Financial News on Automobile Industry

The automobile industy makes up 3% to 4% of the GDP of the USA. The leading car making country is China, followed by Nihon. The USA is 6th biggest carmaking country. The most interesting question is which cartech will dominate in the years to come: gasoline, gasoline/electric, or electric. Wikipedia: Automotive_industryAutomobile Industry

• Another 'cockroach': subprime auto-lender PrimaLend enters bankruptcy. PrimaLend finances "buy here, pay here" auto dealerships, which target low-income borrowers
  - Zero Hedge, 22 October 2025

• As auto loan delinquencies soar, reposessions on track to break record
  - Zero Hedge, 22 October 2025

• Subprime borrowers, a significant group of American consumers, are falling behind on their car payments - an economic warning sign. 6.3% of subprime borrowers are at 60 days late on their car loans has doubled since 2021 to 6.43%, according to Fitch Ratings. That is worse than during the past three recessions - during the Covid pandemic, the Great Recession or the dot-com bust.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 22 October 2025

• The battery giants of Zhōngguó flood overseas markets as exports surge 220%
  - Zero Hedge, 21 October 2025

• Shares of General Motors rise more than 10% after GM beat earnings expectations on the top and bottom lines. The automaker also raised its guidance for the year and said it was expecting a smaller tariff impact than previously forecast.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 October 2025

• Shares of General Motors rise more than 10% after GM beat earnings expectations on the top and bottom lines. The automaker also raised its guidance for the year and said it was expecting a smaller tariff impact than previously forecast.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 21 October 2025

• Ever increasing insurance costs for home and auto insurance bring back talk of price caps. Increasingly, insurers in both Republican and Democratic states are being told to cap prices as lawmakers come under pressure from voters.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 20 October 2025

• Does a shortage of gasoline at 200 Shell stations in Indonesia support that the next era of automobiles there will be electric, as oil production in the country has fallen by over 60% in the last few decades, and as corruption plagues the oil industry?
  - Zero Hedge, 19 October 2025

• Man buys new Tesla Cybertruck for about $102,000 - drives it just 340 miles, but is only to sell it for $69,420 - a 30% loss
  - The Cool Down, 19 October 2025

• More nationalist socialist industrial policy from Trump: Trump to impose taxes/tariffs of 25% and 15% on imports of light and heavy trucks, starting in November
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 19 October 2025

• [Oh, to be filthy rich and be able to ignore the law]: Tesla deploys a self-driving mode in its vehicles that ignores legal speed limits
  - Futurism, 18 October 2025

• Automobiles made in Zhōngguó, long a rarity in South Africa, now outsell some brands of vehicles from Europe, the USA and Nihon - now with 15% of the car market in South Africa
  - Comcast's CNBC, 18 October 2025

• The bizarre bankruptcy at the heart of this week's regional bank meltdown. How did the banks incompetently not detect the fraud?
  - Zero Hedge, 17 October 2025

• Auto loan delinquencies surge 50% as cracks deepen across credit markets in the USA
  - Zero Hedge, 17 October 2025

• I test drove a flying car. Get ready, they are here!
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 17 October 2025

• Shares of some private equity giants in Europe (ICG down 6%, CVC Captial Partners down 5.4%, Partners Group down 4%, EQT down 4%) decline as concerns around credit stress in the USA spread to Europe. Warnings on leveraged loans have heightened since stricken U.S. auto parts supplier First Brands' opaque funding arrangements came to light last month.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 17 October 2025

• Europe in the rare earth 'trap': up to 4 million jobs in Deutschland at risk as Zhōngguó restricts exports
  - Zero Hedge, 16 October 2025

• Canada has threatened legal action against carmaker Stellantis NV over what Ottawa says is the company's unacceptable plan to shift production of one model to a United States plant [to appease Trump]. On Wednesday, Minister of Industry Melanie Joly sent a letter to Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa noting that the company had agreed to maintain its Canadian presence in exchange for substantial socialist financial support.
  - Al Jazeera, 16 October 2025

• To appease Trump, automaker Stellantis to shift production from Canada to the USA
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 16 October 2025

• Trump apparently wants to 'Make Zhōngguó Great Again". Trump's efforts to destroy the electric vehicle market/industry in the USA will allow Zhōngguó to cement ts dominance over not only global EV sales but also the supply chains for batteries and critical rare-earth minerals used in their production. Why? [Trump hates renewable energy and his national socialist industrial policy is to favor the oil/natural gas/gasoline industry - the past.]
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 16 October 2025

• Elon Musk's Tesla reportedly places a large order for parts for human-like robots, $685 million in parts, [KM: so that Elon Musk can become even richer through the elimination of human jobs]
  - Zero Hedge, 15 October 2025

• Global deliveries of electric vehicles soared to record 2.1 million units in September, 62% made in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 October 2025

• The rest of the world is following the USA's retreat on electric vehicles. Canada, the UK and the European Union are backing off from electric-vehicle targets as economic concerns arise. Even Zhōngguó is showing cracks.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 15 October 2025

• Sticker shock: car prices top $50,000 for first time in the USA, according to the Kelley Blue Book. Taxes/tariffs and pricier vehicles catering to wealthier buyers are driving the new-vehicle market higher.
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 14 October 2025

• Ford reduces production of even ;5Dmore vehicles after aluminum supply shock, after a fire at its Novelis aluminum mill fire in Oswego, New York, which shut the plant down until early next year
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 14 October 2025

• Ford reduces production of even ;5Dmore vehicles after aluminum supply shock, after a fire at its Novelis aluminum mill fire in Oswego, New York, which shut the plant down until early next year
  - Zero Hedge, 14 October 2025

• Shares of Michelin decline 11% after the company slashed its 2025 outlook and warned of a bigger-than-expected sales decline in the North America market
  - Zero Hedge, 14 October 2025

• New vehicle prices top $50,000 while auto loan delinquencies keep rising, more evidence of a 'K-shaped' economy in the USA (the rich get/spend richer, the poor get/spend poorer). The record high price comes as defaults and repossessions have increased as of late, particularly for consumers with subprime credit.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 14 October 2025

• General Motors suffers a $1.2 billion loss due to Trump's nationalist socialist industrial policy that ended $7,500 in tax credits for electric vehicles and that ended funding for battery charging infrastructure
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 October 2025

• General Motors suffers a $1.2 billion loss due to Trump's nationalist socialist industrial policy that ended $7,500 in tax credits for electric vehicles and that ended funding for battery charging infrastructure
  - Comcast's CNBC, 14 October 2025

• General Motors suffers a $1.2 billion loss due to Trump's nationalist socialist industrial policy that ended $7,500 in tax credits for electric vehicles and that ended funding for battery charging infrastructure
  - Zero Hedge, 14 October 2025

• The world is slowly waking up to menace of lithium battery fires, experts say
  - Zero Hedge, 13 October 2025

• [KM: Bubble bubble toil and trouble] The very rich Mark Cuban just helped raise $50 million for a Series B round in a Dallas-based financial technology firm that lets people with terrible credit scores tap into the equity in their depreciating used cars at a 30% interest rate - even if it is not paid off - in which the entire auto loan is transferred. The startup, Yendo Inc., makes it even easier to squeeze blood from that stone. After signing up, the company issues the borrower a credit card - which incurs an additional 3% fee if used at an ATM to pull cash out. [KM: bubble economy, not sustainable economy
  - Zero Hedge, 13 October 2025

• Some of the world's biggest carmakers manipulated diesel emissions tests because they "would rather cheat than comply with the law", lawyers for over 1.6 million claimants told London's High Court on Monday, at the start of a huge trial. Owners of diesel vehicles made by Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Nissan, Renault and the Stellantis-owned brands Peugeot and Citroen between 2012 and 2017 allege the companies cheated emissions tests.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 13 October 2025

• Forgive the alliteration, but Korean automaker Kia (000270.KS) is killing it with sales in the USA
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 11 October 2025

• Billions of dollars "vanished": low-profile bankruptcy rings alarms on Wall Street. The unraveling of First Brands, a midsize auto-parts maker, is exposing hidden losses at international banks and 'private credit' lenders.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 11 October 2025

• Behind the collapse of First Brands, an auto-parts giant: a $2 billion hole and a mysterious CEO. Patrick James started out buying small Ohio factories and ended atop a messy conglomerate with piles of hidden debt.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 11 October 2025

• Banks in the USA missed warning signs on Tricolor. Now, they are taking big losses. Tricolor became a major used-car auto dealer before its sudden liquidation last month. Big banks in the USA appear to have overlooked warning signs surrounding its quick growth. Fifth Third Bank could lose up to $200 million.
  - Barron's, 11 October 2025

• People in the USA are falling behind on their car payments. Record delinquency rates on subprime auto loans signal that lower-income consumers are struggling as wages stagnate and unemployment ticks higher.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 10 October 2025

• Bankrupt auto supplier First Brands faces criminal investigation. The closely held company faces a federal probe after board directors discovered accounting irregularities, sources say.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 10 October 2025

• Bankrupt auto supplier First Brands faces criminal investigation. The closely held company faces a federal probe after board directors discovered accounting irregularities, sources say.
  - Zero Hedge, 10 October 2025

• The implosion of auto sub-prime lender First Brands is ripping through the private credit industry - and lenders are scrambling to minimize their losses
  - Comcast's CNBC, 10 October 2025

• The NHTSA is investigating Tesla's full self-driving technology, after reports of such vehicles running red lights and getting into collisions
  - Zero Hedge, 09 October 2025

• The NHTSA is investigating Tesla's full self-driving technology, after reports of such vehicles running red lights and getting into collisions
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 09 October 2025

• The NHTSA is investigating Tesla's full self-driving technology, after reports of such vehicles running red lights and getting into collisions
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 09 October 2025

• Editorial: automobile drivers with high levels of THC in their blood from smoking potent marijuana are contributing to more highway accident deaths.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 October 2025

• Shares of Ferrari drop as much as 16% after the carmaker updated its full-year and 2030 guidance which fell short of predictions
  - Comcast's CNBC, 09 October 2025

• Shares of Ferrari drop as much as 16% after the carmaker updated its full-year and 2030 guidance which fell short of predictions
  - Zero Hedge, 09 October 2025

• BMW shares post sharpest drop in year after profit warning; Citi flags troubles in Zhōngguó as potentially "irreversible"
  - Zero Hedge, 08 October 2025

• Why new steel taxes/tariffs imposed by the European Union to reduce imports from Zhōngguó are giving carmakers a headache. Proposal to cut tariff-free quotas, double duties for imported steel triggers sell-off in auto stocks in Europe, complaints from industry group.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 October 2025

• Shares of BMW fell 8%, and other car companies in Europe declined 1% to 2%, amid concern that the European Union's latest efforts to protect the domestic steel market could threaten the auto sector in Europe. The proposal includes a push to limit tariff-free import volumes to 18.3 million tons a year, reflecting a reduction of 47% compared with 2024 steel quotas - and doubling tariffs to 50% on any excess imports.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 08 October 2025

• Shares of BMW fell 8%, and other car companies in Europe declined 1% to 2%, amid concern that the European Union's latest efforts to protect the domestic steel market could threaten the auto sector in Europe. The proposal includes a push to limit tariff-free import volumes to 18.3 million tons a year, reflecting a reduction of 47% compared with 2024 steel quotas - and doubling tariffs to 50% on any excess imports.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 08 October 2025

• Steel manufacturers in the United Kingdom face an "existential threat" from tax/tariff increases by the European Union
  - PA Media, 08 October 2025

• Shares of Ford decline 7% after reports that a fire at one of its aluminum plants by disrupt production of its popular F-150 trucks
  - Zero Hedge, 07 October 2025

• A devastating fire at a major Ford supplier will disrupt business for months. The Novelis plant supplies about 40% of aluminum sheet used in the auto industry. Ford shares fell more than 7%.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 October 2025

• Climate pollution from inhalers (which use and releases global-heating HFAs - hydrofluoroalkanes) has the impact of half a million cars per year, study finds. Ironically, people use these inhalers to deal with harder-to-breathe air due to ... global heating.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 06 October 2025

• The Trump administration getting rid of tailpipe-pollution standards won't just hurt the environment, it also will drive up fuel costs, according to a new report by Energy Innovation. "When you are putting fewer efficient electric vehicles on the road, you're also driving up demand for gasoline and diesel."
  - The Cool Down, 05 October 2025

• Nearly one-third of charging attempts fail for electric vehicles
  - Zero Hedge, 05 October 2025

• A leading scientist in battery technology, Stefano Passerini, relocates from Deutschland to Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 October 2025

• Europe should focus on beating Trump's taxes/tariffs, and not in beating electric vehicles from Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 October 2025

• Ford CEO says customers are not interested in buying electric vehicles that cost over $75,000. "They are willing to buy a $30,000 EV if they can save $2,000 a year compared to gasoline costs.
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 04 October 2025

• Tesla has been hit with an enforcement action by California's Department of Insurance for routinely denying or delaying customer insurance claims ("egregious delays in responding to policyholder claims in all steps") despite years of warnings from the state regulator. The insurance is offered in conjunction with State National Insurance. In July, the company was hit with a proposed class action lawsuit over allegations that the company purposely delayed and minimized claim payouts.
  - TechCrunch, 04 October 2025

• Tesla is sued by families who say faulty doors led to two deaths. Two Californians were trapped in a burning Cybertruck because electronic doors made it difficult for them to get out or be rescued, lawsuits claim.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 04 October 2025

• Jim Chanos joins growing those in the financial world questioning subprime credit in "the golden age of financial fraud". "With the advent of private credit ... institutions [are] putting money into this magical machine that gives you equity rates of return for senior debt exposure. "... these high yields for seemingly safe investments ... should be the first red flag".
  - Zero Hedge, 03 October 2025

• Automakers prepare for a plunge in sales of their electric vehicles after a tax credit expires
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 October 2025

• Tesla reports a record high level of deliveries in the third quarter, as people rush to buy because tax credits for electric vehicles are expiring
  - Barron's, 02 October 2025

• Tesla reports a record high level of deliveries in the third quarter, as people rush to buy because tax credits for electric vehicles are expiring
  - Comcast's CNBC, 02 October 2025

• Race to the financial dung heap. I thought cryptocurrencies would be the catalyst for the next collapse, but private credit, subprime auto and commercial real estate give it a run for its money.
  - QTR's Fringe Finance (substack), 01 October 2025

• Tesla irresponsibly tells sleepy drivers to switch to its self-driving mode that needs to be monitored constantly ... by drivers who aren't sleepy ... so it doesn't cause a fatal accident
  - Futurism, 01 October 2025

• The CEO of Ford expects electric vehicles sales to be cut in half after end of tax credits
  - Comcast's CNBC, 30 September 2025

• Despite Trump's nationalist socialist industrial policy to use taxes/tariffs to have more cars manufactured in the USA, there is little evidence of a construction binge of new USA car factories. Instead, auto companies are making tactical moves at existing facilities, and spending less on captial investments for electric vehicles (a drain not needed for gasoline vehicles).
  - Thomson's Reuters, 29 September 2025

• Owners of nearly 200,000 BMWs should not park in the garage because the vehicles could short circuit and catch fire, according to a recall notice. The fire risk is related to a problem with the engine starter, which can affect cars that are both parked and in motion.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 27 September 2025

• Socialist industrial planning in Britain: Britain pledges a $2 billion load guarantee for Jaguar Land Rover to help support its supply chain in the wake of the luxury carmaker's production shutdown following a cyberattack
  - Thomson's Reuters, 27 September 2025

• Trump imposes a 25% tax/tariff on imports of heavy trucks, starting October 1st. México is the largest supplier of medium- and heavy-duty trucks to the U.S., followed by Canada, Nihon, Deutschland, and Turkey.
  - Zero Hedge, 26 September 2025

• BYD reports a surge in sales in Europe. BYD's sales in Europe tripled in August, a sign that customers are embracing its lineup of electric and hybrid vehicles as the auto giant, based in Zhōngguó, continues to expand in Europe.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 26 September 2025

• By the end of 2030, Bosch hopes to fire 13,000 paid humans, particularly in its car-parts manufacturing arm in Deutschland, as it plans to rely more on non-paid AI to maximize productivity
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 26 September 2025

• Shares of CarMax crashed 25% in early New York trading. If the losses hold through the close, it would mark the largest daily decline since the Dot-Com bust. The selloff was sparked by second-quarter earnings that Truist Financial Services analysts described as a "miss across the board," with "really nothing good to see." The news also dragged down peers, including Carvana. CarMax's second-quarter results shocked Wall Street desks earlier with profit, sales, and pricing misses, signaling a very challenging used-car market in the second half of the year.
  - Zero Hedge, 25 September 2025

• Auto industry is flashing a warning sign on the economy of the USA. CarMax, the biggest seller of used cars, said that sales and profit plunged in the latest quarter. Its shares closed down 20%.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 25 September 2025

• Shares of Carmax were down more than 20% Thursday after the used auto retailer missed Wall Street's quarterly earnings and revenue expectations
  - Comcast's CNBC, 25 September 2025

• A breakthrough hydride ion battery: scientists in Zhōngguó claim it has 6 times the capacity of lithium ion batteries. Rechargeable, room-temperature stable battery possible using rare earth-based battery electrolyte harnessing hydride ions.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 September 2025

• Shares of Tesla are up 30% in the last month, much on efforts by Elon Musk and Tesla to make as much money as possible replacing paid-human taxi drivers with Tesla's robotaxis [KM: since making Elon Musk and investors richer is more important than poor taxi cab drivers trying to survive]
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 22 September 2025

• Porsche ends its electric vehicle ambitions, suffers another guidance reduction, as shares drop most on record, down 28% in 2025
  - Zero Hedge, 22 September 2025

• Warren Buffett sells his successful investment in BYD, as the electric vehicle market in Zhōngguó becomes too competitive resulting in slowing sales and shrinking profits.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 September 2025

• Warren Buffett sells his successful investment in BYD, as the electric vehicle market in Zhōngguó becomes too competitive resulting in slowing sales and shrinking profits.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 22 September 2025

• The European Union will ban the sale of new gasoline-powered internal-combustion passenger cars by 2035 in favor of EVs. Auto makers sense the opportunity.
  - Barron's, 20 September 2025

• The very rich CEO of Uber says that non-paid robotaxis could displace paid-human drivers in 10 to 15 years, and create a "big, big, societal question". [KM: which won't stop filthy rich AI companies from creating a robotaxi industry.]
  - Business Insider, 19 September 2025

• Via and Google's Waymo partner to bring non-paid robotaxis to public transit systems, taking more jobs from paid-human taxi drivers [KM: but the rich must get richer]
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 19 September 2025

• Nissan beats Elon Musk and Tesla to offering a $25,000 electric vehicle in the USA, something Musk has been hype-pumping since 2018, and which Musk ignorantly argued in 2014 that "having a regular, $25,000 model is pointless. It is silly." Apparently not, if Nissan can do so.
  - Carscoops.com, 19 September 2025

• ~$1,800,000,000 - Subprime lending crisis 2.0? Red flags fly as alleged fraud triggers billion-dollar auto-lender bankruptcy. Did a medium-sized canary just croak in the coalmine of consumer credit? About $2 billion worth of debt sold by auto-lender Tricolor Holdings, supposedly backed by 'reasonable' car loans, lost about 90% of their value. Federal investigators looking into possible fraud and banks exploring whether the same collateral was pledged to multiple lenders.
  - Zero Hedge, 18 September 2025

• Here is how the wealthy are propping up the car market. Wealthier customers have been boosted by rising house values, stock market returns and favorable credit, while lower- and middle-income car buyers find themselves unable to buy increasingly expensive cars.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 18 September 2025

• See how Zhōngguó is dominating the global electric vehicle market. Made-in-Zhōngguó electric vehicles can cost thousands of dollars less than USA or European models and now make up more than half of global sales.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 18 September 2025

• Shares of Lyft jump 20% on news it will be able to profit from humans losing their paid taxicab driving jobs in Nashville, in a deal with Google's Waymo robotaxi service
  - Comcast's CNBC, 17 September 2025

• Shares of Lyft jump 20% on news it will be able to profit from humans losing their paid taxicab driving jobs in Nashville, in a deal with Google's Waymo robotaxi service
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 17 September 2025

• Shares of Lyft jump 20% on news it will be able to profit from humans losing their paid taxicab driving jobs in Nashville, in a deal with Google's Waymo robotaxi service
  - Zero Hedge, 17 September 2025

• Electric vehicles on the used market increase in sales numbers, as they often cost less than comparable gasoline models, making the technology affordable to many more buyers
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 16 September 2025

• About 26.6% of trade-ins toward new car purchases had negative equity in the second quarter of 2025, according to Edmunds, that is, the cars' owners owe more on their current auto loan than what the auto is worth. People buying new cars will need to find cash to make up the negative value, or add it to the loan for the new auto, making it harder to buy new autos.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 15 September 2025

• BYD faces pressure to restore investor confidence after a $45 billion stock selloff, with growing concerns over its ability to fend off competition amid a destructive price war in Zhōngguó
  - Bloomberg, 14 September 2025

• Tesla insurance rates have been increasing and putting electric vehicle enthusiasts in challenging financial positions. Because of that, some drivers are trading in their Teslas for other EV brands.
  - The CoolDown, 13 September 2025

• $83,000,000 - The collapse of zero-emission truck developer Nikola Corporation has culminated in a liquidation plan that includes an $83 million settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
  - FreightWaves, 12 September 2025

• Editorial: the bankruptcy of Tricolor, a major subprime auto lender. Is Tricolor's surprise bankruptcy an outlier or a harbinger?
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 12 September 2025

• Tricolor, a major subprime auto lender, just filed for bankruptcy. It will not be like subprime mortgage lenders sparking the Great Recession. The cars involved have steady value (unlike plummeting home prices in 2007/2008). And auto loans are not bundled into bonds and sold to other investors.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 12 September 2025

• BYD and Tesla set to lose most from Mexico's proposed 50% taxes/tariffs on imports from Zhōngguó. The proposed tariff, announced on Wednesday, targets electric and gasoline cars imported from all countries that México t have a free trade agreement with, including South Korea, Bharat, Indonesia and Rossiya. In practice, however, the tariff would mostly impact electric cars manufactured in Zhōngguó and sold in Mexico.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 12 September 2025

• Zhōngguó warns México to "think twice" before raising to 50% the taxes/tariffs on imports of cars from Zhōngguó and Asia. Faced with "Trump/USA abuse of taxes/tariffs", countries should safeguard free trade, Zhōngguó said. "The coercion of others should never sacrifice [authoritarian] third-party interests."
  - Comcast's CNBC, 12 September 2025

• Zhōngguó opens for travel a new record-smashing cable-stayed mega-bridge over the Yangtze River. Structure boasts a number of world firsts, from its striking asymmetric design to the precision tools developed to build it. Meanwhile, the USA builds another AI data center.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 September 2025

• Before the immigration raid on the battery plant in Georgia has upended relations between the USA and South Korea, there was growing resentment from locals who felt left out of the jobs, economic opportunities and wealth created by the factory, part of a massive $7.6 billion manufacturing complex anchored by Hyundai Motor. Republicans in the state gave Hyundai more than $2 billion in tax credits. But despite promising lots of jobs for locals, Hyundai used the excuse of not enough trained locals, and brought in its own people from South Korea.
  - Bloomberg, 11 September 2025

• México said on Wednesday it will raise tariffs on automobiles from Zhōngguó and other Asian countries to 50%, in a broad overhaul of import taxes that the government said would protect jobs and analysts said was aimed at placating Trump
  - Thomson's Reuters, 10 September 2025

• A leaded document from the racist Trump's immigration police, ICE, shows that at least one of the Korean workers arrested in a massive immigration raid on a Hyundai Motor factory site in Georgia last week was living and working legally in the USA. If so, the arrest would be a federal crime for violating the visa holder's rights.
  - The Guardian, 10 September 2025

• Editorial: Trump says that foreign countries, not Americans, will pay his border taxes. But a new analysis by Anderson Economic Group shows how Trump's automobile taxes/tariffs on México and Canada are starting to hurt USA auto makers and will soon hurt consumers.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 September 2025

• Trump wants more foreign manufacturing in the USA. But companies from Asia are having trouble getting enough work visas for personnel needed to get U.S. factories running, immigration specialists say.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 September 2025

• Volkswagen to launch family of small electric cars next year. The auto group said it hopes to grab a 20% market share in the growing small electric segment.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 September 2025

• Tesla market share in USA, under the (mis)management of Elon Musk, drops to lowest since 2017 as competition heats up
  - Comcast's CNBC, 08 September 2025

• Sodium-ion battery startup Natron ceased operations this week, ending Natron's 12-year quest to commercialize its technology in the USA. The liquidation shows why the USA is not ready to make its own batteries.
  - TechCrunch, 05 September 2025

• Porsche is no longer a blue-chip company in Deutschland. The carmaker will soon be delisted from the leading DAX stock index three years after its blockbuster debut, amid losses in Zhōngguó and the threat of Trump's taxes/tariffs.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 05 September 2025

• Porsche is no longer a blue-chip company in Deutschland. The carmaker will soon be delisted from the leading DAX stock index three years after its blockbuster debut, amid losses in Zhōngguó and the threat of Trump's taxes/tariffs.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 05 September 2025

• Anger in South Korea as Trump calls detained workers from South Korea as "illegal aliens". South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has ordered all-out efforts to respond to the arrests of hundreds of the country's citizens in an immigration raid on a Hyundai Motor-LG car battery factory in the USA.
  - Al Jazeera, 05 September 2025

• South Korea expresses "concern" over an immigration raid at a Hyundai manufacturing plant in Georgia. Operations at Hyundai's $7.6 billion electric vehicle manufacturing plant, which employs about 1200 people, were not interrupted.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 September 2025

• Over 450 undocumented immigrants are apprehended in massive ICE raid at Hyundai plant in union-hating Georgia
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 05 September 2025

• A General Motors spokesperson confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that CEO Mary Barra sold 994,863 shares last month, valued at roughly $35.4 million. The sale accounted for 40% of Barra's personal stake in the struggling legacy automaker, which is facing a slowdown in electric vehicle sales
  - Detroit Free Press, 04 September 2025

• BYD reduces its annual sales target as demand slumps, and competition intensifies
  - Zero Hedge, 04 September 2025

• Elon Musk's Tesla has revealed its new "master plan", and it is so chock-full of meaningless corporate buzzwords, we can't help but suspect that it was generated by an AI chatbot.
  - Futurism, 03 September 2025

• MotorTrend lived with a Tesla Model Y for 2 years and hated every second of it
  - Jalopnik, 03 September 2025

• ~$1,000,000 - Two men connected to a Jacksonville car dealership are facing felony charges in what investigators call a nearly $1 million organized fraud scheme
  - ActionNewsJax.com, 02 September 2025

• Google's Waymo's non-paid robotaxi service expands to two more cities to kill paid-human jobs, Denver and Seattle. [KM: the rich must get richer]
  - The Verge, 02 September 2025

• Tesla's auto sales in Europe continue their decline into August, with sharp declines in key markets underscoring the electric vehicle maker's struggles against rising Chinese competition and a consumer backlash against CEO Elon Musk
  - Zero Hedge, 02 September 2025

• Nearly 60% of Americans now keep their cars longer to manage rising interest rates, insurance premiums, and fuel prices
  - Zero Hedge, 29 August 2025

• Elon Musk is "thou shalt not" lying about the self-driving capabilities of Tesla vehicles, and I have the DM (direct messages) to prove it
  - Electrek, 28 August 2025

• Tesla sales plunged again in Europe in July as car buyers continued their migration to BYD, its rival based in Zhōngguó, which is now outselling Tesla in Europe. Elon Musk's support of racist, far-right parties in Europe is bad for Tesla.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 28 August 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles plunge 40% in Europe, as its rival based in Zhōngguó, BYD, triples its sales
  - Comcast's CNBC, 28 August 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles plunge 40% in Europe, as its rival based in Zhōngguó, BYD, triples its sales
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 28 August 2025

• The taxes/tariffs of the repeatedly bankrupt Trump is putting at risk the backbone of the global supply chain for automobiles. Trump's taxes/tariffs are threatening smaller parts companies that are key to manufacturing and employ hundreds of thousands in Nihon, South Korea and Deutschland.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 26 August 2025

• In Zhōngguó, electric vehicles are now cheaper than gasoline-powered cars. In the USA, the Big Three automakers still haven't reduced a price gap that costs $14,000 per vehicle.
  - Jiaravanon's Fortune, 26 August 2025

• Prices of two rare earth elements needed for super-strong magnets have surged to their highest in more than two years after USA miner MP Materials stopped raw material exports to leading magnet maker Zhōngguó amid rising demand
  - Thomson's Reuters, 26 August 2025

• The authoritarian Trump threatens Zhōngguó with 200% taxes/tariffs if Zhōngguó does not export rare-earth magnets to the the USA. And Trump threatens to reduce/halt shipments of airplane parts to Zhōngguó. Currently, Zhōngguó is exporting rare-earth magnets at levels seen before Zhōngguó imposed export reductions in April.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 26 August 2025

• The authoritarian Trump threatens Zhōngguó with 200% taxes/tariffs if Zhōngguó does not export rare-earth magnets to the the USA. And Trump threatens to reduce/halt shipments of airplane parts to Zhōngguó. Currently, Zhōngguó is exporting rare-earth magnets at levels seen before Zhōngguó imposed export reductions in April.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 August 2025

• In the last year, automobile companies in Deutschland have fired about 50,000 people, 7% of their workforce. Trump's tax/tariff trade war, competition from Zhōngguó and a sluggish economy have hurt the industry.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 26 August 2025

• Automobile companies in the USA are forced to confront some hard truths in the age of 'polycrisis'. A perfect storm of rising production costs, Trump's taxes/tariffs, intense competition, supply chain disruptions and regulatory pressures has taken its toll on the automotive industry.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 25 August 2025

• Filthy rich Google, to profit more from helping to increase unemployment in New York City, has its Waymo robotaxi division start testing its paid-human taxi-job-destroying vehicles in New York City
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 23 August 2025

• High taxes/tariffs on imports of automobiles from the EU will stay until bloc moves to reduce its taxes/tariffs. The auto taxes/tariffs will decrease to 15% when the European Union introduces legislation to reduce taxes/tariffs on imports of products from the USA
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 August 2025

• A good PR diversion: major automakers in Nihon say that they are not raising prices in the USA because of Trump's taxes/tariffs, but rather because of annual increases in "operational costs". Yeah, costs such as taxes/tariffs.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 22 August 2025

• Tesla is slow in reporting crashes of its vehicles, and the government has launched an investigation to find out why. Federal auto safety regulators are investigating why Tesla has repeatedly broken rules requiring it to quickly tell them about crashes involving its self-driving technology.
  - Associated Press, 21 August 2025

• Tesla is slow in reporting crashes of its vehicles, and the government has launched an investigation to find out why. Federal auto safety regulators are investigating why Tesla has repeatedly broken rules requiring it to quickly tell them about crashes involving its self-driving technology.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 August 2025

• TACO Trump agrees to a trade deal with Europe that limits taxes/tariffs on imports from Europe to 15% for pharmaceuticals, lumber and semiconductors. Trump had threatened taxes/tariffs as high as 250%. High taxes/tariffs on imports of autos from Europe remain in force.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 21 August 2025

• American demand for tropical wood that is used in motor homes, conservationists say, is accelerating the disappearance of some of the largest forests and protected wetlands in the world. The USA is the world's largest producer of recreational vehicles and has relied for decades on meranti, which is also known as lauan, found mostly in Indonesia. Catering to this demand, conservation groups say, has accelerated deforestation in Borneo. In the last five years alone, tens of thousands of acres of Borneo's forests have been chopped down for lauan, usually with the permission of the government of Islamic Indonesia. This has contributed to the disappearance of some of the world's largest rainforests and wetlands, unleashing dense stores of carbon, upending the lives of Indigenous people and endangering the habitats of orangutans and other animals. With the permission of the government of Islamic Indonesia.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 21 August 2025

• Elon Musk's Tesla's poorly designed, low-selling Cybertruck is such a mess that insurance companies are refusing to provide car insurance for the vehicles
  - Futurism, 20 August 2025

• Hertz to sell used vehicles online through Amazon Autos partnership
  - Comcast's CNBC, 20 August 2025

• Hertz to sell used vehicles online through Amazon Autos partnership
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 20 August 2025

• Stoplights are a big climate problm. Researchers found that systems that guide vehicle speeds at intersections could cut emissions at a scale rivaling entire nations
  - Anthropocene Magazine, 19 August 2025

• Xiaomi posts record revenue in second quarter on strong electric vehicle sales. Net profit rose 75.4 per cent year on year to reach a record high of US$1.5 billion, exceeding the forecast by analysts.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 August 2025

• Xiaomi posts record revenue in second quarter on strong electric vehicle sales. Net profit rose 75.4 per cent year on year to reach a record high of US$1.5 billion, exceeding the forecast by analysts.
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 19 August 2025

• Stock markets in Bharat rose in value after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a set of tax reductions to boost domestic consumption.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 18 August 2025

• Bharat proposes reducing taxes on small cars under reforms proposed by Prime Minister Modi, send shares of stocks higher in price
  - Thomson's Reuters, 18 August 2025

• General Motor's quarterly results illustrate the [idiocy] of Trump's 25% taxes/tariffs on imported vehicles and auto parts. In the second quarter of 2025, GM suffered a $1.1 billion tax/tariff loss to its operating income. That loss represents more than half of the typical annual income for General Motors over the past decade.
  - The Hill, 17 August 2025

• How much do electric car batteries degrade? Many electric cars will still have more than 80% of their initial capacity after 200,000 miles.
  - Hannah Ritchie (substack), 17 August 2025

• Inside BYD's plans to rule the ocean. In 2022, BYD decided to build a fleet of seven giant ships, each capable of carrying thousands of cars. Unlike most of its Western rivals, which typically buy space on car carriers operated by shipping companies, BYD has cut out the intermediary as it doubles down on ambitious plans to sell half its cars outside Zhōngguó by 2030.
  - Business Insider, 16 August 2025

• $240,000,000+ - A Miami jury ordered Tesla to pay more than $240 million to the victims of a 2019 crash that killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and seriously injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. According to the AP, the jury ruled that because its Autopilot failed, Tesla was partially responsible for the crash even though driver George McGee was distracted by his cellphone.
  - The Cool Down, 15 August 2025

• Sales of Tesla's autos are plummeting across major countries in Europe. Rising competition from other EV makers, high prices, and public backlash tied to Musk's personal [racist] views have all contributed to waning consumer interest.
  - The Cool Down, 14 August 2025

• $24,600,000 - Nashville car dealership owner convicted of fraudulently obtaining $24.6 million. The owner was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, making false statements to a bank, bankruptcy fraud and making a false statement under oath.
  - WKRN News, 14 August 2025

