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Since launching a year ago, Lucid Motors has made a name for itself with six-figure versions of its electric Air sedan that have broken records for battery range and efficiency while delivering roller-coaster levels of performance. A new top version coming next year will be the $250,000 Air Sapphire.

But while the Sapphire will serve as a halo car for the young all-electric brand, the newly launched Air Pure version will be an entry-level "hero" of the lineup, offering a high-tech luxury experience at a sub-$90,000 starting price, executives say.

The Air Pure provides a steppingstone to even more affordable Lucids, since the core technology will find its way into a broader lineup of vehicles later in this decade with prices starting at $50,000 or so to compete with luxury EV competitors, the company said.

Derek Jenkins, senior vice president of design and brand, told Automotive News there is pride among the design and engineering …

Citroën's new concept car, the Oli, is an answer to the hot question: How can the industry make electric vehicles affordable to the masses? The Oli is packed with solutions. But one in particular stands out. Citroën has devised a way to make the car's roof out of recycled corrugated cardboard. Working with BASF, Citroën created a honeycomb "sandwich structure" of cardboard between fiberglass reinforcing panels and coated in a polyurethane resin. The resulting lower-cost roof is half the weight of a comparable steel panel roof. And it's strong enough for an adult to stand on — or even to pitch a tent on, Citroën suggests.

ANJO, Japan — Denso Corp.'s massive Anjo plant churns out all manner of automotive components, from power control units and electric motor stators to lithium ion battery packs and alternators.

Its aluminum smelter also churns out thousands of tons of carbon dioxide every year, posing a serious hurdle to the Japanese supplier's goal of going carbon neutral by 2035.

But thanks to an innovative carbon capture technology, Denso believes it can turn that greenhouse gas into a future energy source. The method is called carbon dioxide circulation, and it combines the waste emissions with hydrogen to produce methane that, in turn, can help power the plant.

"The world is now transitioning from low carbon to zero carbon," Kazuya Komagata, general manager for environment neutral system development at Denso, said during a recent briefing.

"What we are thinking about is carbon neutrality in the manufacturing process," he said. "So…

Our 2022 All-Stars rose to the challenge

Every year, the editorial staff of Automotive News convenes to select our annual All-Stars, an exercise that often involves vigorous debate and occasionally tough decisions.

Our goal is to recognize leaders who have steered their companies through extraordinary challenges, led their organizations to new heights and innovated in ways that will transform the automotive landscape.

The prevailing theme among the 2020 and 2021 All-Stars was how they managed the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and global microchip shortage that severely hampered vehicle production and constricted the flow of inventory to dealers' lots. In 2022, neither problem went away, but there are signs that both are abating, at least somewhat.

While that dual threat is not quite as pronounced this year as it was during the previous two, the industry continued to face production challenges and inventory shortages. If those issues weren't en…

Every year, the editorial staff of Automotive News convenes to select our annual All-Stars, an exercise that often involves vigorous debate and occasionally tough decisions.

Our goal is to recognize leaders who have steered their companies through extraordinary challenges, led their organizations to new heights and innovated in ways that will transform the automotive landscape.

Take Leoni CEO Aldo Kamper, our 2022 Industry Leader of the Year, whose employees make wiring harnesses in Ukraine and were thrust into an awful war. If given a choice, I'm sure Kamper, his workers and Leoni's customers would much rather have never had to deal with Russia's aggression than received an award. But the reality is that they have persevered through grim circumstances, and we commend Leoni as well as pray for its workers' safety and the end of this conflict.

We intend for the All-Stars listing to have a celebratory overtone. After all, we invite th…

The prevailing theme among the 2020 and 2021 Automotive News All-Stars was how they managed the dual shock of the COVID-19 pandemic and global microchip shortage that severely hampered vehicle production and constricted the flow of inventory to dealers' lots. In 2022, neither problem went away, but there are signs that both are abating, at least somewhat. Still, the industry continued to face production challenges and inventory shortages. Our All-Stars persevered, delivering excellent products and services to their customers, introducing innovations that are key to the future of mobility, and making other significant contributions to the industry in myriad ways.

Industry Newsmakerof the Year

JoeManchin

U.S. Senator

D-W.Va.

U.S. Executive,Global Automaker

JeremiePapin

Nissan Americas

Chairperson

Operati…

The Redwood Materials founder and CEO details a breakthrough battery materials deal with Panasonic, explains how recycling bolsters a domestic electric vehicle supply chain and reflects on his tenure as Tesla’s chief technology officer.

How do I subscribe?

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Any notion from a year ago that manufacturers would have their microchip supply problems sorted out by the end of 2022 is proving painfully optimistic.

AutoForecast Solutions estimates that North American auto plants will have to trim more than 10,000 additional vehicles out of their schedules this week, while plants in Asia outside of China will have to eliminate 32,000 planned vehicles.

Industrywide efforts to steer out of the global microchip shortage have helped automakers avoid the depth of production problems it experienced last year. 

But 2022 is still going to end with nearly 4.5 million cars and trucks knocked out of factory schedules because of the chip shortage, according to a new projection from AutoForecast Solutions.

That is far below the 10.5 million vehicles that had to be cut from automakers’ plans last year. But schedules continue to be pared back because of the shortage. 

According to AutoForecast Solutions, th…

The surge of saltwater that pummeled Florida's Gulf Coast during Hurricane Ian caused at least eight electric vehicles to catch fire, according to state officials.

Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis called the situation "a real-world experiment ... with saltwater and EVs." He said officials received unconfirmed reports of fires happening outside the state as well, highlighting the threat that compromised EVs can pose if they are resold unscrupulously.

The Florida fire marshal's office and motor vehicle department determined that 9,700 EVs were registered in the three counties hit hardest Sept. 28, when Ian made landfall packing 150- mph winds. More than 7,000 of those EVs were Teslas and about 3,400 of those Teslas were registered within the 50-meter impact zone that experienced the highest storm surge.

While eight fires represents a tiny percentage of the EVs in the affected area, Patronis noted they are "uniquely dangerous" events. The fire marshal's office sa…