Tesla’s big bet on China-based production is key to a new effort to lure Chinese consumers with cheaper prices. Today the U.S. firm revealed that its incoming Model 3, which will be produced in China, will sell from 328,000 RMB — that’s around $47,500, and some 13% cheaper than its previous entry-level option. The company… Continue reading Tesla’s new China-made Model 3 opens for pre-order with a 13% price cut
Tag: Manufacturing
HRE Wheels and GE Additive showcase next generation metal 3D printed on a 2019 Ford GT
HRE Wheels, a California-based wheel manufacturer, has added a new titanium 3D printed wheel to its HRE3D series. The second generation wheel, installed on a 2019 Ford GT, was designed and 3D printed with the help of metal 3D printing specialist GE Additive. HRE President and CEO Alan Peltier, said, “We’re proud to be breaking… Continue reading HRE Wheels and GE Additive showcase next generation metal 3D printed on a 2019 Ford GT
Cummins and Isuzu Enter into Power-Source Partnership Agreement
COLUMBUS, Ind.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) and Isuzu Motors Limited announced another step forward in their partnership by entering into the Isuzu Cummins Powertrain Partnership agreement. The agreement formalizes a business structure for the two companies to evaluate and carry out opportunities to jointly develop and bring new diesel and diesel-based powertrains to global markets.… Continue reading Cummins and Isuzu Enter into Power-Source Partnership Agreement
Take a look at the most expensive SUV in the world: the $1.9 million Karlmann King
The Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCIf you're looking to spend $1.9 million on a new vehicle, an Italian armored car based on a Ford F-550 chassis is probably not on your radar. Karlmann is trying to change that.
Reclining alligator skin back seats on the Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCThe company operates from Los Angeles, has a factory in Italy and is largely financed by Beijing-based International Automotive Technologies. Its first product, the Karlmann King, is a massive rolling lounge complete with recliners, a coffee maker, champagne flutes, a massive TV and a price tag that makes it the world's most expensive SUV.
The exterior door hatch on the Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCKarlmann King to debut at the New York Auto Show.Source: Karlmann KingOn top of the stratospheric starting price, buyers can customize the King to their liking. Alligator-skin seats, real gold trim and specialty upholstery are all available for a price. Michael Nothdurft, Karlman's sales director, says a client in Africa ordered a Karlman King with a $3.5 million price tag.
View of the interior dash on the Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCOne big part of that additional cost: bulletproofing. Most King buyers opt for the bullet-resistant option, which adds at least $300,000 to the price depending on the level of protection clients want.
Enjoy coffee and champagne while riding in the Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCThe buyers of these bulletproof monster trucks range from clients in dangerous parts of the Middle East and Africa to real estate moguls and high-dollar watch traders in the United States. But for less security-conscious shoppers, Nothdurft stresses that the King is supposed to be a rolling work of art.
Reclining in the Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCIt's undeniably different than anything else you'll see on U.S. roads. It has extremely angular styling and is absolutely massive.
“This car is the most emotional car that you can see at auto shows,” Nothdurft told CNBC. “People either hate it or they love it.”
The backseat control panel on the Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCThe King is based on a Ford F-550 chassis. The F-550 a massive truck frame that Nothdurft says was chosen for its proven durability and ability to handle the weight of an armored luxury vehicle. The King maintains the 6.8-liter V-10, suspension components and transmission of the F-550 and is therefore limited to 87 mph. The interior, however, is bespoke.
The Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCKarlman is looking to get a U.S. manufacturing line built in the next few months, but for now, the King is hand-built in Italy. For U.S. market cars, armoring takes place in the States.
The company currently has 20 buyers lined up in North America, Nothdurft said.
Buyers who order a King today should expect delivery in nine to 15 months.
The Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBC
Ford recycles 1.2 billion plastic bottles a year for auto parts
An employee walks past a Ford logo in the yet-to-be-completed engine production line at a Ford factory on January 13, 2015 in Dagenham, England.Carl Court | Getty Images News | Getty Images Ford is trying to reduce its carbon footprint by recycling plastic bottles and using them to make vehicle parts.