• Saving money on a used car is getting harder. Used-car prices are rising faster than overall inflation after crossing the $30,000-mark again early this year.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 14 August 2025

• Customers of Hertz, charged large amounts of money for minor damages - damages detected by non-paid AI systems [KM: eliminating the need for paid-humans to perform more accurate damage inspections] can fight back using phone apps (such as Proofr). One expert believes rental agencies are currently charging excessive fees for minor blemishes to "justify the cost" of their scanning equipment. [KM: yes, rich rental executives must get richer]
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 13 August 2025

• Dubai's non-paid robotaxis are coming to destroy jobs of paid-human taxi drivers. The UAE plans to become the world's testing ground for non-paid autonomous vehicles and upend the lives of 30,000 paid cabbies in the process.
  - Rest of World, 13 August 2025

• Ford's response to cheap EVs from Zhōngguó starts with a $30,000 electric pickup. Ford said it would spend $2 billion to overhaul a Louisville, Kentucky, factory to build a new line of affordable, high-tech EVs, and it aims to launch the pickup in 2027.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 12 August 2025

• Ford's response to cheap EVs from Zhōngguó starts with a $30,000 electric pickup. Ford said it would spend $2 billion to overhaul a Louisville, Kentucky, factory to build a new line of affordable, high-tech EVs, and it aims to launch the pickup in 2027.
  - Detroit Free Press, 12 August 2025

• Automakers in Nihon are losing $20 million per day because of Trump's taxes/tariffs
  - Zero Hedge, 10 August 2025

• Zhōngguó's Baidu, apparently wanting to profit from paid humans losting their taxi driving jobs, will deploy its self-driving, non-paid, robotaxis globally through deals with Uber and Lyft. [KM: The rich get richer.]
  - Zero Hedge, 09 August 2025

• Prices of used Tesla vehicles average less than overall prices for used vehicles for first time ever, as sentiment toward Tesla weakens and strengthens against Elon Musk. Many Tesla owners are trading in their cars for other brands, boosting supply and forcing sellers to cut prices to compete.
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 08 August 2025

• BYD challenges Tesla with the launch of a cheaper SUV, the Atto 2, in Hong Kong
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 August 2025

• Q1 2025 profits at Toyota plunge 37% after losses from Truamp's taxes/tariffs
  - Zero Hedge, 07 August 2025

• Q1 2025 profits at Toyota plunge 37% after losses from Truamp's taxes/tariffs
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 August 2025

• Toyota Motor said Thursday that it expected a profit hit of nearly $10 billion from Trump's taxes/tariffs on cars imported into the USA, the highest such estimate yet by any company suffering under Trump's policies.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 07 August 2025

• The financial pain of Trump's tax/tariff trade war for automakers: $12 billion and counting. The obvious responses to Trump's taxes/tariffs are to raise prices and move production to the U.S. But both are hard, potentially hurting automakers with huge losses for years to come.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 August 2025

• Environment-hating regulatory rollback under Trump is allowing Ford, GM and Stellantis to sell highly profitable, gasoline-guzzling, pickups and SUVs for the foreseeable future. The rich get richer, the environment poorer.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 August 2025

• Trump's recent trade deal with Nihon to make it easier to import American cars into Nihon will do little to increase sales of such cars in Nihon. Problem? Car buyers in Nihon don't want American cars. In Nihon, where streets are narrow and often congested, most consumers prefer small, fuel-efficient vehicles, typically with steering wheels on the right. Domestic brands like Toyota, Honda and Nissan offer a wide array of such options. American cars instead are mostly big SUVs and trucks.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 06 August 2025

• Tesla investors are suing Elon Musk over his disastrous debut of the company's robotaxis
  - Futurism, 06 August 2025

• A recent survey is bad news for Tesla: "Nearly half of the participants in the latest Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report said they did not trust Tesla." Tesla also received the lowest safety rating for an EV company in the USA. Elon Musk's authoritarian, racist activities in politics are part of why Tesla is suffering with its business.
  - The Cool Down, 06 August 2025

• Tesla loyalty collapses after the authoritarian Elon Musk had endorsed the authoritarian Trump
  - AutoBlog, 06 August 2025

• To profit from eliminating the jobs of paid-human taxi drivers, Lyft and Baidu plan to start driverless, non-paid, taxi service early next year in Britain and Deutschland, joining Uber and Momenta in using electric cars from Zhōngguó to eliminate paid-human taxi drivers, vehicles which are the least expensive even with tariffs
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 05 August 2025

• BYD, the largest manufacturer of electric vehicles in Zhōngguó, posted its first monthly delivery decline this year, amid stiff competition from a price war that has attracted attention from policymakers in Beijing
  - Comcast's CNBC, 04 August 2025

• $243,000,000 - Tesla must pay much of $329 million in damages for being partly liable for a fatal 2019 Autopilot crash
  - Comcast's CNBC, 01 August 2025

• Electric vehicles made in Zhōngguó are winning more market share in Singapore, due to competitive pricing, advanced features and government incentives.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 August 2025

• Why Ford's 'made-in-america' strategy hurts it in during Trump's trade wars. Ford says that new tax/tariff deals with Nihon, the EU and South Korea put it at a financial disadvantage.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 01 August 2025

• Trump trade deals threaten the vital auto industry of Canada. Recent pacts with Britain, Europe and Nihon mean that autos exported from those countries and regions face lower import taxes/tariffs in the USA than do import of vehicles imported from Canada
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 31 July 2025

• "Terrible fuel efficiency, and no right-hand drive" - why Trump's trade deal with Nihon will not much increase sales of USA automobiles in Nihon - USA automobiles are too big and unreliable gas-guzzlers. USA car companies such as GM and Ford really don't try anyways - they don't do much marketing, and don't even offer right-hand drive models. And Ford's F-150 pickups is a poor fit for the narrow roads and small parking spaces in Nihon.
  - The Guardian, 26 July 2025

• Tesla's energy-dense, more expensive, batteries are better suited for luxury and high-performance electric vehicles, while BYD's batteries are more suitable for mass-market and commercial electric vehicles
  - ZME Science, 25 July 2025

• During Tesla's earnings conference, no one want to talk about Tesla's lousy earnings. Instead, it was the usual pump-and-dump hype with promises of a glorious future of AI (which is highly competitive) and robotics [KM: which requires profiting from replacing paid-humans].
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 25 July 2025

• During Tesla's earnings conference, no one want to talk about Tesla's lousy earnings. Instead, it was the usual pump-and-dump hype with promises of a glorious future of AI (which is highly competitive) and robotics [KM: which requires profiting from replacing paid-humans].
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 25 July 2025

• The art of the really stupid deal. Trump's trade deal more benefits the car industry in Nihon than it does the car industry in the USA. Car companies don't have to pay 50% taxes/tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum to build their cars, and only have to pay a tax/tariff of 15% on imports of their cars to the USA. Carmakers in the USA have to pay the 50% tax/tariff on imports of steel and aluminum, and have to pay a 25% tax/tariff on imports of their cars and parts from Canada and Mexico.
  - Paul Krugman (substack), 24 July 2025

• Trump's trade deal with Nihon raises fears (especially in the auto industry in the USA) that 'master negotiator' Trump gave too many economic and business benefits to Nihon. Around 80% of the US-Japan trade gap is in cars and car parts.
  - Bloomberg, 24 July 2025

• Trump's trade deal with Nihon raises fears (especially in the auto industry in the USA) that 'master negotiator' Trump gave too many economic and business benefits to Nihon. Around 80% of the US-Japan trade gap is in cars and car parts.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 24 July 2025

• The European Union and Zhōngguó agree on a plan to resolve export restrictions on rare earth metals from Zhōngguó
  - Comcast's CNBC, 24 July 2025

• The high costs of Trump's tax/spending law - for the provision of a tax deduction for new car loans. By letting some buyers deduct interest on auto loans, the GOP megabill promises to lower transportation bills. But this tax break could do the opposite. Over four years, this will cost the country over $30 billion, and mostly helps - no surprise - rich people buying expensive cars.
  - Bloomberg, 23 July 2025

• Trump's "art of the" deal with Nihon is another loser for the USA. Not only does it raise taxes on American consumers, but it leaves American automakers at a distinct disadvantage relative to their competitors in Nihon.
  - Reason, 23 July 2025

• Trump's steel tax/tariffs and his trade deal with Nihon could encourage Toyota to move manufacturing jobs out of the USA
  - Reason, 23 July 2025

• Purchasing steel in the USA just got more expensive. Buyers blame Trump's taxes/tariffs. Steel producers like Cleveland Cliffs and Steel Dynamics both said this week that they raised prices after Trump imposed a 50 percent tax/tariff on imports of steel, raising costs in many industries, especially the automobile industry.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 23 July 2025

• After whining about competition from foreign steel companies, and raising its steel prices in the USA, the utterly hypocritical Cleveland-Cliffs is trying to sell the company's USA steel plants ... to foreign companies
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 23 July 2025

• Tesla's earnings report today could reveal more sales and financial problems for Elon Musk's company
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 23 July 2025

• Trump's trade 'deal' with Nihon is another lousy deal for the USA. Not only does it raise taxes on consumers in the USA, but it leaves automakers in the USA at a distinct disadvantage relative to their competitors in Nihon.
  - The Daily Beast, 23 July 2025

• I replaced my Tesla Model 3 with a BYD Seal. I want nothing to do with Elon Musk anymore.
  - Business Insider, 22 July 2025

• Sales of Tesla's vehicles have declined for seven straight quarters [because more and more people hate Elon Musk] in California, while rivals Toyota and Honda increase their sales
  - Jiaravanon's Fortune, 22 July 2025

• The USA and Nihon sign a trade deal whereby the USA will impose a tax/tariff of 15% in imports from Nihon. Nihon will also invest $550 billion into the USA.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 22 July 2025

• The USA and Nihon sign a trade deal whereby the USA will impose a tax/tariff of 15% in imports from Nihon. Nihon will also invest $550 billion into the USA.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 July 2025

• The USA and Nihon sign a trade deal whereby the USA will impose a tax/tariff of 15% in imports from Nihon. Nihon will also invest $550 billion into the USA.
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 22 July 2025

• Automobile stocks in Nihon jump after the USA and Nihon sign a trade deal. Toyota rises 10%, Honda 8%, Nissan 7%, and Mazda Motor 16%
  - Comcast's CNBC, 22 July 2025

• Automobile stocks in Nihon jump after the USA and Nihon sign a trade deal. Toyota rises 10%, Honda 8%, Nissan 7%, and Mazda Motor 16%
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 22 July 2025

• Automobile stocks in Nihon jump after the USA and Nihon sign a trade deal. Toyota rises 10%, Honda 8%, Nissan 7%, and Mazda Motor 16%
  - Zero Hedge, 22 July 2025

• Automakers in the USA - GM, Ford and Stellantis - complain about the trade deal with Nihon, which imposes taxes/tariffs of 15 on imports of vehicles from Nihon to the USA of 15%, while the American car companies have to pay taxes/tariffs of 25% on imports of their vehicles from Canada and Mexico
  - Thomson's Reuters, 22 July 2025

• The USA dollar is under pressure in comparison to the yen, after the USA and Nihon sign a trade deal
  - Thomson's Reuters, 22 July 2025

• $600,000,000+ - A New Jersey man pleaded guilty in Oklahoma federal court to leading a theft ring that stole catalytic converters and sold them for more than $600 million to a refinery that extracted precious metals contained in the devices
  - Comcast's CNBC, 22 July 2025

• Profits shrink at General Motors on a billion-dollar loss due to Trump's taxes/tariffs. General Motors was the second auto company this week, after Stellantis, to show the economic harm that Trump's trade policies are hurting the industry.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 July 2025

• Profits shrink at General Motors on a billion-dollar loss due to Trump's taxes/tariffs. General Motors was the second auto company this week, after Stellantis, to show the economic harm that Trump's trade policies are hurting the industry.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 July 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó is boosting domestic production of oil and the EV industry in the name of national security. There are 14 million chargers nationwide for electric vehicles.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 July 2025

• Trump's new tax/spending law will greatly hurt his former buddy Elon Musk's Tesla. The new law will end the requirement for automakers making polluting cars to buy regulatory credits from Tesla. This has been a huge source of socialist income for Tesla, at a time when Tesla is struggling to sell cars.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 22 July 2025

• BYD outsells Tesla and BMW in the right-hand electric vehicle market in Hong Kong
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 July 2025

• Shipping and navigation services company Matson announces new policies that halt all shipments of electric vehicles due to the fire risk posed by fire-prone lithium-ion batteries
  - Zero Hedge, 21 July 2025

• The giant automobile companies of Zhōngguó are winning more and more market share in Brazil, with a goal of dominating car sales in South America. Companies such as Great Wall Motor and BYD are bringing affordable EVs and hybrids to one of the world's biggest car marketplaces, while American and European car companies are losing out in the competition.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 21 July 2025

• Jeep maker Stellantis warns of a shocking $2.7 billion loss due to Trump's taxes/tariffs
  - Comcast's CNBC, 21 July 2025

• Jeep maker Stellantis warns of a shocking $2.7 billion loss due to Trump's taxes/tariffs
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 21 July 2025

• Jeep maker Stellantis reports a six-month loss of $350 million due to Trump's taxes/tariffs
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 July 2025

• A lot of companies that are not in the banking business are suddenly applying for new US banking charters, from automakers General Motors and Stellantis to cryptocurrency firms Circle and Ripple. Banks, not surprisingly, aren't happy about any of this, because these corporations banks may end up being unfairly less regulated.
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 20 July 2025

• Automobile buyers in Zhōngguó have mostly lost interest in buying Jeeps, an iconic USA brand, causing Jeep's division in Zhōngguó to file for bankruptcy
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 July 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó plans to prohibit the resale of cars within six months of their initial registration as part of efforts to combat sales of so-called zero-mileage used cars, to control "irrational" competition in the domestic auto market.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 19 July 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó pledges to reduce/end price wars between electric vehicle companies, in light of concerns about increased deflation in Zhōngguó
  - Zero Hedge, 18 July 2025

• Higher quality graphite from Zhōngguó is crucial for batteries for electric cars. Trump just imposed a tax/tariff of 93.5% on imports of such graphite. Producers in the USA say that producers in Zhōngguó are selling their graphite at less than the market price to increase their market share. [That used to be capitalism.] Total tariffs on such graphite could be above 150%. This will further hurt the electric car industry in the USA.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 18 July 2025

• Mass firings of people continue across freight-related companies in the USA. In the past few weeks, about 4100 people have been fired who worked in trucking, logistics, lumber production, and manufacturing.
  - Freightwaves, 18 July 2025

• Higher quality graphite from Zhōngguó is crucial for batteries for electric cars. Trump just imposed a tax/tariff of 93.5% on imports of such graphite. Producers in the USA say that producers in Zhōngguó are selling their graphite at less than the market price to increase their market share. [That used to be capitalism.] Total tariffs on such graphite could be above 150%. This will further hurt the electric car industry in the USA.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 18 July 2025

• To profit from more humans losing their jobs, misanthropic Uber invests $300 million in non-paid robotaxi company Lucid, for which Lucid (which also hates poor people) will supply Uber with 20,000 non-paid robotaxis [KM: so that Uber can bcome richer while poor taxi drivers lose their jobs]
  - Comcast's CNBC, 17 July 2025

• Shares of Lucid soar, [KM: as the rich get richer and the poor poorer]. To profit from more humans losing their jobs, misanthropic Uber invests $300 million in non-paid robotaxi company Lucid, for which Lucid (which also hates poor people) will supply Uber with 20,000 non-paid robotaxis [KM: so that Uber can bcome richer while poor taxi drivers lose their jobs].
  - Zero Hedge, 17 July 2025

• Trump's Commerce Department imposed preliminary anti-dumping duties of 93.5% on imports of graphite from Zhōngguó, an important battery component, after concluding the graphite had been unfairly subsidized by the government of Zhōngguó
  - Bloomberg, 17 July 2025

• Zhōngguó is restricting access to 8 important advanced battery technologies, but allow continued access to battery cathode technology to help encourage global cooperation
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 July 2025

• Stellantis said it would discontinue its hydrogen fuel-cell technology development program because it predicts that the adoption in light commercial vehicles will not happen in the next five years.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 16 July 2025

• Stellantis said it would discontinue its hydrogen fuel-cell technology development program because it predicts that the adoption in light commercial vehicles will not happen in the next five years.
  - Ars Tecnica, 16 July 2025

• Shares of Renault plummet 17% after the company issued an unscheduled release, warning of lower profits for the year amid slumping demand and fierce competition from Chinese carmakers like BYD Motors
  - Zero Hedge, 16 July 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó will now require government licenses for any effort to transfer abroad the technologies crucial for producing inexpensive electric cars
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 16 July 2025

• Elon Musk's Tesla's Cybertruck is a failure that is flopping fast. Sixth years after its launch, the truck's design, size, multiple defects, association with Musk, and high price have resulted in its marketplace failure.
  - Gizmodo, 16 July 2025

• Elon Musk's Tesla's Cybertruck is a failure that is flopping fast. Sixth years after its launch, the truck's design, size, multiple defects, association with Musk, and high price have resulted in its marketplace failure.
  - Gizmodo, 16 July 2025

• Car company Baidu, based in Zhōngguó, and Uber team up to cause more paid-human taxi drivers to lose their jobs, by agreeing to use Baidu's non-paid humanless-driver cars through Uber's platform outside the USA and Zhōngguó. [KM: The rich get richer.]
  - Comcast's CNBC, 15 July 2025

• Sirius, the ad-free audio entertainment company mostly popular in car audio systems, has cost $10 to $25 a month. To keep customers, Sirius will offer a cheaper version at less than $7/month which will include ads.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 15 July 2025

• Elon Musk panics: Tesla sales are so abysmal in Canada (which is being attacked by Musk's former buddy Trump) that Elon Musk has made the drastic choice to dramatically lower the price of the new Model Y as it attempts to rebuild sales
  - Futurism, 14 July 2025

• Elon Musk to integrate his occasionally racist AI chatbot, Grok, into his Tesla vehicles. Beyond racist insults, there is corporate fascism to worry about. These intelligent machines could one day be tied to social credit systems or dystopian surveillance programs run by intelligence agencies and Big Tech - monitoring your every move.
  - Zero Hedge, 14 July 2025

• Electric vehicle makers in Zhōngguó are winning more market share in Norway. Norway imposes no taxes/tariffs on imports of such vehicle, making competition fairer (as Norway is not part of the European Union)
  - Comcast's CNBC, 14 July 2025

• Two automakers in Deutschland, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, are suffering declining sales in the USA due to Trump's taxes/tariffs, while increasing in other parts of the world such as Europe and the Middle East
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 12 July 2025

• As electric vehicles continue to become more popular in Zhōngguó, displacing gasoline-powered vehicles, the global demand for oil will signficantly decline
  - Barclay's The Telegraph, 11 July 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles - "uninspired and stale" are in serious trouble in Zhōngguó
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 10 July 2025

• How Volkswagen's electric bus went from an American success to a flop, due to being too expensive and Trumps taxes/tariffs
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 10 July 2025

• Trump's tax/tariff on imports of copper, automobiles, drugs and aluminum could hurt the economy of the USA more than his other taxes/tariffs, given the major role of these commodities
  - Comcast's CNBC, 09 July 2025

• Why people in the USA cannot buy the best electric cars in the world, those sold by BYD in Zhōngguó. BYD's success is due to the success of capitalistic-socialism in Zhōngguó (as opposed the USA's socialistic capitalism): a combination of government financial support, methodical long-term planning and aggressive corporate innovation, resulting in Zhōngguó dominating a growing number of industries of the future. But the USA does have the prettiest (and most expensive) weapons.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 09 July 2025

• More and more customers of Hertz are outraged that new AI scanners charge lots amounts of money for the tiniest of 'dings' when they return rental cars, made worse by the difficulty in contacting customer support to dispute the charges
  - The Drive, 08 July 2025

• More and more customers of Hertz are outraged that new AI scanners charge lots amounts of money for the tiniest of 'dings' when they return rental cars, made worse by the difficulty in contacting customer support to dispute the charges
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 08 July 2025

• How Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" will make Zhōngguó great again - by insuring that Zhōngguó dominates renewable energy and other technologies of the future
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 08 July 2025

• Because of the criminal mismanagement of Elon Musk, the financial and business troubles at Tesla are worse than you think. Tesla is losing socialist tax credits, faces increased competition from Zhōngguó, and his idiotic political antics turns off more and more customers. Tesla's useless bored of directors refuses to act.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 08 July 2025

• Why Tesla is in financial trouble - aside from the behavior of Musk
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 08 July 2025

• Elon Musk is losing his popularity and opportunities for Tesla in Zhōngguó. Local competition, such as BYD, is grabbing more of the market for electric vehicles that Musk helped create. Worsening his plight, the government of Zhōngguó is less interested in Musk, now that he is fighting with Trump.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 July 2025

• Volkswagen joins the "lets create more unemployment of paid humans" non-paid robotaxi industry, bringing its non-paid self-driving minivans to the USA
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 July 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles in June in Deutschland decline 60%. Sales of Tesla vehicles have declined for six straight months in France, Sweden, Denmark, and Italy. The declines are much due to strong competition from Zhōngguó, and Musk's past support for authoritarian Trump.
  - Zero Hedge, 06 July 2025

• "[Our Tesla] suddenly accelerated with our baby in it." - the terrifying/criminal truth about why Musk's/Tesla's vehicles keep crashing - not enough concern for brand safety, too much concern for brand prettiness.
  - The Guardian, 05 July 2025

• Why Elon Musk's and Tesla's Cybertruck has been a business failure, having sold about a tenth of the Cybertrucks Musk had earlier promised.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 04 July 2025

• As Elon Musk wages war on Trump (having waged war on the public with DOGE), and while Tesla struggles with weak deliveries and a brand problem (because of Musk), analysts warn that Tesla is being outcompeted by rivals such as BYD and other electric vehicle companies
  - Fast Company, 03 July 2025

• Saudi Arabia, while a big producer of oil (which leads to gasoline), is investing more money in infrastructure for electric vehicles. Saudi Arabia also wants to start manufacturing electric vehicles.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 03 July 2025

• The government of Nihon states that its automobile manufacturers have been paying the extra costs due to Trump's taxes/tariffs, as trade talks between Nihon and the USA show little progress
  - Zero Hedge, 02 July 2025

• Starting 01 July 2025, the city of Delhi, Bharat, will prohibit petrol/gasoline vehicles over 15 years old and diesel vehicles over 10 years from refueling at any fuel pump in the city. Violators must pay a fine, and their vehicles can be impounded or scrapped immediately.
  - Economic Times, 02 July 2025

• Zhōngguó already has a huge lead in the production of electric vehicles. The lead could become even greater, disastrous, if Trump and Republicans reduce/eliminate incentive programs in the USA for electric vehicles, completely giving the industry to Zhōngguó
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 July 2025

• Zhōngguó already has a huge lead in the production of solar power systems. The lead could become even greater, disastrous, if Trump and Republicans reduce/eliminate incentive programs in the USA for solar power, completely giving the industry to Zhōngguó
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 July 2025

• Sales of Tesla's vehicles dropped 13.5% year-to-year in the second three months of 2025
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 02 July 2025

• More competition: sales of Tesla's vehicles dropped 13.5% year-to-year in the second three months of 2025
  - Comcast's CNBC, 02 July 2025

• People still don't like Elon MusK: sales of Tesla's vehicles dropped 13.5% year-to-year in the second three months of 2025
  - Associated Press, 02 July 2025

• Deutsche Bank predicts that Tesla will fail to meet expecations for deliveries of its vehicles in Q2 2025
  - Zero Hedge, 01 July 2025

• One in three drivers in the USA do not have sufficient levels of car insurance
  - Comcast's CNBC, 01 July 2025

• Customers of Hertz rental cars are outraged by AI-powered scanners that charge them hundreds of dollars for small scuffs detected on rental cars
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 30 June 2025

• Elon Musk attacks former buddy Trump's "Big Beautiful" proposed tax law [to make the rich richer] by calling the proposed law "utterly insane and destructive". "The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!" Criticizing its dinosaur socialism, Musk writes: "It gives handouts/[socialist subsidies] to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future."
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 29 June 2025

• Elon Musk attacks former buddy Trump's "Big Beautiful" proposed tax law [to make the rich richer] by calling the proposed law "utterly insane and destructive". "The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!" Criticizing its dinosaur socialism, Musk writes: "It gives handouts/[socialist subsidies] to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future."
  - The Daily Beast, 29 June 2025

• Elon Musk attacks former buddy Trump's "Big Beautiful" proposed tax law [to make the rich richer] by calling the proposed law "utterly insane and destructive". "The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!" Criticizing its dinosaur socialism, Musk writes: "It gives handouts/[socialist subsidies] to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future."
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 29 June 2025

• It is bulletproof, fire-resistant and stronger than steel. It is 'superwood'. Waste wood scraps, changed at the molecular level, could become heavy-duty building materials -- and even replace plastic, aluminum and carbon fiber in our vehicles and gadgets.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 28 June 2025

• How Zhōngguó could shut down auto factories around the world, because of its control over the distribution of rare earth metals
  - Comcast's CNBC, 28 June 2025

• Trump wants an automobiles manufactured entirely in the USA. Such automobiles would be so expensive that vehicle sales in the USA could plunge as much as 20% if Trump relies on massive taxes/tariffs to achieve this nonsensical economic goal.
  - Barron's, 28 June 2025

• Xiaomi outmaneuvered Silicon Valley with the launches of a new SUV and of AI Glasses. Xiaomi's newly launched YU7 SUV garnered 200,000 preorders within minutes and nearly 300,000 in the first hour. Also unveiled were AI smart glasses, the MIX Flip 2 foldable phone, and a new tablet powered by Xiaomi's in-house chip. Where are the U.S. companies that match Xiaomi's full-stack business model? There are none - too busy being lazy monopolists.
  - Zero Hedge, 27 June 2025

• Confusion as Trump says deal with Zhōngguó "signed" yet both sides violate terms of the economic 'ceasefire'. Zhōngguó is refusing to supply the USA with rare-earth magnets, and the USA blocks unloading of ethane at ports in Zhōngguó.
  - Zero Hedge, 27 June 2025

• Zhōngguó on Friday signaled it would approve the export of rare earth minerals to the USA, hours after White House officials said the two sides had reached a deal, in what would be a major breakthrough following weeks of negotiations over USA access to the key materials. "Zhōngguó will approve the export application of controlled items that meet the conditions in accordance with the law. The USA will cancel a series of restrictive measures taken against Zhōngguó accordingly."
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 27 June 2025

• Zhōngguó on Friday signaled it would approve the export of rare earth minerals to the USA, hours after White House officials said the two sides had reached a deal, in what would be a major breakthrough following weeks of negotiations over USA access to the key materials. "Zhōngguó will approve the export application of controlled items that meet the conditions in accordance with the law. The USA will cancel a series of restrictive measures taken against Zhōngguó accordingly."
  - Comcast's CNBC, 27 June 2025

• Zhōngguó on Friday signaled it would approve the export of rare earth minerals to the USA, hours after White House officials said the two sides had reached a deal, in what would be a major breakthrough following weeks of negotiations over USA access to the key materials. "Zhōngguó will approve the export application of controlled items that meet the conditions in accordance with the law. The USA will cancel a series of restrictive measures taken against Zhōngguó accordingly."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 June 2025

• Western companies are struggling to secure approvals for rare-earth imports from authorities in Zhōngguó, despite the USA-Zhōngguó deal
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 June 2025

• Zhōngguó has begun issuing export licenses for rare earth metals to companies in Europe
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 June 2025

• CATL, a battery manufacturing giant in Zhōngguó and supplier to Tesla, is expanding globally after its IPO in May. CATL also plans to roll out its battery-swapping and recycling technology to Europe, a move that could shake-up the regional market.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 27 June 2025

• Shares of BYD decline 3% after scaling back production in light of rising inventories and slower sales growth
  - Zero Hedge (locked), 26 June 2025

• Winnebago slashes guidance as the slump deepens of sales of recreational vehicles; management uses cautious tone
  - Zero Hedge, 26 June 2025

• BYD and other car companies based in Zhōngguó doubled their share of the car market after the European Union imposed higher tariffs on electric vehicles from Zhōngguó. They pivoted to hybrids or gasoline-powered cars that were exempt from tariffs. They began importing less-expensive models. And they concentrated on countries like Italy and Spain, where German and French carmakers are less entrenched than in Northern Europe.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 26 June 2025

• Shares of lithium-ion battery developer QuantumScape soared 35% after announcing a breakthrough in producing the batteries more efficiently
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 25 June 2025

• Google's obnoxious Waymo has about 300 non-paid robotaxis on the streets of Los Angeles stealing work from paid-human taxi drivers. But worse, the non-paid robotaxis are very unpopular with some residents who say human beings are kept awake at night by the robotaxi's honking, flashing lights and back-up beeps, as well as the general hubbub generated by the robotaxi's human attendants, who plug them in to charge and vacuum them between rides. "When Waymo began operating the lots, it was by complete surprise and all of us stopped sleeping." The rich executives at Waymo and Google are sleeping well.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 25 June 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles in Europe decline for the fifth month, as car buyers switch to buying electric vehicles made by companies in Zhōngguó such as BYD
  - Comcast's CNBC, 25 June 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles in Europe decline for the fifth month, as car buyers switch to buying electric vehicles made by companies in Zhōngguó such as BYD
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 25 June 2025

• Electric/gasoline hybrid vehicles imported into Europe from Zhōngguó increase in number because of a tax/tariff exemption
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 June 2025

• Noise pollution, much from cars and trucks, harms health of millions across Europe, report finds. About 110 million people suffer stress and sleep disturbance that lead to tens of thousands of early deaths
  - The Guardian, 24 June 2025

• Hertz is using non-paid AI to scan your rental car for damage instead of paid humans, and it might cost you. The rental car company's AI-based scanners are being rolled out across the U.S., but a report suggests they could add extra fees to the inspection process. One person who experienced the system was asked to pay $190 in processing and administrative fees to repair a roughly one-inch scrape on a wheel.
  - Car and Driver, 24 June 2025

• Trump's taxes/tariffs are expected to increase the cost of vehicles by $2000, according to consulting firm AlixPartners. The firm estimates that automakers will pass on 80% of the $30 billion tariff cost, adding about $1,760 per car. Trump also plans to end subsidies for electric vehicles. These policy shifts could seriously undercut USA automakers in the global EV race, potentially making them reliant on platforms and technology from Zhōngguó. Another gift to Zhōngguó. Another prediction: "Zhōngguó will have the world's best V8 engines by 2028. Zhōngguó will probably have the only V8 engines by 2028."
  - Zero Hedge, 24 June 2025

• How Tesla's job-destroying non-paid robotaxi service compares with Baidu's Apollo Go in Zhōngguó. Tesla is finally entering the robotaxi business, but Baidu has been testing its job-destroying non-paid robotaxi service for years.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 June 2025

• The state of Texas, to encourage further unemployment of poorer taxi drivers, enacts regulations for very rich robotaxi companies to operate in the state
  - Thomson's Reuters, 22 June 2025

• High costs have ended the USA's love affair with cars. Cars now cost a fortune in repairs, insurance and shocking expensive replacement parts.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 June 2025

• The Senate considers effectively killing a regulation that drove the rise of fuel-efficient cars. The regulation helped launch fuel-efficient mainstays like Toyota's Prius.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 June 2025

• Baidu, based in Zhōngguó, wanting to help more people lose their jobs so it can profit, plans to expand its non-paid robotaxi business to Singapore and Malaysia, as non-paid robotaxi companies in Zhōngguó race to grow by destroying overseas more paid-human taxi driver jobs
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 June 2025

• CarMax profit rises as worries about Trump's taxes/tariffs spur used-car demand. Used-car retailer CarMax logged higher profit and sales in its latest quarter as tariff uncertainty sparked an uptick in demand for used cars.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 June 2025

• The industrial policy of Zhōngguó has an unprofitability problem. Zhōngguó is paying its national champions to fight each other to the death. For most Chinese manufacturers, export markets are simply not going to replace the domestic market. And this means that Chinese manufacturers will be forced to compete against each other for a domestic market whose size is relatively fixed, at least in the short term. That competition will eat away at their profit margins. It is not just autos, either - similar things are happening in solar, steel, and a bunch of other industries.
  - Noahpinion, 20 June 2025

• Hybrid automobiles, once derided and dismissed, have become popular
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 20 June 2025

• Tesla's non-paid robotaxi, long promised by the extremely rich Elon Musk, joins a crowded field of rich companies seeking to become richer by destroying millions of paid-human taxi car jobs
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 20 June 2025

• BYD, the top producer of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in Zhōngguó, is offering car shoppers in Brazil relatively low-priced options in a market where the green-car movement is still in its infancy. But auto-industry officials and labor leaders in Brazil worry that the vast influx of cars from BYD and other automakers in Zhōngguó will prevent domestic auto production and hurt jobs.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 19 June 2025

• The automobile industry in Zhōngguó is on the verge of collapse, as six major cities in Zhōngguó run out of socialist subsidies for buying automobiles. This could "grind to a halt" most if not all of new car sales in the world's second biggest economy.
  - Zero Hedge, 18 June 2025

• How automobile manufacturers in Zhōngguó doubled their share of the automobile market in Europe. BYD and other companies doubled their share of the car market after the European Union imposed higher taxes/tariffs on electric vehicles from Zhōngguó.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 18 June 2025

• Battery makers in the USA declare a national emergency after Zhōngguó bans export of antimony
  - OilPrice.com, 18 June 2025

• Automakers in Zhōngguó have a goal of using 100% domestic-made processors in new vehicles
  - Zero Hedge, 17 June 2025

• Why your poorly designed touchscreen in your car is more dangerous to your driving saftey than your cellphone
  - Cars & Horespower, 17 June 2025

• A "defectively designed" Cybertruck sold by Elon Musk's company burned so hot in a crash that the driver's bones literally disintegrated
  - The Independent, 17 June 2025

• Shares of Tesla decline after a report that the company will be pausing production of Cybertrucks and Model Y automobiles
  - Comcast's CNBC, 17 June 2025

• Retail sales in the USA declined in May, as the price of gasoline declined, and an even bigger drop in Auto Sales (as the tariff front running surge evaporates)
  - Zero Hedge, 17 June 2025

• Finding a new car for under $20,000 is becoming increasingly difficult, with only 3 models below the threshold. The average price of a new car in the U.S. is around $48,000. Nine of the 10 cheapest models come from Japanese or South Korean brands, reflecting their ability to produce cheaper, value-driven vehicles.
  - Zero Hedge, 17 June 2025

• The British VarEVolt battery has been granted the certification needed so it can start manufacturing, on a large scale, an electric vehicle battery that fully recharges in 18 seconds, meaning more EV makers can use them in their cars.
  - Live Science, 16 June 2025

