- Brazil judge opens inquiry into Musk for obstruction involving social media company X – Reuters
- Elon Musk Vows to Defy Brazil Order to Block Some X Accounts Amid Fake-News Clampdown – Wall Street Journal
- Ford delays new EVs – Axios
- Tesla pulls a U-turn on affordable vehicle plans – Chinadaily
- Musk Calls For Ouster Of Brazil Supreme Court Judge – Barrons
- Autonomous Vehicles are proving a hard nut to crack – Just-Auto
- Tesla to Unveil a Robotaxi. This Is What It’s Worth. – Barrons
- Chinese eye Thai pickup segment with EVs – Just-Auto
- Toyota’s Daihatsu to develop EV minicars amid low-cost focus – Automotive News
- New 2024 Skoda Kodiaq ramps price up to £36,645 – Autocar
- Tesla Trial to Size Up Cause of Fatal Autopilot Crash: Driver or Tech – Wall Street Journal
- Ferrari Opens Cell Lab as Electric Supercar Competition Heats Up – Bloomberg
- GM’s EV batteries move closer to moon landing – Automotive News
- Tesla is headed to trial over deadly 2018 Autopilot crash – Businessinsider
- Slovakia wins EU nod for $289 mln aid to Volvo’s EV plant – Reuters
- Mercedes-Benz and BYD show new Denza model – Just-Auto
- Car sales accelerate in March – Chinadaily
Monday Morning Auto News, Apr 08, 2024: Brazil judge on Musk’s case. Musk vows to defy Brazil. Ford delays new EVs.
Friday Morning Auto News, Apr 05, 2024: Discount cars pile up in Tesla’s inventory. China loses its love for EVs. Free ticks. More.
- Tesla heavily discounts cars piling up in its inventory – Automotive News
- China seems less in love with electric cars too — and that’s bad news for Elon Musk – Businessinsider
- Dismay as X’s most-followed accounts given blue ticks for free – Guardian
- Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas says Tesla $100 bear case may be ‘in play’ – CNBC
- Tesla can turn around its ‘trainwreck’ quarter if Elon Musk stops his distractions – Businessinsider
- Tesla could ‘go bust’ because it’s too vertically integrated, bear warns – Fortune
- Manual transmission cars are becoming hard to find – Freep
- Stellantis output in Italy down 10% in Q1, trade union says – Reuters
- Hyundai Leads Latest Ranking of Most-Seen Auto TV Ads – Wardsauto
- Hyundai’s Genesis brand is a dark horse in U.S. luxury vehicle market – CNBC
- Chery to build EV plant in Vietnam – Just-Auto
- How does Porsche’s Active Ride system work? – Autocar
Thursday Morning Auto News, Apr 04, 2024: Ford Motor delays launch of new EV. Why hybrid sales surge as EV sales flatten. More.
- Ford Motor Delays Launch of New EV to Let Market Further Develop – Wall Street Journal
- Why hybrid sales surge as EV sales flatten – CNBC
- Blue checks on Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, restored for influential users – Washington Post
- Ford and Allego join up for ultra-fast charging in EU – Just-Auto
- BYD and other Chinese manufacturers will take on Europe – Fortune
- Volvo Cars Sales Climb In March, Q1; Stock Rises – Businessinsider
- China’s BYD to launch first electric pickup truck this year in latest challenge to Tesla, Ford – CNBC
- Canoo Spent Twice As Much on CEO’s Jet As It Brought in Last Year – Businessinsider
- Elon Musk and X sued by ex-Twitter GM Nick Caldwell over millions in unpaid severance – CNBC
- Ford to delay all-electric SUV to focus on offering hybrid vehicles across its lineup by 2030 – CNBC
- Ford will delay some North American EV production – Reuters
- Ford delays EV pickup, utilities as it expands hybrid options – Automotive News
- OpenAI wants Tesla staff, so Musk is poaching them first – Fortune
Wednesday Morning Auto News, Apr 03, 2024: Elon Musk has a porn problem. Jeep has a fire fix.
- Elon Musk Has a Porn Problem – Bloomberg
- Jeep has a fix for Wrangler 4xe fire risk. Some owners aren’t satisfied – The Detroit News
- What Tesla’s Troubles Signal for the Electric Vehicle Market – New York Times
- Zeekr focuses on IPO again – Just-Auto
- Noted Tesla bear says Musk’s EV maker could ‘go bust,’ says stock is worth $14 – CNBC
- Renault, Volvo To Invest EUR 300 Mln Each In Flexis SAS JV; CMA CGM Buys 10% Stake – Businessinsider
- NHTSA probes 2023 Fisker Ocean crossovers for door latch – Automotive News
- Ford slashes customer wait times with mobile repair service – Freep
- F-150 Lightning EV targeted by climate protesters at New York auto show – Automotive News
- Xiaomi delivers first batch of e-sedan to consumers – Chinadaily
- US opens investigation into Fisker’s Ocean vehicles – Reuters
Tuesday Morning Auto News, Apr 02, 2024: Uber comes to Japan – somehow. Global OEMs contemplate exit from China. Tesla has a new competitor – a phonemaker. More
- Japan has started private ride – hailing services. Here’s how they work. – Japantimes
- Global car makers contemplate exit from China – Autocar
- Tesla Stock Is Falling. It Has a New Competitor—Xiaomi. – Barrons
- 2025 Cadillac CT5 drops base trim, sees big price hike – Autoblog
- Xiaomi SU7 EV launch propels market value by $4 billion, near GM and Ford – Autoblog
- SpaceX launch sets off show over California skies – Mercurynews
- Renault’s Ampere starts development of new electric Twingo, sources say – Reuters
- BYD set to lose EV throne to Tesla as sales slip – FT
- Just a handful of GM’s bestselling EV ever, the Bolt, remain – Freep
- Tesla expected to report sharp decline in car deliveries, sales – Washington Post
- Tesla’s China-made EV sales edge up 0.2% y/y in March – Reuters
- Gupta: Expect Markets to Be Resilient – Bloomberg
- BYD may hand back top EV seller title to Tesla after Q1 sales decline – Reuters
Monday Morning Auto News, Apr 01, 2024: Tesla raises, competition lowers prices in China. Koji Sato did good in his 1st year as Toyota CEO. And it’s an EV war. More.