The automaker uses an average of 300 recycled bottles per vehicle, roughly 1.2 billion plastic bottles per year, to make the underbody shields for all of their cars and SUVs as well as the wheel liners on F-Series trucks.
Ford said recycled plastic is ideal for automotive parts because of it's light weight, which gives the added benefit of improving the aerodynamics of vehicles. Better aerodynamics also promote fuel efficiency and have allowed for a quieter environment on the 2020 Ford Escape, according to Ford.
“The underbody shield is a large part, and for a part that big, if we use solid plastic it would likely weigh three times as much,” Thomas Sweder, a design engineer at Ford Motors, said in a statement.
The bottles are shredded into small pieces and sold to suppliers that turn them into fiber used to make sheets of plastic. Ford then uses these sheets to make the underbody cover for its vehicles.
Ford has used recycled plastic as far back as the 1990s. According to environmental advocacy group Earth Day Network, an estimated 9.1 billion tons of plastic has been manufactured since it's creation in the 1950s, and 91% of the world's plastic waste has not been recycled. Since it's not biodegradable, nearly all of that plastic is still in the world.
“We do it because it makes sense technically and economically as much as it makes sense for the environment,” Sweder said. “This material is very well suited for the parts we're making with it, and is extremely functional.”
Earlier this year, Ford announced that a number of its manufacturing plants will soon be powered by 100% locally sourced renewable wind energy.
Energy policy: VW boss Diess wants to use nuclear power longer and get out of coal earlier
Herbert dies The VW boss sees the priorities in climate protection set wrong. (Photo: AP) BerlinVolkswagen-Boss Herbert dies has the energy policy the Federal Government massively criticized and holds a coalition exit until 2038 for too late. To protect the climate should Germany First get out of the coal-fired power plant and then only from… Continue reading Energy policy: VW boss Diess wants to use nuclear power longer and get out of coal earlier
Ferrari SF90 Stradale Is Brand’s First Plug-In Hybrid: Electric Future?
Ferrari SF90 Stradale trailblazes the plug-in hybrid path for Ferrari and hopefully leads to all-electric future Ferrari isn’t yet ready for all-electric cars, but there is no escape from the future and after its first tries with hybrids, the Italian manufacturer recently unveiled its first plug-in hybrid Ferrari SF90 Stradale. The all-electric range of up… Continue reading Ferrari SF90 Stradale Is Brand’s First Plug-In Hybrid: Electric Future?
New Lotus Type 130 hypercar to be revealed on 16 July
Lotus has confirmed that it will unwrap its all-electric Type 130 hypercar at an exclusive event in Central London on 16 July. It’s the British brand’s first all-new model in over a decade and signals the firm’s rebirth under its new owner, the Chinese auto giant Geely. The Norfolk-based firm has confirmed the Type 130… Continue reading New Lotus Type 130 hypercar to be revealed on 16 July
Tesla Model 3 available for cheaper in China as pre-orders open
Tesla has opened pre-orders in China for its Model 3 cars, which are being sold at a 13% discount for Chinese consumers. The domestically-produced cars are cheaper than the models being imported from the US, and Tesla stated it expects to begin deliveries within the next 10 months. Elon Musk attended the ground-breaking ceremony opening… Continue reading Tesla Model 3 available for cheaper in China as pre-orders open
VW is driving forward factory redevelopment in Zwickau: 1500 new robots for Germany’s first e-car factory
Volkswagen Volkswagen’s Future Hope ID.3 Volkswagen drives the Conversion of his work in Zwickau, Saxony to the first pure E-car factory of Germany Ahead. From mid-2020, only electric vehicles will be built on site. It starts with the ID.3, the end of 2019 roll off the line. “It will be converted for a new era,”… Continue reading VW is driving forward factory redevelopment in Zwickau: 1500 new robots for Germany’s first e-car factory