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Auto Central May 14, 2023; Every Sunday, The Chicago Car Guy and Auto Channel Executive Producer Larry Nutson, with the help of Auto Channel Michigan Bureau Senior Editor Thom Cannell, compiles The Auto Channel’s “take” on the news of last week’s automotive news, condensed into easy-to-digest news. nuggets
LEARN MORE: Complete versions of today’s news, along with thousands of pages of relevant news and opinion, information stored in a million-page library published and indexed on The Auto Channel over the past 25 years. Full information can be found by copying a title and pasting it into any search box on the site.
Here are Larry’s picks of the past week’s big, relevant, semi-secret or breaking news, opinion and automotive stories, presented as easy-to-understand automotive news designed by experts
Nutson’s Weekly Auto News Wrap-up Week of May 7-13, 2023.
* Reuters reports that US automakers are saying no to Biden’s EV goals. The trade group that represents most U.S. automakers has made it official: Its members do not support the Biden Administration’s proposals to increase electric vehicles to 67 percent of the U.S. market by year 2032 by reducing the permitted CO2 emissions of the new vehicle fleet. The booth of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents the Detroit Three and most other established automakers, sets up a showdown on electric vehicle policy that will play out in the context of the 2024 presidential campaign .The challenge for Biden’s re-election team: Republicans eager to retake the White House are attacking the electric vehicle policies of the Biden Administration, hoping to win auto-building swing states like Michigan. Rolling back the auto emissions proposals would risk angering large groups that want action on climate change.
* Counting all electric vehicles, including GMC Hummers and Mazda MX-30s, the Kelley Blue Book team estimates that electric vehicle sales in the first quarter rose 44.9% year-over-year to 258,882, a record quarter for the North American market. 7.2% of new car sales last quarter were electric. Just two years ago, 3.2% of new cars sold were electric vehicles. Tesla’s steep price cuts helped boost the numbers. Tesla’s share of the electric vehicle market, however, fell to 62.4%, down from 79% in 2020. The Rivian R1T was the number one selling electric pickup truck according to KBB.
* US DoE Factoid of the Week: New vehicle fuel economy improved 33% between 1980 and 2022 while performance increased. Increased vehicle weight and better performance can require more energy, which negatively affects fuel economy. Advances in vehicle technology, however, have allowed automakers to continue to improve vehicle performance while offering consumers better fuel economy. Horsepower increased 144%, weight increased 33% and acceleration improved 51%, while new vehicle fuel economy improved 33% from model year 1980 to 2022 .In the 1990s and early 2000s, fuel economy declined while vehicle weight increased. Fuel economy has improved almost every year since 2004.
* Michael Sivak of Sivak Applied Research monitors key US transportation indices. Driving and flying have returned to near pre-pandemic levels; the railway continues to fall by 10% and public transport by 33%. Recent updates show the following population-adjusted changes for February 2023 compared to February 2019: Road Vehicle Miles: No change; Air passenger miles (domestic): up 2%; Rail passenger miles: 10% off; Travel by public transport: 33% decrease.
* Kelley Blue Book’s April report reveals that the average new vehicle transaction price (ATP) remains below MSRP for the second month in a row, while automaker incentives reached their highest point high in a year The April figures reflect a downward trend in transaction prices. New vehicle ATP was relatively flat month-over-month at $48,275, while automaker incentives averaged $1,714, or 3.6% of the average transaction price. For the first time in a year, transaction prices for luxury vehicles fell below $65,000 and the ATP for electric vehicles fell to nearly $55,000.
* Most auto customers aren’t on board with automakers’ subscription plans for features like hands-free driving, according to Cox Automotive research, with 41 percent indicating an interest. “To gain consumer acceptance, automakers must ensure that consumers perceive subscription-based features as good value and not just a money grab,” said Vanessa Ton, director senior industry intelligence at Cox Automotive. Awareness of on-demand features is very low among buyers, with only 21% of market buyers familiar with the concept. The study found that the top five features that buyers will pay a monthly fee for now are: remote start, vehicle locator, heated seats, dash cams and a digital key. However, 69% of respondents indicated that if certain features were only available via subscription, they would likely shop elsewhere.
