coaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/finance/commodities-futures/evs-are-on-a-lithium-roller-coaster-e8914bc5

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ High UAW Wages Shrink Detroit’s Room to Maneuver
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

UAW union members have been striking over job security and pay as automakers push forward in developing EV’s, which require fewer workers and cost more in raw materials. So what does that mean for the future of auto workers and the union? Illustration: George Downs/The Wall Street JournalEven before the raise they are striking for, Detroit’s unionized auto workers are probably the best paid in the world after factoring in benefits such as healthcare. Their employers can afford it for now, but high labor costs box them in strategically.

Persons: George Downs

☆ As Tesla Deliveries Sputter, BYD Looks Alluring
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/as-tesla-deliveries-sputter-byd-looks-alluring-f3a8f5bb

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ EVs Will Hit Detroit Harder Than a UAW Raise
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/evs-will-hit-detroit-harder-than-a-uaw-raise-73da5dd0

Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: uaw Locations: detroit

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Stephen Wilmot — Editor and Columnist, Heard on the Street at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Stephen WilmotStephen Wilmot is an editor of The Wall Street Journal's Heard on the Street column, based in London. In addition to editing, he writes columns about car makers, often focused on the impact of electric vehicles on automotive strategy and on the case for investing in companies like General Motors, Tesla and Volkswagen. He has previously written commentary on a wide range of companies for Heard on the Street, including airlines, real estate companies and luxury goods makers. Stephen joined the Journal from British investment magazine Investors Chronicle, where he oversaw the companies coverage and wrote a column.

Persons: Stephen Wilmot Stephen Wilmot, Heard, Stephen Organizations: General, Tesla, Volkswagen, Journal Locations: London

☆ Tencent’s Top Shareholder Needs More Companies Like Tencent
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/tech/tencents-top-shareholder-needs-more-companies-like-tencent-828e80f3

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ The Car Show Will Go On
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Labor Could Be Detroit’s Next Big Disruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/labor-could-be-detroits-next-big-disruption-7387ba70

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Where to Find a Deal on Mercedes and BMW
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/mercedes-bmw-vw-stocks-german-car-companies-ba4e9a73

Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: mercedes, bmw, vw

☆ Already Time to Hit the Brakes on VinFast
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/already-time-to-hit-the-brakes-on-vinfast-265dc69f

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Philips Can Recover From Its Health Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/philips-can-recover-from-its-health-crisis-a68593ad

Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: philips

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