Tag: Ford

Ford executive raises doubts about VW deal for electric vehicles

Bill Pugliano | Getty Images
Jim Farley, Ford Motor Company Executive Vice President and President of Global Markets, reveals the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 at the 2019 North American International Auto Show during Media preview days on January 14, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan.

Ford and Volkswagen appear increasingly unlikely to pull together a deal to work together on battery-electric vehicles, a senior executive with the Detroit automaker said this week.

The two companies announced plans last month to team up on the development of light commercial vehicles and confirmed that other projects were under consideration. It has been widely reported that a key focus was on battery-electric vehicles, a move that could help Ford and VW save billions of dollars by sharing R&D efforts.

But their programs are out of sync, “almost like snowboarding and skiing,” Jim Farley, Ford's president of global markets, said Monday during a taping of the local TV show “Autoline Detroit.”

Automakers around the world have begun looking for ways to partner with erstwhile rivals in order to address an increasingly challenging environment. Many of these alliances focus on the development of new technologies, such as electrification and autonomous driving, areas in which Ford and Volkswagen aim to take a lead.

But the two carmakers are taking markedly different approaches with their electrification programs, said Stephanie Brinley, principal auto analyst with IHS Markit and a participant in the “Autoline” panel discussion.

“They have two very different strategies,” Brinley said, and the “timing issues that just won't mesh.”

America is falling back in love with trucks and SUVs, and that's causing big changes at big car companies
10:38 AM ET Tue, 5 Feb 2019 | 04:45

VW has committed over $50 billion to develop more than 50 pure battery-electric vehicles by 2025. They would be sold through the German automaker's dozen passenger car brands, including Porsche and Audi, as well as the flagship Volkswagen marque.

But the majority of the products will target mainstream markets using a high-volume vehicle platform known as the MEB. “This is meant to be a car for the millions, not millionaires,” Matthew Renna, vice president of e-Mobility for Volkswagen's North American Region, said during a media briefing last week at the Chicago Auto Show.

Ford was itself an early proponent of electrification but initially focused on hybrids, plug-in hybrids and relatively short-range battery-electric vehicles. It now plans to introduce its first long-range model in 2020, and then expand its lineup over the course of the coming decade.

While VW is primarily targeting low-cost, passenger car segments with its battery-car program, “Ford's bet is on commercial vehicles and performance vehicles,” said Farley.

There is still the possibility they could eventually find common ground, “if we could find platforms where it makes sense,” said Farley, but, at least for now, “we're in different timing.”

VW declined to comment about Farley's remarks.

Morgan Stanley: Why GM and Amazon may be investing in ‘the next Tesla’

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A person places items into the front trunk cargo area of the Rivian Automotive Inc R1T electric pickup truck during a demonstration at a reveal event at AutoMobility LA ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show.

General Motors and Amazon are reportedly in talks to invest in Detroit startup Rivian Automotive and that indicates a massive shift in the “next and potentially imminent” electric vehicle market of pickup trucks, Morgan Stanley said on Wednesday.

“The highly lucrative and US-dominated pickup truck market” is “an important area of investor focus” due to the “culmination of battery cost reduction, architecture, duty cycle, and price point,” Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said. Jonas earned a wide following on Wall Street due to his early calls on Tesla and the rise of electric vehicles.

Morgan Stanley featured Rivian earlier this week as the “next serious competition” for Tesla. The startup's “clean sheet” approach could make it “the next Tesla,” Jonas said.

“We have focused considerable research effort on the theme of electric pickup trucks in recent days,” Jonas said. Rivian emerged as the firm's top pick to challenge Tesla in the coming years, due to Rivian's “access to talent & capital focused on the fastest growing segments of pickup trucks & SUVs,” he said.

America is falling back in love with trucks and SUVs, and that's causing big changes at big car companies
10:38 AM ET Tue, 5 Feb 2019 | 04:45

Rivian previewed its R1T electric truck prototype in November. Rivian CEO R.C. Scaringe said the R1T will deliver 400 miles of range, with four individual motors allowing for all-wheel-drive. The R1T will be able to hit 60 miles per hour in 3 seconds and tow up to 11,000 pounds. Rivian is also building the R1S, an electric seven-passenger SUV. Rivian says the R1S will also have a range of over 400 miles.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
RJ Scaringe, founder and chief executive officer of Rivian Automotive, speaks after unveiling the R1S electric sports utility vehicle (SUV).

