DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

[1/2] Ford Super Duty trucks are seen at the Kentucky Truck assembly plant in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., April 27, 2023. REUTERS/Joseph WhiteLOUISVILLE, Kentucky, May 1 (Reuters) - Shutting down the assembly lines that build Super Duty pickup trucks at Ford Motor Co's (F.N) Kentucky Truck Plant is a multimillion-dollar action company managers try hard to avoid. As part of a new approach to stamping out quality demons, Kentucky Truck Plant manager Joseph Closurdo said he stopped production for as long as three days earlier this year. Slashing the tax that quality problems levy on Ford's profitability has become Job One for Chief Executive Jim Farley. We did not start shipping until we saw consistent delivery on those targets," Super Duty Chief Engineer Andrew Kernahan told Reuters.

Bosch said it plans to invest $1.5 billion to retool TSI's chip production facilities in Roseville, California to start producing silicon carbide chips by 2026. Bosch said the TSI facility would become the "third pillar" of in-house semiconductor production, along with two sites in Germany. The silicon carbide chips Bosch said it will manufacture at the TSI Roseville site are increasingly in demand by electric vehicle manufacturers. U.S-based Wolfspeed Inc (WOLF.N) is building new plants to make silicon carbide chips in New York State and in Germany. Bosch plans to acquire the buildings, machines and infrastructure of TSI as well as well as its commercial semiconductor business.

DETROIT, April 21 (Reuters) - United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain said on Friday there is "no excuse" for Detroit's automakers to set up electric vehicle operations and ventures that are not unionized. Detroit automakers have set up several U.S. joint venture battery factories that are not covered by their current agreements with the UAW. Fain said workers at joint venture battery plants should earn higher wages than production workers at older Detroit Three factories. "I look forward to bring that work under the UAW," Fain said. The UAW president said workers displaced as factories dedicated to combustion vehicle technology lose work should have a right to get jobs at joint venture factories.

[1/6] Tundra trucks and Sequoia SUV's exit the assembly line as finished products at Toyota's truck plant in San Antonio, Texas, U.S. April 17, 2023. TOYOTA'S PAST SUCCESSWashington's push to accelerate the shift to battery-electric vehicles amplifies the threat posed by Tesla to Toyota's position as the world's largest automaker. Toyota San Antonio has weathered a series of challenges since it built its first truck in 2006. The future for factories like Toyota San Antonio will play out across the next several years. Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in San Antonio, Texas, Joseph White in Detroit and David Shepardson in Washington Written by Joseph White Editing by Ben Klayman and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Ford officials declined to say whether the plant will assemble five EV models, as agreed with Unifor during the 2020 contract talks. The Oakville plant currently builds combustion Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus SUVs. Ford Chief Executive Jim Farley has said Ford will have the ability to assemble 2 million EVs globally by 2026. Ford officials said Oakville will build the automaker's next-generation EVs, which Ford executives have said will have to be more efficient, easier to assemble and more competitive with the Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) vehicles that currently lead in North American market EV sales. Battery cells for the Oakville-built EVs will come from a factory Ford and battery partner SK On plan are building in Kentucky, Nowicki said.

A new EV platform, if implemented, would be the result of a far-reaching review of Toyota's electric-car strategy undertaken last year. Its current production architecture, the e-TNGA system, was launched in 2019 and produces electric vehicles on the same assembly line as gasoline cars and hybrids. The briefing was given by the former chief competitive officer tasked with the EV strategy review, Shigeki Terashi, according to the person. So far it has fallen short - its initial battery EV, the bZ4X, suffered an early recall and has had only limited sales. GM sold more than 20,000 electric vehicles during the first quarter while Toyota and its luxury brand Lexus sold about 1,880 battery electrics.

DETROIT, April 6 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) unveiled a new electric Courier van aimed at winning business customers in Europe, and boxing out electric van startups such as Arrival SA.47K.FThe electric Courier is part of a revamped lineup of smaller, commercial vans for the European market that will also include gasoline and diesel models, Ford said. The new Courier vans are 25% larger than the current model, and will carry heavier loads, Ford Pro chief Ted Cannis said in an interview. The electric Courier will respond to European commercial customers who operate in cities, such as Paris, where officials have mapped out plans to ban combustion vehicles from city centers, Cannis said. The electric Courier will launch next year. Separately, Cannis said Ford expects many U.S. commercial fleet customers will receive $7,500 tax credits if they buy electric Transit vans.

GM shares were trading down nearly 2% at midday, even though CFO Paul Jacobson said demand for GM's trucks and SUVs remains strong in the United States. GM has been able to raise prices in the United States over the past two years as supply chain bottlenecks kept production in check. GM will cut production to keep inventories in check, Jacobson said. GM has three battery factories in North America, and will announce the location of a fourth domestic battery plant soon, he said. Jacobson added that the company was going to have to "prioritize down" on growth businesses to focus on preserving cash.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems allow users to mirror their smartphone screens in a vehicle's dashboard display. GM is designing the on-board navigation and infotainment systems for future EVs in partnership with Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google. GM's Chevrolet brand in the past boasted of offering more models with CarPlay or Android Auto than any other brand. GM said the future infotainment systems will offer applications such as Spotify's (SPOT.N) music service, Audible and other services that many drivers now access via smartphones. GM plans to continue offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mirroring systems in its combustion models.

"You're going to see a lot more aggressive UAW," Fain told reporters late Monday after a day-long meeting with local union officials. Those contracts could be models for the UAW's goals in talks with the Detroit automakers beginning this summer, analysts said. The Detroit automakers have reported robust profits during the past four years from their North American operations, mainly thanks to the pickup trucks and SUVs that UAW members assemble. Securing UAW jobs as the Detroit automakers shift toward electric vehicles is a "top priority," Fain said. The UAW and Detroit automakers will begin bargaining toward new contracts this summer.

☆ Analysis: CATL's 'price war' shows its power, and China's EV edge
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"It's very much a market share game," said Caspar Rawles, chief data officer at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd - more widely known by its initials - is the dominant global supplier with a 37% share of the EV market. For CATL, the discount is a way to head off a bid by Chinese EV makers to seek alternatives. CATL batteries power Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) I.D. "The reductions that CATL is offering would help the Chinese EV industry," said James Frith, a principal at battery-tech focused venture capital group Volta Energy Technologies.

LANSING — State officials in Michigan announced changes this week to address administrative failures that have made it difficult for some of the state’s most vulnerable foster youth to earn a high school diploma. The actions came after NBC News reported on foster youth in Michigan who were denied credit for classes they took while living in state-funded, state-licensed residential facilities. He was one of five foster youth who addressed the board or had their statements read into the record on Tuesday. “The first thing we need to do is to get into the Legislature and make certain that there’s no such thing as noncredit-bearing courses in Michigan public education. The foster youth and their advocates said they’re hopeful that real change is coming.

Search resuls for: "Based In Detroit."

12 mentions found