- Bill targeting Tesla’s ‘self-driving’ claims passes California Legislature – LATimes
- GM’s Cruise recalls, revises self-driving software after crash – Automotive News
- Aramco could take stake in Renault combustion-engine unit, report says – Automotive News
- Ford recalls 198000 U.S. SUVs due to risk of fire – Reuters
- Polestar is allowed to sell in France after settling logo dispute with Citroen, report says – Automotive News
- Musk’s SpaceX Wins $1.4B NASA Contract for 5 More Astronaut Launches – Businessinsider
- Porsche Plans to Hire Mercedes’s Former Chief Technology Officer – Bloomberg
- Hyundai, Kia end weak stretch with double-digit August gains – Automotive News
- Toyota expands investment in Randall County, NC battery production facility – Axios
- New VW CEO Oliver Blume faces software challenges as he takes helm from Diess – Automotive News
Thursday Morning Auto News, Sep 01, 2022: Bill targeting Tesla’s ‘self-driving’ claims passes California legislature. GM’s Cruise recalls, revises self-driving software after crash. More.
Wednesday Morning Auto News, Aug 31, 2022: BMW starts making hydrogen fuel-cells. Volkswagen slims board. Toyota invests into batteries. More.
- BMW Starts Making Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Systems for iX5 Test Fleet – Bloomberg
- Volkswagen to trim executive board to nine members from twelve – Reuters
- Toyota Motor to invest about $5.3 bln in Japan and U.S. – Reuters
- Tesla slashes delivery waiting time for some Model Ys in China – Reuters
- Ford recalls pickups, cars to fix cloudy rear camera lens – Washington Post
- Toyota pledges up to $5.6 billion for EV battery production, ramps up investment in North Carolina plant – CNBC
- New 2026 Polestar 6 EV sells out one week after public debut – Autocar
- Subaru preparing AI-based next-generation EyeSight driver assist systems from 2025 – Automotive News
World’s Largest Automakers, July 2022: We have disruption, but not the kind we were promised
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Tesla and Uber failed to disrupt the automotive business, but a nasty little virus sure did. It led to plant closures, shortages, supply-chain turbulences, and with a few natural disasters and a shooting war in Europe thrown in, things could hardly get nastier (don’t bank on it, they can.) As of July 2022, the year-to-date global total industry volume was 7.5% below the TIV of the prior year. Times of adversity bring out the well-run companies, and those definitely are Toyota Group and Hyundai Group.
At the top of the leaderboard, Toyota Group already is 1.4 million units ahead of second-ranked Volkswagen Group. Toyota’s global sales are down only 6.1%, that’s above TIV, and a sign of gaining market share. Volkswagen on the other hand is down 19.3%. One of the top Google searches landing on these pages is “Toyota going bust,” and they will be disappointed. All things considered, Toyota is doing fine, and you can disregard some of today’s headlines to the contrary.
Tuesday Morning Auto News, Aug 30, 2022: Low-cost BYD has a battery-cost problem, Buffet cuts stake. Tesla hit with proposed class action. More
- Electric-Vehicle Leader BYD Has a Battery-Cost Problem – Bloomberg
- Buffett’s Berkshire sells 1.3 mln BYD H-shares for $47 million – Reuters
- Tesla hit with proposed class action over phantom braking issue – Reuters
- Musk sends fresh letter to scrap Twitter deal after whistleblower claims – Reuters
- Elon Musk says world still needs oil and gas – CNBC
- 2023 Smart #1 EV gets high-performance overhaul by Brabus – Autocar
- How T-Mobile and SpaceX are teaming up to give you coverage from space – Washington Post
- Susan Wojcicki was in talks to be Elon Musk’s number two at Tesla before taking YouTube CEO role, book says – CNBC
Monday Morning Auto News, Aug 29, 2022: Musk says world needs oil and gas. Honda, LG build battery plant in Ohio. Ford’s future: More EV, less ICE. More.
- Elon Musk says the world still needs oil and gas – Reuters
- Honda Motor, LG Energy to build EV battery plant in Ohio – Reuters
- Ford future product: More EVs, trim gas-powered lineup – Automotive News
- Nio Is Winning EV Drivers’ Hearts as Competition in China Spikes – Bloomberg
- Letters to the Editor: Banning gas cars is great. But EVs are still cars, and car dependency is awful – LATimes
- LG, Honda to set up US joint venture to make EV batteries – Washington Post
- Elon Musk Says World Needs More Oil and Gas as Bridge to Renewables – Bloomberg
- Elon Musk: aims to have self-driving Teslas ready by year-end in the U.S. – Reuters
- North American companies send in the robots, even as productivity slumps – Reuters
- Honda, LG Energy to invest $4.4B in new U.S. battery plant for EVs – Automotive News