Judge approves Musk, SEC agreement over Twitter use by CEO

FILE PHOTO: Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk (C) exits after attending a S.E.C. hearing at the Manhattan Federal Courthouse in New York, April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz NEW YORK (Reuters) – A federal judge on Tuesday approved a deal struck between Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over… Continue reading Judge approves Musk, SEC agreement over Twitter use by CEO

GM CEO confirms plans to build Chevy or GMC electric pickup truck

2019 GMC Sierra
General Motors CEO Mary Barra confirmed Tuesday in a call with investors what rumors had long predicted: The automaker will build an electric pickup. Barra didn't specify when the pickup would appear, or whether it would be branded as a GMC or Chevrolet.

Rumors swirled earlier this year that GM may invest in EV startup Rivian, but that never materialized. Instead, Amazon invested up to $700 million in Rivian earlier this year. Then, last week Ford announced that it will invest $500 million in Rivian, which could preclude a deal with GM.

Barra's announcement Tuesday makes it clear that GM is committed to building an electric pickup, even without Rivian.

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

In January, Duncan Aldred, vice president of General Motors' GMC brand, told attendees at a conference following the Detroit auto show that the brand was considering an electric truck, but didn't offer any details.

Barra had already said, multiple times, that the automaker is working toward an all-electric future, which includes pickups.

READ MORE: Chevrolet Bolt EV to get electric sibling, with Michigan plant investment

In March, GM announced it will invest $300 million in its Orion Township, Michigan factory to build a second electric model based on the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which Barra also confirmed Tuesday. The second car is expected to be an electric SUV, possibly called the Bolt EUV.

Beyond that, GM announced at the Detroit auto show that Cadillac will become its lead brand for electric vehicles, starting with an electric SUV in 2022.

CHECK OUT: Long-range Cadillac SUV to lead GM's next electric-car push, in 3 years

With Cadillac taking the lead to sell GM electric cars—for higher prices and profit margins—it makes sense that the premium GMC brand could be the automakers' primary outlet for electric pickups.

Electric pickups have gained in mind-share in recent months after Rivian revealed its long-range electric pickup at the LA auto show in November. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said this year that the company will reveal more details about its pickup in the summer, which is expected to follow the Model Y and the Semi, though an actual production timeline is still unclear.

Ford also announced that it will built an all-electric F-150 and a Mustang-inspired crossover.

GM Electric Pickup Planned To Take On Rivian, Ford, And Tesla – Motor1.com

Don’t expect to see the truck too soon, though. During the investor’s call announcing General Motors’ first-quarter financial results, CEO Mary Barra dropped a tantalizing bit of info that an electric pickup is in the automaker’s plan. Unfortunately, she didn’t offer any specific details about what brand would sell the model, according to Slash Gear.… Continue reading GM Electric Pickup Planned To Take On Rivian, Ford, And Tesla – Motor1.com

Chinese Ride-Hailing Group Demands Refund from Tesla via Times Square Billboards

The company purchased 278 Teslas for its fleet, but claims more than 20% of the vehicles experienced electrical issues.  Photo via Blomst/Pixabay. Chinese ride-hailing group Shenma Zhuanche is so unhappy with its order from Tesla that it took out digital billboard ads in Times Square to demand a refund, Business Insider reports. The company purchased 278… Continue reading Chinese Ride-Hailing Group Demands Refund from Tesla via Times Square Billboards

UPDATE 4-Lyft elevates GM first-quarter profit, pickups in driver’s seat

DETROIT (Reuters) – General Motors Co on Tuesday reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit, lifted by revaluations of shares it holds in ride-hailing company Lyft Inc and France’s Peugeot SA. FILE PHOTO: A General Motors sign is seen during the China International Import Expo (CIIE), at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, China November… Continue reading UPDATE 4-Lyft elevates GM first-quarter profit, pickups in driver’s seat

UPDATE 1-Tesla to reduce solar panel prices by up to 38 pct – NYT

FILE PHOTO: A Tesla logo is seen at a groundbreaking ceremony of Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory in Shanghai, China January 7, 2019. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo (Reuters) – Tesla Inc plans to announce on Tuesday that it has started selling solar panels and related equipment for up to 38 percent below the national average price, the New… Continue reading UPDATE 1-Tesla to reduce solar panel prices by up to 38 pct – NYT

China electric car firm Faraday Future says obtains $225 mln in bridge financing

SHANGHAI, April 30 (Reuters) – Chinese electric vehicle developer Faraday Future said on Tuesday that it had obtained up to $225 million in bridge financing from a U.S. merchant bank to allow it to complete the development of its flagship FF91 model. Faraday, which has ambitions to overtake Tesla Inc, said in November that it… Continue reading China electric car firm Faraday Future says obtains $225 mln in bridge financing

