CLOSE UAW Local 2250 President Glenn Kage knows exactly when he will go to General Motors for a “serious conversation” about shutting down the Wentzville Assembly plant for 14 days because of workers with coronavirus. “Five to 10 cases (of coronavirus) is a yellow light, 10 to 20 cases is a red light,” Kage told the Free Press… Continue reading GM declines request to shut down plant as cases of coronavirus grow, union says
Category: US Motoring Press
FCA’s top communications exec leaves job after just 4 months
CLOSE Simon Sproule, chief communications officer at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles based in Auburn Hills, is leaving the job he began Feb. 3. He resigned and has made the personal decision to step away from the auto industry, according to a source close to the situation. His last day is Friday. The company said in a statement, “Simon Sproule… Continue reading FCA’s top communications exec leaves job after just 4 months
Auto industry recovery from COVID-19 could take years, signaling slow climb back
Global vehicle sales could fall year-over-year by more than 20% in 2020, according to a new study, and not return to pre-COVID-19 levels until 2023 — another gloomy sign that contributed to the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunging nearly 1,900 points Thursday to its lowest since March. The Dow fell 6.9%, the S&P 500 dropped 5.9% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq… Continue reading Auto industry recovery from COVID-19 could take years, signaling slow climb back
GM’s electric push risks market-share loss for top moneymakers
David Welch, Bloomberg Published 1:04 p.m. ET June 11, 2020 | Updated 1:06 p.m. ET June 11, 2020 General Motors Co.’s ambitious push into electric vehicles could pose a near-term risk as the automaker spends less to replace its more profitable gas-powered vehicles, according to an annual study published by Bank of America Global Research.… Continue reading GM’s electric push risks market-share loss for top moneymakers
Flop of BlueIndy car-share reflects broader ride-hailing challenges
The electric-car sharing future has got the blues. BlueIndy, a pioneering car-sharing service in Indianapolis that launched in 2014, quietly closed last month. Beset by losses, the decision to pull the plug on BlueIndy’s electric cars came before the global coronavirus pandemic – and as other similar services have also shut their doors. BlueIndy, an electric-car sharing… Continue reading Flop of BlueIndy car-share reflects broader ride-hailing challenges
Bentley to cut 1K U.K. jobs in recovery plan after virus
Christoph Rauwald, Bloomberg Published 9:06 p.m. ET June 5, 2020 Bentley Motors Ltd. plans to slash as many as 1,000 jobs in the U.K., about a quarter of its workforce, to cut costs and contain the fallout of the coronavirus crisis after years of weak profitability. The move adds to 2,000 other British auto-industry job… Continue reading Bentley to cut 1K U.K. jobs in recovery plan after virus
Auto recovery may take years, with $72 billion in new debt to pay off amid projected sales slump
The auto industry was already facing financial headwinds. But new challenges courtesy of the coronavirus may take auto manufacturers and suppliers years to overcome, says a new outlook detailed Thursday by Alix Partners LLP, an industry consultant. “We were already on the backside of the (global sales) peak, but (the coronavirus) accelerated this in a very… Continue reading Auto recovery may take years, with $72 billion in new debt to pay off amid projected sales slump
Nissan recalls nearly 1.9M cars for pesky hood latch problem
Tom Krisher, Associated Press Published 4:14 p.m. ET June 5, 2020 | Updated 4:18 p.m. ET June 5, 2020 Detroit – For the fourth time, Nissan is recalling hundreds of thousands of midsize cars in the U.S. and Canada to fix a nagging latch problem that may allow the hood fly open while cars are… Continue reading Nissan recalls nearly 1.9M cars for pesky hood latch problem
GM eyes move forward with EV delivery van
Detroit — Detroit’s automakers are pushing ahead to stake their claims on the development of all-electric delivery vans, a segment whose growth potential is likely to rise as consumers spend less time in vehicles and more time ordering online. General Motors Co. is developing an electric delivery van aimed at commercial customers, sources told Reuters this week. The… Continue reading GM eyes move forward with EV delivery van
Ford, GM, FCA to keep many white-collar employees working remotely
CLOSE Non-manufacturing salaried workers at the Detroit Three are not returning to their office jobs anytime soon. At Ford, the majority of U.S. non-manufacturing employees won’t return to the office before September, a Ford spokesman told the Free Press Thursday. That’s pushed back from Ford’s previous plan to bring them back in July. The Ford Motor Company World Headquarters on Michigan Avenue in… Continue reading Ford, GM, FCA to keep many white-collar employees working remotely