Massive Ford profit follows strong GM results

Chevrolet display

Recently, GM’s Mary Barra told shareholders that GM had increased its full-year revenue by 9%, leading the United States in total, retail, and fleet deliveries alike. GM was not the only company to make profits off Stellantis’ sales drop, though; Ford has just weighed in with high profits from 2024. Ford’s adjusted earnings before interest … Read more

GM: EVs profitable, US more profitable, China brings loss

Chevrolet display

GM’s chief executive, Mary Barra, sent a letter to shareholders in advance of the shareholder meeting. She noted that the company increased its  full-year revenue by 9%, leading the United States in total, retail, and fleet deliveries alike. GM’s market share increased partly at the cost of Stellantis. The company’s market share in electric vehicles … Read more

Ford dominates recall list

Ford on fire recalls

Most of the recalls this week came from Ford, which like seemingly every automaker in the world is recalling cars for rear-view camera images that don’t show up. This week, it’s Ford’s turn with the 2019 Fiesta, Flex, and Lincoln MKT, and Land Rover’s turn with the 2022-23 Range Rover. Ford adds to that with … Read more

Hyundia/Kia set 2024 records at Stellantis’ expense

Kia E-GMP

Hyundai and Kia, which quietly invested in hybrid and electric-car technologies while maintaining their conventional engines, both announced record sales. The two companies sell essentially the same cars, with Kia acting as the cheaper value brand and Hyundai as a somewhat higher-end value brand. Stellantis has not yet announced its sales, but nobody expects them … Read more

Chevy celebrating half-century of Silverado

Silverado half century

While Chevrolet made pickup trucks before the Silverado, yesterday General Motors celebrated the half-century anniversary of the nameplate. The first Chevrolet Silverado was the top of the line pickup for Chevrolet, whose other models simply used letter/number codes (like F150, but starting with a C for rear wheel drive or a K for four wheel … Read more

Jeep recalls: tiny Grand and Renegade

Renegade (RED)

Jeep has recalled two sets of vehicles for two different problems. 2021-2024 Jeep Grand Cherokees may have front seat airbags that do not work in a crash, because of an improperly secured connector. The solution is obvious, and every affected vehicle has already been fixed, making the paperwork seem superfluous; and only 14 vehicles sold … Read more

GM giving up on robotaxis, merging Cruise with normal teams

2021 Cadillac Escalade

General Motors has given up on robotaxis, folding the Cruise LLC engineering teams into their own general engineering group. The Cruise technologies will be folded into Super Cruise, GM’s highly regarded self-driving setup, which is available on over 20 vehicles. This 2021 Escalade might or might not have Super Cruise.  While Cruise made advances in … Read more

Ex-Jeep leader Christian Meuner to lead Nissan USA

Christian Meunier

Nissan, despairing for a transformational leader, has chosen former Jeep leader Christian Meunier to lead its American division, according to Automotive News. (Infiniti is Nissan’s long-struggling luxury brand.) One industry insider described Nissan’s American operations as being full of politics and infighting, and generally unable to make information-based decisions. Nissan as a company has been … Read more

Two more Jeep recalls this week

2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve

Jeep had two more recalls this week, both affecting 2024 models. The Jeep Wrangler can have inoperative trailer lighting, but only 34 vehicles in the US (and presumably a handful elsewhere in the world) are affected. This only affects vehicles made from January 24 through March 18, 2024, with the tow package but with the … Read more

GM laying off 1,000 people globally

General Motors GM Flint Metal Center

General Motors told news organizations that it was laying off a thousand people around the world, mostly salaried workers with some hourly people. The layoffs were announced by email. According to MSN, some of the layoffs were due to poor performance, while others involved changing priorities. GM has been cutting back on some projects, such … Read more

Walmart going with Brightdrop for new delivery program

brightdrop

Walmart is adding BrightDrop electric vans to their “last mile fleet” for home deliveries, following a pilot program. This follows Amazon’s use of Rivian vans, which are supplementing or replacing Ram ProMasters and Ford Transits; Amazon invested a great deal of cash into Rivian to make their vans a reality as well as buying them … Read more

Stella updating Free2move Charge Go; GM’s 400 fast-charger stalls in USA

EVgo charging station with chargers for electric cars

Stellantis recently announced Free2move Charge Go with this statement: Free2move Charge, Stellantis 360-degree ecosystem designed to deliver seamless charging and energy management solutions introduces Free2move Charge Go, the second of the three strategic pillars: Free2move Charge Home, Free2move Charge Go and Free2move Charge Business. Designed to ensure that customers can easily access the most extensive … Read more

GM boosted profits at STLA’s expense

GM sales

General Motors announced that North American profits rose to nearly $4 billion as its revenue hit a record $41 billion—a 14% increase. While the margin may not have been as high as Stellantis seems to demand, GM profits were high and inventories were under control. GM operates under a UAW contract very similar to that … Read more