Daimler Aims For 3 MW Charging For Electric Trucks

3 MW is comparable to 1,000 base 3 kW charging stations for cars or 1,000 households. Daimler Trucks North America, in one of its job listings, seeks an eMobility Senior Engineer – Vehicle Charging Systems (L5), which would participate in the development of very high power charging systems for electric trucks at up to 3 MW.… Continue reading Daimler Aims For 3 MW Charging For Electric Trucks

Ford Adds 550 Jobs In Kentucky Truck Plant To Boost SUV Production

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Ford Adds 550 Jobs In Kentucky Truck Plant To Boost SUV Production

22 Mar 2019, 7:53 UTC ·
by Mircea Panait

Home > News > Car Profile

If you’re in the market for a full-size SUV with truck underpinnings and convenience for the whole family, it’s hard to go wrong with the Expedition. Redesigned for the 2018 model year, Ford can’t keep up with demand for the successor of the fifth-generation Bronco.
26 photosWhat does an automaker do when people want a product but don’t like to wait for their order to roll off the assembly line? Invest in the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, of course! Adding 550 new jobs is just the tip of the iceberg, more so if you remember the Lincoln Navigator is also selling like hot cakes.
Through those 550 jobs, Ford plans to ramp up production by 20 percent. Expedition sales increased 35 percent in 2018 while the Navigator improved 70 percent. There’s also the matter of average transaction price, which grew by $11,700 to $62,700 last year.
Supporting these efforts, Ford is launching a new marketing campaign this week. “Better Big” focuses on the best-in-class towing and legroom of the Expedition, as well as the most driver-assist technology in the segment. “We ‘out-big’ the competition where it counts – towing, interior space and technology,” declared Matt VanDyke, director of U.S. marketing. “Our team completely rethought every inch of Expedition, and its growing sales reaffirm we hit the sweet spot with today’s full-size SUV customers.”
In addition to more workforce, the Kentucky Truck Plant has increased the line speed by cutting down the cycle times of each operation. How did Ford pull it off? By adding more workstations and splitting up tasks to ensure the employees can finish their jobs in the allotted time, thank you!
Production per se will increase after the summer shutdown in July 2019, and if you were wondering, the Expedition can seat eight people and tow up to 9,300 pounds. For first-time homeowners who are starting new families, that’s an offer few can refuse. Does it come as a surprise Ford is discontinuing most passenger cars in the U.S. lineup to focus on trucks and utilities? Not even slightly!

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Justice Department investigating Ford emissions certifications

2017 Ford GT originally commissioned by John Cena – Image via Mecum Auctions
Some 2017 and newer Ford vehicles may have illegally polluted more than the company claimed during emissions certifications, and the company admitted Friday that criminal investigators were looking into the matter.

The disclosure that the U.S. Department of Justice began investigating the Ford vehicles in February was made during the company's routine report to securities officials Thursday. In February, Ford told environmental officials about the irregularities.

“(Ford) has become aware of a potential concern involving its U.S. emissions certification process. This matter currently focuses on issues relating to road load estimations, including analytical modeling and coastdown testing. The potential concern does not involve the use of defeat devices…” the company wrote in its quarterly filing to the SEC. “We voluntarily disclosed this matter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board on February 18, 2019 and February 21, 2019, respectively. Subsequently, the U.S. Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into the matter. In addition, we have notified a number of other state and federal agencies. We are fully cooperating with all government agencies.”

In February, Ford said it was investigating emissions certifications for cars, trucks, and SUVs that it submitted to the EPA. It said it would begin a new certification procedure with the Ranger pickup, which went on sale earlier this year.

DON'T MISS: Ford invests $500M in Rivian to tackle Tesla, future electric vehicles

Kim Pittel, Ford's VP of environmental and safety engineering, said the company was made aware of the emissions issues in September 2018 via an employee tip line.

“In September, a handful of employees raised a concern through our Speak Up employee reporting channel regarding the analytical modeling that is part of our U.S. fuel economy and emissions compliance process,” she said.

As a result, the company hired an outside agency to investigate the claims.

Thursday's admission by Ford was the first time that the company acknowledged that federal justice officials were also looking into the issue.

In the past, Ford has made similar missteps regarding fuel consumption and efficiency. In 2014, the automaker paid millions to Ford and Lincoln vehicle owners for misstated fuel economy ratings, mostly for hybrid vehicles.

Since then, federal regulators have cracked down on automakers who misstate or falsify emissions information.