The Amazon and GM deal would value Rivian between $1 billion and $2 billion, according to Reuters on Tuesday.

Morgan Stanley believes Amazon's involvement represents the e-commerce giant seizing the opportunity to use its own technology “to shape electric delivery vehicles to support its own logistics efforts,” the firm said.

“Amazon has spent the last few years building out and expanding its logistics network and recently invested in autonomous driving startup Aurora,” Jonas said.

As for GM's involvement, Morgan Stanley pointed to comments from GM CEO Mary Barra on electric pickup trucks. Barra said GM believes “in an all-EV future,” while GMC VP Duncan Aldred said an electric pickup truck is “certainly” an opportunity the company is considering.

In full, Morgan Stanley is very bullish on the future of electric pickup trucks.

“EV powertrains have yet to be applied to the most profitable segments where established US automakers generate profit and cash flow,” Jonas said. “We estimate the full sized pickup truck segment accounts for well over 100% of global auto profit for GM and Ford and the majority of [Fiat Chrysler]'s global profit.”

T esla's pickup truck plans

Tesla may unveil an electric pickup truck this summer, CEO Elon Musk said during the company's fourth-quarter conference call. In December, Musk talked extensively on Twitter about what he would like to include in a pickup truck design, including all-wheel drive with “crazy torque & a suspension that dynamically adjusts for load.”

The buzz Jonas has seen about Tesla's pickup truck “suggests there may be greater excitement around the” pickup than for Tesla's anticipated Model Y. Based on the luxury Model X SUV, the Model Y is an “entry-level” crossover that would be comparable in price to Tesla's Model 3.

Elon Musk plans a truck he says looks like something out of 'Blade Runner'
3:05 PM ET Fri, 2 Nov 2018 | 01:11

Ford warns of ‘catastrophic’ no-deal Brexit

Ford has said a no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for the firm’s manufacturing operations in the UK and that it would do “whatever is necessary” to protect its business. The comments come after a report the carmaker was stepping up preparations to move production out of the UK. Ford declined to comment directly on The… Continue reading Ford warns of ‘catastrophic’ no-deal Brexit

Ford joins HIA to offer shared mobility to techies

The buses will cater to about two dozen destinations across eight routes to begin with and offer Wi-Fi to commuters. PUNE: Carmaker Ford India’s smart mobility arm has introduced its shared mobility solution in the city in partnership with the Hinjewadi IT Association (HIA). The app-based bus service called “office ride” will operate within the… Continue reading Ford joins HIA to offer shared mobility to techies

Electric car production racing ahead of car buyers’ desires – The Irish Times

Car makers could be looking down the barrel of massive oversupply of electric vehicles in the market. According to a new report from Deloitte, a “significant expectation gap” is growing between the production ramp-up of electric vehicles by the world’s major car makers, and the actual serious sales prospects for those vehicles. The report says… Continue reading Electric car production racing ahead of car buyers’ desires – The Irish Times

Why Ford Hired a Furniture Maker as CEO – The Atlantic

Todd St. John If, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “an institution is the lengthened shadow of one man,” the story of the American economy can be told by the types of people who run its corporations. The early days of mass production belonged to mechanically minded men such as Henry Ford. The creation of mass… Continue reading Why Ford Hired a Furniture Maker as CEO – The Atlantic

Smart Bed Rolls Selfish Sleepers Back into Place – Using Car Tech and a Conveyor Belt

COLOGNE, Germany, Feb. 12, 2019 – At the end of a hectic day, cosying up to the one you love should be a welcome relief. But for those who share their bed with a “space invader”, precious hours can be lost simply trying to reclaim a fair share of the mattress. Studies show that 1… Continue reading Smart Bed Rolls Selfish Sleepers Back into Place – Using Car Tech and a Conveyor Belt

Rumor: GM electric pickup could come from Tesla

2019 GMC Sierra
Last month, the president of General Motors' GMC truck division said the brand was considering building an electric pickup.