• A new Bankrate survey reveals that 46% of Americans plan to travel this summer. Of the remaining 54%, 65% say affordability is keeping them from venturing out - and will be taking 'staycations' near home.
  - Zero Hedge, 16 June 2025

• New fees on 'floating garages' are Trump's latest effort to revive shipbuilding in the USA. Trump is targeting special foreign-made vessels called ro-ros (roll on, roll off), which transport vehicles, but the taxes could raise the price of cars up to $300.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 16 June 2025

• Stark images, captured from a drone by environmental campaigners and shared with the BBC, appear to show how nickel mining has stripped forests and polluted waters in one of the most biodiverse marine habitats on Earth. The Raja Ampat archipelago - a group of small islands in Indonesia's Southwest Papua Province - has been dubbed the "Amazon of the Seas". In a move that was welcomed by campaigners, the Indonesian government this week revoked permits for four out of five mining companies operating in the region. Aerial images show forest loss and sediment run-off into waters that are home to biodiverse coral reefs.
  - BBC, 14 June 2025

• Is 'green' hydrogen (from renewable resources) approaching viability? Most hydrogen is produced from steam methane reforming, which produces a lot of global heating CO2. To become viable, electrolyzers need to become more efficient, and a steady supply of power from renewable energy sources is needed. And storing and transporting hydrogen is a challenge.
  - Real Clear Science, 14 June 2025

• Rides using non-paid AI robotaxis provided by Waymo cost more than rides using Uber or Lyft - and people are paying anyway. Obi (a data monitoring app) found that Lyft offered the lowest average price at $14.44. Uber was next at $15.58. The average price was $20.43. More and more money not going to paid human drivers, but rich AI/NASDAQ companies.
  - TechCrunch, 14 June 2025

• Shares of Archer Aviation drop about 15% on $850 million share sale following Trump air taxi pilot program
  - Comcast's CNBC, 14 June 2025

• Nissan stuns vehicle buyers with new ultra-affordable electric vehicle starting at $16,500 (similar to the cost of BYD's Qin L) - and it is not bare-bones with no flashy smart tech
  - The Cool Down, 12 June 2025

• The bankruptcy of auto-parts supplier Marelli is the first big casualty fo Trump's tax/tariff trade war
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 12 June 2025

• Zhōngguó is putting a six-month limit on rare-earth export licenses for automakers and manufacturers in the USA, giving Beijing leverage if trade tensions flare up again while adding to uncertainty for American industry.
  - Zero Hedge, 11 June 2025

• A craven Elon Musk says that he is sorry to Trump in a humilating reversal
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 11 June 2025

• A craven Elon Musk says that he is sorry to Trump in a humilating reversal
  - The Daily Beast, 11 June 2025

• The retail tactic in Zhōngguó of selling brand new cars as heavily discounted second-hand vehicles to get rid of inventory should be ended, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Zhōngguó stated in an article on Tuesday. "This disguised form of price cutting disrupts normal market order and is a striking example of the auto industry's 'involution'.", the People's Daily said, using a term popular in Zhōngguó that describes a race to the bottom driven by excessive competition.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 10 June 2025

• Robotaxis enter the mass paid-human-job destruction phase, whoops, the commercialization phase in North America with hyperscaling next. Robotaxis are expected to capture $7 billion of the rideshare market, money that will not be earned by paid-human taxi drivers, but will make rich AI/auto companies richer.
  - Zero Hedge, 09 June 2025

• AESC, based in Zhōngguó, has halted construction of its $1.6 billion battery plant in Florence, South Carolina, citing economic uncertainty tied to Trump's trade war and tariffs and the potential early termination of federal clean energy subsidies.
  - Zero Hedge, 08 June 2025

• AESC, based in Zhōngguó, has halted construction of its $1.6 billion battery plant in Florence, South Carolina, citing economic uncertainty tied to Trump's trade war and tariffs and the potential early termination of federal clean energy subsidies.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 08 June 2025

• Marina von Neumann Whitman (1935-2025), who fought for a greater role for women in economics, dies after completing 90 years. She was the first women to serve on the White House Council of Economic Advisors. At General Motors, she became one of the highest-ranking women in corporate America. Her father was the famous mathematical physicist, John von Neumann.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 07 June 2025

• How hydrogen, the fuel of the future, became 'bogged down in the Bayou'. Air Products bet big on the element, but sentiment has soured, costs are snowballing and customers remain elusive.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 June 2025

• How extreme weather is increasing the cost of your auto insurance. Insured losses due juse to hailstones have increased fivefold in the USA, costing an estimated $10 billion annually. Research has linked climate change to larger hailstones, which can produce deeper and bigger dents. As the incidence and severity of hailstorms, hurricanes, flooding, and tornadoes increase due to global heating, insurance providers field more claims and face higher repair costs. These outcomes often prompt premium increases, particularly in areas prone to severe weather.
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 06 June 2025

• Zhōngguó issues export licenses to suppliers of rare earth metals to the top 3 automakers in the USA
  - Thomson's Reuters, 06 June 2025

• The telephone call between Trump and Xi isn't enough to resolve the looming shortage of critical minerals from Zhōngguó, for companies in the USA
  - Comcast's CNBC, 06 June 2025

• Zhōngguó will allow limited exports of rare earth metals, as shortages continue
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 06 June 2025

• The telephone call between Trump and Xi fails to spark much enthusiasm in factories in Zhōngguó. Disillusioned by Trump's shifting policy positions, many manufacturers want to see clearer signals before they make major moves.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 June 2025

• Used vehicle prices ease from tariff fear-buying highs but remain elevated
  - Comcast's CNBC, 06 June 2025

• The new CRO of Nissan proposes a massive restructuring that includes the firing of 15% of the people working for the company
  - Zero Hedge, 05 June 2025

• Tesla has lost more than $150 billion in market capitalization since Elon Musk left Washington, and Musk and Trump started a huge political fight
  - Murdoch's MarketWatch, 05 June 2025

• Shares of Tesla plummet 11% today, as the political fight between Musk and former friend Trump worsens. Musk says Trump isn't grateful for Musk's helping in getting Trump re-elected, and Trump is accusing Musk of hypocrisy by supposedly wanting a smaller government but also the continuation of subsidies for electric vehicle companies such as ... Musk's Tesla.
  - Zero Hedge, 05 June 2025

• Shares of Tesla plummet 11% today, as the political fight between Musk and former friend Trump worsens. Musk says Trump isn't grateful for Musk's helping in getting Trump re-elected, and Trump is accusing Musk of hypocrisy by supposedly wanting a smaller government but also the continuation of subsidies for electric vehicle companies such as ... Musk's Tesla.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 05 June 2025

• Trump threatens to reduce government contracts and socialist subsidies to Elon Musk's businesses as the fallout spreads from their political feud
  - Associated Press, 05 June 2025

• Winnebago announces that it will be firing people. Why Trump's tax/tariff trade war can be blamed. "What began as an encouraging selling season in March was hampered by growing macroeconomic uncertainty, resulting in worsening consumer sentiment and an increasingly cautious dealer network in the final two months of our fiscal third quarter."
  - Murdoch's MarketWatch, 05 June 2025

• People in Deutschland are buying more electric vehicles, but not from Tesla. Tesla's sales have been hurt by protests against Elon Musk's support for Trump and several racist far-right politcal parties in France, Deutschland and Italy.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 05 June 2025

• Bharat plans incentives for the manufacturing of rare earth magnets as supply threats increase
  - Thomson's Reuters, 05 June 2025

• Industry in Europe is under siege: Zhōngguó deploys rare earth metals as an economic weapon. Export restrictions on rare earths are now Zhōngguó's latest tactic to break down trade barriers in Europe and push back against escalating pressure from the USA.
  - Zero Hedge, 05 June 2025

• The reductions in exports of rare earth metals from Zhōngguó is hurting the automobile industry around the world
  - Thomson's Reuters, 05 June 2025

• The automobile industry sounds the alarm as restrictions on rare earth metals from Zhōngguó start to hurt production of automobiles
  - Comcast's CNBC, 05 June 2025

• Next-generation battery expert Zhou Jianbin leaves the USA to work in Zhōngguó as nations seek tech edge. Research into solid-state batteries, seen as a key tech battleground, is a priority for major economies.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 June 2025

• Since early April, Zhōngguó has stopped almost all shipments of critical minerals that are needed for cars, robots, wind turbines, jet fighters and other technologies
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 04 June 2025

• The dependence of the US on rare earth magnets from Zhōngguó is causing shortages. The USA allowed its rare earth metals industry to move to Zhōngguó. The USA could now face severe economic disruptions as Zhōngguó limits crucial supplies of rare earth metals.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 04 June 2025

• Automakers race for workaround to Zhōngguó's stranglehold on rare-earth magnets. Major manufacturers, fearful they will have to shut down assembly lines, are considering moving some production of parts to Zhōngguó.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 04 June 2025

• Net loss increases at NIO amid a highly competitive market in Zhōngguó for electric vehicles, and due to higher operating expenses
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 04 June 2025

• Automobile dealers in Zhōngguó requested that automakers to stop offloading too many cars on dealerships, as intense price wars are pressuring their cash flow, driving down their profitability and forcing some to shut.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 04 June 2025

• Shares of Toyota Industries fall more than 12% after a $33 billion take-private offer its parent, Toyota Motor, fell short of investor expectations.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 03 June 2025

• Shares of Toyota Industries fall more than 12% after a $33 billion take-private offer its parent, Toyota Motor, fell short of investor expectations.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 03 June 2025

• New car sales for Tesla in Britain dropped more than 45% in May, year-to-year. Tesla has been losing market share in Europe because of the authoritarian Elon Musk's embrace of far-right authoritarian politics in Europe, and his support for the Europe-hating authoritarian Trump.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 02 June 2025

• Toyota Industries (market cap: $39 billion) will decide on Tuesday whether to accept a tender offer to take the company private, it said, after several media reported that it would accept a $42 billion offer from Toyota Motor (market cap: $300 billion) and other group companies. Toyota Motor owned about 24% of Toyota Industries as of September last year, while Toyota Industries held around 9% of Toyota Motor and more than 5% of Denso, another major Toyota supplier and Toyota group company.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 02 June 2025

• Toyota Industries (market cap: $39 billion) will decide on Tuesday whether to accept a tender offer to take the company private, it said, after several media reported that it would accept a $42 billion offer from Toyota Motor (market cap: $300 billion) and other group companies. Toyota Motor owned about 24% of Toyota Industries as of September last year, while Toyota Industries held around 9% of Toyota Motor and more than 5% of Denso, another major Toyota supplier and Toyota group company.
  - Bloomberg, 02 June 2025

• Geely, an innovative automaker in Zhōngguó, just dropped a game-changing electric hybrid pickup truck that is sending shockwaves through the auto world. The new Radar RD6 Super Pickup boasts a record-breaking 620-mile range, lightning-fast acceleration, and enough plug-in power to juice up your campsite. "It represents a fusion of advanced technologies designed to transform the driving experience."
  - The Cool Down, 01 June 2025

• Tesla cannot find legal places to store all of its unsold Cybertrucks
  - Futurism, 31 May 2025

• Google's Waymo - a company offering non-paid robotaxi service [KM: to eliminate as many paid-human taxi drivers as possible to make the owners of Google and Waymo richer], has just reached 10 million rides not done by paid-humans.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 31 May 2025

• Hyundai is considering a 1% price increase on its vehicles sold in the USA, to counter Trump's taxes/tariffs. The South Korean automaker is also likely to raise charges on shipping and fees for options such as floor mats and roof rails in a move that would help it avoid further raising the base price of its vehicles.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 29 May 2025

• A price "race to the bottom": BYD is slashing prices to prompt a consolidation of the electric vehicle market in Zhōngguó
  - Zero Hedge, 29 May 2025

• Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford on Thursday sounded the alarm on the potential for Washington to do away with production tax credits that support the manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 29 May 2025

• Trump's tax/tariff trade war agaisnt Zhōngguó, and his attacks on renewable energy, may destroy the battery industry in the USA - another gift to Zhōngguó. Domestic factories that make batteries to store power to meet the rising energy demand of the USA depend on components from Zhōngguó and subsidies from the government of the USA.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 29 May 2025

• To boost his stock, Elon Musk announces upcoming destruction of paid-human jobs, when the "golden age" of non-paid robotaxis begins on June 12th as Tesla launches its non-paid robotaxi service in Austin to profit his shareholders by taking money from paid-human taxi drivers
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 29 May 2025

• Prosecutors in Brazil sue BYD, the automaker based in Zhōngguó, for violating labor rights. BYD is accused of human trafficking and "slavery-like conditions" for workers building a factory in its biggest market outside of Zhōngguó. The lawsuit seeks $45 million in in moral damages from BYD and two contractors, JinJiang and Tecmonta. Prosecutors are also looking to force the companies to comply with various labor rules and seek a fine of 50,000 reais ($8800) for each breach, multiplied by the number of affected workers.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 28 May 2025

• Despite Trump's ignorant insults and attacks, congestion pricing for automobile travel in parts of New York City seem to be working: fewer cars, faster travel, less honking, faster commutes, better bus service.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 28 May 2025

• A federal judge temporarily blocks Trump from ending congestion pricing in New York City
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 28 May 2025

• A federal judge blocks Trump threats to strip federal funding from New York City in their feud over congestion pricing. The temporary restraining order blocks the Trump administration from withholding federal funds for the New York transit system until June 9.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 28 May 2025

• Xiaomi delivers another earnings beat on strong phone, car sales. The smartphone and electronics maker said its first-quarter net profit more than doubled from a year earlier to 10.92 billion yuan.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 28 May 2025

• Joby Aviation shares jump 20% as electric air-taxi maker closes $250 million Toyota investment. The payment is part of a previously announced deal from the carmaker to invest $500 million in Joby to support certification and commercial production.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 28 May 2025

• A leader in hybrid automobiles, Toyota, says it will seek major growth in hybrid plug-in vehicles amid the auto industry's uncertainties about electric vehicles. Toyota plans to increase PHEVs from 2.4% last year to roughly 20% of its sales volume in the USA by 2030, according to company sources.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 28 May 2025

• Trump's taxes/tariffs are forcing up the price of used-cars and increasing the sales of user cars. Demand for the vehicles is rising as prices climb and supplies shrink on dealer lots.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 27 May 2025

• Xiaomi takes aim at Tesla's bestselling car, the Model Y, in Zhōngguó with its longer-range YU7
  - Comcast's CNBC, 26 May 2025

• Shares of BYD plunge over 8% as the electric vehicle maker reduces its prices on 22 models until the end of June
  - Comcast's CNBC, 26 May 2025

• The huge depreciation on Tesla's Cybertruck is mindblowingly bad. Estimates reflect as much as a 35% drop in value after only about a year. Typically, anything more than 15% in the first year is considered significant depreciation for a new vehicle.
  - AutoBlog, 25 May 2025

• Scott Galloway, a prominent marketing professor at New York University, said that Elon Musk's government-destroying efforts with Trump and DOGE outraged so many consumers that it fueled "one of the greatest brand destructions" of all times
  - Business Insider, 25 May 2025

• Tesla scrambles to increase sales of its vehicles, as new vehicle models reportedly site untouched on lots nationwide. In most of the world, there is little to no wait time to get a Model Y at the moment, and Tesla is offering 0% financing on them. Given that the Model Y has only been out since January, analysts say that offering those kinds of financing deals on them is a bad sign.
  - The Cool Down, 25 May 2025

• Tesla customers are shocked after uncovering truth about 'new' vehicles they purchased -- and it is part of a discouraging trend. Tesla customers have serious concerns about receiving vehicles that have deteriorated from months of outdoor storage. Buyers who receive vehicles that were stored outdoors for months face potential quality and reliability issues. Electric vehicles suffer particular risks during extended storage, including battery degradation from temperature fluctuations, reduced charge capacity, moisture damage from inadequate ventilation, and possible rust formation.
  - The Cool Down, 25 May 2025

• In ten years, Tesla has made little progress with its Level 5 technology for self-driving automobiles. This lack of progress will not end soon, according to Tesla's own head of Autopilot and AI software. Why then are pumper-dumpers touting this technology to encourage people to buy Tesla's stock?
  - Futurism, 24 May 2025

• Hakan Samuelsson, CEO of Volvo Cars, said on Friday that its customers would have to pay a large part of Trump's tax/tariff-related cost increases, and that it could become impossible to import one of its most affordable cars to the USA if the taxes increase.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 23 May 2025

• BYD beats Tesla in sales of electric vehicles in Europe, despite EU taxes/tariffs
  - Comcast's CNBC, 23 May 2025

• BYD beats Tesla in sales of electric vehicles in Europe, despite EU taxes/tariffs
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 23 May 2025

• In an authoritarian betrayal of states' rights (that they champion), the USA Senate voted 51-44 to overturn California's ban on gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. Trump is sure to sign it.
  - Zero Hedge, 22 May 2025

• In an authoritarian betrayal of states' rights (that they champion), the USA Senate voted 51-44 to overturn California's ban on gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. Trump is sure to sign it.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 May 2025

• The European Union starts an antidumping probe into imports of automobiles tires from Zhōngguó. The investigation follows an official complaint by the tire industry in the EU claiming that imports of tires from Zhōngguó are sold at unfair prices and are harming domestic producers.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 May 2025

• Inventory of the Tesla's cybertruck has surpassed 10,000 in the USA, an alarming level of inventory that raises a lot of questions about how well it is accepted in the truck market
  - The Cool Down, 21 May 2025

• Google subsidiary Waymo says it reached 10 million robotaxi trips, doubling in five months, 10 million taxi rides not provided by paid humans, .
  - Comcast's CNBC, 21 May 2025

• Tesla is now accepting Cybertruck trade-ins. 2 owners showed us how much their vehicles have depreciated - down over 35% in one year. Typical new cars decline 30% in two years.
  - Business Insider, 21 May 2025

• The non-paid robotaxi service of Baidu completes 11 million rides amid company growth, 11 million taxi rides not provided by paid humans
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 May 2025

• People in Canada fear that Trump's taxes/tariffs will create a 'ghost town' in the province of Ontario. Trump's taxes/tariffs on auto parts are already causing job losses in Windsor, Ontario, the heart of an industry that makes components for vehicles bound for the USA.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 20 May 2025

• Honda Motor said that it was scaling back its investment in electric vehicles given slowing demand and would be focusing on hybrids, now far more in favour, with a slew of revamped models
  - Thomson's Reuters, 20 May 2025

• CATL, a battery giant in Zhōngguó, saw its stock price soar 16% after its market debut in Hong Kong. CATL also blocked onshore USA investors from buying its stock, another sign of the 'decoupling' of finance between Zhōngguó and the USA due to Trump's tax/tariff trade war.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 20 May 2025

• CATL, a battery giant in Zhōngguó, saw its stock price soar 16% after its market debut in Hong Kong. CATL also blocked onshore USA investors from buying its stock, another sign of the 'decoupling' of finance between Zhōngguó and the USA due to Trump's tax/tariff trade war.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 20 May 2025

• CATL, a battery giant in Zhōngguó, saw its stock price soar 16% after its market debut in Hong Kong. CATL also blocked onshore USA investors from buying its stock, another sign of the 'decoupling' of finance between Zhōngguó and the USA due to Trump's tax/tariff trade war.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 20 May 2025

• Porsche tried to be both Ferrari and Mercedes. Due to Trump's tax/tariff trade war, it struggles to be either. Though known for its iconic 911 sports car, Porsche has become an SUV maker without any manufacturing in the USA.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 20 May 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó orders government agencies to buy more electric vehicles that are made in Zhōngguó, for official use
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 May 2025

• Higher taxes/tariffs in the European Union have failed to stop a flood of electric vehicles being imported from Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 May 2025

• Lobbied/bribed by the automobile industry, multiple Congresses of the USA built more and more highways. Europe built more and more trains and railroads. The USA will regret slashing funding for public infrastructure and firing transit workers. Long-distance public transport in America may be heading inexorably toward a binary choice: fast, exclusive and environmentally ruinous or slow, tortuous and run-down.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 18 May 2025

• According to J.D. Power, automobile buyers are still interesting in buying electric vehicles and alternatives to buying Musk's Tesla vehicles
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 17 May 2025

• [VIDEO]: who owns the highways in France? Highways in France have sparked controversy for decades -- not just because of steep tolls, but because most are run by private companies, not the state. So how did these roads become so costly, and is the system really serving the public?
  - Comcast's CNBC, 17 May 2025

• People are still buying electric vehicles: 24% of people in the USA are very likely to purchase an EV, and almost 50% of the cars in Zhōngguó being sold are electric vehicles
  - AutoWeek, 16 May 2025

• Profits at Geely Automobile more than tripled on record sales
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 16 May 2025

• Automakers in the USA would have to charge $10,000 to $20,000 more per automobile, killing sales, if they are forced to build 100% of their automobiles in the USA in light of Trump's tax/tariff trade wars
  - Comcast's CNBC, 16 May 2025

• Zhōngguó deploys the largest fleet of driverless mining trucks in the world
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 May 2025

• Why countries in the Arab Gulf region are fertile ground for the growth of electric vehicle markets in Zhōngguó. Carmakers in Zhōngguó are projected to account for 34% of the Middle East and Africa automotive market by 2030, up from just 10 per cent in 2024.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 May 2025

• Automakers in Nihon will lose more than $19 billion due to Trump's tax/tariff trade war.
  - Bloomberg, 14 May 2025

• Automakers based in Europe and the USA risk losing all market share in Zhōngguó, warns the owner of the Jeep brand, Stellantis
  - Financial Times, 14 May 2025

• Tax/tariff misery in Nihon: Honda and Nissan forecast plunges in profit. Distress is spreading in the auto sector of Nihon, putting into question the approach of Nihon to trade negotiations with the USA.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 13 May 2025

• Honda Motor reports 76% plunge in operating profit in huge earnings miss. Revenue for the full financial year rose 6.2% year on year, but operating profit fell 12.2% and missed expectations.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 13 May 2025

• New-vehicle prices in the USA surged up in April, a sign that the effects of President Trump's vehicle taxes/tariffs are rippling through the car market. The average price consumers paid, after discounts and promotions, rose 2.5% from March, more than double the typical 1.1% increase over those two months in recent years.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 12 May 2025

• Why Zhōngguó is investing so much money into factories in Morocco. Morocco is linked to Europe on the strength of its auto sector and a trade pact. But its status as a connector country has become precarious in the trade war.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 12 May 2025

• Nissan Motor will additionally slash more than 10,000 jobs globally, bringing the total cuts including previously announced layoffs to about 20,000 or 15% of its workforce
  - Comcast's CNBC, 12 May 2025

• Costs have ballooned for car companies after the Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs on imported cars, as well as an additional 25% on imported parts. But automakers haven't raised the prices of their cars by double digits - anything close to 25%. Good news? No, because the demand for autos is decreasing, which could be another indicator of a coming recession.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 12 May 2025

• Auto parts makers in Zhōngguó all of a sudden triple their presence in Thailand
  - Zero Hedge, 09 May 2025

• The automobile market in the USA is bankrupting people in the USA, and it will only get worse. The clearest sign of this is the rising rate of auto loan borrowers who are falling behind on their monthly payments. As of January this year, 6.6% of subprime auto borrowers were at least 60 days past due on their loans, the highest level since the 1990s.
  - MoneyWise, 09 May 2025

• Toyota says that Trump's tax/tariff trade war will destroy $1.3 billion of Toyota's profits in just 2 months
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 09 May 2025

• Toyota says that Trump's tax/tariff trade war will destroy $1.3 billion of Toyota's profits in just 2 months
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 May 2025

• Car insurance rates were ready to decline. Then Trump's taxes/tariffs came along. Tariffs on autos and auto parts present what insurers say is a risk of inflation to their claims costs. Insurers have slowed requests to regulators for rate decreases.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 May 2025

• 7 of the top 10 used car brands are automakers in Nihon (Buick, Volvo and Cadillac being the other three)
  - Zero Hedge, 08 May 2025

• A group representing General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, blasted Trump's trade deal announced with the United Kingdom, saying it would financially harm the auto sector of the USA. British carmakers will be given a quota of 100,000 cars a year that can be sent to the United States at a 10% tariff rate, almost the total Britain exported last year, compared to 25% for México and Canada and nearly all other countries. "Under this deal, it will now be cheaper to import a UK vehicle with very little USA content than a USMCA compliant vehicle from México or Canada that is half American parts."
  - Thomson's Reuters, 08 May 2025

• A group representing General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, blasted Trump's trade deal announced with the United Kingdom, saying it would financially harm the auto sector of the USA. British carmakers will be given a quota of 100,000 cars a year that can be sent to the United States at a 10% tariff rate, almost the total Britain exported last year, compared to 25% for México and Canada and nearly all other countries. "Under this deal, it will now be cheaper to import a UK vehicle with very little USA content than a USMCA compliant vehicle from México or Canada that is half American parts."
  - The Hill, 08 May 2025

• Mitsubishi Motors plans to sell Foxconn-developed electric vehicle in 2026
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 08 May 2025

• 500,000 non-paid robotaxis could be earning money on the streets of Zhōngguó by 2030, destroying 500,000 paid-human jobs
  - Zero Hedge, 07 May 2025

• At this humble used car lot in Oklahoma, taxes/tariffs are beginning to cause economic harm. Antonio Austin is trying to hold his car business together as Trump's taxes/tariffs increase costs -- and force his customers deeper into crisis.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 07 May 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles plunge in both Zhōngguó and Europe, despite a surge in all electric vehicles
  - Zero Hedge, 07 May 2025

• Deliveries of Tesla vehicles in Zhōngguó drop as buyers favor cheaper domestic models. A sales increase in March proves short-lived, as April deliveries by the Tesla's Shanghai factory plunge nearly 26%.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 May 2025

• The Lehigh County pension fund in Pennsylvania just became the first pension fund known to cease purchasing new shares of Tesla's stock. The fund cited Musk's political activities and the company's declining share price.
  - Insider, 06 May 2025

• Shares of Ferrari rise higher amid "hot" demand for supercars, despite Trump's taxes/tariffs
  - Zero Hedge, 06 May 2025

• Large auto lenders such as Wells Fargo and Capital One have tightened their standards over the past few years, meaning more people are getting rejected as demand rises. And some firms have tightened further in the past few months.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 06 May 2025

• Ford's first-quarter profit drops 64%; suspends outlook. Tariff-related uncertainty led the company to withdraw its profit forecast for the year.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 06 May 2025

• Ford's first-quarter profit drops 64%; suspends outlook. Tariff-related uncertainty led the company to withdraw its profit forecast for the year.
  - Zero Hedge, 06 May 2025

• Hyundai deploys non-paid Atlas humanoid robots in its manufacturing facility in Georgia as part of a $21 billion effort to automate operations. These advanced bipedal robots, developed by Boston Dynamics are designed to perform tasks traditionally carried out by paid humans.
  - Interesting Engineering, 05 May 2025

• Sales of electric vehicles soared in Colombia, but battery recycling startups struggle to keep pace.
  - Rest of World, 05 May 2025

• Waymo plans to double production of non-paid robotaxis at its Arizona plant by end of 2026, to more quickly eliminate paid-human jobs
  - Comcast's CNBC, 05 May 2025

• Ford pulls guidance, and warns that it will lose about $1.5 billion from Trump's taxes/tariffs on imports of autos and auto parts
  - Thomson's Reuters, 05 May 2025

• Barbie-parent Mattel withdrew its annual financial targets on Monday and said it would increase prices for some products in the USA to counter higher input costs due to Trump sweeping taxes/tariffs on key trading partners
  - Thomson's Reuters, 05 May 2025

• Editorial: Trump last week conceded that his border taxes/tariffs are economically damaging [i.e., economically idiotic] by softening the blow for auto makers. Or as he put it in a Michigan speech, believe it or not (as a statement from a leader of the USA): "We gave them a little time before we slaughter them". His latest tax/tariff exemptions stay the auto industry's execution, but why is an American president joyfully talking about lining up businesses for slaughter down the road?
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 05 May 2025

• What a $15,000 electric SUV sold by Toyota says about the automobile rivalry between the USA and Zhōngguó
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 05 May 2025

• Inside General Motor's decade-long battle to revive Cadillac as the quintessential luxury car brand in the USA
  - Comcast's CNBC, 05 May 2025

• Trump's tax/tariff of 25% on imports of automobile parts takes effect as of May 3rd. A recent estimate from the Center for Automotive Research projected that the tariffs could increase costs for U.S. automakers by as much as $108 billion this year alone.
  - Zero Hedge, 04 May 2025

• Europe and Zhōngguó want to be trade allies, to fight back against Trump's tax/tariff trade war. Trump's trade war could accelerate the integration of the auto industries in Zhōngguó and Europe, to the detriment of the auto industry of the USA.
  - Barron's, 03 May 2025

• The Congressional House votes to block California's plan to ban new gas-powered cars. Republicans, joined by a handful of Democrats, voted to eliminate California's electric vehicle policy, which had been adopted by 11 other states.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 May 2025

• Trump's tax/tariff trade war exposes the dependence of Zhōngguó on the USA for some semiconductor processors essential for automobiles and industrial goods made in Zhōngguó.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 May 2025

• Automakers in Zhōngguó monthly sales statistics in April show that demand for electric vehicles in the s second-largest economy remains strong, with Tesla rivals such as XPeng posting robust April numbers
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 May 2025

• The CEO of General Motors says that Trump's taxes/tariffs will cost GM up to $5 billion in 2025
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 01 May 2025

• The CEO of General Motors says that Trump's taxes/tariffs will cost GM up to $5 billion in 2025
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 01 May 2025

• Exports from South Korea surprisingly rose in April, led by strong semiconductor processor sales, trade data showed on Thursday, although the auto sector was weighed by Trump's taxes/tariffs
  - Thomson's Reuters, 30 April 2025

• A $6 Billion shortfall has mass transit in the USA facing a 'death spiral'
  - Bloomberg, 29 April 2025

• The White House says it plans to ease impact of car taxes/tariffs. The concessions are intended to ease the effects on imported cars and car parts to give automakers more time to relocate production to the USA.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 29 April 2025

• The White House says it plans to ease impact of car taxes/tariffs. The concessions are intended to ease the effects on imported cars and car parts to give automakers more time to relocate production to the USA.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 29 April 2025

• Gold prices decline on a stronger USA dollar as Trump offers a reprieve on taxes/tariffs on auto imports
  - Bloomberg, 29 April 2025

• Trump has created what could be called a Luddite trap for the American auto industry: his tariffs aim to protect it from foreign competition, while his domestic policies threaten to cut it off from innovation. Together, they risk leaving automakers in the USA isolated and incapable of competing on their own merits as foreign companies bolt ahead.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 28 April 2025

• The rare-earth mineral dysprosium, used for magnets in electric-vehicle motors, is among exports that Zhōngguó slowed exports of, in response to Trump's tax/tariff trade war
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 28 April 2025

• The CEO of a Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup, Slate Auto, explains how it will make the affordable $25,000 pickup trucks no one else can. If it does, this will be a serious threat to Tesla.
  - Business Insider, 27 April 2025

• BYD, the auto giant based in Zhōngguó, continued to outpace Tesla in the first quarter, reporting a doubling in net profit on robust growth in its electric-vehicle business.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 26 April 2025

• Tesla sales declined again last month in the European Union. Sales plunged for the third consecutive month, a setback for Elon Musk's EV maker even as demand for battery-electric vehicles grew in the European Union.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 25 April 2025

• Nissan expects roughly a $5 billion net loss from impairments and restructuring costs
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 25 April 2025

• The chairman of Toyota proposes a $42 billion acquisition of supplier Toyota Industries
  - Thomson's Reuters, 25 April 2025

• Google's Waymo reports 250,000 non-paid robotaxi rides per week that accepted payment in the USA, 250,000 payments not made by paid-human taxi drivers
  - Comcast's CNBC, 25 April 2025

• Sales of electric vehicles have jumped 10% year-to-year in the first quarter for 2025. With new vehicles from Ford, GM and others, Tesla's share of the EV market has declined in the USA.
  - HuffPost, 24 April 2025

• Volvo reduces its forecast for the North American truck market as uncertainty increases due to Trump's taxes/tariffs. Trucks sold fell 9%, though order intake grew 13%, driven by European demand.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 24 April 2025

• Tesla has a deep economic hole to pull out of. Elon Musk promises more attention on the EV maker, but brand damage from his political activities working with Trump will not be easy to repair
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 24 April 2025

• Trump to capitulate and exempt automakers in the USA from some import tariffs. Trump ould exempt car parts from the taxes/tariffs that Trump is imposing on imports from Zhōngguó, as well from taxes/tariffs imposed on imports of steel and aluminium.
  - Zero Hedge, 23 April 2025

• Zhōngguó has an army of robots on its side in Trump's tax/tariff war. Enormous investments in factory equipment and artificial intelligence are giving Zhōngguó an edge in car manufacturing and other industries.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 23 April 2025

• BYD unveils a new luxury sports car
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 23 April 2025

• BYD, based in Zhōngguó, is expanding into the mini-car market in Nihon
  - Zero Hedge, 22 April 2025

• Automobile groups lobby Trump against his taxes/tariffs on imports of auto parts in a rare unified message. Six of the top policy groups representing the U.S. automotive industry are uncharacteristically joining forces to lobby the Trump administration against 25% tariffs on auto parts that are set to take effect May 3.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 22 April 2025

• Tesla earnings plunge 71 percent in the first quarter of 2025, its worst results since 2022, far lower than analysts' predictions. Margins, though, remained good, so the stock actually rose after earnings results.
  - The Hill, 22 April 2025

• Resale values of Tesla vehciles are plummeting as owners sell up amid an escalating backlash over Elon Musk's involvement with Trump and their massive, slash-and-burn, unconstitutional reductions of government spending
  - Business Insider, 22 April 2025

• Tesla used vehicle prices are declining, another worrying sign for Tesla, declining 10% in March year-to-year
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 22 April 2025

• Tesla short sellers are up an estimated $11.5 billion for the year-to-date in 2025. Tesla shares have tumbled 40% in 2025, due to competition and Tesla shares have tumbled 40% so far this year due to an escalating backlash over Elon Musk's involvement with Trump and their massive, slash-and-burn, unconstitutional reductions of government spending
  - Thomson's Reuters, 22 April 2025

• State treasurers, worried about their stock holdings, raise concerns over Musk's lack of focus on Tesla
  - Thomson's Reuters, 22 April 2025

• CATL, a battery giant in Zhōngguó, announces a fast-charging longer-range battery than those available from Tesla-kill BYD, both companies offering batteries much better than Tesla's
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 April 2025

• CATL, a battery giant in Zhōngguó, announces a fast-charging longer-range battery than those available from Tesla-kill BYD, both companies offering batteries much better than Tesla's
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 22 April 2025

• Millions of student loan borrowers are behind on payments. They are seeing their credit scores drop, which will make it more difficult to buy a car or rent a home. And that has implications for the already slowing economy.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 April 2025

