Recent Automotive News – Everything is fine…. We believe you.

Most dealers are reporting inventory level days supply in  the low 30s. In my experience I have traditionally seen averages closer to 90-100 day supply. This is getting quite dire even as many of the auto manufacturers post double digit gains for June and Q2. With no end in sight, as US auto manufacturers announce more delays and cancellations.

I know that this will be affecting many people’s livelihoods and for me the biggest issue is lack of trust in what the large auto manufacturers say. It seems to me that instead of preparing their partners for the reality of what is to come, they seem much more worried about keeping appearances and stock prices up.

The UAW announced that Ray Curry, the previous Secretary-Treasurer, was elected as president of the Union. This comes after previous UAW President, Rory Gamble, announced his retirement effective June 30th.  Rory breaks the UAW’s streak of having ex-presidents indicted for corruption and fraud charges and hopefully this is a good direction for the union that has been plagued by executive misconduct.

Do you know how many wrecks are caused by advanced driver assist technology and automated driving? Me neither and neither does the NHTSA.  I was shocked to find that wrecks caused by automated driving systems and advanced driver assistance technology did not have to submit crash reports until the recent changes. The NHTSA is now requiring manufacturers and drivers to send mandatory crash reports when an advanced system is engaged during or directly before the accident.

Audi will begin selling EVs directly to consumers in Europe in 2023.  The dealers will only act as intermediaries under what they call the Agency Model. Audi is currently telling its dealership that they are the backbone of their operation but they are making these changes based on changing buying habits of their customer base.

Big 3 automakers in Detroit and the UAW will be lifting the mask mandate for vaccinated workers. Workers will not have to show proof of vaccination to remove masks and this will be in effect on July 12th.

GM and Brightdrop will be pushing the production of their EV600s to start earlier than expected. GMs plant in Ingersoll Ontario, as of April 2022 will no longer produce the equinox and will be the main production of the new electric vehicle from GM.

A German court rejected a bid put forth by a couple of environmental groups over Tesla new Gigafactory outside of Berlin. These groups were worried about the pollution and possible water contamination from battery production. The court found no evidence that hazard would arise. With production delays and problems with changing regulations, Tesla is unsure of the launch date for the site.