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☆ An auto strike looks likely. Should I buy a car now?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —If you’re thinking about buying a new car, you might be warily watching news about a possible United Auto Workers strike. It depends on the vehicle you’re shopping for and on your own level of flexibility in that choice. New vehicle inventories are leaner than they’ve been before past strikes, said Pat Ryan, CEO of the car shopping site CoPilot, which closely tracks dealership inventories. So vehicle production at Mexican and Canadian factories could well shut down at some point if a strike drags on. In some ways, you might find this all somewhat similar to car shopping during the era of post-covid vehicle shortages, said Ryan.

Persons: Pat Ryan, —, “ They’ve, ” Ryan, Stellantis, Ryan, that’s, ”, Ivan Drury, Michelle Krebs, Thomas Goldsby, Stellantis’s, GM’s, “, you’re Organizations: CNN, United Auto Workers, Motors, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Chevrolet, GM, Dodge, GMC, Edmunds.com, AutoTrader, Ford Bronco, UAW, University of Tennessee, Factories, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Trax, Auto Locations: American, Mexico, Canada, United States, North America, South Korea, Italy, China

☆ Two neighboring Ohio factories - one new, one closed - could tell the future of US auto industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Lordstown plant opened in 1966; GM closed it just months before its contract with the UAW expired in 2019. The former GM plant in Lordstown, Ohio. The Ultium plant, just over a third of the size of the closed Lordstown plant, started building batteries last August. Justin Brown’s father worked at the Lordstown plant for nearly nearly 50 years; Brown, for 10 years. Some Ultium workers said they took the lower-paying job with the expectation that they would someday make GM-level pay.

Persons: Lordstown, ”, David Green, Foxconn, Fisker, Chris Isidore, isn’t, Eric Manaro, “, EVs, Ultium, autoworkers, “ It’s, Justin Brown’s, Brown, “ I’m, George Goranitis, it’s Organizations: Ohio CNN, Lordstown Assembly, Pentagon, Motors, United Auto Workers, GM, UAW, EV, Lordstown Motors, CNN, Ohio Turnpike, ”, LG, Ultium, Ford, “, General Motors, Big Locations: Lordstown, Ohio, It’d, Indiana, Lordstown , Ohio, Missouri, Spring Hill , Tennessee, Spring, Ultium

DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union on Friday rejected wage and benefit offers from all three Detroit automakers, raising tensions just six days before a strike deadline for 146,000 employees. Union President Shawn Fain told workers in a Facebook Live appearance that he filed proposals from Ford, General Motors and Stellantis in a wastebasket. Stellantis offered wage increases in each year of a new four-year contract totaling 14.5%. To handle inflation, Ford offered cost of living pay that he called severely deficient, while GM and Stellantis offered lump sums. All companies kept tiers of wages for factory workers but lowered the number of years needed to reach full pay, he said.

Persons: Shawn Fain, ”, Fain, Stellantis, counterproposal, GM’s, Mark Stewart, Stewart, ” Fain, “ Organizations: DETROIT, United Auto Workers, Detroit, Union, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, France's PSA Peugeot, U.S, GM Locations: Ford, North America, Stellantis

☆ GM’s Counteroffer to UAW Shows Big Gap Remains as Strike Deadline Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Nora Eckert | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: uaw

"Hybrid is a great alternative to a pure electric vehicle (and) it's an easier sell to a lot of customers." Interest in hybrids is rebounding as consumer demand for pure electrics has not accelerated as quickly as expected. Sales of pure electrics will claim about 37%, leaving combustion vehicles — including so-called “mild” hybrids — with a nearly 40% share. In addition to new pure electric models coming soon, "we are very bullish on hybrids going forward," a spokesperson said. Hyundai and sister brand Kia offer seven hybrid models, with Ford and Lincoln six.