• Shares of Tesla drop 6% on Monday, one day before earnings. Three problems: Musk's worsening reputation, stronger competition from Zhōngguó, and Trump's taxes/tariffs.
  - Insider Monkey, 21 April 2025

• Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, has created a "code red situation" for the automaker through his work in the Trump administration. Worse, Tesla is being hurt by deteriotaring fundamentals.
  - Insider Monkey, 21 April 2025

• Automotive battery maker CATL, based in Zhōngguó, launches a new brand for its sodium-ion batteries with an energy density of 175 watt-hours per kilogram, nearly equivalent to the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries popularly used in electric vehicles and grid energy storage systems
  - Thomson's Reuters, 21 April 2025

• Nihon considers easing car safety standards as part of potential new trade deal with Trump
  - Zero Hedge, 20 April 2025

• The USA recycles few electric vehicle batteries, but doing so would make the USA less dependent on Zhōngguó for lithium-ion batteries
  - The Hill, 20 April 2025

• $50,000,000 - A court orders General Motors to pay $50 million to owners of certain Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra vehicles due to a fault in the injection system that left thousands of drivers stranded with high repair costs
  - Union Rayo, 20 April 2025

• General Motor's Buick division finally produced cars that Americans wanted to buy - and then came Trump's taxes/tariffs. The three most popular Buick models are built in South Korea and Zhōngguó. Trump's taxes/tariffs will add thousands of dollars to the price of the cars, making them less affordable.
  - Reason, 19 April 2025

• Ford halts shipments of F-150s and other models to Zhōngguó. Taxes/tariffs imposed by Zhōngguó in retaliation to taxes/tariffs imposed by Trump have raised taxes/tariffs on vehicle imported into Zhōngguó from the USA to 150%.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 19 April 2025

• Shares of Hertz rise 125% over two days, as Bill Ackman's Pershing Square takes nearly a 20% stake, and with a prospect of a partnership with Uber
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 18 April 2025

• Shares of Hertz jump 56% as billionaire investor Bill Ackman discloses stake. Pershing Square Capital Management says it now owns about 4.1% of the company.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 17 April 2025

• The market for used Tesla vehicles heats up as owners sell their vehicles to protest Trump's/Musk's policies
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 16 April 2025

• Trump gave automakers a reduction on his taxes/tariffs, but no surprise, it is causing more confusion. Industry executives are stumped on how to claim the U.S.-content deduction, leaving in limbo billions of dollars in potential savings.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 16 April 2025

• Supplies of new and used vehicles for sale in the USA are declining rapidly as consumers flock to stores ahead of potential price increases due to Trump's taxes/tariffs. If high taxes/tariffs remain in place on imports of autos and auto parts, car sales could decline significantly in the USA.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 16 April 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó halts exports of critical rare earth minerals and magnets that are crucial for the world's automobile, semiconductor and aerospace industries
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 14 April 2025

• Trump's taxes/tariffs on automobiles and their parts are still on -- and would raise the cost of just owning a car. Higher repair and insurance bills are expected to hit people sticking with their current automobiles.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 14 April 2025

• Truck maker Scania in Sweden acquired Northvolt's heavy industry business after reaching an agreement with the bankruptcy trustee for NorthVolt.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 12 April 2025

• Trump's ongoing 25% taxes/tariffs on imported vehicles expected to cut sales by millions of vehicles, and cost the USA economy $100 billion, with higher new and used vehicle prices
  - Comcast's CNBC, 12 April 2025

• General Motors, Ford and Stellantis face extra $5,000 cost for each car made in America, thanks to Trump'ss taxes/tariffs on automobile parts
  - Murdoch's MarketWatch, 11 April 2025

• Tesla stops taking new orders for its vehicles in Zhōngguó for its Model S and Model X vehicles manufactured in the USA because of Trump's tax/tariff trade war
  - Comcast's CNBC, 11 April 2025

• Tesla stops taking new orders for its vehicles in Zhōngguó for its Model S and Model X vehicles manufactured in the USA because of Trump's tax/tariff trade war
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 11 April 2025

• Automobile sales in Zhōngguó rose sharply in March on subsidies, and softer price competition
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 10 April 2025

• Trump's taxes/tariffs are already reducing imports of automobiles and idling factories, costing people their jobs. A few carmakers have closed factories, laid off workers or shifted production in response to the auto tariffs that took effect last week.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 09 April 2025

• "Billions of dollars" in electric vehicle and electric battery factories are being cancelled in the USA. Industry investment has plummeted, with just $176 million in clean manufacturing announced in January -- well below the usual $1 billion. Zhōngguó wins again.
  - Zero Hedge, 08 April 2025

• Editorial: how tax/tariff damage spreads - automobile edition. A case study in how the harm will ripple across the economy of the USA.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 08 April 2025

• Shares of automobile companies continue to decline as the impact of Trump's taxes/tariffs threaten to decimate sales. New data shows the US may lose as many as 1.8 million auto sales because of tariffs.
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 7 April 2025

• The first victim of Trump's trade war: the economy of Michigan. With one in 10 jobs dependent on the auto industry, the state is already feeling the effects of tariffs. Automakers and factory workers are tightening their belts, even as many locals hope the short-term pain will lead to long-term gain.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 April 2025

• BYD, the giant automobile company in Zhōngguó, poses a huge threat to Tesla and the Big 3 automakers of Detroit (and their workers), and Trump's taxes/tariffs could make it worse
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 07 April 2025

• Cars were already unaffordable before Trump's taxes/tariffs. Trump's auto tariffs are about to give another boost to car prices that have already surged over the past four years. That will be an additional burden on household budgets.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 April 2025

• Toyota to boost electric models to 15, targets producing 1 million vehicles by 2027
  - Thomson's Reuters, 06 April 2025

• Trump's new taxes/tariffs will be a massive blow to the profits of Ford and General Motors, and force large numbers of people to be fired across the auto industry
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 05 April 2025

• says that auto emissions do not affect the environment. Trump wants to weaken limits on tailpipe pollution. Scientists, backed by scientific data, say that tailpipe pollution is driving climate change and taking human lives "every day".
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 04 April 2025

• Trumps's taxes/tariffs force Stellantis to fire 900 people at its factories in Michigan and Indiana, after Stellantis shut down production at facilities in Canada and México in response to the taxes/tariffs.
  - Michigan Live, 03 April 2025

• Volkswagen among several automakers in Europe to halt vehicle shipments, raise prices, in response to Trump's taxes/tariffs. Volkswagen also notified dealers in the USA that it will add import fees and temporarily pause shipments from México and Europe.
  - Zero Hedge, 03 April 2025

• Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada says that his government will impose a tariff on U.S.-made vehicles that are not compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, to match what Trump did to the Canadian auto industry on Wednesday. Carney said Trump is dismantling the world trading system and Canada must make a hard pivot to build up its own economy and pursue better relations with "reliable" trading partners, including Commonwealth cousins like Australia and the U.K., but also Mexico, France and other countries in Europe.
  - CBC News, 03 April 2025

• Automobiles were already unaffordable before Trump's latest taxes/tariffs
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 03 April 2025

• Elon Musk's troubles with declining sales of Tesla vehicles are only getting started. Trump turned the White House into a Tesla showroom. His Commerce Secretary urged people to buy Teslas. People in the USA are not buying the government marketing private sector products. The people who would buy Tesla's electric cars (liberals, environmentalists, techies) are, figuratively and now very literally, not buying what Musk is selling.
  - The Next American Century, 02 April 2025

• Tesla reports 336,000 vehicle deliveries in first quarter, 13% drop from a year ago. During the quarter, Tesla faced waves of protests, boycotts, and criminal acts in response to Musk's political antics and work in the Trump administration.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 02 April 2025

• Increasing hatred of Elon Musk turns into a global sales decline for Tesla. Musk's involvement in right-wing politics contributed to a 13% drop in deliveries in the first quarter, including steep declines in E.V.-friendly places like Norway.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 April 2025

• Tesla reports 336,000 vehicle deliveries in first quarter, lower than even the lowest Wall Street predictions
  - Zero Hedge, 02 April 2025

• Tesla reports 336,000 vehicle deliveries in first quarter, 13% drop from a year ago. During the quarter, Tesla faced waves of protests, boycotts, and criminal acts in response to Musk's political antics and work in the Trump administration.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 April 2025

• Here is more proof that highways are terrible for cities. Highways block social connections between communities.
  - Fast Company, 01 April 2025

• Trump does not understand how car prices work as he imposes his taxes/tariffs. Industry experts estimate that the parts taxes/tariffs alone could increase production costs by $3,000 to more than $12,000 per vehicle for cars assembled at factories in the USA. Cox Automotive estimates that taxes/tariffs will cut North American car production by 10% to 20%. Also likely to disappear from the US market: perhaps millions of the 3.7 million vehicles being imported annually from Asia and European auto factories that current make up a quarter of the US new car market. And the long-ago established economic law of supply and demand means that taking millions of cars out of the supply will drive up prices.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 01 April 2025

• Shares of Xiaomi decline 5.5% after news that one of its SU7 vehicles with intelligent driving crashes, killing three people.
  - Zero Hedge, 01 April 2025

• $494,640,000 - The European Commission issued on Tuesday a fine amounting to about 458 million euros ($494.64 million) to 15 major car manufacturers and the European Automobiles Manufacturers' Association for participating in a cartel regarding end-of-life vehicle recycling.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 01 April 2025

• Are used car prices set to soar again? Consumers unable or unwilling to pay a higher price (due to tariffs) may resort to purchasing a used car.
  - Zero Hedge, 31 March 2025

• Soaring demand for Toyota's gasoline-electric hybrids has left suppliers struggling to keep pace, leading to shortages of parts and months-long waits for car buyers. Stocks of hybrids are low at Toyota dealers across major markets, including the USA, Nihon, Zhōngguó and Europe.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 30 March 2025

• Despite Trump's apathy for the environment and renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles are more and more popular in Europe, with the Volkswagen ID.4 electric automobile now outselling Tesl'a Model Y.
  - The Cool Down, 30 March 2025

• In an act of central-planning, Trump threatens automakers in the USA if they raise prices of autos in response to his taxes/tariffs.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 28 March 2025

• Editorial: Trump's extortion to auto companies - no prices increases because of my taxes/tariffs - OR ELSE! Businesses can be forgiven for asking if maybe 'Comrade Kamala won the election' and is now in the White House.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 28 March 2025

• Trump pardons the criminally-convicted Trevor Milton, founder of the now-bankrupt Nikola car/truck maker, saving Milton from having to potentially over $500 million in damages. A fantastic return on an investment/donation to the Republican party in 2024 of over $1,600,000 to PACs for Trump and RFK Junior.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 28 March 2025

• Trump pardons the criminally-convicted Trevor Milton, founder of the now-bankrupt Nikola car/truck maker, saving Milton from having to potentially over $500 million in damages. A fantastic return on an investment/donation to the Republican party in 2024 of over $1,600,000 to PACs for Trump and RFK Junior.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 28 March 2025

• Shares of Hertz and Avis Budget Group surged more than 20%, as sweeping new auto tariffs are expected to lead to greater demand for used cars, in turn raising the value of these companies' fleet of vehicles
  - Bloomberg, 27 March 2025

• Why shares of General Motors are falling the most, after Trump announces new taxes/tariffs on automobile imports. Roughly 30% of GM vehicles sold in the U.S. during the first three quarters of 2024 were assembled in Canada and Mexico. General Motors also relies a lot on imported parts.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 27 March 2025

• Deutschland says that Europe must respond to Trump's auto taxes/tariffs. The USA is a crucial export market for the German auto industry, which is already suffering from weak sales and increased competition from Zhōngguó.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 27 March 2025

• Trump announces 25% tariffs on imported cars and car parts. The measure, which is intended to bring car factories to the United States, could significantly raise prices for consumers.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 27 March 2025

• Carmakers in Nihon face catastrophic profit hit from Trump's auto taxes/tariffs
  - Zero Hedge, 27 March 2025

• Trump announces taxes/tariffs of 25% on all automobiles imported into the USA. Shares of General Motors fell 8%, Stellantis fell 4% and Ford Motor fell 2%.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 27 March 2025

• Trump's vow to impose new taxes/tariffs on the global automobile industry risks raising inflation and inflaming trade-war tensions
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 27 March 2025

• Stock market indexes drop over 1%, after the White House confirms that Trump will announce auto taxes/tariffs this afternoon
  - Zero Hedge, 26 March 2025

• Shares of Tesla drop 6% more on Wednesday, following news of soft sales in Europe and a White House announcement that auto taxes/tariffs are coming
  - Comcast's CNBC, 26 March 2025

• Carvana could become the 'Amazon of auto retail', according to analysts at Morgan Stanley, with its competitive advantages with vertical integration and scale
  - Investopedia, 25 March 2025

• Automakers in Nihon, initially optimistic about some of Trump's trade policies, are now reckoning with potentially devastating taxes/tariffs on cars from Nihon imported into the USA.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 25 March 2025

• BYD, the leading rivel to Tesla, is practically taunting Elon Musk now. On Monday, BYD reported $107 billion in revenue for 2024 -- crossing the $100 billion level for the first time and besting Tesla's annual revenue by about $10 billion. BYD's Hong Kong-listed shares are already up more than 50% this year. BYD's success comes just as Tesla is sliding into a crisis.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 25 March 2025

• Unaffected by the European Union's taxes/tariffs on electric vehicles, hybrid-vehicle exports from Zhōngguó surge to the European Union. Plug-in hybrid electric/gasoline vehicles have become the fastest-growing export from Zhōngguó to the European Union.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 March 2025

• Trump promises that new taxes/tariffs on imports of drugs and cars will happen in the "near future", sowing more trade confusion. Trump later added the lumber and semiconductor industries to his list. All taxes/tariffs will be imposed on April 2, but "not all tariffs are included that day". Thus the confusion.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 24 March 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó considers limiting its own exports to mollify Trump. Officials in Zhōngguó consider the strategy of Nihon from the 1980s - restraining exports while charging more - for products such as electric vehicles or batteries.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 24 March 2025

• Trump narrow the scope of new taxes/tariffs to be imposed on April 2. Taxes/tariffs on industrial sectors such as cars and processor chips are no longer expected to be announced on April 2.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 24 March 2025

• Stock futures in the USA surge on hopes that Trump's April 2 taxes/tariffs will be "targeted"
  - Zero Hedge, 24 March 2025

• Profits for automaker Geely in Zhōngguó more than triple on record exports and robust sales, helping cement its position as a leading player in the intensely competitive EV sector
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 March 2025

• The Prime Minister of Bharat, Narendra Modi, has decided to let lapse a $23 billion program to incentivize domestic manufacturing, just four years after it launched the effort to woo firms away from Zhōngguó, according to four government officials.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 20 March 2025

• Sleek new electric vehicles from companies in Zhōngguó are "taking over" in emerging markets. From Bangkok to Johannesburg to Sao Paulo, companies from Zhōngguó are dominating the EV markets with high quality and competitively priced vehicles.
  - Zero Hedge, 20 March 2025

• Siemens to fire more than 6,000 people in its automation and EV charging businesses. The German industrial conglomerate said the measures will affect around 5,600 jobs worldwide in the automation segment and around 450 jobs globally in the electric-vehicle charging business.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 19 March 2025

• Shares of BYD rise over 4% after it launches new technology that it claims charges electric vehicles in five minutes (about the same amount of time to fill a car with gasoline)
  - Comcast's CNBC, 18 March 2025

• Cadillac, a division of General Motors, expects between 30% and 35% of its U.S. sales this year to be EVs, as the automaker continues to expand its lineup despite industrywide slower-than-expected adoption
  - Comcast's CNBC, 18 March 2025

• Zeekr, a rival to Tesla in Zhōngguó, is releasing an advanced driver assistance-system for free, increasing competition for Tesla (which charges over $8000 for similar technology). Drivers have to keep their hands on the steering wheel.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 18 March 2025

• Audi to fire 7,500 people as the auto industry in Deutschland struggles. Audi is doing so to reduce costs and help Audi transition its production to electric vehicles. The automaker said that the planned cuts were partly an attempt to reduce bureaucracy. It noted that it had "signficiantly reduced" the number of company committees in recent months and was trying to lessen employee workloads through digitization.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 18 March 2025

• Audi to fire 7,500 people as the auto industry in Deutschland struggles. Audi is doing so to reduce costs and help Audi transition its production to electric vehicles. The automaker said that the planned cuts were partly an attempt to reduce bureaucracy. It noted that it had "signficiantly reduced" the number of company committees in recent months and was trying to lessen employee workloads through digitization.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 18 March 2025

• Shares of Luminar Technology soared 27% on Monday, after former NASA scientist Mark Rober test-drove a car equipped with Luminar's lidar technology in a YouTube video and said it outperformed the Autopilot feature sold by Tesla. It rose 10% more on Tuesday.
  - Bloomberg, 17 March 2025

• A Tesla vehicle on Autopilot drives into a 'Wily E Coyote' fake road wall because Musk insists on a camera-only visual detection system which is easily fooled, whereas lidar systems used by other companies would easily detect the physical obstacle.
  - Electrek, 16 March 2025

• Elon Musk-led electric automaker Tesla has issued a dire warning to the Trump administration about the ongoing trade war using taxes/tariffs. Tesla said that it could be a target for retaliatory taxes/tariffs aimed at the USA and increase the cost of making its electric vehicles in the USA.
  - Zero Hedge, 15 March 2025

• Kia America, part of the Hyundia Motor Group, reported another record sales month in February, powered by its mix of gas powered offerings like the high-selling Telluride SUV, as well as EV vehicles like the EV6 crossover
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 5 March 2025

• Some automobile companies are reinventing the gear shift, confusing drivers. From touch screens to crystal balls, designers are running with their newfound freedom to put the controls almost anywhere to make more money, even if their carbuyers hate the pretty gadgets.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 15 March 2025

• Tesla develops cheaper Model Y in Zhōngguó to battle growing competition. The stripped-down SUV is aimed at recovering market share from automakers in Zhōngguó offering less-expensive models.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 15 March 2025

• Li Auto, a plug-in hybrid auto specialist in Zhōngguó, reported lower net profit for the fourth quarter despite record revenue as a brutal price war hurt its bottom line
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 15 March 2025

• Shares of Uber will rise from its non-paid AI robo-taxi service. [KM: More profits for the rich, fewer paid jobs for humans].
  - Barron's, 15 March 2025

• Wells Fargo predicts that share of Tesla still have 40% more decline in price, even after tumbling 50% since December
  - Comcast's CNBC, 14 March 2025

• Google's Waymo robotaxi division, working [hard] to replace many paid-human drivers with non-paid robotaxis, [KM: to make the rich richer], was sanctioned with 589 parking tickets in San Francisco in 2024
  - Bezos' Washington Post, 13 March 2025

• Prices of cobalt soar as a four-month export ban imposed by Congo disrupts supply chains for an important metal for batteries
  - Zero Hedge, 13 March 2025

• Drivers in Zhōngguó that once flocked to Tesla are turning more and more to local brands that offer more efficient cars with better technology, sometimes at half the price. It doesn't help Tesla that Elon Musk fully supports Trump's trade war with Zhōngguó.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 13 March 2025

• Northvolt, a batterymaker in Sweden, collapses, a blow to Europe. The company and its assets will be sold after it filed for bankruptcy in Sweden, hurting Europe's best hope for competing against rival batterymakers in Asia.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 13 March 2025

• One of the biggest victim's of Trump's tax/tariff wars: the Ford F-150 truck. New steel and aluminum taxes/tariffs threaten to boost car and truck prices, as well as dent automaker profits.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 13 March 2025

• How BYD outcompetes Tesla around the world. BYD is more affordable than Tesla in at least 10 places outside the West.
  - Rest of World, 12 March 2025

• New York City's regional economy may gain as much as $1.3 billion annually as a new toll to drive along the busiest streets in Manhattan eases traffic gridlock and benefits business activity, according to a civic group focused on economic health
  - Bloomberg, 11 March 2025

• The end of cheap palm oil for consumer products? Output stalls as the demand surges for biodiesel made from palm oil. Indonesia boosts biodiesel consumption, curbs exports. Palm oil production growth plummets to 1% from 7%. Prices of cooking oil could be buoyed up for years by stagnating production and a biodiesel push in top producer Indonesia that are making traditionally cheap palm oil costlier, eliminating an advantage that also curbed prices of rival oils.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 09 March 2025

• ThyssenKrupp plans to fire 1800 people at its weakened auto tech division, which posted a slump in sales and orders for the final three months of last year
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 March 2025

• People in the USA fall behind on payments for their car loans at the highest rate in decades. Delinquincies on auto loans among subprime borrowers are spiking as consumers continue grappling with higher interest rates.
  - Bloomberg, 06 March 2025

• Tesla is now offers discounted financing, at rates as low as 1.99% a year, for loans to buy its Cybertruck, as the truck increasingly becomes a failure in the marketplace. Tesla launched a single new vehicle in the last 5 years and it is a flop.
  - Electrek, 06 March 2025

• The fortunes of Musk, and his Tesla, fall as Musk rises in influence in the world of Trump. Musk's politics have eroded the appeal of Tesla vehicles among some buyers of electric vehicles, surveys indicate.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 06 March 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles in Zhōngguó decline in February, as consumers buy from domestic rivals such as BYD, Xiaomi and Xpeng
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 March 2025

• As Trump's taxes/tariffs become reality, businesses in Canada prepare for economic pain. An expert in the automotive industry says factories may shut down in days as costs skyrocket and Trump disrupts decades of economic integration with steep taxes/tariffs.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 06 March 2025

• Trump, after bipartisan attacks on his taxes/tariffs, announces a 1-month delay on taxes/tariffs on imports from México and Canada related to the automobile industry
  - Nextstar Media's The Hill, 05 March 2025

• Trump, after bipartisan attacks on his taxes/tariffs, announces a 1-month delay on taxes/tariffs on imports from México and Canada related to the automobile industry
  - The New York Times, 05 March 2025

• Zhōngguó-made wholesale deliveries of Tesla vehicles fell to the lowest in more than 2 1/2-years last month, adding to a troubling slide in global sales at a time CEO Elon Musk is increasingly distracted by his support for Trump.
  - Bloomberg, 05 March 2025

• As Tesla stock plummets, boardroom insider and supporter of Musk and Trump, Robyn Denholm, gives a vote of no-confidence by selling $117 million in stock in the past three months.
  - Jiaravanon's Fortune, 05 March 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles plummeted 76% in Deutschland, while electric vehicle sales were up 31% in February, amid Elon Musk's support of Trump, and authoritarian right-wing groups in Germany
  - Bloomberg, 05 March 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles plummeted 76% in Deutschland, while electric vehicle sales were up 31% in February, amid Elon Musk's support of Trump, and authoritarian right-wing groups in Germany
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 05 March 2025

• Two troubled carmakers, Nissan and Stellantis, could be hit hardest by tariffs
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 05 March 2025

• Trump's new taxes/tariffs could quickly reduce automobile production in North America by a third, a loss of 20,000 vehicles a day not produced, as automakers attempt to mitigate increased costs and buyers hold off on purchasing new cars and trucks
  - Comcast's CNBC, 04 March 2025

• Stagflation fears bubble up as Trump's taxes/tariffs take effect and the economy slows. The phenomenon, not seen since the dark days of hyperinflation and sagging growth in the 1970s and earler 1980s, has primarily manifested itself lately in "soft" data.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 04 March 2025

• Trump's taxes/tariffs will wipe out all profits for the Big Three authormakers if they do not raise prices, estimates Barclays
  - Comcast's CNBC, 04 March 2025

• A robot-maker in Zhenzhen, UBTech Robotics, installs its first 'team' of humanoid non-paid robots in an automobile factory in Ningbo owned by Zeekr, which makes electric vehicles. The human-shaped robots work as a team to complete tasks such as lifting heavy boxes and handling soft materials.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 March 2025

• Trump's new taxes/tariffs on Canada and México could increase average car prices by up to $12,000. The increase would be three times that for an electric vehicle, and the costs will likely be passed on to the consumer.
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 03 March 2025

• Why do trucky SUVs look like trucks again? For decades, carlike curves were in. Now, buyers are interested in sport utility vehicles that feature right-angles and off-road cred.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 March 2025

• Why can Xiaomi, a gadget company in Zhōngguó, can make an electric vehicle, and Apple can't?
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 01 March 2025

• How Xiaomi is threatening Ford and General Motors. Lei Jun set out to build the "Apple of Zhōngguó". Xiaomi's car business is now outpacing Tesla and Rivian.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 01 March 2025

• Shares of Valeo plunge 11% after carmakers cancel and delay orders worth billions of dollars, in response to economic and technological uncertainty
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 01 March 2025

• Shares of Rolls-Royce surged over 15% and hit a record high after the company resumed shareholder payouts, raised midterm guidance and launched a stock buyback
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 28 February 2025

• The plans of Trump to repeal policies to fight climate change and global heating - could slow the shift in the USA to electric cars, which only helps Zhōngguó. The Trump administration is preparing for Congress to repeal a longstanding waiver that allows California to set its own pollution standards Officials in California say the effort is illegal.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 27 February 2025

• General Motors said Wednesday it is increasing its quarterly dividend by 25% to 15 cents per share -- matching that of crosstown rival Ford Motor. It also announced a $6 billion stock repurchase program, $2 billion of which is expected to be completed during the second quarter.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 26 February 2025

• Congestion pricing helped reduced traffic in New York City. Now congestion pricing is hitting its revenue goals, on track to raise billions for mass transit repairs.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 25 February 2025

• Government safety officials are fired by Trump, as a favor to Musk, at the traffic safety agency investigating Tesla.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 23 February 2025

• The wild economics behind the domination of the luxury car market by Ferrari. Limiting production is helping to make its sports cars coveted -- and the company the most valuable automaker in Europe.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 February 2025

• Moody's lowers the credit rating of Nissan Motor's bonds to junk status. Moody's said the the rating action reflects Nissan's weak profitability driven by slowing demand for its aging portfolio of vehicles.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 February 2025

• Trump's endorsement has pushed up air-taxi stocks, but development of all types of zero-emission aircraft is falling by the wayside
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 February 2025

• Shares of Carvana 11% after the used-car retailer reported lower gross profit per vehicle and shrinking wholesale volumes for the latest quarter, undercutting a turnaround narrative that had buoyed the stock
  - Bloomberg, 21 February 2025

• Does Elon Musk still care about selling cars? Elon Musk, and an important advisor to Trump, has not outlined a plan to reverse falling sales at Tesla of which he is chief executive.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 21 February 2025

• The bankruptcy of onetime green-energy favorite Nikola is puncturing hopes for hydrogen in trucking
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 February 2025

• Trump is disrupting the reliance on the USA of global automakers. Facing intense competition in Zhōngguó and heavy regulation in Europe, overseas automakers were counting on the USA to keep their engines humming. Then came new tax/tariff threats from Trump.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 20 February 2025

• Embattled electric vehicle maker Nikola files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Nikola's core products are all-electric and fuel cell electric semitrucks. At its peak in 2020, Nikola was valued more than Ford Motor at $30 billion, inked a multibillion-dollar deal with General Motors and was considered the pinnacle of auto startups.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 19 February 2025

• Trump warns that taxes/tariffs on 25% imports of automobiles, medicines and semiconductors will be imposed starting in April.
  - Zero Hedge, 18 February 2025

• Trump warns that taxes/tariffs of 25% on imports of automobiles, medicines and semiconductors will be imposed starting in April.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 18 February 2025

• Jiangsu Jiuwu Hi-Tech, a company in Zhōngguó, has stopped exporting a piece of equipment used to process the electric vehicle battery metal lithium, in the clearest sign yet manufacturers are already implementing export controls proposed by Beijing, in response to Trump's tax/tariff trade war.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 18 February 2025

• Why there is no relief ahead for high used-car prices. Factory disruptions three years ago are coming back to haunt the auto market.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 18 February 2025

• Why Porsche is no longer a 'premium" sports car in Zhōngguó. Drivers in Zhōngguó are buying affordable electric vehicles loaded with new technology, a trend that is redefining high-end vehicles and hurting automakers in Deutschland.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 17 February 2025

• Global sales of combustion engine vehicles peaked in 2018 at over 80 million vehicles, and by 2023 had declined by 20 millin vehicles
  - Zero Hedge, 16 February 2025

• Shares of WeRide, a new company in Zhōngguó developing self-driving vehicles, soar 130% after Nvidia discloses an investment
  - Comcast's CNBC, 14 February 2025

• Why Trump's taxes/tariffs will make automobile insurance even more expensive. Costlier cars or auto parts can increase claims costs, which take time to filter through to car-insurance rates.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 13 February 2025

• Shares of the EV maker Tesla, led by Elon Musk, dropped another 2% to $321 each in premarket trading on Wednesday, continuing an eye-opening slide from their recent 52-week high. At its current premarket price, Tesla's stock is down 33% since hitting a record high on December 18, 2024.
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 2 February 2025

• A woman's parents in Zhōngguó are injured when the brakes fail on their Tesla automobile, causing the car to crash. After she publicly criticizes Tesla, Elon Musk has the company sue the women for defamation, and she is forced to pay the ultrabillionaire's company $23,000.
  - Associated Press, 11 February 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles plummet in Europe as Elon Musk faces backlash over his support for Trump
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 11 February 2025

• As Musk continues his political activities, 'dark clouds' gather over Tesla as sales plummet worldside
  - Futurism, 11 February 2025

• Tesla is losing market share to its biggest rival in Zhōngguó. BYD makes advances in AI-powered driving software while Musk's wait for approval grows.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 11 February 2025

• A Tesla driver issues warning after his Cybertruck destroys itself on "full self-driving" mode
  - Futurism, 10 February 2025

• Lyft [our wealth] says that it will be ready in 2026 to profit from getting paid-humans to lose their jobs, when it will be ready to launch its fleet of non-paid robotaxis
  - The Verge, 10 February 2025

• BYD, based in Zhōngguó, on Monday started offering advanced autonomous driving features on most of its models including ones priced as low as $9,555, far undercutting competitors such as Tesla in a move analysts say is set to start a new price war.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 10 February 2025

• Zhōngguó is likely to merge two state-owned car companies, Hong Kong-listed Dongfeng Motor Group and Shenzhen-listed Chongqing Changan Automobile, in a plan to tackle overcapacity and enhancing competitiveness in the electric vehicle (EV) market. The merger entity would be the largest automobile maker in Zhōngguó, becoming larger than BYD.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 February 2025

• Elon Musk's Cybertruck appears to be more deadly than the infamous Ford Pinto, according to a new analysis
  - Futurism, 08 February 2025

• Further 'enshittification': Stellantis has introduced full-screen pop-up ads on its infotainment systems. Specifically, Jeep owners have reported being bombarded with advertisements for Mopar's extended warranty service. The kicker? These ads appear every time the vehicle comes to a stop. More misanthropy.
  - TechStory.In, 07 February 2025

• Automakers sue to kill Maine's hugely popular 'Right to Repair' law, which was passed into law in 2024 by 83% of the residents of Maine - hugely popular. The law reasonably requires that automakers standardize on-board diagnostic systems and provide remote access to those systems and mechanical data to consumers and third-party independent repair shops.
  - Tech Dirt, 07 February 2025

• Auto stocks jumped mid day on Friday after the Financial Times reported that the EU is prepared to reduce its 10% tariff on US car imports to align more closely with the USA's 2.5% rate in a bid to prevent a trade war with Trump.
  - Zero Hedge, 07 February 2025

• The Department of Transportation halts funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure development in the USA
  - Zero Hedge, 07 February 2025

• The Department of Transportation halts funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure development in the USA
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 February 2025

• Shares of BYD rise 12% amid pump-and-dump hopes for its mass-market autonomous driving technology
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 February 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles in Zhōngguó fall 11.5% year-to-year as competition intensifies with companies such as BYD. Sales of BYD vehicles rose 47% year-to-year.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 07 February 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles in Zhōngguó fall 11.5% year-to-year as competition intensifies with companies such as BYD. Sales of BYD vehicles rose 47% year-to-year.
  - Zero Hedge, 07 February 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles fell 59% in Deutschland in January. Electric vehicle sales in Deutschland and France slowed sharply in 2024 after reductions in subsidies.
  - Zero Hedge, 06 February 2025

• Is Waymo friend or foe to Uber? The fast expansion of Google's Waymo's driverless car service is growing competition for Uber. The companies are also partners. [KM: but both companies are definitely foes to paid-human drivers that these companies want to eradicate so they can become richer.]
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 06 February 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles in Europe decline in January, after Elon Musk disrupts politics in Europe and continues to support Trump
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 06 February 2025

• Volkswagen to launch low-cost electric vehicle as it charts a course for growth. Faced with high domestic costs, stuttering demand for EVs and increasing competition from lower-cost auto makers in Zhōngguó, Volkswagen outlined a five-year plan for its namesake brand.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 06 February 2025

• Ford declines 5% on tariff concerns, warning that profits could fall $2 billion in 2025
  - Zero Hedge, 05 February 2025

• Trump wants to know why cars made in the USA are rare in Deutschland. One reason: streets and parking spots in Europe are too small for USA cars - most of which are really trucks. And since gasoline is more expensive in Europe, people in Europe don't want gaz-guzzling American cars.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 05 February 2025

• Tesla sales are plummeting around the world, due to Elon Musk's bizarre political behavior. Sales in California fell almost eight percent in the fourth quarter of last year and are down 12 percent overall for the year. Consumers are buying alternative vehicles rather than driving a giant "red MAGA hat".
  - Futurism, 05 February 2025

• Shares of Nissan drop 5% share of Honda rise 8%, after Nissan rejects a deal proposed by Honda to merge, which would have created the third largest automaker in the world. Shares in Nissan fell while Honda stock closed higher, reflecting investor views that Nissan was more likely to benefit from a merger.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 05 February 2025

• Toyota Motors posts nearly 28% drop in third-quarter operating profit, missing estimates
  - Comcast's CNBC, 05 February 2025

• Autonomous vehicle company Cruise is firing "nearly" 50% of its people -- cuts that extend to the CEO and several other top executives -- as it prepares to shut down operations to build non-paid robotaxis that displace paid humans. What remains of Cruise will move under parent company General Motors as the automaker directs its resources toward improving its hands-free driver assistance system Super Cruise -- and eventually rolls out personal autonomous vehicles.
  - TechCrunch, 04 February 2025

• Registrations for Tesla automobiles decline 12% in California in 2024
  - Thomson's Reuters, 03 February 2025

• Shares of Tesla drop 5% due to Trump's taxes/tariffs, and a decline in vehicle registrations in France, Sweden and Norway.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 03 February 2025

• The automobile industry in Canada faces a shutdown amid Trump's taxes/tariffs imposed on imports from Canada. The impact of the taxes on the industry means that "absolutely nobody in our business is profitable by a long shot".
  - Zero Hedge, 03 February 2025