* Ford revealed the new 2024 Ford Ranger and the 405-hp Ranger Raptor. Ranger will start at $34,160 and Ranger Raptor will start at $56,960, including $1,595 for destination and delivery. The 2024 Ford Ranger will be assembled at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, with orders beginning later this month and availability beginning in late summer, with availability in late fall for the 2-cylinder EcoBoost engine .7 liters.
* Ford will now offer its Raptor package in three models, Ranger, F-150 and Bronco. Performance vehicles help increase the profits of combustion vehicles, using regulatory credits for electric vehicles to stay in line with federal emissions mandates.
* Cars.com found out which is the best compact SUV of 2023. They tested six compact SUVs: the facelifted 2023 Ford Escape, the redesigned 2023 Honda CR-V, the 2022 Hyundai Tucson, the redesigned 2023 Kia Sportage, the brand new Mazda. CX-50 and the 2023 Nissan Rogue. While Hyundai was unable to offer a 2023 Tucson in time for comparison, the 2022 Limited version tested is largely representative of the 2023. The 2023 Nissan Rogue Platinum has been named winner of the Cars.com 2023 Compact SUV Challenge. Details are here: https://www.cars.com/articles/whats-the-best-compact-suv-of-2023-464432/
* Ford Motor plans to partner with BP and Ocado for a three-year trial of Ford E-Transit vans powered by hydrogen fuel cells in the UK. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, in which hydrogen is mixed with oxygen to produce water and energy to power a battery, can be refueled in minutes and have a much longer range than BEVs.
* Hemmings noted that Chevrolet customers have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the C8 Corvette with many delays. Parts shortages, union strikes and a global pandemic contributed to the production slowdown. Now that the sports cars are leaving the assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on their way to potential dealerships, there are more complications. Most recently, on Thursday, May 4, a semi-truck car hauler loaded with C8 Corvettes was rear-ended, damaging several new sports cars and killing one driver. Full article HERE
* San Francisco news outlet Mission Local has obtained about 15 incident reports from the Fire Department documenting dangerous and/or annoying situations in which Waymo or Cruise vehicles interfered with fire engines or emergency scenes. These incidents happen more regularly or are documented more regularly, or both. Within the marginalization of recently written reports, fire department officials complain that raids by driverless cars are now a “daily occurrence.” This does not seem to be an exaggeration. Automated vehicles react strangely to flashing lights and sirens: “They just stop in the middle of the road,” according to officials.
* On May 9, The National Trust for Historic Preservation revealed its 2023 list of the 11 most endangered historic sites in America. The annual ranking indicates which historic sites are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage if not preserved. At the top of the list is the Osterman gas station located in Peach Springs, Arizona. Osterman Gas Station, built in 1929 along Route 66, is owned by the Hualapai Tribe and has been a focal point of the tribe’s community for generations. It is one of the few remaining commercial buildings from the early 20th century still standing in Peach Springs. It is a cherished example of the privately owned businesses that thrived along the historic route serving travelers and tourists before Interstate 40 was completed in 1979 and traffic on the “Mother Road” slowed dramatically. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/route-66-osterman-gas-station/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=EDaily&utm_campaign=” >Read more from Hemmings.
* Money magazine has unveiled its best cars of 2023, from sports cars to SUVs. There are more than 100 recommended vehicles in 25 categories. Value was a key consideration in choosing the best cars. Check it out: https://money.com/best-autos/
* NASCAR is tweaking its Chicago race plan as residents voice noise concerns, among other concerns. Downtown Chicago residents raised concerns about the two-day racing event in July, and NASCAR says it listened. Residents who live near the 2.2-mile racetrack voiced their concerns at a meeting with NASCAR officials in April. In response, the racing marque says it will limit car noise. “Our NASCAR Cup Series cars will be running mufflers for this event,” said NASCAR’s Julie Giese. “This is something that has only been done in one other race in an effort to continue mitigating the sound.”
* Legendary comedian and longtime Car and Driver contributor Bruce McCall has died. Described as one of the funniest men ever to write about cars, McCall also drew, sketched and painted them in inimitable style, he died aged 87, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. Although he is known to the unenthusiastic readership for the more than 80 covers he created for the New Yorker and the numerous illustrations and humorous essays he contributed to that East Coast periodical, as well as for the crazy 70s comic, The National Lampoon. , McCall distinguished himself in the world of car lovers with his often acerbic and always funny work for Car and Driver and Automobile Magazine.
Take care of yourself. be well