- Tesla China Price Hike Meets Slew of Cuts From Other Carmakers – Bloomberg
- Toyota CEO Koji Sato Beats Previous Chiefs With First-Year Stock Gains – Bloomberg
- Auto Execs Call for New Measures as EV Wars Heat Up – New York Times
- Tesla worries Wall Street about Q1 sales amid softer demand, high interest rates – Automotive News
- China to import more from France, foreign minister says amid European autos probe – Reuters
- Focus: Would-be Tesla buyers snub company as Musk’s reputation dips – Reuters
- Tesla Has Wall Street Worried About How Many Cars It Just Sold – Bloomberg
- French New Car Sales Decline 1.5% in March, PFA Association Says – Bloomberg
- Hyundai’s India unit, Mahindra post higher March sales – Reuters
- Chinese stocks log best gain in a month on manufacturing rebound, validating optimism … – SCMP
- Tesla Stock Is Rising. Delivery Numbers Are Due Tomorrow. – Barrons
- Tesla raises prices of Model Y cars in US by $1000 – Reuters
- Volkswagen’s New EV Van, the ID Buzz, Is Roomy and Groovy – Barrons
- Dongfeng reveals latest hybrid Mach technology – Chinadaily
- Electric Renault Clio due as family-friendly 5 sibling – Autocar
- Tesla raises price of its Shanghai-made Model Y electric car, shrugging off price war … – SCMP
- Chinese carmakers hog the stage at Bangkok Motor Show – Chinadaily
- Kia recalls 427000 Tellurides that might roll away while parked – Fortune
- China’s Chery offers tax breaks, subsidies for its best-selling combustion models – Reuters
- Here’s why the auto industry got the EV adoption timeline wrong – The Detroit News
- The Stock Market’s Magnificent Seven Is Now the Fab Four – Wall Street Journal
- Honda battles against counterfeiters for the first time in Sri Lanka – FT
- China’s March factory activity expands for first time in six months – Reuters
- Confidence Slips Among Japan’s Big Manufacturers – Barrons
- Elon Musk Says There Could Be a 20% Chance AI Destroys Humanity – Businessinsider
- Kuwait’s KIPIC announces departure of CEO – Reuters
- Exclusive: China’s SAIC aims to slash jobs at GM, VW ventures and EV unit, sources say – Reuters
- China’s Taobao working with startup on deliveries by reusable rocket – Reuters
- China and Climate: Shein and Temu Are Driving Oil, Not GM and Toyota – Bloomberg
Friday Morning Auto News, Mar 29, 2024: Xitter goes porn. UAW membership bottoms. Geely targets 1243 mile BEV. More.
- Developers at Elon Musk’s X test possible NSFW content and communities feature – Fortune
- UAW membership hits lowest point since Great Recession – The Detroit News
- Geely Targeting 1243-mile Range for New BEV – Wardsauto
- Tesla’s stock wraps up one of its worst quarters on record as global dominance wanes – CNBC
- Tesla’s Terrible Quarter Catches Some Analysts Asleep at the Wheel – Wall Street Journal
- Some 2022 Ram trucks being probed in U.S. for K1 snap ring transmission failures – Automotive News
- Toyota Has Become an Anti-Tesla. It’s Paying Off. – Barrons
- Fisker Ocean reservation cancellations top 40,000 – Businessinsider
- Tesla appears unlikely to nix US suit alleging bias against Black workers – Reuters
- Kia Telluride recall involves 427,000 SUVs over rollaway risk – Autoblog
- 2025 Porsche Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid starts at $192,995 – Autoblog
- Regulators to investigate transmission issues in 2022 Ram Heavy Duty – Autoblog
- Tesla Dives Into Advertising After Years of Resistance – Wall Street Journal
- I drove BYD’s Seal electric car and Elon Musk may be grateful you can’t buy one in the US – Businessinsider
World’s Largest Automakers 2024: Treading water, mostly.
Sales of #1 Toyota Group, down 4.1% for the year, were impacted by an extended production halt of its kei-car subsidiary Daihatsu after a major safety testing scandal. Worldwide Daihatsu sales were down a whopping 65.5% in February. Sales of Toyota-branded vehicles including Lexus rose 1.4% in the first two months of 2024.
#2 Volkswagen Group continues to impress and confuse. The group is the only member of the top three with a solid (6.1%) rise in sales for the first two months. Nevertheless, top management won’t stop ringing alarm bells. Volkswagen’s Thomas Schaefer, head of the group’s “core brands,” is cutting costs and head count.
Sales of #3 Hyundai Group were mostly flat in the first 2 months.