• Shares of automobile companies fall pre-market as Trump's taxes/tariffs spark trade war concerns. In pre-market trading, shares of General Motors was 6.6% lower at around 6:25 a.m. ET, while Ford was more than 4% lower. In Europe, shares of French car parts supplier Valeo and Milan-listed Chrysler parent Stellantis fell 9% and 6.6%, respectively. Deutschland's Volkswagen also slipped nearly 7%. In Asia, auto giants Toyota and Nissan both fell more than 5% on Monday, while domestic rival Honda tumbled 7.2%. Shares of Japan-listed Mazda Motor Corp traded more than 7.5% lower, while Kia Motor Corp fell nearly 6%.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 03 February 2025

• How electric vehicle battery makers are making their batteries in Morocco to avoid taxes/taxes imposed by the USA and Europe. The Africa-Zhōngguó joint venture is latest company to find way past Western trade barriers while leveraging abundant battery materials in Africa.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 February 2025

• Honda Motor is launching the next generation of its manufacturing in a historically unusual place for the 75-year-old Japanese automaker: Ohio, with a $1 billion investment. Typically such important manufacturing changes would begin in Nihon to then be rolled out to facilities in the USA and elsewhere, according to company officials.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 02 February 2025

• Tesla and carmakers in Zhōngguó could see windfall from new emissions rules in the European Union. Carmakers in Europe are urging Brussels to ease regulations to help them avoid buying carbon credits from rivals in increasingly large amounts.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 01 February 2025

• After repeatedly insisting for over a decade that Tesla was on the verge of legitimate full self-driving -- to pump up the stock price -- and selling cars with pricey computing hardware, based on they would increase in value once the feature became reality -- CEO Elon Musk has finally admitted that it is not happening with the vehicles' current hardware.
  - Futurism, 31 January 2025

• Profits for Tesla fell sharply last year. The electric car company run by Elon Musk is facing increasing competition, but investors have focused mostly on the prospects for Tesla's self-driving technology. Tesla has cut prices and offered low-interest financing to increase sales, but the measures have come at the expense of profit. Investors are focusing instead on promises by Musk to produce self-driving "cybercabs" that he says could generate trillions of dollars in revenue for Tesla, while causing millions of paid humans to lose their taxi driving jobs.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 31 January 2025

• As Elon Musk is busy gutting the federal government, his chief cash cow, Tesla, is falling by the wayside. According to the automaker's latest earnings report, Tesla made a net profit of just $2.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024 -- a 71 percent drop of $5.6 billion compared to the same period a year earlier, even though its revenue saw a slight bump. That's bad, but we should note that Tesla's profits in 2023 were boosted by a one-time tax benefit of $5.9 billion.
  - Futurism, 30 January 2025

• Electric vehicle owners do not pay taxes on gasoline, taxes which are used to maintain roads. So, many states are charging them fees. States are using higher registration fees for electric cars to make up for declining fuel taxes, but some are punitive, environmentalists say. A federal tax could be coming.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 30 January 2025

• Lithium-ion batteries, and melted electric vehicles, create new types of hazards in the fire zones in southern California. The size of the Palisades fire and number of lithium-ion batteries left behind make it one of the largest hazardous-materials cleanups that local first responders have seen.
  - Zero Hedge, 29 January 2025

• Shares of Tesla drop $20, before spiking up $40, after-market. While actual earnings were down year-to-year, Tesla is still selling lots of socialist carbon credits, $739 million in Q3 2024
  - Zero Hedge, 29 January 2025

• Shares of Tesla drop $20, before spiking up $40, after-market. While actual earnings were down year-to-year, Tesla is still selling lots of socialist carbon credits, $739 million in Q3 2024
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 29 January 2025

• General Motors earnings exceeded Wall Street's forecasts on Tuesday, but investors still dumped the stock broadly on fears of tariffs that will make it hard for the automaker to hit its 2025 targets. Shares dropped nearly 9% on Tuesday, as investors and analysts said GM's outlook is clouded by Trump's threats of tariffs and reduced support for electric vehicles.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 28 January 2025

• Nissan is planning to fire up to 2,000 people in the USA and reduce production by 25%. It aims to close a production line at its Smyrna, Tennessee plant by April and another at its Canton, Mississippi plant later in the year.
  - Zero Hedge, 28 January 2025

• The 'Shark' truck manufactured by BYD in Zhōngguó is generating worries in the global truck market. BYD has not announced plans to sell the Shark in the USA, but it has entered countries where GM, Ford and Toyota have sold pickup trucks globally, including Australia, Brazil and Mexico. There is a fear among global automakers that rivals in Zhōngguó could flood their markets, undercutting domestic production and vehicle prices to the detriment of their own auto industries.
  - CBNC, 25 January 2025

• Trump says that the USA doesn't need to import cars from Canada, which is why he is so happy to impose a tax of 25% on autos from Canada. But a study from TD Economics argues this would hurt Americans financially . "High integration" of the auto sector, with car parts and finished goods crossing both the Canadian and Mexican borders, means tariffs would exact a high cost and the industry would suffer the "deepest negative impacts" from the taxes. TD also noted that Canada has the second-smallest trade deficit with the US, behind only France, highlighting the flow of products between the countries. Canada is not the cause of American's huge drug addiction.
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 5 January 2025

• The bearish outlook of Texas Instruments indicates that "autos and industrials have not bottomed yet", but could start rising mid-2025
  - Zero Hedge, 24 January 2025

• The growth of the electric vehicle industry in Zhōngguó has been extraordinary. More than half of new cars sold are electric, putting the world's largest automarket on a path to all but erase gas-powered cars over the coming decades. Zhōngguó accounted for more than 60% of global electric car sales in 2024. Zhōngguó's EV revolution and successes helps cement its dominance in clean technology and its claim on global climate leadership, just as the administration of Trump doubles down on planet-heating fossil fuels and demonizes clean energy. The IEA predicts global oil demand is going to level off at the end of this decade and start declining in the 2030s, with EVs playing a big role in this downward trend.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 23 January 2025

• Taxes/tariffs imposed by the European Union on imports of electric vehicles from Zhōngguó are not having much effect. Zhōngguó's exports of electric vehicles to the European Union rose again in December, prompting fears of an escalating trade conflict in 2025.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 January 2025

• Trump's order to end subsidies for electric vehicles draws pushback and doubt. Automakers and even some Republicans may fight to preserve funds, and environmental activists will likely sue, but some experts said that some changes may not survive legal challenges. In any event, Trump's order does little but help Zhōngguó as it continues to take control of the electric vehicle market.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 January 2025

• Automakers in the USA prepare for the impact of Trump's new taxes/tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico. In the short term, taxes/tariffs on vehicles and parts from Canada or México would lead to higher prices at dealerships and lower demand for cars. Rather than protecting U.S. auto workers, as Trump has promised, tariffs would lead to job losses because automakers would cut their work forces to compensate for slumping sales, analysts said.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 January 2025

• How a Trump trade war puts at risk cheap oil from Canada. The cheap Canadian oil America craves is becoming a key bargaining chip in Trump's threatened trade war.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 January 2025

• Canoo, an electric vehicle startup, files for bankruptcy
  - Zero Hedge, 21 January 2025

• Shares of Tesla dropped more than 3% early Tuesday, reversing premarket gains on the first trading day since the inauguration of Trump, as Trump scrapped a pro-EV policy put into place by Biden
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 1 January 2025

• The brand value of Tesla dropped $15 billion in 2024, in part due to its aging lineup and the mismanagement of Elon Musk. Tesla now has a brand value of $43 billion, while the brand value of Toyota is $64 billion.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 21 January 2025

• In Windsor, Ontario, the "suburb of Detroit" in Canada, there are growing fears of threats of new taxes/tariffs by Trump. Trump's vow to impose 25% taxes/tariffs on imports from Canada could ravage the auto industry of Canada and severly damage the economy of Windsor, a city deeply tied to the USA.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 20 January 2025

• 25,000 charge cycles and 80% capacity achieved in a lithium-sulfur battery breakthrough. The new battery showed impressive performance, retaining half its capacity even when fully charged in just over a minute at high temperatures.
  - Interesting Engineering, 19 January 2025

• Output from oil refineries in Zhōngguó declined for the first time in over 20 years. Oil demand in Zhōngguó was lackluster in 2024, with consumption growth slowed, due to weaker economic performance and a shift to electric vehicles and LNG-fueled trucks.
  - Zero Hedge, 17 January 2025

• Deliveries of vehicles from Stellantis deliveries fell 9% in the fourth quarter of 2024 as the Jeep and Ram-maker took action to reduce excess inventory in the USA
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 17 January 2025

• Tesla to fundamental analysts: "go f*$$!k yourselves", with the stock price rising, despite many fundamental analysts issuing sell recommendations
  - Zero Hedge, 16 January 2025

• $1,600,000,000+ - Hino, the truck division of Toyota, will pay more than $1.6 billion and plead guilty to violations related to the submission of false and fraudulent engine emission testing and fuel consumption data to regulators and the illicit smuggling of engines into the USA
  - Associated Press, 16 January 2025

• Sales of Electric vehicles and hybrid automobiles reached a record 20% of vehicle sales in 2024 in the USA, with 3.2 million vehicles sold. That includes 1.9 million hybrid vehicles, including plug-in models, and 1.3 million all-electric models.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 16 January 2025

• Traffic in Manhattan drops 7.5% after a congestion tax goes into effect. Travel times on inbound river crossings into Manhattan, including the Holland and Lincoln tunnels that run under the Hudson River from New Jersey, also decreased by 30 to 40 percent on average. "Just look out the window: there is less traffic, quieter streets, and we think everyone has seen it."
  - Zero Hedge, 15 January 2025

• Led by Toyota, will the next electric vehicle boom be in Thailand? Automakers from Nihon and Zhōngguó are competing for influence in Thailand, often called Asia's 'Detroit'. Thailand recently maintained a 6% tax rate on hybrids, abandoning plans for gradual increases, but EVs still enjoy more generous incentives, including subsidies up to 100,000 baht ($2,900), as the country targets 30% electric vehicle production by 2030. More recently, EV subsidies introduced in 2022 attracted over 20 automakers from Zhōngguó. However, as EV demand slows, companies like Great Wall Motor and SAIC Motor are lobbying for relaxed production requirements tied to these subsidies.
  - Zero Hedge, 15 January 2025

• Registrations of new electric cars in Deutschland in 2024 plummet 27.5%
  - Zero Hedge, 15 January 2025

• Volkswagen car deliveries fall as challenges in Zhōngguó continue. Volkswagen delivered fewer cars in 2024 as it continued to be hit by rivals cutting prices to win customers in Zhōngguó, its largest market.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 15 January 2025

• The Biden administration finalizes a rule to effectively ban the import of all vehicles from Zhōngguó. The Biden administration says it wants to prevent Zhōngguó from spying on Americans through their vehicles. But the rule could block popular vehicles like Polestar from selling in the USA. [KM: but the Biden administration doesn't care about even more powerful authoritarian USA tech companies from spying on Americans.]
  - The Verge, 14 January 2025

• BYD, the electric vehicle giant in Zhōngguó, slows operations in Brazil as accusatons are made that it treats its workers there "slavery-like". The labor practices of companies based in Zhōngguó are driving a wedge between BYD and efforts to expand globally in areas where employee protections are paramount.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 January 2025

• Regulated taxis in Costa Rica will all be out of business by 2030, because taxi cab drivers cannot compete with Uber and DiDi drivers who don't have to pay insurance, don't have as many car inspections and other economic factors as Uber and Didi continue to fight being regulated - to level the playing field
  - Q Costa Rica, 10 January 2025

• Zhōngguó makes more cars than it needs. Now, it is time to eliminate some of the companies. An "elimination round" is likely to remove weaker players in a market dominated by electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Among the early losers are foreign brands.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 10 January 2025

• Ford's electric Mach-E SUV outsold the gasoline-powered Mustang for the first time in 2024
  - Zero Hedge, 09 January 2025

• Electric vehicle sales plummet 33% in 2024, the first decline in four years
  - Nikkei Asia, 09 January 2025

• Ford, Hyundai and other carmakers are cranking up new EV battery factories, while uncertainty looms over Biden-era socialist subsidies for them.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 08 January 2025

• Gigantic SUV trucks/automobiles(?) are a public health threat. Why don't we treat these SUVs as a public health threat? The anti-tobacco playbook could help turn the US public against their beloved oversized cars. Much like secondhand smoke, driving a gigantic vehicle endangers those who never consented to the danger they face walking, biking, or sitting inside smaller cars. Although not widely known, car bloat's harms are well-documented. Heavier vehicles can pulverize modest-sized ones, and tall front ends obscure a driver's vision, putting pedestrians and cyclists at particular risk. Deaths among both groups recently hit 40-year highs in the US. The threat of hulking vehicles could even deter people from riding a bike or taking a stroll, a loss of public space akin to avoiding places shrouded in tobacco smoke.
  - Vox, 06 January 2025

• Chrysler sales have shrunk 80% in the last 20 years. Here is how the executives of Chrysler plan to revive the brand.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 06 January 2025

• Porsche applies a large discount for its Taycan electric vehicle as demand plummets. Porsche is offering a $15,000 match on top of $7,500 in lease incentives to clear out inventory.
  - Zero Hedge, 06 January 2025

• Electric vehicle sales in Zhōngguó soar in December for multiple automakers: BYD, Nio, Xpeng, Li Auto, Leap and Zeekr. A $2470 subsidy that was available between July and December helped total sales for the year to rise above 10 million vehicles.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 January 2025

• Vehicle production by Stellantis Italy declines 37% in 2024, as car production declines to a 68-year-low. The FIM-CISL union said Stellantis last year manufactured 475,090 vehicles in Italy, down from 751,384 in 2023.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 03 January 2025

• Shares of Carvana are on watch after short seller Hindenburg Research joins what can only be described as a long line of critics who have pointed out irregularities with the company's accounting. Calling the company a "father-son accounting grift for the ages", the firm led by Nate Anderson says after "extensive document review and 49 interviews with industry experts, former Carvana employees, competitors and related parties of the company" they're convinced the company's turnaround is a "mirage". "Our research uncovered $800 million in loan sales to a suspected undisclosed related party, along with details on how accounting manipulation and lax underwriting have fueled temporary reported income growth - all while insiders cash out billions in stock," the firm wrote.
  - Zero Hedge, 02 January 2025

• Hindenburg Research shorts Carvana, calling the company's financial turnaround - a "mirage" that is being propped up by unstable loans and accounting manipulation. The report centers on Carvana's practice of loan sales as well as the business relationship between CEO Ernie Garcia III and his father, Ernest Garcia II, who is the largest shareholder of Carvana.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 02 January 2025

• Shares of Tesla decline 6% after vehicle sales decline annually despite record deliveries in the fourth quarter
  - Zero Hedge, 02 January 2025

• Annual sales of Tesla decline for the first time, as competition grows
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 January 2025

• BYD and its peers in Zhōngguó post record sales of electric vehicles in December. Electric vehicle makers in Zhōngguó have benefited from a government trade-in program.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 January 2025

• Annual sales of Tesla decline for the first time, as competition grows
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 January 2025

• As use of marijuana grows in the USA, the effect on road safety remains a blind spot
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 January 2025

• I will not feel good about flying until the airlines stop lying about their environmental impact and do something. The industry is responsible for about 4 percent of human-made climate change, an enormous amount, given that only about 10 percent of the global population flies regularly. As an expert on jet engines, I do not see a credible path for the aviation industry to make flying sustainable in the near term. The is why in places such as Europe, more use of trains should be encouraged.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 January 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó wants the semiconductor processors inside its electric vehicles to be manufactured in Zhōngguó, while the USA is objecting to Zhōngguó's goal of self-sufficiency in the $80 billion business. Many of these processors are made by Texas Instruments (USA) and Infineon (Germany).
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 January 2025

• $20,000,000 - On December 19, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a landmark settlement of $20 million with Leader Automotive Group, a company that runs 10 dealerships in the Bloomington, Illinois area. The settlement comes after allegations that the company engaged in deceptive and unfair practices in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act and state laws.
  - EcoNews, 30 December 2024

• German electric air taxi company Volocopter has filed for bankruptcy protection, the latest in a string of similar startups to hit financial turbulence. The company plans to keep operating while it searches for new investors. Volocopter is one of the more well-funded electric air taxi startups, having raised hundreds of millions of dollars over nearly a decade with backing from major automakers like Mercedes-Benz in Deutschland and Geely in Zhōngguó.
  - TechCrunch, 30 December 2024

• Discounts on the car dealership lot lift car sales. New-vehicle prices are expected to ease further in 2025, with discounts continuing to flow as many automakers return to prepandemic inventory levels.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 30 December 2024

• Trump's threats of new taxes/tariffs on imports from Europe cast a shadow over the automobile industry in Europe. "This inevitably would lead to the shrinking of production in Europe and the firing of a large number of people."
  - Zero Hedge, 29 December 2024

• Electric vehicle sales in Zhōngguó are predicted to be greater than sales of gasoline-powered cars, years ahead of the USA and Europe. Volumes forecast to rise 20% next year, smashing international projections and Beijing's official targets.
  - Irish Times, 26 December 2024

• Trump's tax/tariff plan to hurt affordable cars the hardest . The car industry in the USA has a "big case of anxiety" about Trump's proposed 25% tax/tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 26 December 2024

• Nissan could face cost-cutting "carnage" in a merger with Honda. "There is practically no complementarity here, which means, if they want to make synergy it is going to be through maybe cost reduction, duplication of plan, duplication of technology, and we know exactly who is going to pay the price of it. It is going to be the minor partner, and it is going to be Nissan.", former CEO Carlos Ghosn said.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 25 December 2024

• Why mergers of automobile makers such as Honda and Nissan often fail
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 25 December 2024

• The electric vehicle boom in Zhōngguó is starting to financially hurt oil producing companies. Big, integrated oil companies could face a double whammy from the shift in Zhōngguó's car market. Demand for gasoline and diesel is declining in Zhōngguó as electric vehicles become more popular.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 24 December 2024

• Electric vehicle exports from Zhōngguó plummet in November due to taxes/tariffs charged by the European Union. Exports down 19 per cent by volume last month as falling prices push value of shipments even lower.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 December 2024

• Honda and Nissan officially begin merger talks to create the third-largest automaker in the world. If the deal goes through, the merged group has the potential to deliver revenue of 30 trillion yen ($191.4 billion) and operating profit of over 3 trillion yen. Nissan's strategic partner Mitsubishi has been offered the chance to join the new group and will take a decision by the end of January 2025.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 23 December 2024

• Nissan needs a rescue by Honda. What went so wrong, other than competition from Zhōngguó? Nissan, still reeling from Ghosn affair, has an aging model lineup and restless dealers in the USA.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 23 December 2024

• The market capitalization of Tesla is nearly half of the global automobile industry
  - Zero Hedge, 22 December 2024

• Volkswagen reaches labor deal, avoiding plant closures in Germany. The automaker agreed to keep all 10 of its factories in Deutschland open and to guarantee the jobs of its workers until the end of 2030.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 21 December 2024

• Volkswagen aims to reduce workforce by 35,000 people in deal with union. The auto giant strikes an agreement to cut billions of dollars in costs while avoiding factory closures.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 December 2024

• The EPA allows California to ban sales starting in 2035 of new cars powered by gasoline
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 20 December 2024

• Foxconn has discussed making bid for Nissan. The electronics manufacturer has been considering acquiring Nissan as part of plans to expand its nascent electric-vehicle business, according to people familiar with the matter.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 19 December 2024

• $8,200,000 - The owner of a vehicle towing company in Philadelphia is sentenced for $8.2 million catalytic converter theft ring
  - Zero Hedge, 18 December 2024

• Shares of Tesla plunge 7%, as investors are increasingly confused on how to handle the stock given how widely disconnected it appears to be from fundamentals
  - Comcast's CNBC, 18 December 2024

• Textron halts production of ATVs, UTVs and snowmobiles amid imploding consumer demand
  - Zero Hedge, 18 December 2024

• Behind the political turmoil in Germany, a stagnating economy. One of the economic powerhouses in Europe is losing its competitive edge, and the politicians can't agree on why - or what to do about it.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 18 December 2024

• The Deutschland that we knew is gone. The economically prosperous, socially cohesive and politically stable Deutschland has gone.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 18 December 2024

• The Zhōngguó shock behind the Honda-Nissan merger talks. The merger talks between Honda and Nissan are the latest example of companies trying to respond to the competitive threat from Zhōngguó.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 18 December 2024

• Behind a potential Honda and Nissan merger is the existential threat posed by electric vehicles manufactured in Zhōngguó
  - Thomson's Reuters, 18 December 2024

• Shares of Nissan surged 24% while Honda Motor stock slipped following media reports that the two automakers based in Nihon were potentially considering a merger. According to a report in the Nikkei newspaper, Honda and Nissan are considering operating under a holding company, and soon will sign a memorandum of understanding.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 18 December 2024

• Shares of Nissan surged 24% while Honda Motor stock slipped following media reports that the two automakers based in Nihon were potentially considering a merger. According to a report in the Nikkei newspaper, Honda and Nissan are considering operating under a holding company, and soon will sign a memorandum of understanding.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 18 December 2024

• Surging car sales spark upside surprise for retail spending in November
  - Zero Hedge, 17 December 2024

• Zhōngguó has earned 39% of global auto production; dominating Europe, Nihon and the USA. The rapid ascent was fueled by significant government investment, advancements in automation, and the growth of its domestic market, which is now the largest globally - i.e., good capitalist competition.
  - Zero Hedge, 17 December 2024

• Zhōngguó has earned 39% of global auto production; dominating Europe, Nihon and the USA. The rapid ascent was fueled by significant government investment, advancements in automation, and the growth of its domestic market, which is now the largest globally - i.e., good capitalist competition.
  - Zero Hedge, 17 December 2024

• Automakers in the USA thrived during the Covid pandemic. Many are now financially struggling. Changing technology, political turmoil and competition from Zhōngguó are cutting into profits and forcing carmakers to cut jobs and close factories.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 15 December 2024

• Porsche SE to take up to $20.9 billion charge on its stake in Volkswagen. The holding company withdrew its profit forecast, citing write-downs tied to its investment in Volkswagen.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 14 December 2024

• One of the goodies that Musk wants for giving over $100 million for his election campaign, is for Trump to eliminate car-crash reporting rules that Musk opposes. Removing the crash-disclosure provision would particularly benefit Tesla, which has reported most of the crashes -- more than 1500 - to federal safety regulators under the program. Tesla has been targeted in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigations, including three stemming from the data.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 13 December 2024

• Carmakers in Zhōngguó are taking Mexico by storm while eyeing the USA. BYD and other manufacturers are importing cars from Zhōngguó and scouting factory sites in Mexico as part of a global expansion that, for now, excludes the USA.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 13 December 2024

• Farmers in the USA say that intelligent tractors "acted like they were demon possessed" due to the Sun. One example of how that stellar fury affects the Earth, apart from triggering gorgeous auroras in the night sky: farmers say the barrage of solar particles has wreaked havoc on their high-tech agricultural equipment. The issue is that modern tractors are highly dependent on GPS, which is provided by sensitive satellites the orbit of the Earth. One extreme solar storm in May, they say, threw off equipment when planting season was already in full swing.
  - The Byte, 12 December 2024

• Nvidia increases hiring in Zhōngguó to focus on self-driving cars using AI, to hasten the time of replacing paid human drivers with non-paid AI, [KM: so that the rich get richer, such as the CEO of Nvidia].
  - Bloomberg, 12 December 2024

• [KM: Seeking to make the rich richer, and get more humans fired], Amazon has expanded into online car sales with the launch of Amazon Autos, an e-commerce business that lets customers find, order, and buy new cars, trucks, and SUVs from dealerships
  - TechCrunch, 10 December 2024

• Automakers, are flooding the world with SUVs and pickup trucks, highly profitable but highly damaging to the environment. Like a disease, car bloat is spreading. The United States is patient zero: 4 out of 5 new cars in the U.S. are now SUVs or pickups, a sharp increase from a few decades ago. Now, oversized cars are becoming almost as common in Berlin and Beijing as they are in Baltimore. The global ascent of giant cars is an ominous trend for climate change, as well as for road safety in the rich and developing worlds alike.
  - Slate, 10 December 2024

• The average age of cars keeps rising, but people cannot afford maintenance
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 09 December 2024

• Sony and Honda are set to debut a collaborative electric vehicle, despite threats from Trump to reduce subsidies for electric vehicles, potentially reducing electric vehicle sales by nearly 30%
  - Zero Hedge, 08 December 2024

• Electric vehicles are not selling. Carmakers have scaled back production plans, with EV output in the USA expected to drop by 50% and European plans by 29% next year, according to Bernstein. By 2025, EV market share is projected to reach 23% in Europe and 13% in the USA.
  - Zero Hedge, 05 December 2024

• Google's Waymo non-human-driven ride-hailing service to expand into Miami, leading to paid-humans losing their jobs [KM: while making extremely rich Google richer]
  - Thomson's Reuters, 05 December 2024

• General Motors to take into account a more than $5 billion cost, close plants, as part of restructuring in Zhōngguó
  - Zero Hedge, 04 December 2024

• General Motors to take into account a more than $5 billion cost, close plants, as part of restructuring in Zhōngguó
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 04 December 2024

• Unions at Volkswagen begin short strikes and threaten more. Workers at nine of the Volkswagen's factories in Deutschland walked off their jobs for several hours, and warned they would escalate the action if their demands went unmet.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 03 December 2024

• Unions at Volkswagen begin short strikes and threaten more. Workers at nine of the Volkswagen's factories in Deutschland walked off their jobs for several hours, and warned they would escalate the action if their demands went unmet.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 03 December 2024

• Building products for Apple has become a side hustle for biggest EV maker in Zhōngguó. BYD has grown into a top iPad assembler and has put around 100,000 people to work for Apple.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 03 December 2024

• Carlos Tavares, the CEO of Stellantis, abruptly resigns as sales of the company's Jeep and Ram vehicles falter in the USA. The maker of Fiat and Peugeot cars has lost around 40% of its value this year.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 02 December 2024

• How the cost-cutting mantra of the CEO of Stellantis cost him his job. Carlos Tavares's abrupt exit from the Jeep maker came amid concerns over his renewed efficiency drive.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 December 2024

• Carlos Tavares, the CEO of Stellantis, abruptly resigns as sales of the company's Jeep and Ram vehicles falter in the USA. The maker of Fiat and Peugeot cars has lost around 40% of its value this year.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 December 2024

• Yes, it "looks like a duck", but mail carriers with the US Post Office like their new mail trucks. The electric trucks have a side cargo door, more space and, critically, air-conditioning, promising some long-overdue relief for carriers, who have not had an upgrade since the 1980s.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 December 2024

• The Energy Department in the last days of the Biden Administration is planning to give a loan of $7.54 billion to a joint venture of Chrysler parent Stellantis and Samsung SDI to help build two electric vehicle lithium-ion battery plants in Indiana. Apparently, the economics was so bad that private investors did not want to invest or loan.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 02 December 2024

• The Energy Department in the last days of the Biden Administration is planning to give a loan of $7.54 billion to a joint venture of Chrysler parent Stellantis and Samsung SDI to help build two electric vehicle lithium-ion battery plants in Indiana. Apparently, the economics was so bad that private investors did not want to invest or loan.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 December 2024

• For decades, installing chargers for electric vehicles outside their stores was not profitable for retailers. Now it is. Companies see charging as a potentially profitable business in and of itself, not just as a spur for foot traffic and sales.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 December 2024

• For electric vehicle startups, business is going from bad to worse. Makers and suppliers of electric cars are dealing with diminishing cash, uneven sales and the prospects of an unfriendly Trump administration (which will benefit Trump supporter Elon Musk's Tesla who has already received his subsidies).
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 December 2024

• Automobile manufacturers in Europe and the USA are predicted to lose up to 17% of their combined annual core profits if the Trump imposes import taxes/tariffs on Europe, Mexico and Canada, according to a report published by S&P Global, warning of potential credit downgrades
  - Thomson's Reuters, 29 November 2024

• How Zhōngguó became the largest exporter of automobiles in the world, with Nihon second and the USA 6th. Trump may try new taxes/tariffs, but that does little against the manufacturing prowess of Zhōngguó.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 29 November 2024

• Automakers in Zhōngguó tell suppliers to reduce costs as the price war for vehicles deepens. BYD asked a supplier to reduce its product prices by 10 percent starting next year. SAIC Maxus Automotive, an arm of Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer SAIC, sent a letter to its suppliers asking for a 10 percent reduction in costs.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 28 November 2024

• Automakers in 'socialist' Zhōngguó are dethroning their once-dominant competitors in 'capitalist' Nihon. In Thailand and Singapore, carmakers from Nion now control just 35% of the market, down from over 50% in 2019.
  - Zero Hedge, 27 November 2024

• Sales of electric and hybrid vehicles in Zhōngguó account for more than half of retail passenger vehicle sales in the four months from July, a trend that is predicted to reduce the demand for transport fuels such as gasoline that will in turn have a major impact on the oil industry. For a global oil market, which has come to rely on Zhōngguó as its main growth driver for most of this century, that will erode a major pillar of consumption.
  - Bloomberg, 27 November 2024

• Volkswagen has sold its plant in Xinjiang, a region in northwestern Zhōngguó beset by accusations of human rights abuses, citing "economic reasons".
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 27 November 2024

• Good news (NOT!) for auto workers who voted for Trump. Trump's proposed taxes/tariffs would deal a big blow to the auto industry and auto workers. Automakers and parts suppliers would struggle if Trump followed through on his threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 27 November 2024

• Slovakia, the 'Detroit of Europe', produces more cars per capita than any other country in the world. Trump's proposed taxes/tariffs threaten to destroy the success of the auto industry in Slovakia. The country of just 5.5 million people relies heavily on trade with the USA, with autos accounting for a sizable chunk of its exports to the USA and the sector indirectly employing over 250,000 people.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 27 November 2024

• The Biden administration will give electric vehicle maker Rivian a socialistically subsidize loan for $6.6 billion, to build a factory in the state of Georgia that the automaker paused as Rivian struggles to become profitable.
  - Associated Press, 26 November 2024

• The Tesla Cybertruck has generally been a disaster ever since it launched. The list of things that have gone wrong is long, and that is even before you get to the fact that it is not a very functional truck, and used values are dropping quickly. At the same time, the Cybertruck seems to also keep coming up with new, innovative ways to test how far Tesla can push owners before they finally break. Like having them wait to take delivery because the truck's battery already needs a replacement before being driven a single mile.
  - Jalopnik, 25 November 2024

• The auto industry is reducing its 'capital junkie' tendencies and spending, after unprecedented spending on electric vehicles and self-driving automobiles
  - Comcast's CNBC, 25 November 2024

• Thailand, the 'Detroit' of Southeast Asia, is at the forefront of the battle of Zhōngguó for the global auto market. In the past two years, automakers in Zhōngguó including BYD, GAC Aion, and Chery have announced plans to build manufacturing facilities in Thailand. These automakers are aggressively entering middle-income markets like Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, and Argentina, where there are often no domestic auto champions to protect, and governments have at least a somewhat cordial relationship with Beijing.
  - Jiaravanon's Fortune, 24 November 2024

• Bosch to reduce hours for 10,000 workers in Germany. People mostly on 38- or 40-hour contracts at sites around Deutschland will have their hours reduced to 35 hours.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 23 November 2024

• Bosch to cut thousands of jobs as auto woes intensify. Bosch said it expected to cut 3,500 jobs in its cross-domain computing solutions division by 2027. Subdued car sales and intense competition have hit earnings at carmakers.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 23 November 2024

• Supercheap robotics manufactured by Baidu in Zhōngguó should scare the hell out of competitors in the USA such as Waymo. [KM: But should paid human taxi drivers being even more scared about losing their jobs to make the rich richer]?
  - The Verge, 22 November 2024

• The CEO of Northvolt resigns as the big hope of Europe for its own battery champion files for bankruptcy. On Thursday, the company sought bankruptcy protection in the U.S. to allow it to restructure its debt, scale back its business and secure a sustainable foundation for its continued operation.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 22 November 2024

• The CEO of Northvolt resigns as the big hope of Europe for its own battery champion files for bankruptcy. On Thursday, the company sought bankruptcy protection in the U.S. to allow it to restructure its debt, scale back its business and secure a sustainable foundation for its continued operation.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 November 2024

• Automakers to Trump: please require us to sell electric vehicles. Trump promised to erase Biden tailpipe rules that are designed to get carmakers to produce EVs. But Detroit wants to keep them because of the money they have invested to avoid having to buy 'emissions credits'. Tesla, which makes only electric vehicles, has earned billions of dollars by selling emissions credits to other automakers, collecting $2.1 billion in the first nine months of this year alone, which was 43 percent of its net profit, according to regulatory filings. During Trump's early years, the socialist credits were a critical source of revenue that probably prevented the company from going bankrupt, analysts say.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 November 2024

• Car-loan delinquencies are not scaring off Wall Street. Investors are snapping up bonds tied to car loans, betting that a strong USA economy will keep rising delinquency rates in check.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 20 November 2024

• Ford Motors to fire 14% of its people in Europe, blaming a shift in electric vehicle demand and rising competition
  - Comcast's CNBC, 20 November 2024

• Nearly 40% of cars financed since 2022 now have negative equity. Nearly 46% of electric vehicles have negative equity. The median loan for a Tesla has negative equity.
  - Zero Hedge, 18 November 2024

• Trump wants to kill tax credits for electric vehicles. Doing so would hurt automakers based in the USA, except for Tesla which has already reaped huge benefits from billions of such subsidies.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 18 November 2024

• Shares of Tesla jump 7% premarket, after a report that Trump wants to make a federal framework to regulate self-driving vehicles a top priority for the USA Department of Transportation.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 18 November 2024

• Revenue of Xiaomi soars 30% in the third quarter of 2024, as sales of its first electric car surge
  - Comcast's CNBC, 18 November 2024

• The withering dream of a cheap electric vehicle made in the USA. "That market sucks", Lucid Chief Executive Peter Rawlinson says, as Elon Musk pivots Tesla to driverless cars.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 18 November 2024

• The low-altitude vehicle economy is all the buzz in Zhōngguó, so where are the tangible results? National-level plans are in the works and will likely offer guidance to local governments eager to capitalise on the low-altitude sector, from drones to eVTOL aircraft.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 November 2024

• Takata, an auto parts manufacturer in Nihon, files for bankruptcy in light of the "largest and most complex safety recall" in the history of the USA. The recall of airbags by Takada cost the company billions of dollars.
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 16 November 2024

• The state of New York relaunches congestion pricing with a $9 toll, but the plan will be killed by Trump. Since Trump opposes the plan, the governor has limited time to implement the new charge before the Jan 20 inauguration and avoid the incoming administration stalling the program, as it did during his first term.
  - Zero Hedge, 15 November 2024