Persons: Mike Blake, Tim Ghriskey, Ingalls, Snyder, ”, Sam Fiorani, Ford, Jim Farley, ” Farley, “, Stellantis, GlobalData, ” Stellantis, Andrew DiFeo, Augustine, Biden, “ I've, I've, Paul Lienert, Ben Klayman, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Toyota, Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, Rights, Ford, Reuters, AutoForecast Solutions, P Global, General Motors, Chrysler Pacifica, U.S, Lexus, Hyundai, Kia, Lincoln, Chevrolet Corvette, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, America, New York, St, Jacksonville , FL, Detroit

☆ OSHA Investigates Chemical Spill at GM’s Ultium Battery Plant in Ohio
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Nora Eckert | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: osha

☆ GM’s Cruise to slash fleet of robotaxis by 50% in San Francisco after collisions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —California authorities have asked General Motors to “immediately” take some of its Cruse robotaxis off the road after autonomous vehicles were involved in two collisions – including one with an active fire truck – last week in San Francisco. The California DMV said that Cruise has agreed to the request, and a spokesperson from Cruise told CNN that the company is investigating the firetruck crash as well. General Motors acquired Cruise Automation in 2016 for $1 billion, solidifying its place in the autonomous vehicles race, but many companies have since scaled back, or abandoned their driverless car ambitions. Ridesharing giants Uber and Lyft have both sold autonomous vehicle units in recent years. Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has been optimistic about autonomous vehicle technology, has yet to fully deliver on his promise.

Persons: Motors, Cruse, ”, Cruise, Waymo, San Francisco, “, ” Hannah Lindow, Elon Musk Organizations: CNN, California’s Department of Motor Vehicles, Cruise, General Motors, California DMV, San, AV, Cruise Automation Locations: California, “, San Francisco

☆ Electric Cadillac Escalade has 750 horsepower and can crab walk
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The new all-electric Cadillac Escalade IQ shares virtually nothing with the boxy gas-powered Escalade, but it’s possibly the most important flag-bearer yet for the automaker’s transition to electric vehicles. So the new Escalade IQ has flashy light displays and electric motors able to produce a total of 750 horsepower. CadillacWhen it goes on sale next year, the Escalade IQ will be one of Cadillac’s most expensive models. Prices for the gas-powered Cadillac Escalade start at about $81,000, with the average one sold last year going for about $109,000 according to Edmunds.com. GM claims that the Cadillac Escalade IQ is the most aerodynamic large SUV the company has ever produced.

Persons: John Roth GM’s, Cadillac, ”, it’s, Mandi Damman Organizations: CNN, General Motors, GM, EV, Silverado EV, GMC, Hummer, Chevrolet Silverado, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Cadillac, GM’s Locations: Detroit, Hamtramck , Michigan

☆ 2025 Escalade IQ joins Cadillac’s growing all-electric family
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Paul Lienert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Escalade IQ borrows styling cues from the Celestiq, as well as its 55-inch panoramic display screen. Escalade IQ will overlap with and eventually replace the combustion-engine Escalade. The dimensions of the electric Escalade are close to those of the long-wheelbase Escalade ESV. The Escalade IQ is about three inches shorter, while the wheelbase is two inches longer. Cadillac has not provided a weight estimate for the Escalade IQ, but the current Escalade ESV weighs nearly three tons.

Persons: General Motors, We’ll, ” Cadillac, John Roth, Optiq, Roth, Today's Escalade, Paul Lienert, Bernadette Baum Organizations: General, Cadillac, GM, GMC, Thomson Locations: Detroit

REUTERS/Heather Somerville/File PhotoAug 3 (Reuters) - Cruise, General Motors' (GM.N) robotaxi unit, said on Thursday it had signed the driverless car industry's first labor union agreements, a significant milestone as unions and robotaxi firms have historically been at odds. The company is partnering with two local San Francisco union chapters that represent electrical workers and janitors, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 6 and Service Employees International Union Local 87. Reuters could not definitively determine if these are the driverless car industry’s first union agreements. Cruise, which offers limited service in San Francisco with a fleet of Chevrolet Bolts fitted with driverless technology, has accumulated over 3 million driverless miles, the company said. Reporting by Anna Tong in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Heather Somerville, ”, John Doherty, Cruise, Anna Tong, Leslie Adler Organizations: General Motors Corp, REUTERS, General Motors, San, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Employees International Union Local, Reuters, United Auto Workers, Detroit Three, GM, Chevrolet Bolts, California’s Public Utilities Commission, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, IBEW