Now, according to a CleanTechnica report, that pickup could come from Tesla.

Even the CleanTechnica reporter says to file this in the category of an enticing rumor, rather than fact, because there are no pictures, and a single, anonymous source inside GM. Still, he reports confidence in the source and says the person has been reliable about other findings.

DON'T MISS: GMC could join electric-pickup tailgate party

Tesla's own CEO Elon Musk has been talking for years about building a Tesla pickup. In his most recent interviews about the Tesla truck, he has described it as “a really futuristic-like cyberpunk, Blade Runner pickup truck,” and said that it will have a massive towing capacity of 300,000 pounds and be made with lots of expensive titanium.

Musk has even alluded to a second, more attainable and mainstream pickup. Now it looks possible that latter pickup could come from GM. GM CEO Mary Barra has announced that the company plans to convert to an all-electric lineup, and is revamping the automaker's electric strategy with a move to make Cadillac its primary electric-car division.

CleanTechnica reports that the General Motors pickup—either a GMC or a Chevrolet Silverado—could get its entire powertrain from Tesla, including batteries and motors. That would hardly be an unprecedented step, after GM leaned on supplier LG to develop most of the powertrain for the Chevrolet Bolt EV.

It wouldn't be the first time a company has leaned on Tesla for powertrain components either—Toyota with the 2012-2014 RAV4 EV, for instance.

MUST READ: Rivian R1T all-electric pickup revealed: 400-mile range, 160-kw DC fast charging

GM regularly partners with other automakers to provide specialized engineering expertise or manufacturing.

The rest of the truck could would come from GM's practiced truck development team.

If such an agreement pans out, it could also be a way for GM to access Tesla's battery production from its Nevada Gigafactory, the largest producer of lithium-ion batteries in the world. Thus far, GM has bought batteries from South Korean supplier LG Chem.

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

Pickups are the second-largest selling segment of the car market, and many electric-car buyers have been clamoring to be able to buy a pickup with battery power.

Last month, Ford said it is developing an electric version of its upcoming F-Series, along with a plug-in hybrid version.

The automakers seem to be racing startup electric-automaker Rivian, which got a glowing reception for its R1T electric pickup concept when it revealed the truck at the LA auto show last November.

It's not clear how seriously to take this report, but we'll be watching for any confirmation.

Scoop: GM Reportedly Working On Electric Pickup Truck With Tesla Powertrain

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Clean Transport Published on February 12th, 2019 | by Zachary Shahan
Scoop: GM Reportedly Working On Electric Pickup Truck With Tesla PowertrainTwitterLinkedInFacebookFebruary 12th, 2019 by Zachary Shahan