• Advance Auto Parts reported a third-quarter loss, slashed its full-year outlook, and announced plans to close 700 stores and distribution centers by summer 2025. The top automotive aftermarket parts provider for professionals and do-it-yourself consumers was pressured by soft demand for vehicle parts, as elevated inflation and broader economic pressures left fewer consumers repairing their vehicles.
  - Zero Hedge, 14 November 2024

• Advance Auto Parts reported a third-quarter loss, slashed its full-year outlook, and announced plans to close 700 stores and distribution centers by summer 2025. The top automotive aftermarket parts provider for professionals and do-it-yourself consumers was pressured by soft demand for vehicle parts, as elevated inflation and broader economic pressures left fewer consumers repairing their vehicles.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 14 November 2024

• New York will revive its once-abandoned plan for the nation's first congestion-pricing program, imposing a $9 tax/toll (originally proposed to be $15) for most vehicles to enter Midtown and Lower Manhattan during peak hours. The last-minute effort to save the tolling plan comes as Ms. Hochul has faced growing pressure from transit advocates and state lawmakers to secure funding for the transit system. She also faces legal challenges from supporters of congestion pricing.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 14 November 2024

• $110,000,000+ - Ford Motors agrees pay up to $165 million penalty to US government for moving too slowly on recalls
  - Associated Press, 14 November 2024

• Shares of Rivian surge 19% after the company announced it finalized its $5.8 billion joint venture with Volkswagen
  - Investor's Business Daily, 13 November 2024

• Trump has said he could impose punitive tariffs on car imports from Mexico, a move that could financially hurt factories and workers on both sides of the border.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 13 November 2024

• Shares of Nissan Motor rise 12%, the most in 15 years, after an activist investor builds stake. Nissan said a trustee of ECM Master Fund was its fifth-biggest shareholder with a 2.5% stake as of the end of September.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 13 November 2024

• Google's Waymo's non-human-driven robotaxis are now open to anyone who wants a taxi ride where they don't have to pay humans, [KM: but rather make billionaires richer]
  - Associated Press, 12 November 2024

• Shares of Hertz fall as much as 12% after the company reported a worse-than-expected loss stemming from Hertz's effort to unwind a failed bet on electric vehicles that has pummeled earnings for most of the past year
  - Bloomberg, 12 November 2024

• How Volkswagen failed in the automobile market of Zhōngguó. A brutal price war, sudden shifts in consumer demand and human rights issues in Xinjiang have left VW stumbling in a market it led for 40 years.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 11 November 2024

• Kaifeng, a historic city in Zhōngguó, has urged cyclists to stay away after thousands of college students descended on it for a night-time ride. Cities in Zhōngguó have been trying to lure visitors and cash in on the the craze for nocturnal cycling, but the city of Kaifeng in the central province of Henan has now told would-be visitors to stay away after footage of crowded roads and bike paths circulated on social media.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 November 2024

• Toyota plans to increase production in Zhōngguó in a strategy pivot. Toyota aims to make at least 2.5 million vehicles a year in Zhōngguó by 2030, three people said, an overhaul that will see it bring its Chinese sales and production operations closer together and allow local executives a freer hand in development.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 09 November 2024

• BMW reported a sharp drop in profitability for its key automotive unit, hit by costs of a recall and weak demand in Zhōngguó, even as it forecast stronger earnings in the fourth quarter.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 November 2024

• Nissan prepres to fire 9000 people and cut global production capacity by a fifth, while reducing its annual profit prediction by 70% to $975 million
  - Comcast's CNBC, 07 November 2024

• Stellantis to indefinitely lay off 1,100 workers at Jeep plant in Ohio
  - Comcast's CNBC, 06 November 2024

• Factories in France falter as the auto industry in Europe prepares for major firing of people. Factories produced fewer goods again in September, as the manufacturing sector in France suffers from high energy bills and tougher competition from Zhōngguó.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 06 November 2024

• The woes continue for automakers in Europe, as Michelin and Schaeffler plan to fire thousands of people. Michelin and Schaeffler said they plan to close factories and cut thousands of jobs in Europe as car-part suppliers reel from weakness in the automotive sector.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 06 November 2024

• Toyota posts nearly 20% drop in second-quarter operating profit, missing estimates
  - Comcast's CNBC, 06 November 2024

• Google's subsidiary, Waymo, has had a huge increase in the number of non-human, driverless rides it offers, from 12,000 to over 312,000 per month, though Waymo still loses money for Amazon, and humans lost out on income from providing the 312,000 rides a month. [KM: These humans are not (yet) Solyent Green.]
  - Sherwood News, 04 November 2024

• Electric vehicle makers based in Zhōngguó are globally expanding into Latin America. Brazil is now the biggest overseas market for BYD as companies from Zhōngguó grab market share in Latin Ameria from Western companies.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 04 November 2024

• Nissan reducing the production of cars in the USA by 30%, putting its 2024 global sales target at risk
  - Zero Hedge, 01 November 2024

• Zhōngguó urges its automakers to stop investments in countries in Europe, amidst a trade war between the two regions. The government of Zhōngguó has instructed its automakers to halt major investments in European countries supporting higher tariffs on electric vehicles made in Zhōngguó.
  - Zero Hedge, 31 October 2024

• Shares of Aurora crash 17% after the startup that manufactures non-human-driverless trucks delays its commercial launch. Investors invested $500 million into the company in August.
  - Zero Hedge, 31 October 2024

• Ford took an early lead in electric vehicles. Now General Motors is surging. Ford is struggling to make money on battery-powered models while General Motors, which started more slowly, says it is getting close to that goal.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 31 October 2024

• Profits at BYD rose on strong sales. Profits for the electric vehicle giant in Zhōngguó rose 11.5% yeat-to-year, beating the consensus estimate of analysts polled by Visible Alpha
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 31 October 2024

• Amazon-owned AV company Zoox will start rolling out dozens of its purpose-built autonomous vehicle in San Francisco and in Las Vegas in the coming weeks. [KM: These custom non-human robotaxis will allow more human taxis drivers to lose their jobs, while the rich Amazon gets richer].
  - TechCrunch, 30 October 2024

• Electric vehicle maker BYD, based in Zhōngguó, with third-quarter revenue up 24% on year to 201.1 billion yuan ($28.24 billion), BYD's quarterly revenue for the first time outpaced Tesla, whose revenue for the July-September quarter reached $25.2 billion. Tesla still beat BYD in terms of EV sales globally during July to September.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 30 October 2024

• Electric air taxis are already suffering economic problems. German startup Lilium is the first listed eVTOL maker to be at risk of collapse, but may not be the last, as it principal German subsidiaries will apply for self-administration (bankruptcy) proceedings.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 30 October 2024

• The trade war between Zhōngguó and the EU erupts as Beijing files WTO complaint over tax/tariff increases for electric vehicles imported into Europe
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 October 2024

• Profits at Volkswagen plunge 42% in the third quarter amid sweeping overhaul plans. Operating profit fell to 2.86 billion euros ($3.1 billion), while third quarter sales revenues slipped 0.5% year on year to around 78.5 billion euros.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 30 October 2024

• The biggest banks and lenders in Britain are scrambling to avoid a collapse in the car sales market after a shock court judgement prompted chaos at forecourts across the country. The Court of Appeal ruled last week that car salesmen now have a "fiduciary duty" to inform customers about bonuses, commissions and fees they receive from lenders. This means they have to put the needs of the customer ahead of their own, which has implications for the payment of commissions. Lloyds Bank, one of the UK's largest motor financiers through its Black Horse arm, became the latest lender to revamp its practices by abolishing bonuses paid to car dealers.
  - Barclay's The Telegraph, 30 October 2024

• Stellantis is pausing production of Durango and Grand Cherokee due to "slow sales"
  - Zero Hedge, 30 October 2024

• Electric vehicle makers in Zhōngguó will end an already stellar year with a continued sales surge, analysts predict
  - Zero Hedge, 30 October 2024

• Their car is totaled, but they still owe years of payments. Roughly a third of people who financed cars owe more than their vehicles are worth, which can be consequential once they get rid of the car.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 30 October 2024

• "This is starvation": the top labor leader at Volkswagen warns that the company plans to close three factories, causing thousands of people to be fired. Volkswagen, the largest carmaker, expected to report dismal third-quarter results on Wednesday, has been crushed by the auto market downturn while competition intensifies from Zhōngguó.
  - Zero Hedge, 28 October 2024

• SVOLT, an electric vehicle battery maker based in Zhōngguó, is shuttering operations in Europe on the heels of a yearslong regulatory conflict between European lawmakers and EV manufacturing that is based in Zhōngguó.
  - Zero Hedge, 26 October 2024

• Porsche AG posted lower sales and operating profit as it faced challenges in Zhōngguó and a slower-than-expected shift to electric vehicles
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 26 October 2024

• Non-human-driving startup WeRide raised a combined $440.5 million in its USA initial public offering and a private placement on Friday, the latest firm from Zhōngguó to capitalize on improving investor sentiment and easing regulatory roadblocks. [KM: A lot of humans are going to have to lose their jobs for investors to obtain good returns.]
  - Thomson's Reuters, 25 October 2024

• Google's non-human-driving unit, Waymo, closes $5.6 billion funding round as the non-paid robotaxi race heats up in the USA. [KM: A lot of humans are going to have to lose their jobs for investors to obtain good returns.]
  - Comcast's CNBC, 25 October 2024

• The CEO of Ford says that he has been driving a Xiaomi SU7 EV for the past 6 months and doesn't want to give it up. The tech gian in Zhōngguó produces three versions of the car: SU7, SU7 Pro, and SU7 Max. Maybe one reason shares of Ford are down 9% this year.
  - Business Insider, 24 October 2024

• Shares of Tesla jump 9% after an unexpected jump in profit margin suggests price war is over
  - Zero Hedge, 23 October 2024

• Automakers in Europe suffer the first sales decline in two years
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 October 2024

• Profits at General Motors near a record high - with profits of $3.4 billion just in the 3rd quarter, a year after management argued that it could not afford to pay more money to the people working for GM
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 22 October 2024

• Shares of Lucid Group drop 15% after the electric vehicle maker announced a public offering of nearly 262.5 million shares of its common stock
  - Comcast's CNBC, 17 October 2024

• Car deliveries by Stellantis decline 20% on sales woes in the USA. Stellantis vehicle deliveries fell 20% in the third quarter as the Jeep and Ram-maker began to take measures to address excess inventory in the USA.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 17 October 2024

• The many dishonest practices of car dealers in the USA, making car buying the worst kind of shopping. Sometimes, the tactics car salespeople use go beyond just the hard sell to the downright deceptive. One common trap is bait and switch prices, where a car is initially advertised as one price (usually achieved by piling on discounts that you may not qualify for). When you run to the dealership to snag the deal, you are told the vehicle has already been sold but there is a similar one that is more expensive. Or take 'yo-yo' sales, in which you drive your new car home only to be told a few days later that the financing fell through so you will have to accept a higher interest rate or make a bigger down payment. A dealer might also try to sneak unneeded add-on -- like extended warranties or protective coatings -- onto the total price of the car.
  - Vox, 16 October 2024

• BMW says a European Union ban on gasoline cars starting in 2035 is "no longer realistic", amid slow EV sales as the European auto industry will see a "massive shrinking" with such a ban.
  - Zero Hedge, 16 October 2024

• General Motors has agreed to establish a joint venture with Lithium Americas Corp. that includes the automaker supplying $625 million in cash and credit to the Canadian mining business, the companies announced Wednesday. The deal is centered on the development, construction and operation of a lithium carbonate mining operation called Thacker Pass in Humboldt County, Nevada. Lithium is a key component for batteries that power electric vehicles.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 16 October 2024

• Stellantis expands factory in Mexico to build more Ram pickup truck outside the USA. Such a move by the automaker would threaten its already-frayed relationship with the UAW.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 16 October 2024

• BYD, the leading automaker in Zhōngguó, dominates foreign rivals with a $14,000 plug-in hybrid automobile. From tariffs to technology restrictions, global challenges are mounting for carmakers in Zhōngguó, but BYD has been unstoppable.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 15 October 2024

• Barclays to replace Goldman Sachs as issuer of credit cards for General Motors. The deal aims to expand the consumer ambitions of Barclays in the USA while getting Goldman closer to exiting consumer lending.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 15 October 2024

• Goldman Sachs issues a grim outlook for AutoZone, citing "significant exposure" to struggling working-poor consumers
  - Zero Hedge, 14 October 2024

• Used electric vehicles sell for bargain prices now, putting owners and dealers in a bind. The sharp drop in the value of preowned electric vehicles stands in contrast to the broader used-car market.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 14 October 2024

• Volkswagen car deliveries fall as industry challenges mount. Volkswagen delivered fewer cars in the third quarter as the automaker navigates an increasingly challenging market hit by a price war in Zhōngguó and high domestic production costs.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 12 October 2024

• Yutong, the top electric-bus maker in the world based in Zhōngguó, touts new technology as exports grow. With quick-charge batteries from CATL, firm aims to extend driving range by 10 per cent while cutting operating cost by 20 percent.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 October 2024

• Shares of Tesla decline 6% after a boring debut of its yet-to-be-produced robotaxi, the Cybercab. Analysts noted "relatively limited details on the robotaxi business plan", and not too many details on its Optimus humanoid robot. Analysts need to see how Tesla will profit [KM: from replacing paid humans with its machines].
  - Comcast's CNBC, 11 October 2024

• Shares of Tesla decline 6% after a boring debut of its yet-to-be-produced robotaxi, the Cybercab. Analysts noted "relatively limited details on the robotaxi business plan", and not too many details on its Optimus humanoid robot. Analysts need to see how Tesla will profit [KM: from replacing paid humans with its machines].
  - Zero Hedge, 11 October 2024

• Shares of Tesla decline 6% after a boring debut of its yet-to-be-produced robotaxi, the Cybercab. Analysts noted "relatively limited details on the robotaxi business plan", and not too many details on its Optimus humanoid robot. Analysts need to see how Tesla will profit [KM: from replacing paid humans with its machines].
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 11 October 2024

• BYD and other automakers in Zhōngguó slashed prices on 124 models of electric vehicles from January to September, while prices on 71 petrol car models also cheapened, industry association says, taking discounting to new lows at expense of margins
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 October 2024

• The financial woes of Volkswagen reflect a stagnant economy in Germany. The largest automaker in Deutschland rode a wave of strong sales for years, but lagging demand and pressure from Zhōngguó are forcing it to consider layoffs.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 10 October 2024

• Baidu seeks to profit from taking jobs from humans, by launching its robotaxi service outside of Zhōngguó. The internet company Baidu has been seeking new growth engines in fields such as non-human-driving technology as its core advertising business has slowed in recent years. [KM: New profits to be found taking jobs from humans.]
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 10 October 2024

• Electric big-rig trucks do not make sense even with $40,000 in tax credits. Electric trucks cost twice as much as diesel-powered rigs and have a limited driving range -- 150 miles on average, compared to between 1,000 and 1,500 for diesel trucks. There are also few truck charging stations.
  - Zero Hedge, 07 October 2024

• The European Union backing for taxes/tariffs on electric vehicles imported from Zhōngguó show the waning influence of Germany. Deutschland was one of only five EU members to reject tariffs after months of pressure from its carmakers, which rely on Zhōngguó for almost a third of their sales, allowing the European Commission to press ahead with anti-subsidy duties by the end of the month.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 07 October 2024

• Is the biggest battery maker in Europe about to 'run out of juice'? Northvolt, based in Sweden, is in trouble as technical difficulties, slowing demand for electric vehicles and a dominant Zhōngguó threaten to upend the industry.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 October 2024

• The public transport system in Zhōngguó serves about 90% of urban residents, more than twice the percentage as in the USA. Major coastal and central cities in Zhōngguó offer "convenient" public transport access to nearly two times more of their populations than other global hubs, including New York.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 October 2024

• Robotaxi day at Tesla is a make or break moment for Elon Musk. Musk will need to convince investors that Tesla is still more than an auto maker, [KM: but instead a company that can profit from replacing paid humans with robots, making the rich (such as Musk) richer].
  - Barron's, 05 October 2024

• Waymo and Hyundai team up [KM: to help people lose their jobs], as the Waymo chooses the Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicle for its new fleet of non-paid robotaxis, taxis that don't need paid human drivers
  - Carscoops, 05 October 2024

• $35,000,000 - A recent $35 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit has been announced for owners of Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks with diesel engines. These individuals can now claim cash compensation due to a defect in the fuel injection pump, bringing long-awaited relief to thousands of truck owners across the USA and Canada.
  - Union Rayo, 04 October 2024

• Ferrari has filed a patent for a hydrogen engine that could revolutionize the way we think about sports car engines. This engine is not only revolutionary for its use of hydrogen, but also because it is mounted upside down, which is highly unconventional for high-performance engines. The proposed engine is a hybrid, combining a combustion engine fuelled by hydrogen at the rear and an electric motor at the front, enabling all-wheel drive.
  - Union Rayo, 04 October 2024

• Stellantis Chief Financial Officer Natalie Knight has informed her team of white collar workers about the need to take "drastic measures" to shore up the Jeep and Ram parent's finances
  - Zero Hedge, 04 October 2024

• Toyota Motor is planning to move away from DEI and pro-LGBTQ events after recently facing online attacks by sexist critics
  - Fox News, 04 October 2024

• The European Union to impose up to a 45% tax/tariff on electric vehicles imported from Zhōngguó as the risks soar of an "economic cold war"
  - Zero Hedge, 04 October 2024

• The European Union to impose up to a 45% tax/tariff on electric vehicles imported from Zhōngguó as the risks soar of an "economic cold war"
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 04 October 2024

• The European Union to impose up to a 45% tax/tariff on electric vehicles imported from Zhōngguó as the risks soar of an "economic cold war"
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 04 October 2024

• The European Union to impose up to a 45% tax/tariff on electric vehicles imported from Zhōngguó as the risks soar of an "economic cold war"
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 October 2024

• Shares of Rivian Automotive fell about 8% during premarket trading Friday after the electric vehicle startup lowered its annual production forecast for 2024
  - Comcast's CNBC, 04 October 2024

• Shares of EVgo rise over 50% after the Biden administration offered a conditional loan guarantee of up to $1.05 billion to expand public electric vehicle-charging infrastructure across the country
  - Thomson's Reuters, 03 October 2024

• Automobile manufacturers in Europe are getting nervous about the prospect of huge fines as electric vehicle demand falters. European carmakers face stricter emission targets from next year as the EU cap on average emissions from new vehicles sales falls to 93.6 grams of CO2 per kilometer.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 03 October 2024

• Tesla sales increase, suggesting electric car demand is rebounding
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 03 October 2024

• Car sales are idling as prices remain high. Car sales in the USA remain stuck below prepandemic levels despite better vehicle availability and more deals.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 October 2024

• Stellantis recalls more than 150,000 hybrid Jeeps over fire risk. The news comes a day after the s shares plunged as it cut its earnings guidance.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 October 2024

• We tried to buy less expensive car insurance, offline and online. It was pretty much impossible.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 01 October 2024

• Earnings guidance from Stellantis was so bad that Ford and General Motors are getting crushed, with Ford down about 2.5% and GM down about 4%
  - Barron's, 30 September 2024

• Shares of Stellantis drop 13%, and shares of Aston Martin drop 23%, after reporting decreased profits and lower-than-expected sales, and difficulties selling cars in Zhōngguó
  - Comcast's CNBC, 30 September 2024

• Jeep-owner Stellantis warns of deterioration across global car industry. The car giant said it will accelerate its push to reduce inventories on dealer lots in the USA by adding discounts and shipping fewer vehicles.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 30 September 2024

• Lithium-ion batteries just keep getting cheaper, from $290 per kilowatt-hour of storage in 2014 to $78 in 2024
  - Zero Hedge, 30 September 2024

• Why Stellantis, owner of Chrysler, Jeep and Ram, is struggling. The automaker, created by a 2021 merger, is dealing with labor unrest, slumping sales and a revolt from its dealers.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 30 September 2024

• Shares of NIO are up as high as 12%, after it secures a $1.9 billion investment
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 29 September 2024

• Chicago, the third-biggest city in the USA, is on the verge of losing its only intercity bus terminal, jeopardizing access for many low-income, elderly and minority travelers with few other transportation options. It is part of a nationwide trend that disporportionately hurts minority Americans. Greyhound, owned by German company Flix Mobility (which also owns FlixBus), has sold its terminals to investors for lucrative redevelopment in recent years, including dozens to investment firm Alden Global Capital.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 29 September 2024

• Ultra-cheap energy, and cars from Zhōngguó, drive the electric vehicle revolution in Nepal. A dam-building spree has led to low energy prices and widespread electric vehicle adoption in a country otherwise dependent on fossil fuel imports.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 September 2024

• Sorry, your insurance bill probably is not coming down much. Here is why. Both presidential candidates have talked about the rising cost of insurance in the USA. But the factors that make cars and homes more expensive to insure are hard to control -- especially all at once.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 28 September 2024

• Volkswagen reduces profit forecast again amid sliding car demand
  - Zero Hedge, 27 September 2024

• $1,500,000 - General Motor's Cruise division to pay a penalty of $1.5 million, after failing to fully report a crash invoving a pedestrian and one of its automated driving vehicles
  - Associated Press, 27 September 2024

• Morgan Stanley's Jonas downgrades General Motors, Ford, other automobile makers, on increased supply from Zhōngguó, and rising delinquencies. "Inventories in the USA are on an upward slope, while vehicle affordability (with near-record high average transaction prices and >$720 monthly payments) remains out of reach for many households. Credit losses and delinquencies continue to trend upward for less-than-prime consumers."
  - Zero Hedge, 25 September 2024

• Electric vehicle dealers and exporters in Zhōngguó are financially squeezed at home and abroad as price war rages. Rounds of price reductions by car dealers in Zhōngguó are being mirrored overseas, as manufacturers take losses to gain a foothold in global markets.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 September 2024

• Electric vehicles are "up to twice as expensive" to operate as gasoline-fueled vehicles in the UK
  - Zero Hedge, 24 September 2024

• Volkswagen might have to fire up to 30,000 workers in Deutschland as it suffers from selling fewer automobiles
  - Zero Hedge, 23 September 2024

• Looming insurance crisis threatens taxis and Uber vheicles in New York City. American Transit, the largest insurer of the city's for-hire vehicles, is insolvent. Its collapse could create a crisis that would take thousands of cars out of service.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 September 2024

• The collapsing economy in Zhōngguó causes more financial problems for automakers in Nihon
  - Zero Hedge, 20 September 2024

• Shares of Mercedes-Benz fall 8% after the the luxury carmaker slashed its full-year profit outlook. The company warned that further deterioration of the macroeconomic environment, specifically in Zhōngguó, was the primary reason vehicle demand softened, as well as having to deal with higher interest rates.
  - Zero Hedge, 20 September 2024

• Electric vehicle demand in Deutschland plummets 69%
  - Zero Hedge, 20 September 2024

• Mercedes-Benz has sold its remaining 10% stake in premium EV and hybrid maker Denza to BYD in the wake of disappointing sales in Zhōngguó.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 18 September 2024

• After firing people, Tesla's supercharger expansion slows. Rollouts have lagged behind while the company is adding partners and getting more socialist subsidies for charging stations.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 17 September 2024

• Americans are falling behind on the paying of their bills. Wall Street is alarmed. Lenders are seeing a rise in late payments on credit cards and auto loans.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 16 September 2024

• In a bid for global dominance, companies from Zhōngguó are building electric vehicle factories in Africa
  - Zero Hedge, 15 September 2024

• Low-priced EVs from companies in Zhōngguó reign in Spain, make gains in Europe. Beating competitors on price, electric vehicles from Zhōngguó have made headway in Europe but taxes/tariffs and trade scrutiny may slow their advance.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 September 2024

• Trump's obsession with oil could destroy the auto industry of the USA. By prioritizing oil in the 2010s, the Trump administration proudly tore up dozens of policies meant to lower American greenhouse gas emissions and build a competitive domestic clean energy industry. It prioritized oil, coal and natural gas businesses over wind, solar and batteries, and as president, Donald Trump often seemed to revel in picking policies that would increase emissions by design. These choices came with costs: American automakers failed to make their cars more efficient, and within a few years, they had fallen behind their international competition, especially automakers in South Korea and Zhōngguó. A second Trump administration would devastate the growing electric vehicle industry in the USA. The policies would allow Zhōngguó to consolidate its control of the world's electric vehicle and lithium-ion battery industries, and they would hamstring American - or European or East Asian - companies from developing the necessary expertise to compete with Zhōngguó.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 15 September 2024

• Truck maker Volvo delays construction of battery plant in Sweden. Weakening appetite for EVs, especially in Europe, has seen battery demand wane just as investments have increased.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 14 September 2024

• A burning Tesla Semi electric truck required 50,000 gallons of water to extinguish the fire, and required aircraft to dump fire retardant overhead
  - Comcast's CNBC, 13 September 2024

• Prices of electric trucks will need to fall 30-50% to compete with diesel-fueled trucks.
  - Zero Hedge, 13 September 2024

• The Biden administration increases taxes/tariffs on products from Zhōngguó. The administration moved to block off a popular tariff-free path for Chinese apparel coming into the United States, and added stiff levies on electric vehicles, solar panels and other products.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 13 September 2024

• "We are just giving them away": electric vehicles leases have plunged to as low as $20 per month. The Inflation Reduction Act limited tax breaks for EVs but a loophole allows leased EVs to qualify as commercial vehicles.
  - Zero Hedge, 12 September 2024

• Is the bear market in lithium prices over? UBS says a battery giant in Zhōngguó curbs production.
  - Zero Hedge, 11 September 2024

• Shares of lithium miners surge on possible CATL supply cut. Shares of lithium producers rose on possible suspension of some lithium mining and production operations by CATL, the world's biggest maker of batteries for electric vehicles.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 11 September 2024

• BMW reduces its financial targets due to recall costs, and low demand in Zhōngguó. BMW lowered its sales and earnings targets, saying expensive measures to fix a braking-system problem and muted demand in the world's largest car market would reduce its profits.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 11 September 2024

• Volkswagen, the world's largest automaker by sales canceled several agreements linked to a three-decades-old employee-jobs pact that was supposed to safeguard employment until 2029. Guarantees will effectively run out by the middle of next year. Cutbacks at VW are harder to push through than at other companies, especially since half the seats on the s supervisory board are held by labor representatives, and the German state of Lower Saxony -- which owns a 20% stake -- often sides with trade union bodies. The automaker, which employs almost 300,000 people in Germany, last week defended its plant closure plans, saying flagging car sales have left it with about two factories too many.
  - Zero Hedge, 10 September 2024

• Volkswagen and Deutschland were great economics for each other. Now they are not. Both the carmaker and its home country are suffering from high costs, eroding tech leadership and a reliance on Zhōngguó.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 10 September 2024

• Volkswagen, the world's largest automaker by sales canceled several agreements linked to a three-decades-old employee-jobs pact that was supposed to safeguard employment until 2029. Guarantees will effectively run out by the middle of next year. Cutbacks at VW are harder to push through than at other companies, especially since half the seats on the s supervisory board are held by labor representatives, and the German state of Lower Saxony -- which owns a 20% stake -- often sides with trade union bodies. The automaker, which employs almost 300,000 people in Germany, last week defended its plant closure plans, saying flagging car sales have left it with about two factories too many.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 10 September 2024

• Shares of BMW drop 9% after the company slashed its annual outlook due to a faulty braking system from supplier Continental AG, impacting as many as 1.5 million vehicles, which will only drive costs higher for the carmaker
  - Zero Hedge, 10 September 2024

• Shares of Ally Financial plummet 17% reported that their auto delinquencies soared a whopping 20 basis points compared to their expectation, while net charge offs (NCOs) were up ~10 bps compared to their expectations.
  - Zero Hedge, 10 September 2024

• Bad news for electric vehicles: consumers less likely to buy one compared to last year. The latest sentiment survey by ErnstYoung finds fewer Americans are interested in electrified vehicles compared to 2023.
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 10 September 2024

• Google's Waymo's non-paid robo-taxis are almost ready to replace paid-human beings. Can they now turn a profit? Now that its technology is showing it can replace human drivers on city streets, Google, which owns Waymo, plans to invest billions more - [KM: profiting by elimnating the need for humans earning a living].
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 10 September 2024

• Northvolt, a battery manufacturer in Sweden, said it would eliminate jobs and seek partnerships as it grappled with competition from Zhōngguó, as demand for electric vehicles declines in Europe.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 10 September 2024

• The corporate management at Ford Motor seek a patent for technology that allows automobiles to listen to the conversations of passengers to serve ads [KM: for useless shit].
  - The Record, 09 September 2024

• Toyota reduces the production of electric vehicles by 30% for 2026
  - Zero Hedge, 09 September 2024

• Volkswagen factory fears renew concerns about exposure of German carmakers in Zhōngguó. Zhōngguó's evolution into a formidable competitor is revealing cracks in the economic success of Germany.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 September 2024

• Mario Draghi argues that Europe is in existential danger without massive new spending and joint debt; Deutschland immediately says "nein"
  - Zero Hedge, 09 September 2024

• Mario Draghi, former head of the ECB, calls for 800 billion euros to be spent to ensure that the European Union competes with the USA and Zhōngguó. The spending will including significant joint funding, and an embrace of subsidies and tactical protectionist trade measures.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 September 2024

• Cybertrucks sold by Tesla are a disaster now, But winter will be a nightmare. Here is why cybertruck owners should be worried.
  - Benzinga, 06 September 2024

• BMW and Toyota plan to make hydrogen-powered EVs mainstream with partnership. BMW said it would release hydrogen-powered versions of one of its existing model lines in 2028 as part of its strategy -- which Toyota shares.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 06 September 2024

• Once the envy of the world, the car brands of Deutschland now weigh heavily on its struggling economy. The industry is facing a range of issues, from regulation to macroeconomics, Zhōngguó and electric vehicles.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 06 September 2024

• For Volkswagen, the bumpy road to electric vehicles starts to hit home. The auto giant is considering cuts it has long avoided in Deutschland as it contends with tepid interest in a high-cost technology.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 05 September 2024

• Volkswagen's choice: fire union workers and cut costs, or go bankrupt. Government setting outrageous goals, then telling business how they must deliver them never works very well.
  - Zero Hedge, 05 September 2024

• Global heating can cause bridges to "fall apart like tinkertoys", experts say. Extreme heat and flooding are accelerating the deterioration of bridges, engineers say, posing a quiet but growing threat.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 04 September 2024

• Enerpoly, based in Sweden, has flung open the doors to its zinc-ion battery megafactory in the north of Stockholm -- making it the first manufacturing facility to use this battery technology at a large scale in the world. Zinc has many benefits in batteries over lithium.
  - New Atlas, 03 September 2024

• Volkswagen braces for showdown with unions after warning of possible German plant closures
  - Comcast's CNBC, 03 September 2024

• Zhōngguó will conduct an anti-dumping investigation into rapeseed/canoli oil imports from Canada, days after the North American country joined the USA and European Union in imposing new taxes/tariffs on electric vehicles.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 September 2024

• Zhōngguó will conduct an anti-dumping investigation into rapeseed/canola oil imports from Canada, days after the North American country joined the USA and European Union in imposing new taxes/tariffs on electric vehicles.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 03 September 2024

• Electric vehicle sales in Zhōngguó rise on government subsidies and inventory buildup. Electric vehicle makers in Zhōngguó reported stronger sales and deliveries in August, thanks to Beijing's expanded trade-in program and dealers building inventories for the September and October peak season.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 03 September 2024

• German carmaker Volkswagen on Monday warned it will no longer be able to rule out plant closures in the country, citing the specter of major cost-cutting measures in order to "future proof" the company
  - Comcast's CNBC, 02 September 2024

• German carmaker Volkswagen on Monday warned it will no longer be able to rule out plant closures in the country, citing the specter of major cost-cutting measures in order to "future proof" the company
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 September 2024

• The first-half profits for BYD rose on strong EV sales despite slowing demand in Zhōngguó. The EV giant in Zhōngguó said first-half net profit rose on higher electric-vehicle sales despite weak demand in the largest auto market in the world.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 29 August 2024

• How the USA can break its addiction to highway construction. In the 1980s, an unlikely alliance slowed the construction of nature-destroying dams. We need the same for community-destroying highway projects which rarely relieve congestion.
  - Slate, 28 August 2024

• Xpeng, a rival of Tesla, is launching a $22,000 electric vehicle with self-driving features. Here is why that is a big problem for Tesla - it is half the price of Tesla's Model 3 in Zhōngguó.
  - Business Insider, 28 August 2024

• The rivals of Tesla still cannot use its nearly 30,0000 superchargers. Elon Musk's plan to open the charging network of Tesla is proceeding slowly because of software delays and hardware shortages. Nobody is entirely sure why, or when that might change. The rivals are foolish for relying on the whims of their erratic biggest competitor.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 28 August 2024

• Tesla investor Ross Gerber says he can't get sell his used Tesla. Here is why Musk's cars are not retaining value like they used to. Price cuts and a dump from Hertz hastened the decline in Tesla's resale values. In mid-2022, a used Model Y could sell for as much as $70,000 - now it is worth less than $40,000 on the used market.
  - Business Insider, 27 August 2024

• Economic problems for the recreational vehicle industry, with the largest RV dealership offering 55% discounts
  - Zero Hedge, 27 August 2024

• Toyota has unveiled a new unpreceded combustion engine technology that might allow internal combustion to persist for several more years. This new engine, the Renaissance engine, can use any fuel, producing slightly fewer emissions than other engines. It is relatively efficient in its fuel type, which may be gasoline, synthetic e-fuels, biodiesel, or hydrogen.
  - Ecoticias, 26 August 2024

• The plug-in hybrid car starts to win over buyers. Dealers say many car shoppers who are interested in going electric still want the security of a gas engine.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 26 August 2024

• Canada imposes a 100% tax/tariff on imports of electric vehicles manufactured in Zhōngguó. The only such autos are made by Tesla. There will also be a 25% tax/tariff on steel and aluminum imported from Zhōngguó.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 26 August 2024

• Canada imposes a 100% tax/tariff on imports of electric vehicles manufactured in Zhōngguó. The only such autos are made by Tesla. There will also be a 25% tax/tariff on steel and aluminum imported from Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 August 2024

• How Zhōngguó used technology from Nihon to outpace rival in the production of electric vehicles and steel. With a lengthy joint venture in steel between Zhōngguó and Nihon coming to an end, analysts reflect on its broader meaning in the context of the two countries' new roles in the global economy.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 August 2024

• BMW led the European battery electric vehicle market for the first time, beating U.S. automaker Tesla, according to market research firm JATO Dynamics.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 22 August 2024

