Category: Automotive

Brexit shutdown cuts car output by 45%

Factory shutdowns designed to cope with disruption from a 29 March Brexit, slashed UK car production in April by almost a half. Even though Brexit is delayed the factories still closed and production fell 44.5% according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). In what it called “an extraordinary month”, the SMMT said… Continue reading Brexit shutdown cuts car output by 45%

Nissan CEO sees no major downside to $35b FCA-Renault merger

Nissan sees no major downside to partnering with a combined Renault and Fiat Chrysler (FCA), it said on Wednesday in a lukewarm endorsement of the proposed $35 billion tie-up, which would complicate an already uneasy alliance. The leaders of Nissan Motor Co, France’s Renault SA and junior partner Mitsubishi Motors Corp gathered at Nissan‘s headquarters in Yokohama for a scheduled alliance meeting which was overshadowed… Continue reading Nissan CEO sees no major downside to $35b FCA-Renault merger

Hyundai Kona Electric Owners Five Biggest Dislikes

These complaints still don’t take the shine off the car for their owners. Make no mistake, the Hyundai Kona Electric is a pretty great car. The compact crossover has found its way into a number of driveways now in North America, and some of their owners have, in turn, found their way to the InsideEVs… Continue reading Hyundai Kona Electric Owners Five Biggest Dislikes

Tesla founder launches new electric car battery startup and there’s a twist – Electrek

Tesla’s original co-founder, Martin Eberhard, is launching yet another electric vehicle battery startup and it appears to be extremely similar to its previous startup, which was recently acquired by SF Motors to help them make their own electric cars. If you are not familiar with Eberhard, he founded Tesla in 2003 with his friend and… Continue reading Tesla founder launches new electric car battery startup and there’s a twist – Electrek

Uber and Lyft are betting on self-driving cars to become profitable. But that may not happen, new research from MIT suggests. (UBER, LYFT)

Uber and Lyft lose a lot of money. Combined, the ride-hailing firms lost some $3.8 billion in 2019 alone, according to the companies’ IPO filings. Most investors, and many Wall Street analysts, are pinning the premise of ever turning a profit on self-driving cars. After all, paying drivers is a massive expense that could be… Continue reading Uber and Lyft are betting on self-driving cars to become profitable. But that may not happen, new research from MIT suggests. (UBER, LYFT)

Waymo is bringing its self-driving trucks back to Arizona

Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company under Alphabet, is bringing its self-driving trucks back to Arizona. The company’s autonomous Chrysler Pacifica hybrid vehicles, which are used in its Waymo One ride-hailing service, are a common sight on public streets in Chandler and other suburbs of Phoenix. But its self-driving Class 8 big rig trucks haven’t been… Continue reading Waymo is bringing its self-driving trucks back to Arizona

Sytner Group opens new Mercedes-Benz dealership in Carlisle

Sytner Group is to open a £6.5m flagship Mercedes-Benz showroom and workshop at Kingmoor Park in Carlisle. Replacing a previous facility in Rosehill Industrial Estate, the dealership includes an 18-bay workshop and an approved used display area for 90 cars. John Buchan, group project manager at Sytner Group, said: “We are delighted with our new… Continue reading Sytner Group opens new Mercedes-Benz dealership in Carlisle

Read Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s latest email urging employees to improve vehicle deliveries

Elon MuskJim Watson | AFP | Getty ImagesOn Wednesday, a new email from Tesla CEO Elon Musk to all employees at the electric car company called for employees to focus on making end-of-quarter deliveries better than they have been, historically.
As he did in recent weeks, Musk hammered home the notion that every employee should be individually focused on controlling costs.
In this installment, Musk reminds Tesla employees that the company's first quarter results fell short of investors' expectations, in part because Tesla was unable to make deliveries efficiently and on time.
Sales of Tesla's electric vehicles hit $3.72 billion in the first quarter which represented a 41% drop from the fourth quarter of 2018, when the company generated $6.32 billion in automotive revenue. In its first quarter vehicle deliveries and production report, Tesla said it delivered 63,000 vehicles during that quarter, down from a record 90,700 in the fourth quarter of 2018.
The company has given guidance that it will deliver around 90,000 vehicles in the second quarter, and between 360,000 and 400,000 for the year.
Tesla's relatively new CFO Zack Kirkhorn told investors on its first-quarter earnings call this year that “unwinding the wave” of uneven deliveries would be critical in helping Tesla achieve profitability later this year.
Here's the Musk's e-mail about deliveries from Wednesday.
To: Everybody
From: Elon Musk
Date: May 29, 2019
While our demand is strong, we have a lot of vehicle deliveries to catch up to in order to have a successful quarter.
Starting tomorrow, I will be holding skip-level calls with the America, Asia and Europe delivery teams every 2 days to understand what's needed to accelerate our rate of deliveries.
We also need to address the total cost of getting a car from our factory to the customer. Last quarter, there were many expedite fees and routing inefficiencies that led to higher than expected delivery costs. This makes it much harder for Tesla to break even.
Per my earlier email, if we execute well, Q2 will be an all-time record for Tesla vehicle deliveries and an awesome victory!
Super excited to make this happen with you!
WATCH: Tesla owner frustrated, so repairs his own Model S and says it's as easy as Legos
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