☆ Seven major automakers, including GM and
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Seven major automakers are coming together to create a joint venture that will build out a large electric vehicle fast-charging network in the North America, in an attempt to make electric vehicles more attractive to consumers. The first of the new charging stations will open next summer, the companies announced, first in the US and, later, in Canada. Vehicles made by other manufacturers, not just these seven, will be able to charge at these stations, as well. The new joint venture will rely on funds from the automakers as well as using grants offered by the federal government to build new EV chargers. There are currently about 35,000 NACS and CCS chargers in the US, but many more will be needed as the number of electric vehicles increases in coming years.

Persons: “, Mary Barra, Brian Moody, Biden Organizations: CNN, Seven, Motors, BMW Group, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Benz, GM, Cox, Vehicles, Mercedes, US Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Locations: North America, United States, Canada

☆ GM’s Fat Profits Are Getting Awkward
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

☆ GM's EV truck customers must wait for Tesla-compatible charge ports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Paul Lienert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck is seen in Scio Township, Michigan, U.S. June 22, 2023. The first 2024 Silverado EV Work Trucks are rolling out of GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck plant, with deliveries to fleet customers beginning “in a few weeks,” officials said. About the same time, retail customers will be able to buy a well-equipped Silverado EV RST, from around $105,000. When GM announced the Silverado EV early last year, it said prices would start at $39,900. GM also is considering installing Tesla-compatible NACS chargers at its dealerships, once its vehicles begin to be equipped with NACS charging ports, Sequeira said.

Persons: Paul Lienert, Amy Masica, Masica, Derek Sequeira, Sequeira, Paul Jacobson, Tesla, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, General Motors, Chevrolet Silverado, U.S, Silverado, Chevrolet, GM, Ford Motor, EV, RST, Silverado EV, Silverado EV's, Ford, GM Energy, CCS, Thomson Locations: Scio Township , Michigan, U.S, North America, GM’s Detroit, Hamtramck, Detroit

☆ Rivian joins Ford and GM in turning to Tesla chargers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Rivian said it will start building its R1T pickup and R1S SUV with NACS-style charging ports starting in 2025. While Rivian isn’t nearly as large of an automaker as GM or Ford, it’s reasonably popular among EV buyers, so the move marks a significant step for broader acceptance of the Tesla standard. Tesla’s charging system had been proprietary and only usable by Teslas, although Teslas could use industry standard Combined Charging System (CCS) chargers with an adapter. In recent weeks, Ford and then GM both announced that they would also switch from CCS for EV fast charging to Tesla’s tech. Having more automakers and charging companies using its standard has been seen as a win for Tesla.

Persons: CNN — Rivian, Rivian, Rivian isn’t, Elon Musk, Ford, Tesla, Cox Organizations: CNN, Amazon, Ford, General Motors, EV, CCS, Tesla, –, Cox Automotive, BMW, Audi Locations: Canada, United States

☆ What Tesla’s EV charging win really means for drivers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A Tesla charging station stands in a parking lot on January 17, 2023 in Springfield, Virginia. But other EV charging companies have, so far, faced a far greater reliability challenge than Tesla’s. It’s an integrated system and has been from the very beginning,” said Jim Burness, chief executive of National Car Charging, a wholesaler of equipment to the EV charging industry. In both cases, drivers will be able to access Tesla chargers without having to use Tesla apps. That could lead to more lines at Tesla chargers, irritating Tesla owners.

