Category: Automotive News

GM posts $758M Q2 loss but shows ‘resiliency’ in N.A.

by Eldon Ballas on July 30, 2020 in Automotive News

DETROIT — General Motors reported a $758 million second-quarter loss as the coronavirus pandemic sharply cut production and revenue by more than half.

GM said cost cutting and strong pricing allowed the automaker to nearly break even in North America despite its plants being closed for eight weeks.

GM lost $101 million in North America, compared with a gain of $3 billion in the second quarter of 2019.

“These results illustrate the resiliency and earnings power of the business as we make the critical investments necessary for our future,” CFO Dhivya Suryadevara said in a statement Wednesday.

Global revenue

Volvo increases plug-in hybrid sales 80%, nears 2020 target

by Eldon Ballas on July 27, 2020 in Automotive News

Globally Volvo sold 37,775 plug-in hybrids during the first six months, up from 21,015 during the same period last year.

Europe accounted for 79 percent of the global volume, or 29,918 units, led by strong demand for the plug-in hybrid versions of the V60 premium midsize station wagon and XC40 crossover.

In China, plug-in hybrids accounted for 3.2 percent of Volvo’s sales, about 2,100 unit, mainly driven by the electrified version of the S90 flagship sedan.

Samuelsson last year set a target of having plug-in hybrids account for 20 percent the automaker’s global volume in 2020, a goal that he

Nutson’s Automotive News Wrap-up – Week Ending July 11, 2020

by Eldon Ballas on July 25, 2020 in Automotive News

This Happened Last Week:“Wuhan Virus Forces More Auto Event Cancellations; Ford Bronco LIVE Video Reveal; Italy Cash For Clunkers; Court Says FCA Not Guilty; Big 3 CEO’s Snub President Trump;
100 Activist Ford Employees Petition Company To Stop Selling Police Cars; US Retail Auto Sellers Happy (More New Car Inventory Will Make Them Happier); June US Fleet Sales Down 70%; FCA Recall; Hagerty Hot 6; Collector Car Appreciation Day Celebrated July 10; No Covid Worries At Indy Car and NHRA

AUTO CENTRAL CHICAGO July 12, 2020; Every Sunday Larry Nutson, Chicago Car Guy and Executive Producer, with able assistance

Nutson’s Weekly Automotive News Wrap-up

by Eldon Ballas on July 23, 2020 in Automotive News

This Happened Last Week:“Ford Bronco Alive, Jeep Fights Back; RAV4 Hybrid, 14 States Push ETrucks;
Hyundai EV Sales; New Nissan Ariya Plugged In; Testa Descriptions Verboten in Germany; Lexus Owners Loyalest; STELLANTIS IS New Name; New Corvette Buyers Get Scale Model To Fondle Over;
Honda America Discontinues Models; Dieselgate Perp News; Racing Superstars Back New Circuit Ala IROC; Happy 90th Isky; 240Z Father Yoshihiko Matsuo Passes, Yasuraka ni nemuru (RIP);

AUTO CENTRAL CHICAGO July 19, 2020; Every Sunday Larry Nutson, Chicago Car Guy and Executive Producer, with able assistance from senior editor Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan

Subaru faces class action alleging fuel pumps are dangerous

by Eldon Ballas on July 17, 2020 in Automotive News

Subaru Corp. and Subaru of America have been hit with a lawsuit seeking class action status over fuel pumps.

The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, alleges that the Japanese automaker sold vehicles “with defective low-pressure fuel pumps that cause unpredictable acceleration and engine stalls and render the affected vehicles unsafe to operate,” court documents said.

The lawsuit points to an April recall of 188,207 vehicles in the U.S. for potentially faulty fuel pumps. The recall covers certain 2019 models of four nameplates: the Impreza compact sedan and hatchback, Legacy midsize sedan, Outback midsize crossover