Tag: Ford

Harley-Davidson shares tank after big earnings miss

Harley-Davidson CEO: Our core rider continues to age, leave the sport
1 Hour Ago | 02:49

Harley-Davidson shares tanked by more than 9 percent Tuesday after the company reported fourth quarter earnings that missed analysts' expectations.

The motorcycle maker is battling declining sales as its core riders age, particularly in the United States, its largest market. The company said that despite the challenges attracting younger customers, it finished the year with 52,000 more riders than it had one year ago.

Here's how the company did compared with what Wall Street expected:

— Adjusted earnings: 17 cents per share vs. 28 cents per share forecast by Refinitiv

— Revenue: $1.15 billion vs. $1.05 billion forecast by Refinitiv

The company reported $500,000 in net income during the fourth quarter, versus net income of $8.3 million on consolidated revenue of $1.23 billion in the same period in 2017.

Harley-Davidson has struggled in recent years with declining sales and fears buyers simply are not as interested in motorcycles as they have been in previous generations.

Investors worry that there's been a fundamental shift in the market. Baby Boomers, which make up much of Harley-Davidson's customer base, are more likely to buy motorcycles and participate in the lifestyle and culture of riding than millennials. If younger buyers are considering motorcycles at all, they tend to do so for practical reasons, seeing motorcycles as an easy form of transportation.

This means that younger buyers are more likely to consider buying used bikes or cheaper and lighter motorcycles. This shift, said UBS analyst Robin Farley, could have potentially profound implications for Harley-Davidson, which has made its name selling heavy and typically expensive bikes.

The company has launched an ambitious plan to attract 2 million new riders within a single decade. The company is setting up riding schools around the United States, has plans to launch 100 new motorcycles by 2027 and increase volume in its international business 50 percent.

“The challenges we experienced during the year reinforced the commitment we have for our More Roads to Harley-Davidson accelerated plan for growth,” said Matt Levatich, president and chief executive officer, Harley-Davidson. “Our plan addresses the challenges of today and the opportunities we see for growth ahead, and we are energized by the momentum we are building.”

Ford Engineers Make Record-Breaking 3D Part to Help Bring Ken Block’s ‘Hoonitruck’ to Life

About Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility… Continue reading Ford Engineers Make Record-Breaking 3D Part to Help Bring Ken Block’s ‘Hoonitruck’ to Life

Ford Collaborates with Gravity Sketch to Explore New Tool for Designing Vehicles to Meet Customers’ Needs

right click to download Ford is the first automaker to work with Gravity Sketch – a 3D virtual reality tool that enables designers to come up with more human-centric designs New creative tool enables Ford designers to place the customer at the center of the development process in the creation of new vehicles Ford design… Continue reading Ford Collaborates with Gravity Sketch to Explore New Tool for Designing Vehicles to Meet Customers’ Needs

GMC could join electric-pickup tailgate party

2019 GMC Sierra
General Motors has remained mum on its plans for making its pickups all-electric—until now.

It's something of a fait accompli, really, since GM's CEO Marry Barra has said the company plans to move to a 100 percent electric lineup, eventually.

READ THIS: Cadillac to become “lead electric vehicle brand” for GM to rival Tesla (Updated)

Now the head of the company's primary U.S. truck division, GMC, has given a hint about how electric trucks might come about at GM. In an interview with CNBC at a conference in Detroit last week following the Detroit auto show, vice president of the GMC brand, David Aldred, said GM's upscale U.S. truck brand is considering an all-electric truck.

Two days before the auto show, General Motors announced that Cadillac will become its primary brand for electric cars, indicating that it may develop more expensive electric models in an effort to better cover the costs of developing them.

DON'T MISS: GM's national electric car plan may not be all that, scientist argues

Introducing an electric pickup first at GMC would follow the same strategy, GMC has long sold pickups similar to those buyers can get from Chevrolet, but at a premium price. An electric pickup from GMC could include luxury features similar to the brand's Denali lineup.

Aldred did not reveal any timing for an electric GMC pickup or even give positive confirmation that the company will build it.

CHECK OUT: Ford confirms future all-electric F-Series truck, holds details close

Although none have yet reached the market, the competition is heating up among brands announcing new electric pickups, since U.S. startup automaker Rivian met with enthusiasm when it showed its concept electric pickup at the LA auto show. The Rivian R1T is scheduled to debut late next year.

At another industry conference following the Detroit auto show, Ford global vice president Jim Farley announced Ford will build an all-electric version of its bestselling F-Series pickup. Like Aldred, he did not provide any timing, even though other Ford executives, including chairman Bill Ford had suggested for months that the company was considering an electric truck.