• Shares of Advance Auto Parts tumbled 15.8% through 10:35 a.m. ET after the company beat on sales but missed on earnings in its latest earnings release Thursday morning. Sales declined year over year, but only by a fraction of 1%. However, even tiny single-digit-percentage increases in cost of goods sold, and selling, general, and administrative expenses, however, were enough to turn those relatively flat sales into a dramatic 43% plunge in operating income.
  - The Motley Fool, 22 August 2024

• Ford Motor reduces its expansion into electric vehicle. Ford said it would invest less in battery-powered cars and scrap a planned electric three-row sport utility vehicle.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 August 2024

• Ford Motor shrinks its EV rollout plans as demand lags. The automaker expects to take $1.9 billion in related special charges and write-downs as automakers continue adjusting their EV plans because of softer-than-expected demand.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 August 2024

• Fewer teenagers want to drive. It is changing how they spend. Young drivers point to high prices for cars and insurance, combined with other viable options, from public transportation to rides from Mom and Dad.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 August 2024

• The growing support for autonomous driving in Zhōngguó is giving robotaxi pioneers a leg up in some of the biggest cities in Zhōngguó. Soon, these companies in Zhōngguó could be global leaders in a market potentially worth more than $100 billion, throwing millions of people out of work in a world where unemployment is a huge problem for the non-rich.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 August 2024

• The European Union on Tuesday said planned taxes/tariffs on Tesla vehicles being imported from Zhōngguó would be cut to 9% from 20.8%, while also reducing a number of planned import duties on other Chinese electric vehicle firms.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 20 August 2024

• The European Union on Tuesday said planned taxes/tariffs on Tesla vehicles being imported from Zhōngguó would be cut to 9% from 20.8%, while also reducing a number of planned import duties on other Chinese electric vehicle firms.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 20 August 2024

• Trump says he would offer Tesla CEO Elon Musk a Cabinet slot, while rewarding Musk by ending EV tax credits (which don't benefit Tesla much anymore, but do benefit his competitors)
  - Comcast's CNBC, 20 August 2024

• General Motors reverses its Covid-pandemic hiring spree by firing 1000 people working in technology jobs
  - Zero Hedge, 19 August 2024

• General Motors reverses its Covid-pandemic hiring spree by firing 1000 people working in technology jobs
  - Thomson's Reuters, 19 August 2024

• How Zhōngguó is becoming a money pit for foreign automakers. Volkswagen, General Motors and other big brands are losing their grip on a once-lucrative market as consumers in Zhōngguó embrace homegrown electric vehicles.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 19 August 2024

• Clean fuel startups were supposed to be the next big thing. Now they are collapsing. Hydrogen and biofuel projects have become money pits, threatening climate progress.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 19 August 2024

• Electric vehicle maker Rivian halts production of Amazon delivery vans amid parts shortage. Amazon owns 16% of Rivian.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 16 August 2024

• $1,000,000+ - Six car dealerships in Rhode Island to pay more than $1 million for using deceptive sales practices by charging or attempting to charge customers "add-on warranty" fees that were not advertised in vehicles prices.
  - WPRI News, 15 August 2024

• The late-night honking (now fixed) of Waymo's Robotaxis sparks outrage among residents of San Francisco.
  - Zero Hedge, 15 August 2024

• The state of Texas sues General Motors over collection and selling of data on their customers' driving activities. The lawsuit accuses the automaker of tricking drivers into sharing detailed driving records that were then sold to insurance companies.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 15 August 2024

• The dark side of the electric vehicle revolution: road taxes. Pay-per-mile fees have emerged as the most likely solution to dropping gas revenues linked to electric vehicles.
  - Politico, 14 August 2024

• Most states now levy a dedicated fee on electric vehicle owners. Some also have rolled back other incentives, such as New Jersey's decision this year to restart sales tax on EVs. Or they have reconfigured registration fees to land more heavily on EVs, as in Maryland. The justification from both Democratic and Republican policymakers for making EVs more expensive is that states are staring down a budgetary cliff. The gasoline tax -- long the backbone of transportation funding -- has lost potency as vehicles become more efficient. Now, the rise of electric vehicles threatens to make the gas tax obsolete everywhere.
  - Politico, 14 August 2024

• How Zhōngguó built technology prowess: chemistry classes and research labs. Stressing science education, Zhōngguó is outpacing other countries in research fields like battery chemistry, crucial to its lead in electric vehicles. A once-a-decade meeting of the Communist Party leadership chose scientific training and education as one of the top economic priorities of Zhōngguó.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 14 August 2024

• Refueling a hydrogen car in California is so annoying that drivers are suing Toyota
  - Los Angeles Times, 13 August 2024

• Credit-card and auto-loan delinquencies surged in the second quarter
  - Zero Hedge, 12 August 2024

• License plates with 'ghosting' technology (such as shutters) cost New York City $200 million in lost fines. The rogue vehicles whiz through tolls and past NYPD speed and red-light cameras 100,000 times a month -- using their unreadable plates to dodge fines and other penalties. The ghost-plate scourge involves driving without a plate altogether or using tags that are scratched out, obscured by tinted or reflective covers or are completely phony.
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 12 August 2024

• Zhōngguó files a lawsuit at the World Trade Organization aginst taxes/tariffs imposed by the European Union on imports of electric vehicles from Zhōngguó
  - Global Times, 10 August 2024

• Sales of electric vehicles and hybrids in Zhōngguó surpassed that of internal-combustion-engine cars for the first time ever in July, despite weak overall demand.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 August 2024

• Shares of Lucid Group soar 15% pre-market, after an affiliate of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has thrown struggling electric car maker Lucid Group a $1.5 billion lifeline (second one of the year). This comes as Lucid prepares to launch its first sport utility vehicle amid a downturn in the EV automotive space.
  - Zero Hedge, 06 August 2024

• Electric vehicle sales in Deutschland decline 37% as socialist subsidies are ended
  - Zero Hedge, 06 August 2024

• The USA prepares to ban electric vehicle software from Zhōngguó with Level 3 automation on all roadways in the USA, citing national security concerns
  - Zero Hedge, 05 August 2024

• Some 'charger hogs' are ruining the electric vehicle experience. EV fast chargers are not generally designed to completely fill an EV's batteries, so the chargers slow down once the batter is 80% full. But some people wait until their batteries are charged over 90%, which takes a long time, and creates long lines at the chargers.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 05 August 2024

• The 'glory days' of big profits and sales for automakers from the USA and Europe are over in Zhōngguó, as automakers based in Zhōngguó win more market share.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 03 August 2024

• Data shows that 1.6 million people in the USA will have their car repossessed by the bank before the end of the year, a slight increase from the 1.5 million autos repossessed in 2023 and a drastic upturn from the 1.1 million in 2021.
  - Zero Hedge, 02 August 2024

• More hype from Elon Musk: Tesla says that self-driving taxis will power its growth, but the company has not said when such a service would be ready or how much it would increase profits.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 August 2024

• All of a sudden, Stellantis is having trouble selling Jeeps. And it comes at a time when SUV demand has never been greater. Stellantis' Ram pickup division has also slipped in sales rankings, and Chrysler now only produces minivans. This decline resulted in poor earnings and a 40% stock drop from March highs recently. Seven senior executives have also departed since January.
  - Zero Hedge, 01 August 2024

• BMW reported a lower-than-expected profit margin in its core automotive segment during the second quarter on Thursday, hitting its shares as heightened competition and weaker demand in Zhōngguó weighs on the automobile industry.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 01 August 2024

• Electric vehicle sales in Zhōngguó continue to grow, while a price war pushes profits further into the future for most companies. Li Auto and Geely's Zeekr turned in the strongest growth in July, while Xpeng and Nio delivered more modest increases.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 August 2024

• Shares of Rolls-Royce soar 11% to all-time high on reinstated dividend, raised profit guidance
  - Comcast's CNBC, 01 August 2024

• Toyota Motor said on Thursday it posted a 17% rise in first-quarter operating profit, as the Japanese automaker got a boost from cost reduction efforts and a weak yen that helped offset lower sales and production volume at home. Despite this, shares of Toyota were down over 8%.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 01 August 2024

• Nihon built the automobile industry in Thailand. Now companies from Zhōngguó are winning more market share. After dominating sales in Thailand for decades, Mazda, Nissan and other companies from Nihon are losing their grip on a market long viewed as a regional hub.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 01 August 2024

• Uber teams up with BYD to supply Uber drivers on its network with 100,000 electric vehicles. A statement from both companies said the deal would first allow BYD vehicles to be offered to Uber drivers in Europe and Latin America and then expand to the Middle East, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
  - Zero Hedge, 31 July 2024

• More people are driving on cannabis. Law enforcement is racing to learn who is high. Oral-fluid tests and more training are helping officers track down those who are driving while potentially impaired.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 31 July 2024

• Electric vehicle makers in Zhōngguó rush in and upend the entire automobile market in Thailand, as Europe and the USA use taxes/tariffs to keep the automakers out of their countries
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 30 July 2024

• Companies from Nihon built the car industry in Thailand. Now, companies from Zhōngguó are planning to gain control of the industry. After dominating sales in Thailand for decades, Mazda, Nissan and other companies from Nihon are losing their control on the crucial automobile market in Thailand.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 30 July 2024

• Moxion Power, the Bay Area battery maker that furloughed most of its staff on July 19, is shutting down and firing its remaining 248 people. Moxion had raised $110 million in funding over the past four years and recently began work on a huge factory next to its Richmond headquarters. But the company was not able to raise more money.
  - SF Gate, 29 July 2024

• How the big bet on electric car gigafactories went badly wrong. Battery manufacturing is becoming less of a gold rush and more of a brutal race to the bottom. Huge investments in factories as well as ultra-low raw material costs, combined with stalling demand for electric cars, have pushed the world into oversupply. Zhōngguó ccounts for 80 percent of all global manufacturing capacity, but that last year there was 315 gigawatt hour (GWh) of excess battery production.
  - Barclay's The Telegraph, 29 July 2024

• Carmakers tripped up by choppy present as they chase the future of electric vehicles. Ford, GM and Tesla are all seeing their stock prices fall (down 10% to 20% in the last two weeks) amid mounting signs of near-term pressure on profits.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 29 July 2024

• Automakers sold driver data for pennies, Senators say. Ron Wyden and Edward Markey urged the F.T.C. to investigate how car companies handled the data from millions of car owners.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 27 July 2024

• Made-in-Europe electric vehicles made by companies based in Zhōngguó pose a new threat to the carmakers based in Europe. Electric carmakers from Zhōngguó are expanding in Europe to blunt the impact of tariffs meant to weaken their price advantage over Europe's ailing legacy manufacturers.
  - Bloomberg, 26 July 2024

• An increase in uninsured drivers is pushing up costs for everyone else. The number of drivers without car insurance has risen since the start of the pandemic, increasing the burden on everyone from other motorists to tow truck drivers.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 26 July 2024

• Cars are rolling computers now. So what happens when they stop getting updates? Cellphones are supported well beyond their average ownership lifetime. In stark contrast, automakers are struggling to work out how long their "smartphones on wheels" can be kept on the road - one reason not to load cars with lots of useless electronic features to make more money
  - Wired, 25 July 2024

• Automakers in the USA encounter a "significant storm", as buyers reject high prices at the time of huge capital outlays by the automakers. Investors are punishing automakers' stocks this week after second-quarter earnings reports exposed industrywide issues of slowing sales and high prices, just as the companies are having to spend huge sums to make new electric and gas vehicles.
  - Associated Press, 25 July 2024

• Tesla and BYD claim a third of the global electric vehicle market
  - Zero Hedge, 25 July 2024

• Zhōngguó doubles cash subsidies to propel sales of electric vehicles as economic growth falls short
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 July 2024

• Shares of Ford Motor decline 13% after a massive miss on earnings. Ford Motor came in short of Wall Street's second-quarter earnings expectations while beating on revenue, due to warranty costs that have plagued the automaker for several years now.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 25 July 2024

• Trump has spent years ridiculing electric vehicles. He has promised to end federal support for electric vehicles. But like 'good' Christian politicians, a good bribe can change his mind. In recent months, Trump has been saying some nice things about electric vehicles. "I am totally for them." The result of tens of millions of dollars of bribes donations from Elon Musk, president of Tesla.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 25 July 2024

• Shares of Tesla decline more than 12% after earnings miss for the biggest slump since 2020
  - Comcast's CNBC, 24 July 2024

• Ferrari expands cryptocurrency payments to Europe after a successful launch in the USA
  - Zero Hedge, 24 July 2024

• New car incentives soar 53% amid rising inventories and lackluster consumer demand, hint at economic downturn
  - Zero Hedge, 24 July 2024

• General Motors will restart its operations with non-paid self-driving taxis in Dallas, Houston and Phoenix. General Motors has invested billions of dollars in its driverless taxi division, in the hope that it will some day generate significant revenue and profits by eliminating the need to hire paid-humans to drive the taxis. [KM: People unemployed by General Motors will not be able to buy General Motors' fckin cars.]
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 24 July 2024

• Profits of Tesla fell 45% in the second quarter on weak sales of electric vehicles
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 24 July 2024

• Shares of Tesla fall 8% pre-market after an earnings miss due to weak sales
  - Comcast's CNBC, 24 July 2024

• Profits at Tesla fall for the second straight quarter. Net profit tumbled 45% in the second quarter as Tesla continued to feel the impact of slower demand and stiffer competition.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 24 July 2024

• General Motors delays electric vehicle projects in the latest pullback for the electric vehicle industry. Strength in truck and SUV pricing helped offset continued losses in Zhōngguó.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 24 July 2024

• There are signs of severe credit-card and auto-loan stress in Generation Z
  - Zero Hedge, 23 July 2024

• Shares of Porsche drop 14% on profit warning as snarled supply chain risks "production shutdowns"
  - Zero Hedge, 23 July 2024

• Porsche profits bruised by tough market in Zhōngguó, and by high supplier costs. Porsche profits suffered in the first half of the year as sales and deliveries dropped, weighed by a soft performance in Zhōngguó and the high costs of supplies and new-car launches.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 23 July 2024

• Shares of General Motors decline 7% despite second-quarter earnings beat, as Wall Street fears that the "good times won't last"
  - Comcast's CNBC, 23 July 2024

• Metals are why Zhōngguó is so interested in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan's bounty of so-called critical minerals has enriched the country and grabbed the attention of entrepreneurs scrambling to control the ingredients needed to fight climate change. Zhōngguó the biggest producer of electric vehicles and batteries, is right next door and eager to buy.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 20 July 2024

• Manufacturing more cars and trucks using gasoline, and fewer electric vehicles, as automakers change plans
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 19 July 2024

• Amtrak passengers face record delays from extreme weather. The aged USA rail infrastructure is struggling to stay operational as climate change accelerates and intense heat waves, downpours and high winds become more frequent.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 18 July 2024

• Rental car firms are offering temporary deals on electric cars, which they are selling after they lost value more quickly than expected
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 17 July 2024

• More Americans are falling behind on car payments as repos soar 23%
  - Zero Hedge, 16 July 2024

• The pet rail project of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador could wind up costing as much as $30 billion, is only half finished as he heads into the final 2 1/2 months of his term, and has wreaked major damage on the environment. But the most damning judgments on the Maya Train tourist line, which runs in a loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, are the ridership figures on about half the railway that is now open: only about 1,200 people per day use the train, according to government figures released Monday.
  - Associated Press, 15 July 2024

• The death of the electric vehicle has been greatly exaggerated. Electric vehicles are more omnipresent than ever before, but people do not quite seem to realize it yet.
  - Slate, 15 July 2024

• Massive mining of metals in Indonesia - especially nickel, for autos and batteries, is destroying the forests of the country. Where trees once grew, there are dusty warehouses, mountains of black coal and water that runs silty brown.
  - Associated Press, 15 July 2024

• BHP to suspend nickel operations in Australia, amid a glut of metal supplies for electric vehicles. BHP Group will shutter its nickel operations in Australia later this year due to a global glut of the metal, a key ingredient in batteries for electric vehicles.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 12 July 2024

• Lawsuit alleges Hyundai conducted "secret program" with dealers to "inflate" sales of electric vehicles
  - Zero Hedge, 11 July 2024

• The Biden administration will give subsidies worth $1.1 billion to Stellantis and GM for electric vehicle production
  - Thomson's Reuters, 11 July 2024

• The Biden administration will give subsidies worth $1.1 billion to Stellantis and GM for electric vehicle production
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 11 July 2024

• Shares of Tesla fall 8% of reports on delays of deliveries of its job-killing robotaxis, while shares of Uber and Lyft rise
  - Axios, 11 July 2024

• Shares of Tesla fall 6% of reports on delays of deliveries of its job-killing robotaxis, while shares of Uber and Lyft rise
  - Murdoch's MarketWatch, 11 July 2024

• General Motors to invest $900 million to retool Michigan automobile plant to manufacture electric vehicles
  - Thomson's Reuters, 11 July 2024

• Shares of QuantumScape soar 40% pre-market, after Volkswagen's battery company PowerCo and QuantumScape have agreed to industrialize QuantumScape's next-generation solid-state lithium-metal battery technology
  - Benzinga, 11 July 2024

• The yearlong-effort by Zhōngguó to develop non-paid robotaxis is starting to gain traction with consumers -- but it is also rattling paid-human taxi drivers worried about losing their jobs as a result of increasing competition. Baidu is seeing rapid adoption of its robotaxis in Wuhan city, where the company began operating fully staffless vehicles in certain districts 24/7 in March.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 11 July 2024

• Canada has become the "car theft capital of the world" according to Interpol
  - Zero Hedge, 10 July 2024

• The charade of President Biden's $7.5 billion dollar investment to install 500,000 electric charging stations along the highways of the USA by 2030. After two years, only seven stations have been built. Will we need thousands of years to build the rest? And is the real cost for 500,000 charging stations $400 billion, and not the $7.5 billion that Biden has promised.
  - Zero Hedge, 10 July 2024

• Volkswagen shares slipped on Wednesday after an overnight profit warning triggered in part by the possible closure of an Audi plant and a 3.8% drop in second quarter sales dented by Zhōngguó.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 10 July 2024

• Volkswagen reduces its 2024 sales margin forecast on possible Audi EV-plant closure in Brussels. The German car manufacturer trimmed its guidance for 2024 operating return on sales due to the potential Brussels closure and other unplanned expenses.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 10 July 2024

• BYD breaks into America to sink Tesla with this new plan: the unexpected country that has betrayed us - Mexico
  - Ecoticias, 09 July 2024

• Foreign carmakers fight to survive in Zhōngguó as market share dwindles. Zhōngguó's auto market is rapidly electrifying, with help from state subsidies, and local electric-vehicle makers have grabbed a significant share of the market.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 July 2024

• Data shows that early adopters of electric vehicle trucks, who overpaid in secondary markets, are suffering severe price plunges
  - Zero Hedge, 08 July 2024

• A novel sub-class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) in lithium ion batteries is a growing source of pollution in air and water. Testing by the research team further found these PFAS, called bis-perfluoroalkyl sulfonimides (bis-FASIs), demonstrate environmental persistence and ecotoxicity comparable to older notorious compounds like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
  - Phys.org, 08 July 2024

• A novel sub-class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) in lithium ion batteries is a growing source of pollution in air and water. Testing by the research team further found these PFAS, called bis-perfluoroalkyl sulfonimides (bis-FASIs), demonstrate environmental persistence and ecotoxicity comparable to older notorious compounds like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
  - Nature, 08 July 2024

• Battery majors suffer profit drop on lower-than-expected EV sales. LG Energy, one of the biggest players in the EV battery space, reported a 58% drop in operating profits for the second quarter of the year, attributing the figure to the slowdown in EV sales.
  - Zero Hedge, 08 July 2024

• Scientists in Zhōngguó say they have developed a solid-state lithium battery that can match the performance of other candidates for next-generation battery technology at less than 10 per cent of the cost. They developed a new sulphide solid electrolyte, which they have called LPSO, that does not require lithium sulphide as a raw material. LPSO is synthesised from two low-cost compounds, at an ingredient cost of just US$14.42 per kilogram -- less than 8 per cent of the raw material costs of other sulphide solid electrolytes.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 July 2024

• SK On, a leading producter of electric vehicle batteries in South Korea has declared itself in financial crisis as its customers struggle with disappointing EV sales in Europe and the USA. It has experienced 10 consecutive quarters of losses, and has over $10 billion in debt.
  - Financial Times (locked), 06 July 2024

• Shares of Nio dropped -5.5% as a consequence of the decision of the European Union to impose higher taxes/tariffs on electric vehicles imported from Zhōngguó.
  - Murdoch's MarketWatch, 05 July 2024

• The average price paid for automobilies is expected to fall this year for the first time since 2008, but interest rates are keeping payments high.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 05 July 2024

• For the first time ever, Tesla cars have been placed on a government purchase list in Zhōngguó. Tesla is the only foreign-owned EV car brand on the purchase catalog published by the government of Jiangsu province in eastern Zhōngguó.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 05 July 2024

• Tesla recoups all its year-to-date losses after adding a staggering $150 billion in market cap in just 3 days
  - Jiaravanon's Fortune, 05 July 2024

• $145,800,000 - General Motors will pay a $145.8 million penalty after the USA government investigation found excess emissions from approximately 5.9 million GM vehicles, government agencies said on Wednesday.
  - Associated Press, 03 July 2024

• CDK Global says "substantially all" dealerships back online after nationwide ransomware attack
  - Zero Hedge, 03 July 2024

• Over the past 12 months, thieves in the Seattle metro area have stolen over 100 electric vehicle charging cables, driven mostly by soaring copper scrap prices
  - Zero Hedge, 03 July 2024

• Gig-economy serf drivers are boosting the need for public chargers for electric vehicles. Rideshare drivers who work for companies such as Uber are increasingly turning to electric vehicles to reduce fuel costs.
  - Harvard Business School, 02 July 2024

• Shares of Tesla jump 5% in early trading, after the electric vehicle giant reported quarterly vehicle deliveries that beat Wall Street expectations
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 02 July 2024

• BYD posts 21% jump in quarterly electric vehicle sales, closes gap with Tesla
  - Thomson's Reuters, 02 July 2024

• Shipments of Tesla vehicles in Zhōngguó expected to slum for the fourth time in 2024
  - Bloomberg, 02 July 2024

• Tesla sales fall for second straight quarter despite price cuts, but beat analyst expectations
  - Associated Press, 02 July 2024

• Tesla is running out of excuses for its prolonged sales slump
  - Bloomberg, 01 July 2024

• Automakers in Zhōngguó expected to achieve 33% global market share by 2030
  - Comcast's CNBC, 27 June 2024

• Is the killer competition for Tesla's robotaxi vehicles? Meet the 'Verne', an autonomous flying vehicle from electric vehicle tech and hypercar maker Rimac, which is based in Croatia. Verne will launch in Zagreb in 2026 with an aim to deploy the robotaxis worldwide. The owner of Rimac, Mate Rimac, is called an "Elon Musk without the baggage".
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 26 June 2024

• Shares of Rivian soar 50% after $1 billion investment from Volkswagen is announced, squeezing a record number of short traders
  - Zero Hedge, 25 June 2024

• Shares of Rivian soar 50% after $1 billion investment from Volkswagen is announced, squeezing a record number of short traders
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 25 June 2024

• "The financial impact ... will take months to correct, if not years". Auto dealers continue to face negative impact from a cyberattack that paralyzed 15,000 auto dealerships nationwide last week. Several of the largest US dealers are now detailing the potential "material" impact on their finances in regulatory filings since their backend operating systems, mismanaged by CDK Global, went down early last week.
  - Zero Hedge, 25 June 2024

• Tesla issued two new recalls for the 11,688 Cybertrucks it has sold, one to fix windshield wipers with faulty motor controllers and the other to fix loose trim that can rattle or fall off. The recalls are the third and fourth in the U.S. for the newest electric vehicle from Tesla, which began shipping to customers in late 2023.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 25 June 2024

• Tesla may end up the only victim as Canada mulls punitive tariffs on electric vehicles made in Zhōngguó. The only battery-powered car built in Zhōngguó and exported to Canada is Tesla's Model Y assembled at its Shanghai factory that is currently subject to a 6 per cent import tax/tariff.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 June 2024

• Massive cyberattacks on auto dealerships in the USA nears resolution as hackers demanded millions of dollars
  - Zero Hedge, 24 June 2024

• Lithium industry watchers hoping the battery metal was poised to rebound from an epic slump have been hit by the realization prices have fallen again this month, with inventories piling up as electric vehicle demand signals stay gloomy.
  - Bloomberg, 23 June 2024

• AI automation in the workplace is about to reach a major tipping point. 60% of companies plan in the next 12 months to use software, equipment, and/or other technologies to automate tasks being done by paid-human employees.
  - Jiaravanon's Fortune, 22 June 2024

• Affordability, charging-infrastructure, and range-anxiety continue to keep Americans from fully embracing electric vehicles. And the Biden administration's new tariffs on EVs made in Zhōngguó likely won't help price points move lower anytime soon.
  - Zero Hedge, 22 June 2024

• Canada will join the USA and Europe with regards to increasing taxes/tariffs on electric vehicles made in Zhōngguó
  - Zero Hedge, 22 June 2024

• The government of Hawaii on Thursday settled a lawsuit with a group of young people who had sued the state's Department of Transportation over its use of fossil fuels. It was the latest in a series of victories around the world in cases filed by young plaintiffs. The state agreed to take steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 June 2024

• Zhōngguó is investing big in flying cars and drone deliveries. Investors are eager to leap into the nascent industry despite threats by the USA to ban drones made in Zhōngguó.
  - Barron's, 22 June 2024

• Nearly half of electric vehicle drivers in the USA consider switching back to gasoline vehicles
  - Zero Hedge, 21 June 2024

• Car dealers across the USA suffering financial losses from a cyberattack on a poorly defended software system from CDK that was shut down for days from a cyberattack, affecting car dealers with $1.2 trillion in sales
  - Bloomberg, 21 June 2024

• Car dealers across the USA suffering financial losses from a cyberattack on a poorly defended software system from CDK that was shut down for days from a cyberattack, affecting car dealers with $1.2 trillion in sales
  - Wall Street Journal, 21 June 2024

• How Tesla's plans to build a vehicle factory in Monterrey, Mexico, have achieved little to date. According to local reports, there has been little work on the site over the last year, outside of municipal infrastructure like nearby roads and stormwater expansions. It does not look like Tesla is in any hurry either, telling suppliers there is no rush to deliver equipment to the factory.
  - Rest of World, 20 June 2024

• Electric vehicle startup Fisker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a Delaware federal court on Monday evening, intending to sell its assets. Per the court filing, Fisker estimated assets to be $500 million to $1 billion and liabilities to be $100 million to $500 million. It noted there are approximately 200-999 creditors.
  - Zero Hedge, 18 June 2024

• German electric vehicle sales plummet 30.6% in May compared to year earlier
  - Zero Hedge, 18 June 2024

• Akio Toyoda (grandson of the founder) ran Toyota for 14 years before handing the reins to a new CEO last year, but some have grown concerned about the control he still wields. Admittedly, his embrace of hybrid vehicles - initially unpopular decision - proved correct when demand for EVs cooled and demand for hybrid vehicles increased.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 17 June 2024

• Toyota has been rocked by a string of scandals -- but analysts are unfazed
  - Comcast's CNBC, 17 June 2024

• Prices of used electric vehicles continue to decline, now selling for thousands of dollars less than comparable gas-powered vehicles. The difference between the price of a used Tesla Model 3 and BMW 3 Series shows how a 'premium' associated with EVs in the initial boom has been erased.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 16 June 2024

• Stellantis moves some EV production out of Zhōngguó due to EU taxes/tariffs. Stellantis has shifted its production plans for electric vehicles made with Leapmotor, its joint-venture partner in Zhōngguó, because of higher European import taxes.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 15 June 2024

• That is a nice electric vehicle you have -- but can you afford to insure it? EVs are fast and full of technology. That makes them fun to drive -- but tougher to insure.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 15 June 2024

• 76 percent of those under the age of 40 in the USA would consider buying a vehicle sold by a company from Zhōngguó
  - Zero Hedge, 14 June 2024

• Automakers in Zhōngguó, for the first time, sell more automobiles than automakers in the USA, 13.4 million vehicles versus 11.9 million vehicles
  - Comcast's CNBC, 14 June 2024

• Electrc vehicle makers in Zhōngguó anticipated new taxes/tariffs in Europe, and made plans to circumvent. Some manufacturers have already started building factories in Europe, and others are looking to export there from other countries.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 14 June 2024

• Thefts of charging cables at charging stations for electric vehicles pose yet another obstacle to appeal of electric vehicles
  - Associated Press, 12 June 2024

• The European Union imposes taxes/tariffs up to 38% on imports of electric vehicles from Zhōngguó. Leaders of the European Union are trying to reduce the dominance of Zhōngguó in the industry, but European automakers fear the taxes will drive up prices and lead to a trade war.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 June 2024

• The European Union imposes taxes/tariffs up to 38% on imports of electric vehicles from Zhōngguó. But automakers in Europe oppose the taxes/tariffs out of fear of retaliation by taxes/tariffs on their autos imported into Zhōngguó.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 12 June 2024

• The European Union imposes taxes/tariffs up to 38% on imports of electric vehicles from Zhōngguó. Leaders of the European Union are trying to reduce the dominance of Zhōngguó in the industry, but European automakers fear the taxes will drive up prices and lead to a trade war.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 12 June 2024

• The European Union imposes taxes/tariffs up to 38% on imports of electric vehicles from Zhōngguó. Leaders of the European Union are trying to reduce the dominance of Zhōngguó in the industry, but European automakers fear the taxes will drive up prices and lead to a trade war.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 12 June 2024

• JPMorgan analysts say Tesla's robotaxis are "years" away from launch
  - Zero Hedge, 11 June 2024

• $15,000,000,000 - Shares of Toyota lost $15.6 billion, down 5.4%, in market value after Toyota was caught falsifying collision safety tests.
  - Zero Hedge, 09 June 2024

• Lower prices for liquid natural gas speeds shift away from oil for heavy duty trucks in Zhōngguó
  - Bloomberg, 08 June 2024

• The Biden Administration tightens car mileage rules, part of strategy to fight climate change. The new measure requires automakers to achieve an average of 65 miles per gallon for all the car models they sell by 2031.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 08 June 2024

• A slump in electric vehicle sales take used Teslas to a 'no haggle' price of $25,000
  - Comcast's CNBC, 06 June 2024

• Bolt's drive-to-win insurance scheme is putting drivers' lives at risk. Many drivers in Nigeria who attempted to win health care said they have become ill while doing so -- and still can't afford treatment.
  - Rest of the World, 06 June 2024

• Zhōngguó is no longer an open road for carmakers in Germany. A dispute between Porsche and its dealers highlights falling sales in Zhōngguó.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 06 June 2024

• Values plunge for Tarcan electric vehicles sold by Porsche, while Mercedes and Stellantis pause electric vehicle battery production on sliding demand
  - Zero Hedge, 05 June 2024

• An environmental official from Deutschland argues that trade rules on electric vehicles from Zhōngguó should be based on science. Dirk Messner tells Beijing event that erosion of trust and move away from international order is threatening the climate goals of the world.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 June 2024

• Electric cars are suddenly becoming affordable. More efficient manufacturing, falling battery costs and intense competition are lowering sticker prices for battery-powered models to within striking distance of gasoline cars.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 04 June 2024

• Shares of electric vehicle makers in Zhōngguó surged after some reported record sales in May, spurring hopes that more price cuts are around the corner as companies race to grow market share.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 04 June 2024

• The state of Colorado has a new approach to highways - not building them. The state has made it harder to widen highways, and transportation officials are turning their eyes to transit.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 03 June 2024

• Vehicle electification could require 55% more copper mines in the next 30 years
  - International Energy Forum, 01 June 2024

• Drivers in the USA overwhelmingly (80%) prefer vehicles powered by gasoline over vehicles powered by electricity
  - Zero Hedge, 01 June 2024

• Companies based in Zhōngguó making electric vehicle batteries in Deutschland are reducing their operations amidst reduced demand for electric vehicles
  - Zero Hedge, 31 May 2024

• BYD launches hybrids with 1,300-mile driving range. BYD will soon sell cars capable of driving the distance between New York and Miami without refueling or recharging.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 30 May 2024

• Elon Musk and his Tesla compaany once mocked its main competitor, BYD based in Zhōngguó. Now BYD is 'running circles around' Tesla. One problem is that Tesla hasn't released any serious innovations in years, and it struggles to product inexpensive electric vehicles.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 30 May 2024

• Toyota to develop new engines that run on carbon-neutral fuels. The automaker plans to develop new engines that run on carbon-neutral fuels and are fit for electrification, as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 29 May 2024

• Trump is soliciting bribes donations in return for promising to destroy the electric vehicle industry. But analysts say that even if Mr. Trump is elected and ends federal policies that support electric vehicles, by the time that happens, the market may have reached a level where it would keep growing without government help.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 28 May 2024

• Electric vehicles are twice as likely to hit pedestrians as vehicles powered by gasoline. Scientists think that he relatively quiet operations of an electric vehicle as well as high pedestrian density in noisy urban areas lead to more accidents.
  - Zero Hedge, 27 May 2024

• Brazil has overtaken Belgium as the largest export market for new energy vehicles from Zhōngguó, as carmakers in Zhōngguó increase sales to non-European markets amid European Union's anti-subsidy probe into electric vehicles from Zhōngguó.
  - Thomson's Reuters, 27 May 2024

• The average vehicle in the USA is 12.6 years old, as inflation makes it harder to buy new vehicles
  - Zero Hedge, 25 May 2024

• Dealers of Jeep and Ram vehicles gripe to Stellantis as cars sit on lots. The automaker is cutting prices and launching an unusual incentive program following a meeting with retailers.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 25 May 2024

• What cheap electric vehicles from Zhōngguó mean for General Motors and Tesla. Inexpensive vehicles are not a threat to automakers in the USA, but better quality vehicles could be a threat. And these higher quality cars from Zhōngguó are coming, even if the taxes/tariffs delay them for awhile.
  - Barron's, 25 May 2024

• Elon Musk and Henry Ford made the same mistake. They waited too long. Ford's Model T and Tesla's Model Y both dominated their segments, but Ford and Tesla each failed to expand their vehicle lineup quickly enough.
  - Barron's, 25 May 2024

• In SouthEast Asia, companies in Zhōngguó making electric vehicles, such as giants such as BYD and Great Wall, are offering discounts in an effort to outcompete rivals from Nihon whose gasoline vehicles dominate the market
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 May 2024

• Zhōngguó threatens a tax/tariff of 25% in response in similar taxes/tariffs being imposed by the USA and European Union
  - Zero Hedge, 23 May 2024

• Another failure of authoritarian USA sanctions: Xiaomi, blacklisted by the USA three years ago, is now making electric vehicles, succeeding where the great big Apple failed
  - Zero Hedge, 22 May 2024

