Dave Shemmans discusses the tailwinds accelerating EV adoption and the headwinds challenging AV development. He also discusses macro trends emerging in the global auto industry as well as Ricardo’s role in supporting a more efficient, sustainable low-carbon future for the auto sector.
VIDEO: Ricardo’s U.S. head talks new tech, electrification and autonomous vehicles
Marques McCammon shares how he sees vehicle design, engineering and manufacturing transforming into the future, including the integration of software to make processes more robust, and how electrification of the industry is much broader than electrification itself.
VIDEO: AAM VP of Product Engineering gives a peek behind the curtain on electrification
Craig Renneker outlines how American Axle & Manufacturing is shifting its focus toward electrification with the development of electric driveline systems for global automakers.
The first-ever Genesis GV80: ‘A pivotal moment’
Mark Del Rosso, CEO, Genesis Motors North AmericaJoe Cardinale, President & Dealer Principal, Genesis of CoronaChris Pullara, Regional Director, Southern California Automotive Operations, CardinaleWay Automotive
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Mark Del Rosso and Genesis of Corona dealership execs discuss GV80 sales projections, new facilities, Genesis Concierge and big opportunities for growth.
Apple’s self-driving EV at least half a decade away, report says
Apple Inc. will take at least half a decade to launch an autonomous, electric vehicle because development work is still at an early stage, according to people with knowledge of the efforts.
The Cupertino, Calif.,-based technology giant has a small team of hardware engineers developing drive systems, vehicle interior and external car body designs with the goal of eventually shipping a vehicle. That’s a more ambitious goal than in previous years when the project mostly focused on creating an underlying self-driving system. The company has also added more ex-Tesla Inc. executives to the project.
Still, some Apple engineers on the project believe the company could release a product in five to seven years if Apple goes ahead with its plans. The car is nowhere near production stage, the people said, though they did warn timelines could change. They asked not to be identified discussing sensitive, internal work. The majority of the team is currently either working fro…
Mercedes meets European CO2 target with late-year surge in EV sales
Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz complied with Europe’s tighter emissions limits last year as a late surge in plug-in vehicle sales spared the world’s largest luxury-car maker from fines.
Mercedes shipped just under 160,000 plug-in hybrid and fully-electric cars in 2020, with the fourth quarter accounting for about half of those deliveries, Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius told reporters on Thursday. He had cautioned in the past that meeting the emissions target would be a close call.
“The good trend we’ve seen in the third quarter continued in the fourth quarter driven by China, but not only China as other markets improved as well,” Kallenius said of overall demand. Mercedes plans to speed up the rollout of electric models and is committed to meeting more stringent emissions rules in the coming years, he said.
Daimler navigated the biggest industry slump since World War II better than initially feared and also made progress restructuring its sprawling industrial operat…
Chao quits as transportation chief, citing Capitol siege
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced she is resigning from President Donald Trump’s cabinet after supporters of the president breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in protest of his election loss.
“Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the president stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed,” Chao said in a statement on Twitter. “As I’m sure is the case with many of you it has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.”
Chao said she is resigning as of Jan. 11 and will help her announced successor, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who was nominated by President-elect Joe Biden.
She is the first cabinet secretary to announce her departure after the events and joins a growing list of administration officials who have stepped down with two weeks before the end of Trump’s term, including former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who …
Cox Automotive unit to service Motional’s self-driving fleet
Cox Automotive Inc.'s Pivet unit will provide cleaning and maintenance services for the self-driving cars of Motional, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Co. and auto supplier Aptiv .
According to theagreement announced Thursday, Cox said Pivet will coordinate daily, weekly and monthly cleaning and disinfection as well as provide mechanical support to Motional's self-driving fleet in Las Vegas.
"This partnership will enable our expansion as we bring driverless technology to more people in more cities," said Gretchen Effgen, vice president of Motional.
In December, Lyft Inc. and Motional said they planned to launch a multi-city U.S. robotaxi service in 2023.
Lucid in talks for EV factory in Saudi Arabia, report says
Lucid Motors Inc. is in talks with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to build an electric vehicle factory potentially near the Red Sea city of Jeddah, according to people familiar with the matter.
The move would mark a significant expansion for Newark, Calif.,-based Lucid. Saudi Arabia is trying to become a Middle Eastern hub for manufacturing EVs as it diversifies its economy from oil.
The $360 billion Public Investment Fund, already a shareholder in Lucid, will provide much of the money for the site at the King Abdullah Economic City, the people said, asking not be named because the discussions are private. Plans are advanced but could change, the people said. PIF and Lucid have also considered Neom, a new city being developed in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, as a possible site for the plant.
Lucid is one of a several U.S. companies seeking to take on Tesla Inc. The startup is targeting the luxury end of the EV market and its CEO, Peter Rawlinson, …
Volvo caps 2020 with more growth
Volvo Car Corp.’s China sales rose 7.6 percent to 166,300 in 2020 as a sustained rebound since April enabled the Swedish carmaker to overcome a 31 percent first-quarter decline caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
In December, Volvo delivered 18,547 vehicles in China, a jump of 10 percent from a year earlier, Volvo’s China unit said this week.
The XC60 crossover remained Volvo’s top-selling model in the market last year, with deliveries reaching 61,616.
It was followed by the S90 sedan, the XC40 crossover, the S60 sedan and the XC90 SUV, which generated respective volumes of 35,631, 22,660, 21,681 and 17,376, according to Volvo China.
Volvo is the second luxury automotive brand to release 2020 sales figures for China. Earlier this week, General Motors said Cadillac deliveries rose 7.9 percent to top 230,000 last year.
Former VW, Nissan exec Shahani leads Lexus marketing
With the promotion this week of Lisa Materazzo to group vice president for marketing at Toyota Motor North America, 2015 Automotive News Rising Star Vinay Shahani has taken over Materazzo's previous position as head of marketing for Lexus.
Shahani, 46, who previously was vice president of integrated marketing operations at the company, joined Toyota in 2017 from Volkswagen of America, where he was senior vice president and chief marketing officer. He also previously worked for Nissan North America.
In the Lexus role, Shahani leads marketing for the luxury brand, including strategy, communications and media, product marketing, incentives and motorsports.
Shahani was named a Rising Star while with Volkswagen.
In December, Materazzo was named group vice president for marketing at Toyota Motor North America, effective Jan. 4, succeeding longtime executive Ed Laukes, who retired.