Blanquefort: Ford’s job protection plan rejected

It is a “boo” of relief for the 870 employees of the Blanquefort Ford factory. In a highly anticipated decision, the prefecture of Gironde said Monday night she was refusing the plan for safeguarding employment (PSE) filed on December 21 last year by the American manufacturer. The administration justifies its refusal to homologate the procedure… Continue reading Blanquefort: Ford’s job protection plan rejected

Britain’s most popular cars are vulnerable to keyless theft

Hundreds of new cars, including four of the UK’s five most popular, are highly susceptible to keyless theft, according to a new study. Research conducted by consumer group Which? looked at 237 cars sold with keyless entry technology. Among these, researchers were able to open and start all but seven models using relay boxes, portable… Continue reading Britain’s most popular cars are vulnerable to keyless theft

Chevy Silverado mpg: Turbo-4 lower than V-8 in gas mileage test

2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Until all cars can become electric, it makes sense to support making internal-combustion passenger cars as fuel-efficient as possible.

It makes even more sense for popular, thirsty large pickups, where each mpg improvement can save a lot more gallons of gas.

Unfortunately, some of the latest attempts as improving fuel economy in big pickups—such as installing small engines with turbochargers to make up for the power difference—don't always bear out in the real world.

The latest illustration came in Car and Driver's test of the new 2019 Chevrolet Silverado pickup with its new everyday engine-choice: a turbocharged, 2.7-liter I-4 rated at 310 horsepower and 348 pound-feet of torque. Those are appropriately big, trucky numbers.

DON'T MISS: 2019 Chevy Silverado will offer new turbo-4 that can run on 2 cylinders

When Car and Driver tested the new Silverado double-cab four-wheel drive with the new 2.7-liter turbo-4, it actually got worse mileage on the highway than an otherwise identical Silverado the magazine had tested with the truck's 5.3-liter V-8 (an updated version of the 5.3-liter in the 2018 Silverado.)

On paper, the small turbo-4 doesn't help the boxy, parachute-like truck on the highway, but benefits it by 3 mpg in the city. The 2019 Silverado with the 2.7-liter turbo-4 gets EPA ratings of 19 mpg city, 22 highway, and 20 combined. With the 5.3-liter V-8, it's rated at 16 mpg city, 22 hwy, and 18 combined.

CHECK OUT: Chrysler to electrify the next Dodge Challenger, boot the V-8?

What the magazine didn't expect was for the highway mileage to be significantly worse with the 4-cylinder. In Car and Driver's highway testing, the V-8 Silverado almost delivered on its EPA highway fuel economy rating at 21 mpg. Choosing the turbo-4, however, actually dropped the mileage by 3 mpg on the highway, to 18 mpg, despite being 314 pounds lighter.

Both trucks use GM's new 8-speed automatic transmission.

The turbocharged I-4 comes standard on the Silverado's two most popular trim lines according to Chevrolet, the LT and the RST. GM says it can run on two cylinders, but given the mileage results, it seems unlikely that the engine did that in the magazine's 75 mph highway test.

2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

With the I-4 as the standard engine on the two most popular trims—most likely to boost GM's corporate average fuel-economy ratings—a lot of Silverado buyers may be in for a disappointment when it comes to mileage.

The results are reminiscent of when Ford first introduced smaller turbocharged engines in its F-150 in 2011 and its Fusion sedan in 2013 under the EcoBoost moniker, independent tests showed similar results. The cars showed notable city mileage improvements on their EPA tests, but independent tests actually showed they didn't come close to their mileage ratings on the highway.

Word on the street was that you could “have Eco, or you could have Boost,” but not both at the same time.

READ THIS: Engineers find new ways to improve efficiency of gas engines: Engineering Explained

Small turbocharged engines help fuel economy by saving gas when power demand is low and the turbo doesn't have to spin up. In a gas engine, which has to maintain relatively precise air-fuel mixtures, the fuel injection has to add gas to complement the increased airflow from the turbocharger when it's spinning, reducing fuel efficiency when the engine is under load. Car and Driver speculates that at 75 mph in the real world on the highway, the 2.7-liter Silverado is constantly in need of boost.

Page 1 of 2

1
2
Next >

Most popular cars at risk of ‘keyless theft’

Media playback is unsupported on your device Hundreds of popular cars – including four of the five best-selling models in the UK – are susceptible to “keyless theft”, new research claims. Consumer group Which? found the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Golf, Nissan Qashqai and Ford Focus were all at risk. Thieves are increasingly thought to be… Continue reading Most popular cars at risk of ‘keyless theft’

IONITY Installs First 50 Ultra Fast Charging Stations

3 H BY MARK KANE Within 8 months, IONITY installed 50 stations The installations of IONITY fast charging infrastructure accelerated and the number of stations increased to 51 out of 400 planned in Europe. Interestingly, another 43 stations are at various stages of construction. The pace of installations is very important as several manufacturers are… Continue reading IONITY Installs First 50 Ultra Fast Charging Stations