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| Our first yearbook: A look back at COVID’s impact and so much more |
In August 1953, a fire destroyed General Motors’ Hydra-Matic plant in Livonia, Mich. Chronicles written more than a half-century later still called it “America’s Most Destructive Industrial Fire” and the worst “dollar loss in the history of the auto industry.”
Not surprisingly, the Automotive News staff voted it as the story of the year in its first such poll.
Another cause of monumental loss topped this year’s top-story ranking: the coronavirus crisis.
It seems disrespectful in a way to frame a health pandemic — death toll 1.76 million and counting — in terms of its effect on one industry. But no other phenomenon in our 68 years of tallying top stories has had such an impact on the global assembly, distribution and selling of cars — and on the lives of the people who make the industry run.
In Monday’s issue, we’ll have the results of our top 10 poll for 2020. Surprisingly, it includes some stories not tied to the virus in one way or another.
The issue itself will be different. It’s our first yearbook. It will include many of our traditional year-end roundups. And we’ll have a brand-by-brand rundown of key vehicle debuts for 2021.
We’ll also replay a number of our signature features from the year, such as our selection of All-Stars and Rising Stars, our lists of the biggest suppliers and dealers, as well as the Best Dealerships To Work For.
And we’ll feature some stories that we ran during the course of the year in our “Call to Action” series.
As my colleague Jamie Butters writes in his introduction, there’s a lot to be proud of in “how the industry responded to the health crisis, channeling talents and compassion to address the country’s urgent need for ventilators and masks and food and more.”
Yes, the industry pulled off a miracle in finding a way to operate factories and showrooms during a pandemic. But notably — and heroically — its efforts went way beyond that.
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“We will keep you a bit in the dark until we show the car, but I promise you it will be a very good-looking car.” |
– VOLVO CARS CEO HAKAN SAMUELSSON ON THE COMPANY’S NEXT ELECTRIC VEHICLE |
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Coming Monday in Automotive News:
Arriving in 2021: The big appetite for crossovers, SUVs and pickups will be fed with new and redesigned models next year, while another batch of electrified vehicles will enter the marketplace. Automotive News breaks down what you can expect to see in showrooms in 2021.
Hits & misses: COVID-19 disrupted but didn’t cancel some of 2020’s biggest product debuts and tech advances, but we did detect one major shift — changes and updates seem to be coming faster inside, under the hood and even in the drivetrain, than outside. Automotive News rounds up some of the year’s breakout hits, as well as a few misses.
Weekend headlines
Taking Tesla private ‘impossible,’ and IPO possible for Musk’s space unit: Elon Musk tweeted that “going private is impossible now (sigh),” saying he should optimize his time in areas such as innovation. “Engineering, design and general company operations absorb vast majority of my mind and are the fundamental limitation on doing more.”
Automakers welcome post-Brexit accord between EU and UK: The agreement will allow for tariff and quota-free trade after Dec. 31 and avoids the “catastrophic” effect of a no-deal Brexit.
Renault CEO’s turnaround plans begin to emerge in internal memo: In an internal paper CEO Luca de Meo has outlined to executives and employee representatives some of the proposals in his “Renaulution” plan to revive the automaker.
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Apple car back on? The iPhone maker is moving forward with self-driving car technology and is targeting 2024 to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own breakthrough battery technology, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Apple’s automotive efforts, known as Project Titan, have proceeded unevenly since 2014, when the company first started to design its own vehicle from scratch.
Michigan direct-sales bill stalls: The state’s legislative term ended without a Senate vote on a bill that would have removed an exemption for Tesla Inc. from a proposed ban on direct vehicle sales. Any bills not passed before the end of the term are considered dead and must be reintroduced in the new year.
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A selection from Shift and Daily Drive:
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Dec. 28, 1929: Owen Bieber was born in North Dorr, Mich., a farming community near Grand Rapids. Bieber joined the UAW when he took a summer job hand-bending wire frames for car seats and led the union during an era of job cuts and economic turbulence in Detroit. Bieber’s 12-year presidency included the establishment of the Jobs Bank as a way to give workers financial security amid the rise of Japanese and European brands. During his tenure, which began in 1983, the UAW won expanded health care coverage, but its membership fell rapidly as General Motors, Ford and Chrysler lost market share and closed plants.