Persons: Tesla, Anna Moneymaker, Stephanie Brinley, Jon McNeill, ”, “ Tesla, Jim Burness, Justin Sullivan, Alan Wexler, “, ” Wexler, Dan Barbossa, CNN’s, Mark J, Terrill, they’re, you’re, Brendan Jones, Blink, Burness, “ That’s, Stephen Beck, Gary Silberg Organizations: CNN, P Global Mobility, Ford, General Motors, EV, GM, Nissan, Tesla, DVx Ventures, CNN Business, Detroit, CCS, KPMG Locations: United States, Springfield , Virginia, America, San Francisco , California, Westlake, Calif

This should enable the automaker to reap tens of billions of dollars in additional profit, according to Reuters estimates, before it shifts completely to zero-emission electric vehicles in 2035. It never said when exactly it would stop producing gasoline-powered trucks and SUVs, though suppliers and analysts expected it would be well before 2035. GM plans to run its heavy-duty combustion pickups at both plants until 2035, according to AFS, which provides data and analysis to vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. The automaker will gradually reduce annual production of its big SUVs in Arlington as it begins to introduce new electric companions, starting around mid-decade. By 2030, AFS forecasts Arlington production could drop to around 200,000 vehicles, which could still produce at least $2 billion in pretax earnings.

Persons: Paul Jacobson, “, Jim Farley, May, Michael Ward, ” Ward, Paul Lienert, Joe White, Matthew Lewis Organizations: DETROIT, General Motors, GM, Reuters, U.S, United Auto Workers, ICE, Chevrolet Silverado, Ford, SEC, Arlington, AutoForecast Solutions, Ward, Benchmark, GMC, Silverado, GMC Sierra, AFS, Yukon XL, Thomson Locations: United States, Canada, Flint , Michigan, Arlington , Texas, Fort Wayne , Indiana, Oshawa , Ontario, Flint, Fort Wayne, Arlington, Oshawa, Suburban, Yukon, Ward, Detroit

☆ Tesla stock charges upwards on deal with GM
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Both Ford and GM EV drivers will, for now, need special adapters to allow their vehicles to use Tesla chargers. Tesla’s charging system had been proprietary and only usable by Teslas – although Teslas could use CCS chargers with an adapter. But CEO Elon Musk announced in late 2022 that he was inviting other automakers and charging companies to use Tesla’s charging system and design standards. Tesla’s NACS chargers outnumber CCS chargers in the United States by a factor of two to one, according to Tesla. Other automakers, such as KIa, Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen, still use the CCS charging standard and have not announced any plans to change.

Persons: CNN — Tesla, ”, Gary Silberg, –, Elon Musk, Mary Barra, Sam Abuelsamid, Tesla, Justin Sullivan, Guidehouse’s, KPMG’s Silberg, Abuelsamid, Musk, GM’s Organizations: CNN, General Motors, Ford, GM EV, Tesla, KPMG, GM EVs, Guidehouse, CCS, GM, GM’s Chevrolet, Cox Automotive, KIa, Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen Locations: United States, CALIFORNIA, San Rafael , California, North America

☆ Detroit wisely gives up to Tesla this time
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Rallying around Tesla’s design will help. The partnership will also likely kill off competing standards - Tesla, Ford and GM accounted for three-quarters of electric cars sold in 2022, according to Experian. Apple (AAPL.O) and Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google offer software that replaces the infotainment system and Tesla wants others to adopt its self-driving technology. Barra and Farley have given the tech upstarts an inch; Tesla and Big Tech will try to take the next mile. Tesla said in November that it would open its charging design for use by other companies.

Persons: Piper Sandler, Tesla, Mary Barra, Jim Farley, Farley, Jennifer Saba, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, General Motors, automaker Ford Motor, Elon Musk’s, Ford, Apple, Google, Big Tech, Tesla’s, Ford Motor, Thomson Locations: North America, Canadian, Detroit

☆ GM wants to adopt Tesla’s charging network as ‘the standard’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —General Motors electric vehicle owners can soon access Tesla’s vast network of electric vehicle fast chargers, called Superchargers, both companies announced Thursday. GM said it will begin to integrate Tesla’s charging ports, dubbed the North American Charging Standard (NACS), into new EVs in 2025. GM’s move to adopt Tesla’s charging standard comes on the heels of Ford making a similar announcement for its electric cars. In a statement, GM said it hopes its partnership with Tesla will help move the entire EV industry towards Tesla’s NACS charging ports. GM and Ford’s partnerships with Tesla help tackle a common criticism of mass electric vehicle adoption: that long stretches of highway in the US lack critical EV charging infrastructure.