Not an electric pickup truck. But could it be infused with a Tesla powertrain soon?
For years, electric vehicle enthusiasts in the US have been begging for a solid electric pickup truck for consumers. I’ve long reported on monthly electric car sales and I put them in the context of broader US car sales, but looking at the number of gas-thirsty pickup trucks sold each month is a whole other level and is quite disturbing.
Elon Musk announced a while back that Tesla was working on a wicked electric pickup like nothing else we’ve seen. Just last month, Ford finally announced plans for an electric version of the F-150, which is the king of the US auto market — by far — with nearly a million sales a year. But what about GM, which currently has the #2 vehicle on the US auto market, the Chevy Silverado?
Remember, Chevrolet raced the Bolt to market in order to be the first US automaker offering a long-range, semi-affordable electric car. It cares about going electric, maybe.
A source somewhat close to the heart of a big new development at GM has informed CleanTechnica that GM is indeed working on an electric pickup truck, and it is based around a Tesla powertrain. As in, the majority of the guts of the truck will be made by Tesla.
I know, I know — it seems unlike GM to swallow its pride and tap Tesla for this job. However, I’d briefly note a few things.
LG reportedly designed and built much of the Chevy Bolt’s powertrain.GM doesn’t have to announce or acknowledge a Tesla partnership if it doesn’t want to look less than capable.If GM does announce or acknowledge a Tesla partnership, it is likely to get big props from consumers for being brave and using the world’s electric vehicle leader to make an awesome electric pickup. Tesla is cool. Being friends with Tesla is cool.If GM wants to make sure to compete well with an electric F-150, there’s a good chance this is its best avenue, and the company knows that.Batteries — batteries, batteries, batteries. Aside from Tesla’s skill at designing and producing high-performance electric motors, it has a giant source of batteries. If other automakers want to offer mass-market EVs in the coming years, they need a good source of batteries, and Tesla may be as good as it gets for the time being.GM is good at building trucks, at putting them together. It has massive, awesome truck brands. Even if Tesla develops an amazing electric pickup truck of its own, many buyers will want to stick with the brands they know and love, and a truck design they’re familiar with. They may not want a giant Tesla touchscreen, minimalist interior, and smooth, futuristic exterior. A Tesla–GM partnership is a win–win that would bring a lot more people into the electric fold.Yes, I get it, you’d like to see proof of this partnership before getting too excited. So don’t get too excited. Take it as a rumor and stay tuned for more info in the coming months. I don’t currently have hard proof of this truck (no definitive picture or document), but I received enough information to feel confident the tip is correct and to thus run this article. The core source of this information wants/needs to remain anonymous and doesn’t even want any hints of identity tossed around, so I’m not going to say more about that. But let yourself dream a little bit tonight and accept that GM might be making a brilliant move in its approach to electric trucking.
If this plan rolls as smoothly as an electric powertrain, we may well have a Tesla semi, Tesla pickup, and Tesla-powered pickup from GM (Sierra Electric?) getting close to the starting line before the end of 2019. It could be another exciting year for the electric revolution. (Well, how could it not be?)
Note: No, the source is not Elon Musk.

About the AuthorZachary Shahan Zach is tryin' to help society help itself (and other species). He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director and chief editor. He's also the president of Important Media and the director/founder of EV Obsession and Solar Love. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, and Canada. Zach has long-term investments in TSLA, FSLR, SPWR, SEDG, & ABB — after years of covering solar and EVs, he simply has a lot of faith in these particular companies and feels like they are good cleantech companies to invest in. But he offers no professional investment advice and would rather not be responsible for you losing money, so don't jump to conclusions.

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Ford investing $1 billion, adding jobs at Chicago factories as it makes cuts overseas

Tim Boyle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A worker assembles a 2011 Ford Motor Co. Explorer at a plant in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010.

Ford is sinking $1 billion and adding more jobs to plants in the Chicago area to expand production of the redesigned Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator sport utility vehicles.

The expansion comes as the automaker makes cuts overseas and shifts its lineup to make more SUVs, crossover-utility vehicles and trucks and away from sedans and sports cars, which have fallen out of favor with American drivers.

The move will add 500 jobs at Ford's Chicago-area Assembly and Stamping plants, bringing the total number of employees at the two factories to 5,800, the company said Thursday. Ford is building a new body shop and paint shop at the assembly plants and plans to make major changes to the final assembly area. The company also plans to install some new manufacturing technology, including 3D-printing tools and robots.

America is falling back in love with trucks and SUVs, and that's causing big changes at big car companies
10:38 AM ET Tue, 5 Feb 2019 | 04:45

It's also spending $40 million to upgrade the facilities for employees, including new LED lighting and cafeteria updates, new break areas as well as parking lot security upgrades.

In addition to the Explorer and Aviator, the plants make Ford's Police Interceptor, an SUV modeled on the Explorer.

Ford is undergoing an $11 billion restructuring that will shrink its salaried workforce of 70,000. It is also cutting thousands of jobs in Europe, where Ford has struggled to maintain solid footing.

Ford is not the only automaker that has had to reshape its business in the face of a changing industry. Rival General Motors is in the process of cutting production at plants in the United States and Canada as part of its own turnaround plan.

GM has been faced with underutilized factory capacity in plants that had heavily focused on building less popular sedans and compact cars. GM said it has offered jobs to hundreds of hourly workers at new plants building vehicles in growing segments, such as SUVs and crossovers.

Paul Eisenstein/CNBC
Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of global operations, speaks with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel after the automaker announced it was investing $1 billion in Chicago area factories.