Persons: “, Mary Barra, GM’s, Tesla, Elon Musk, Barra, Musk, ” Organizations: CNN — General Motors, GM, American, Ford, Twitter, EV, CCS Locations: United States, Canada, California, New York

☆ Analysis: GM's 2025 EV output could be crimped by battery bottleneck
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Paul Lienert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We have not changed our targets," GM spokesman Jim Cain said. Those targets include cumulative EV production of 400,000 from early 2022 through mid-2024, a revised goal that CEO Mary Barra reiterated earlier this year. "We believe GM’s targets are hittable despite hurdles to get there," Wedbush auto analyst Dan Ives said. GM has not issued specific North American EV production targets for 2024 and 2025. GM’s North American EV production targets beyond 2025 “will continue to push the limits” of its battery plants, according to AFS, including a recently announced fourth factory with new partner Samsung SDI (006400.KS) that isn’t expected to open until 2026.

☆ Toyota unveils new Tacoma pickup hybrid option
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Toyota Tacoma has been the best-selling mid-sized pickup in America for the last 20 years but its territory is getting much more competitive. To help it stay ahead in a crowded auto-industry battle for small-truck customers, Toyota just unveiled an entirely new Tacoma. The Toyota Tacoma Limited is the most luxurious version of the truck. ToyotaPopular with off-road enthusiasts, the new Tacoma will be available in several different off-road-focused versions: the TRD Pro, TRD Off-road, and the new Trailhunter model. TRD Off-Road, on which the hybrid system will be optional, will be engineered for more rugged terrain.

☆ Minnesota man indicted over theft of Judy Garland’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’ slippers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Tina Burnside | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —US authorities have charged a man in connection with the theft of a pair of ruby red slippers worn by actress Judy Garland as Dorothy in the 1939 classic movie “The Wizard of Oz” nearly 20 years after they were stolen from a museum in Minnesota. Judy Garland is thought to have used at least seven different pairs of ruby slippers on the set of the 1939 classic. ShutterstockIn August 2005, authorities said a thief broke into the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota before smashing a glass display case and stealing the slippers. Regarded as among most recognizable items of memorabilia in American film history, the red slippers were, in the movie, gifted to Dorothy by Glinda the Good Witch. WCCOIt is not known how many pairs of ruby slippers Garland wore during filming, though the stolen shoes were among four remaining ones known to have survived.

When General Motors began outlining plans in 2020 to fully switch to electric vehicles, it didn’t account for one critical factor: Many of the battery minerals needed to fulfill its plans were still in the ground. “I remember seeing a report from our raw-materials team at the time saying, ‘There is plenty of lithium out there. There is plenty of nickel’,” said Sham Kunjur , an industrial engineer now in charge of securing the raw materials for GM’s batteries. “We will buy them from the open market.”

☆ GM recalling nearly 1 million U.S. vehicles for air bag defect
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N) said on Friday it will recall nearly 1 million sport utility vehicles in the United States because the driver's air-bag inflator may explode during deployment. The recall covers 994,763 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles from the 2014 through 2017 model years with modules produced by ARC Automotive Inc. An April 25 inspection confirmed that the front driver airbag inflator ruptured in the vehicle. GM said it was aware of two prior ruptures of ARC-manufactured airbag inflators in 2015 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles, and GM conducted two earlier small recalls of about 3,000 ARC inflators. All three rupture events in Chevrolet Traverse vehicles involved the same inflator variant.

☆ US wants a recall of 67 million airbag inflators, but the manufacturer disagrees
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is calling for an immediate recall of 67 million airbag inflators due to a dangerous defect, the agency said in a letter to ARC Automotive, a major manufacturer of the component. The 67 million airbag inflators that NHTSA wants recalled were all produced in the 18-year period prior to January 2018, when ARC installed equipment to help inspect inflators, according to the company. The airbag inflators are used by at least 12 vehicle manufacturers, but NHTSA did not specify which ones. “Airbag inflators that project metal fragments into vehicle occupants, rather than properly inflating the attached airbag, create an unreasonable risk of death and injury,” the agency said in the letter. “None of the 918 inflators ruptured in the tests,” Gold wrote in response to NHTSA’s request for a recall.

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