• A loss at Mercedes-Benz slows the Southern campaign of the United Auto Workers. After Mercedes workers voted against joining the United Automobile Workers, the union will have less momentum as it campaigns to organize factories in the South.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 20 May 2024

• Battery-electric trucks are about three times more expensive than diesel rigs. And while federal and state socialist subsidies help offset purchase costs, significant hurdles remain due to high operating costs and setup challenges. Truckers find these electric trucks difficult and costly to run, with installation of on-site charging facilities taking years. These trucks travel less than half the distance of diesel rigs per charge and require several hours to recharge.
  - Zero Hedge, 17 May 2024

• Volkswagen is the latest automake to reduce its plans to only produce electric vehicles, and will produce more hybrid vehicles
  - Zero Hedge, 17 May 2024

• An effort by the UAW to organize workers at a Mercedes plant in Alabama has high stakes. Southern political leaders, most Christian, say a win for the United Automobile Workers would threaten their post-slavery economies. Activists want to strike a blow against a system they say exploits the poor
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 17 May 2024

• The world faces a shortage of minerals needed for the renewable energy transition
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 17 May 2024

• The world faces a shortage of minerals needed for the renewable energy transition
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 17 May 2024

• Three years after Biden administration officials tightened sanctions on a billionaire Israeli mining executive for corrupt business practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they have reversed themselves and are offering the executive a deal they hope will bolster the supply of a metal vital to electric vehicles. But certain State and Treasury Department officials strongly opposed the effort, saying that Mr. Gertler should not be allowed to profit from his deal-making, which the Biden administration earlier argued had cheated the citizens of Congo out of more than $1 billion in mining revenues.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 17 May 2024

• Three years after Biden administration officials tightened sanctions on a billionaire Israeli mining executive for corrupt business practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they have reversed themselves and are offering the executive a deal they hope will bolster the supply of a metal vital to electric vehicles. But certain State and Treasury Department officials strongly opposed the effort, saying that Mr. Gertler should not be allowed to profit from his deal-making, which the Biden administration earlier argued had cheated the citizens of Congo out of more than $1 billion in mining revenues.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 17 May 2024

• Carmakers in Nihon have been churning out record profits thanks to the weak yen and strong hybrid sales, creating a war chest for electric-vehicle investments.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 16 May 2024

• $8,000,000+ - Cruise, the self-driving robo taxi company owned by General Motors, reached a settlement with the pedestrian who was dragged by one of its vehicles last fall, according to someone with knowledge of the matter and independently verified by Fortune. The settlement was between $8-12 million.
  - Zero Hedge, 14 May 2024

• Electric vehicles unable to be sold by Tesla pile up in the parking lots of shopping malls, with big discounts likely
  - Mish Talk, 14 May 2024

• President Biden raises taxes/tariffs on $18 billion worth of imports from a more competitive Zhōngguó. President Joe Biden plans to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicle imports, a 50% tariff on Chinese solar cells and a 25% tariff on certain Chinese steel and aluminum imports.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 14 May 2024

• President Biden raises taxes/tariffs on $18 billion worth of imports from a more competitive Zhōngguó. President Joe Biden plans to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicle imports, a 50% tariff on Chinese solar cells and a 25% tariff on certain Chinese steel and aluminum imports.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 14 May 2024

• Zhōngguó criticizes the proposed new taxes/tariffs imposed by the Biden administration as "unfair" tech-transfer policies that "burden" commerce in the USA
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 May 2024

• A tiny, low-priced electric car called the Seagull has American automakers and politicians trembling. The car, launched last year by Chinese automaker BYD, sells for around $12,000 in Zhōngguó, but drives well and is put together with craftsmanship that rivals U.S.-made electric vehicles that cost three times as much. A shorter-range version costs under $10,000.
  - Associated Press, 13 May 2024

• Shares of Tata Motors fall 8%, the most in 2 years, over concerns of muted margin growth at its Jaguar Land Rover division
  - Thomson's Reuters, 13 May 2024

• Zhōngguó is raising the fares of bullet train as debts and costs sharply rise. The politically fraught move comes as part of a broader push in Zhōngguó to stem losses at subsidized public services.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 13 May 2024

• The government has spent $7.5 billion for investments into infrastructure for electric vehicles, and in two years have constructed only 7 charging stations for electric vehicles with 38 parking spots. "State transportation agencies are the recipients of the money. Nearly all of them had no experience deploying electric vehicle charging stations before this law was enacted."
  - Zero Hedge, 11 May 2024

• The Biden Administration plans to announce new tariffs/taxes on electric vehicles from Zhōngguó. The administration could raise tariffs on electric vehicles from Zhōngguó to 100 percent (up from 25%) in a attempt to protect American auto manufacturers.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 11 May 2024

• The Biden Administration plans to announce new tariffs/taxes on electric vehicles from Zhōngguó. The administration could raise tariffs on electric vehicles from Zhōngguó to 100 percent (up from 25%) in a attempt to protect American auto manufacturers.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 11 May 2024

• Honda Motor expects annual profit to fall, announces share buyback. The automaker in Nihon projected a drop in fiscal-year net profit and announced a share buyback after posting a sharp increase in annual profit for the previous year.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 11 May 2024

• Nissan Motor expects drop in annual profit due to heightened competition and inflation. The carmaker projected a drop in fiscal-year net profit, citing heightened competition and high inflation, after it posted lower quarterly net profit.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 10 May 2024

• The "cash for clunkers" (dealers pay for your old car to get you to buy a new one) popular in the USA has returned -- in Zhōngguó. Some economists believe incentives for people to trade in old machinery could flood the world with more exports.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 May 2024

• A lot of carmakers in the USA and Europe are increasingly relying on tech giants in Zhōngguó in a bid to win back more market share in one of the largest and fastest-changing markets in the world
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 May 2024

• Despite EU investigations and jawboning from within the industry, it looks as though Europe has faced the inevitable: it needs to "face up" to the fact that Chinese EVs have arrived, and probably aren't going anywhere, anytime soon. Zhōngguó now leads in EV production, compelling European automakers to address the growing Chinese competition.
  - Zero Hedge, 09 May 2024

• Toyota Motor projects annual profit drop, announces share buyback. The carmaker in Nihon rojected a drop in fiscal-year profit on higher costs and announced a share buyback after posting stronger fourth-quarter net profit thanks partly to a weaker yen.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 May 2024

• Sales of Tesla fall in Zhōngguó despite a rebound in electric vehicle demand, with its rivals in Zhōngguó reporting higher sales
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 08 May 2024

• Bad-loans hit record-high as used-car prices suffer worst bear-market ever
  - Zero Hedge, 07 May 2024

• Tens of millions of Americans each day breathe in carcinogenic chemicals that are woven into the interiors of their cars, a new study has found. And the chemicals are required by law in the USA.
  - The Hill, 07 May 2024

• A group of residents in western North Carolina are protesting their county board's lack of transparency over furtive moves to welcome an electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing the residents believe would pollute their waters and ruin their scenic countryside.
  - Zero Hedge, 07 May 2024

• Tesla pullback puts onus on others to build electric vehicle chargers. The automaker led by Elon Musk is no longer planning to take the lead in expanding the number of places to fuel electric vehicles. It is not clear how quickly other companies will fill the gap.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 07 May 2024

• Minor automobile accidents causes very high repair costs, because every new vehicle sold in the last few years has sensors and cameras, including radar and sonar, throughout the body of the vehicle. These have made the repair process more complex because, unlike a smashed fender, a sensor or camera cannot just be bolted or welded back on. To work, they need to be carefully and precisely aligned. It has changed the process of collision repair a lot.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 07 May 2024

• Where unsold electric vehicles go to die: ports in Belgium are 'drowning' under a glut of vehicle imports from Zhōngguó
  - Zero Hedge, 06 May 2024

• Electric cars from Zhōngguó keep improving, a worry for rivals elsewhere. More capable autonomous driving is just one way Chinese automakers are threatening to pull ahead -- their electric vehicles are also becoming bigger and roomier.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 06 May 2024

• Automakers in the USA such as GM are rapidly losing ground in Zhōngguó, once an engine for growth
  - Comcast's CNBC, 06 May 2024

• Automakers in the USA such as GM are rapidly losing ground in Zhōngguó, once an engine for growth
  - Comcast's CNBC, 06 May 2024

• Shares of Rivian rise 10%, after it announces that it will receive $827 in incentives from the State of Illinois for its production of electric vehicles
  - Comcast's CNBC, 02 May 2024

• BYD and other electric vehicle makers in Zhōngguó reported higher sales and deliveries in April, offering a sign of rebounding demand amid continuing price wars.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 May 2024

• Shares of Nio soar more than 20% as electric vehicle deliveries more than double in April
  - Comcast's CNBC, 02 May 2024

• Shares of Carvana rise 30% during after-hours trading Wednesday after the used car retailer reported record results and turned a profit during the first quarter
  - Comcast's CNBC, 01 May 2024

• All new cars in the USA by 2029 must carry automatic brakes -- sensors that hit the brakes to avoid a collision if the driver does not. The technology is already sold on most vehicles today.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 01 May 2024

• GM is in talks to move credit-card business from Goldman Sachs to Barclays. The deal including roughly $2 billion of card balances could be struck by summer.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 01 May 2024

• Shares of Stellantis (based in Netherlands - owner of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Peugeot, Maserati brands) fall 7% on sharp fall in revenue as it prepares for slew of new models
  - Comcast's CNBC, 30 April 2024

• Regulator investigates Ford's hands-free driving system after fatal crashes. The NHTSA said the incidents involved Ford's BlueCruise system on Mach-E vehicles that collided with stationary vehicles on highways.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 30 April 2024

• Cheaper teslas? No problem. Compatitors in Zhōngguó say "You ain't seen nothing yet!". Despite a brutal price year, the large automakers in Zhōngguó are in surprisingly good shape. That means the EV price war will continue.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 30 April 2024

• The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars. Dangerous, polluting SUVs and pickups took over America. Lawmakers are partly to blame. For half a century, a litany of sociailst federal policies has favored large SUVs and trucks, pushing automakers and American buyers toward larger models. Instead of counteracting car bloat through regulation, policymakers have subtly encouraged it - bribed by automobile lobbyists. That has been a boon for car companies, but a disaster for everyone else.
  - Vox, 28 April 2024

• NHTSA probes Tesla autopilot again after 20 crashes since update remedy
  - Zero Hedge, 27 April 2024

• Sales of used-cars have move online -- here is why both customers and dealers are happy. The migration has armed consumers with much more information and choices. It has done the same for dealerships.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 27 April 2024

• Honda Motor on Thursday said it and several suppliers would invest $11 billion to build batteries and electric cars in Ontario, a significant commitment from a company that has been slow to embrace the technology. Honda will benefit from up to $1.8 billion in tax credits available to companies that invest in electric vehicle projects.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 26 April 2024

• Hertz loses another $200 million from its investment into electric vehicles, as it increases the number of EVs it will sell from 20,000 to 30,000, sending the stock down 20%
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 25 April 2024

• The price war for electric vehicles in Zhōngguó is just getting started. With a historic round of price cuts this month, Tesla, Li Auto and a host of others have extended the monthslong electric-vehicle price war in Zhōngguó into a new quarter.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 25 April 2024

• Zhōngguó is winning much of the market share for smaller electric vehicles
  - Zero Hedge, 24 April 2024

• Ford just reported a massive loss on every electric vehicle it sold, a loss of $132,000 for each of the 10,000 vehicles it sold in the first three months of 2024
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 24 April 2024

• How General Motors tricked millions of drivers into being spied on. This privacy reporter and her husband bought a Chevrolet Bolt in December. Two risk-profiling companies had been getting detailed data about their driving ever since.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 24 April 2024

• The oversupply of unused car factories in Zhōngguó. Manufacturers like BYD, Tesla and Li Auto are cutting prices to move their electric cars. For gasoline-powered vehicles, the surplus of factories is even worse.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 24 April 2024

• General Motors raises profit outlook for 2024 after strong first-quarter earnings. Pickup trucks and resilient consumer spending powered GM's 24% increase in quarterly profit, but Zhōngguó remains a trouble spot.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 24 April 2024

• Auto workers just scored a huge victory -- and Republicans are furious. Why Republican governors feel so threatened by UAW's historic win in Tennessee. "The history of Southern political economy is to a great extent a history of the unbreakable addiction of Southern political and economic elites to no-wage and low-wage labor." Worse still from the perspective of the GOP, the unionization contagion could spread to other sectors. workers as an essential condition of American economic life.
  - Comcast's MSNBC, 23 April 2024

• Could the victory of the United Auto Workers at a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee set off a wave? Some experts say the outcome at a plant in Chattanooga may be organized labor's most significant advance in decades. But the road could get rockier in the union-hostile, sourthern States.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 22 April 2024

• Could the victory of the United Auto Workers at a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee set off a wave? Some experts say the outcome at a plant in Chattanooga may be organized labor's most significant advance in decades. But the road could get rockier in the union-hostile, authoritarian, sourthern States.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 April 2024

• Tesla slides 3% in premarket, Li Auto sinks 8%, as manfuacturers of electric vehicles slash prices amid fiercee competition
  - Comcast's CNBC, 22 April 2024

• Tesla slides 3% in premarket, Li Auto sinks 8%, as manfuacturers of electric vehicles slash prices amid fiercee competition
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 April 2024

• Tesla announces aggressive price reductions of its automobiles in the USA, Zhōngguó and Deutschland as competition heats up
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 22 April 2024

• Electric cars sold at record levels of discounts as demand plunges. Almost eight in 10 new electric cars are being sold at a discount as the industry reels from falling consumer demand, with the average discount about 11 percent.
  - Barclay's The Telegraph, 22 April 2024

• Workers at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee vote to join the United Auto Workers, in a historic win for the union. The victory at the Tennessee factory helped the union toward its goal of reversing declining membership by organizing foreign-owned factories. It is also a threat to the 'plantation business model' of the southern states.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 20 April 2024

• Workers at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee vote to join the United Auto Workers, in a historic win for the union. The victory at the Tennessee factory helped the union toward its goal of reversing declining membership by organizing foreign-owned factories. It is also a threat to the 'plantation business model' of the southern states.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 20 April 2024

• Toyota's hydrogen future is crumbling as owners file lawsuits, call for buybacks. Frozen pumps. Skyrocketing fuel costs. Plummeting resale values.
  - Inside EVs, 18 April 2024

• A rejuvenated UAW aims to unionize workers at Volkswagen. The union is aiming to use the momentum from Detroit deals to expand in the South by organizing a plant owned by a foreign automaker.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 18 April 2024

• Has Tesla peaked? In a remarkably short period of time, the electric vehicle business appears to have untethered itself from Tesla.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 17 April 2024

• Electric car company BYD is rapidly expanding its lineup to include vehicles that compete with traditional automakers in the mass market, Tesla on the premium end and Jeep in the off-road segment
  - Comcast's CNBC, 16 April 2024

• Hybrid automobiles extend sales lead over all-electric vehicles. Toyota surges, while Tesla slumps, as car buyers reassess their options for electrified models.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 16 April 2024

• Drivers are "returning to petrol": electric vehicles sales by Volkswagen plunge 25% in Europe. Demand for electric vehicles has dipped as governments in Europe reduce subsidies and soften ambitious goals to phase out petrol and diesel cars.
  - Zero Hedge, 16 April 2024

• Tesla shares decline 1% in premarket trade after reports Tesla will fire more than 10% of the people working for the company
  - Zero Hedge, 15 April 2024

• Tesla shares decline 1% in premarket trade after reports Tesla will fire more than 10% of the people working for the company, and two key executives will resign
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 15 April 2024

• A group of economists recently performed an experiment on around 100 of the largest companies in the country, applying for jobs using made-up résumés with equivalent qualifications but different personal characteristics. They changed the names of applicants to suggest that they were white or Black, and male or female. On average, they found, employers contacted the presumed white applicants 9.5 percent more often than the presumed Black applicants. Two companies, AutoNation and Genuine Parts Company, On average, they found, employers contacted the presumed white applicants 9.5 percent more often than the presumed Black applicants. A lack of racial bias was more common in certain industries: food stores, including Kroger; food products, including Mondelez; freight and transport, including FedEx and Ryder; and wholesale, including Sysco and McLane Company.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 15 April 2024

• Electric cars are modern and good for the environment. But please make them less boring to drive - more thrills like a stick shift, syncing with an engine, the fun of driving
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 13 April 2024

• Shares of Rivian drop 6.5% and Lucid drop 2.5%, after Ford Motor announced price cuts for its electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck of 7.5%, amid sliding demand across the electric vehicle industry.
  - Zero Hedge, 11 April 2024

• Shares of CarMax dropped over 12% after the used-car retailer missed financial targets for its fiscal fourth quarter and said it was extending its timeframe goal to sell more than two million units annually
  - Barron's, 11 April 2024

• CarMax gets slammed by high rates, tight used-car supply. Used cars are getting harder to obtain just as new cars get more affordable.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 11 April 2024

• Ford is recalling nearly 43,000 small SUVs because gasoline can leak from the fuel injectors onto hot engine surfaces, increasing the risk of fires. But the recall remedy does not include repairing the fuel leaks. Dealers will install a tube to let gasoline flow away from hot surfaces to the ground below the vehicle.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 11 April 2024

• Automobile insurance rates are very high. Inflation is definitely a big part of the equation. Everything now costs more, including cars and car repairs, and insurance companies are passing those costs on to consumers. But people are also driving more dangerously.
  - Vox, 10 April 2024

• In Bharat, electric rickshaws are much outselling electric vehicles. Little-known e-rickshaw companies like YC Electric are at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution in Bharat.
  - Rest of The World, 09 April 2024

• Morgan Stanley analyst Carlos De Alba recently conveyed his optimistic outlook for the US metals and mining sector to clients. He highlighted that investment levels in the industry have reached their lowest level in decades. He believes the sector is poised for massive investments and outlines the companies that will benefit.
  - Zero Hedge, 06 April 2024

• The inside story of the 'fall to earth' of Tesla. Sales are dropping. Tesla is cutting prices. And its latest big bets have yet to pan out. Can the s most valuable carmaker get its mojo back?
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 06 April 2024

• A recent study showed that the average price of an electric vehicle fell 31.8% in the past year compared to just 3.6% for internal combustion engine vehicles
  - Comcast's CNBC, 04 April 2024

• Ford Motors slows its efforts with electric vehicles
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 04 April 2024

• BYD plans to launch its first electric pickup truck this year, in its latest challenge to Ford and Tesla. The pickup will look to compete with the likes of the Ford Ranger and F-150 Lightning, the Toyota Hilux and the Tesla Cybertruck.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 04 April 2024

• Apple is not making an electric vehicle, but phone makers in Zhōngguó are showing that they can. The tech heavyweights, such as Xiaomi, are looking to electric vehicles for their second act, and are jumping into a brutal price war in Zhōngguó.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 04 April 2024

• ~$220,000,000 - OpenAI-backed Ghost Academy shuts down. It was a startup working on autonomous driving software for automobile manufacturers (including for non-paid robotaxi manufacturers). It lost/wasted nearly $220 million in its failed attempt.
  - TechCrunch, 03 April 2024

• Noted Tesla bear says Elon Musk's EV maker could 'go bust' and stock is worth $14
  - Comcast's CNBC, 03 April 2024

• Zhōngguó leads the world in the recycling of batteries
  - Zero Hedge, 02 April 2024

• Electric vehicle makers in Zhōngguó scramble to offer incentives to compete with Tesla and "disruptive" Xiaomi
  - Zero Hedge, 02 April 2024

• Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle sells out of 2024 inventory within 24 hours of launching. Within the first four minutes of its launch last Thursday, Xiaomi's debut car, the SU7, saw 10,000 preorders in Zhōngguó, escalating to 50,000 in 27 minutes and nearly reaching 90,000 by the end of the day.
  - Zero Hedge, 02 April 2024

• Shares of Xiaomi rise 16% after the smartphone company in Zhōngguó launches its first electric vehicle
  - Comcast's CNBC, 02 April 2024

• Would-be buyers in the USA of vehicles from Tesla are snubbing Tesla as the reputation declines of Elon Musk
  - Thomson's Reuters, 01 April 2024

• New pollution rules aim to lift sales of electric trucks. The latest in a string of ambitious climate regulations aims to clean up the heaviest polluters on the road. But truckers are worried - there are not enough charging stations, charging truck batteries could cost more than diesel, and electric trucks haul less cargo.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 30 March 2024

• Drivers in the USA agree: LED headlights are just too bright. Use of the powerful lights has been steadily rising, and with it frustration.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 30 March 2024

• Toyota has become an anti-Tesla. The strategy, relying on hybrids, is paying off.
  - Barron's, 30 March 2024

• Shares of Nikola soared by more than 15% Thursday morning. The stock got a boost from some company-specific news as well as fresh publicity for hydrogen as a transportation fuel.
  - The Motley Fool, 28 March 2024

• This week Fisker, which is rumored to be on the verge of considering bankruptcy and has seen its stock trade to pennies and be moved to the pink sheets, reduced the price of its only vehicle, the Ocean sport utility vehicle, by a stunning 39%, according to Bloomberg. A last minute attempt to avoid bankruptcy.
  - Zero Hedge, 28 March 2024

• Xiaomi releases electric car $4000 cheaper than Tesla's Model 3, as price wars heat up. Xiaomi claimed the standard version of the SU7 beat the Model 3 on more than 90% of its specifications, except on two aspects that he said it might take Xiaomi at least three to five years to catch up with Tesla on.
  - Comcast's CNBC, 28 March 2024

• The net profit at BYD rises as it overtakes Tesla as top EV seller. BYD sold more than 526,000 fully electric vehicles in the fourth quarter, topping Tesla for the first time as the largest seller of EVs in the world on a quarterly basis.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 27 March 2024

• Port of Baltimore paralyzed after container ship strike collapses bridge. The Port of Baltimore -- the biggest handler of US imports and exports of cars and light trucks -- looks to be out of commission indefinitely. The resulting bottleneck could accelerate a shift of goods through West Coast ports. Another crucial question: Which other ports have spare capacity to handle the Ro-Ro vessels that carry automobiles if Baltimore is closed for an extended period.
  - Zero Hedge, 26 March 2024

• Zhōngguó has lodged a grievance against electric vehicle subsidies in the USA, at the World Trade Organization, alleging "discrimination" in selective selective treatment for products depending on the venue of their final assembly.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 March 2024

• Zhōngguó has lodged a grievance against electric vehicle subsidies in the USA, at the World Trade Organization, alleging "discrimination" in selective selective treatment for products depending on the venue of their final assembly.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 26 March 2024

• Nissan aims to cut costs by 30% simply to remain competitive in electric vehicles
  - Zero Hedge, 26 March 2024

• The financial troubles of Tesla raise questions about its invincibility. As the share price plunges, investors wonder whether the company, led by Elon Musk, can withstand intensifying competition. While the stock market has reached record highs, Tesla is down by 33%.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 26 March 2024

• How Toyota, a laggard on electric cars, got its fight back. The auto giant lobbied hard against tougher pollution rules. This week, the EPA's new rules proved favorable to hybrid technology, an area that Toyota dominates.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 26 March 2024

• The price war for electric vehicles in Zhōngguó is killing brands and infuriating consumers. Fast depreciation in an already slow market has panicked car buyers, many of whom are venting their frustrations on social media. Some startups are on the brink of collapse, leaving software maintenance in limbo.
  - Rest of The World, 25 March 2024

• Norway is proving that electric vehicles are not more energy efficient
  - Zero Hedge, 25 March 2024

• Shares of Lucid soar 20% in early trading, after announcing that it raised $1 billion for a Saudi sovereign wealth fund affiliate
  - Comcast's CNBC, 25 March 2024

• Insurers report a rising number of damage claims due to hail. Inflation is driving up the cost of materials and labor to repair roofs and cars. Adding to the costs of insurers is increased development in areas affected by severe storms.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 23 March 2024

• General Motors has stopped sharing with data brokers, the data about the driving behavior of people who buy its cars
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 23 March 2024

• A truck-to-truck electronic 'worm' could infect -- and disrupt -- the entire commercial truck fleet in the USA. The devices, electronic logging devices, that makes the 'worm' possible is required in all American big rigs, and has criminally poor security. A paper reports how ELDs can be accessed over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections to take control of a truck, manipulate data, and spread malware between vehicles.
  - Zero Hedge, 22 March 2024

• Why the Seagull, a new lost-cost electric vehicle (less than $10,000) from BYD based in Zhōngguó, has global automobile executives and politicians on the edge. The fear is that BYD and its rivals in Zhōngguó could flood their markets, undercutting domestic production and vehicle prices
  - Comcast's CNBC, 22 March 2024

• As Fisker fails, electricx vehicle startups need to learn from Zhōngguó. Speeding up product development might be a more effective way to lighten the car industry's debilitating capital burden than outsourcing production.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 March 2024

• Shares of XPeng fall 8% in Hong Kong as Alibaba continues to trim stake. This is the third time in four months that Alibaba has reduced its stake in XPeng.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 March 2024

• Under the new EPA rules, electric vehicles will need to be 30-40% of the market by 2030, down from the proposed 60%. And it now costs more per mile to fuel an electric F-150 than a gasoline powered truck.
  - Zero Hedge, 21 March 2024

• The Biden administration issues new regulations that would require automakers to sell more electric vehicles and hybrids by gradually tightening limits on tailpipe pollution. The rule increasingly limits the amount of pollution allowed from tailpipes over time so that, by 2032, more than half the new cars sold in the United States would most likely be zero-emissions vehicles in order for carmakers to meet the standards.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 21 March 2024

• The EPA gives automakers more leeway to phase out gas-engine cars. The Biden administration enacted the strictest-ever rules for tailpipe emissions, while giving automakers more time to comply as the market for electric cars evolves.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 21 March 2024

• Lithium batteries are very difficult to recycle and require huge amounts of water and energy to produce. A growing number of alternatives, such as sodium-ion batteries and solid-state batteries, could be cheaper and greener.
  - BBC, 20 March 2024

• The Biden administration on Monday finalized a ban on the only type of asbestos, chrysotile, still used in the United States (for construction, cement, car parts), the first time since 1989 the federal government has moved to significantly restrict the toxic industrial material. Chrsotile has been linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma, a cancer that forms in the lining of some internal organs.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 19 March 2024

• As electric-vehicle shoppers hesitate, hybrid sales surge. Buyers find more to choose from as automakers (such as TOyota) expand options for those looking beyond gas-powered cars.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 19 March 2024

• Trump reveals plan to impose 100 percent taxes/tariffs on cars made in Mexico by companies from Zhōngguó
  - Zero Hedge, 18 March 2024

• The CEO of Hertz is fired after a big investment into electric vehicles is not successful, due to teaser imag plunging resale values, high collision repair costs and low consumer demand
  - Zero Hedge, 16 March 2024

• Florida man sues General Motors and LexisNexis over sale of his Cadillac driving data. Romeo Chicco's auto insurance rate doubled because of information about his speeding, braking and acceleration, according to his complaint.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 16 March 2024

• Shares of Fisker jump 31% in pre-market trading on talks with a large automaker following bankruptcy fears, which caused shares to plummet the day before
  - Zero Hedge, 15 March 2024

• Bharat will lower import taxes on certain electric vehicles for companies committing to invest at least $500 million and setting up a local manufacturing facility within three years, a policy shift that could potentially bolster the plans of Tesla to enter the South Asian market.
  - TechCrunch, 15 March 2024

• The Energy Department is moving forward on a deal to provide a $2.3 billion loan to Lithium Americas in an effort to shore up domestic supplies of a mineral vital for the production of electric vehicles. They are so unreliable that they couldn't get a loan from a bank?
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 15 March 2024

• The Energy Department is moving forward on a deal to provide a $2.3 billion loan to Lithium Americas in an effort to shore up domestic supplies of a mineral vital for the production of electric vehicles. They are so unreliable that they couldn't get a loan from a bank?
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 15 March 2024

• Private equity wants your credit card debt. And car loan. And mortgage. Private fund managers like Apollo, Blackstone and KKR are pushing into asset-based lending and targeting the biggest prize in the global economy: the American consumer.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 15 March 2024

• A 2022 study shows that electric vehicles are more polluting than gasoline-powered vehicles. The study reported that ""brakes and tires on EVs release 1,850 times more particle pollution compared to modern tailpipes", because the EVs are as much as 30% heavier than gas-powered cars. Car buyers expect their tires to last 40,000 miles. But EV owners are finding that they last only 13,000 miles. Not only does that significantly increase the cost of ownership of an EV, but it also adds to air pollution.
  - Issues and Insights, 14 March 2024

• Shares of Fisker plunge 40% as investor concern about the ability of Fisker to stay in business intensified. Reports are that Fisker has hired restructuring advisors to work on a potential bankruptcy filing.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 13 March 2024

• Electric-vehicle startup Fisker prepares for possible bankruptcy filing. The company has struggled with growing its sales amid stagnant demand for electric vehicles in the U.S. and last month issued a going-concern warning.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 13 March 2024

• The hybrid-first strategy of Toyota is delivering big profits. Toyota, the world's largest automaker, has been criticized for selling few electric vehicles, but its decision to focus on hybrids is paying off financially.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 13 March 2024

• BMW is a surprise winner in electric vehicles. Once considered a laggard, the German luxury carmaker is one of only a few established automakers that has been able to compete effectively against Tesla.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 13 March 2024

• Porsche AG warns of lower margins as it launches new EV, hybrid models. Porsche said it expected profitability to decline to between 15-17% in 2024, citing global economic conditions, after it posted full-year results largely in line with views.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 13 March 2024

• Shares of Porsche rise 10% despite a profit warning, as it prepares for a partial shift away from electric vehicles
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 13 March 2024

• Having overtaken Tesla, BYD is running into problems outside of Zhōngguó. The electric vehicle maker is seeing vehicles pile up overseas amid weak demand, quality-control issues and internal tension.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 13 March 2024

• Tesla and Ford receive 'poor' grades in a study of driver-assist technology. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's ratings of the systems prod automakers to improve safeguards.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 13 March 2024

• Automakers are sharing the driving behavior of consumers with insurance companies. LexisNexis, which generates consumer risk profiles for the insurers, knew about every trip G.M. drivers had taken in their cars, including when they sped, braked too hard or accelerated rapidly. The insurance companies use the data to increase the costs of the insurance they sell.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 12 March 2024

• Shares of CATL rise 14% after news of a joint venture, and a Morgan Stanley. The rally comes as news emerged that CATL is working with Chinese tech company Xiaomi and automaker BAIC on a new factory venture.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 12 March 2024

• Electric vehicle sales in Zhōngguó start 2024 with battery-based electric vehicle sales slowing and even more price reductions being implemented
  - Zero Hedge, 11 March 2024

• Former CEO of Toyota, Akio Toyoda (still chairman of the board), forced out for not being enthusiastic enough about all-electric vehicles, has the last laugh, as hydrid-electric vehicles that he championed are now becoming much more popular
  - National Review, 09 March 2024

• Electric-vehicle owners often face higher charges in Republican-led states.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 08 March 2024

• Automobile stocks in Nihon fell sharply as the yen rebounded to a one-month high due to growing expectations that the Bank of Nihon could shift away from its ultralow interest rate policy.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 08 March 2024

• Lead from gasoline blunted the IQ of about half the U.S. population, study says. Leaded gas was banned in 1996, but exposure to the poison cost people born before then several IQ points on average, researchers estimated.
  - NBC News, 07 March 2024

• Shares of Rivian surge 13% as the company reveals new electric vehicle models, and $2.25 billion in cost savings by shifting production from Georgia to Illinois
  - Comcast's CNBC, 07 March 2024

• The blacklisted component that is disrupting the luxury-car market. A transformer from a supplier in Zhōngguórecently banned over links to forced labor is delaying imports of Porsche and other cars into the USA.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 March 2024

• BYD reduces starting price of cheapest electric car amid fierce competition. BYD unveiled an updated version of its cheapest electric car model, Seagull, and further slashed its starting price, deepening a price war amid rising competition in Zhōngguó , the largest car market in the world.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 March 2024

• We can't help but notice them: car washes seem to be everywhere nowadays. Everywhere you go, new ones are popping up and, with that, they're usually packed.
  - Zero Hedge, 05 March 2024

• Tesla halts production in Deutschland after suspected arson
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 05 March 2024

• A far-left militant/environmental group, known as "Vulkangruppe" (Volcano Group), has claimed responsibility for an attack on Germany's electricity infrastructure on Tuesday, paralyzing vehicle production at Tesla's European Gigafactory near Berlin. "No Tesla is safe."
  - Zero Hedge, 05 March 2024

• Increases in auto insurance premiums hampers the inflation fight. Costlier vehicles and repairs are pushing premiums higher even as the increase in U.S. consumer prices is tapering overall.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 05 March 2024

• Why is President Biden blocking the cheapest, most popular EVs in the world? Biden needs to decide if he likes the climate more than he hates Zhōngguó.
  - VIV, 04 March 2024

• How electric vehicles from Zhōngguó are going to Detroit like a wrecking ball
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 04 March 2024

• An electric vehicle price war in Zhōngguó, as BYD and Xpeng undercut each other and slash prices, amid faltering sales
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 March 2024

• How Zhōngguó is churning out electric vehicles faster than everyone else. Riding the EV boom, upstart automakers in Zhōngguó have eclipsed foreign rivals to develop cars faster, push the boundaries of smart tech and swamp consumers with choice.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 04 March 2024

• Elon Musk promised/lied that Tesla cars would rise in value after you bought one. The opposite happened. Used Teslas have dropped precipitously in value over the past year or two, as Tesla has struggled to maintain its commanding dominance in the market for new electric vehicles. By aggressively slashing price of its own new cars and SUVs, Tesla has also created a domino effect, pushing down the values of other EVs, as well.
  - Warner Brothers CNN, 03 March 2024

• New car prices have been trending lower for about a year due to increased vehicle production and elevated interest rates that have crimped demand. As a result, inventories are swelling at dealerships nationwide, with expectations for new and used vehicle prices to continue sliding into the spring season.
  - Zero Hedge, 03 March 2024

• To help his re-election efforts, President Biden abandons two climate protection efforts -- exempting existing gas-fired plants, at least for now, from a new regulation that would require power plants in the United States to capture their carbon dioxide emissions before 2040; and, in a concession to automakers and labor unions, relaxing elements of another major rule to limit carbon pollution from automobiles.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 March 2024

• After gains at the Big Three authomakers, the United Autoworkers Workers union aims at nonunion plants. A looming union election at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga could determine the trajectory of union organizing at more than a dozen auto factories.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 March 2024

• Behind the doomed car project at Apple: false starts and wrong turns. Internal disagreements over the direction of the Apple car led the effort to sputter for years before it was canceled this week.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 01 March 2024

• As borrowers struggle with making their $1,000 monthly car payments, banks with auto financing units are swiftly adjusting to stricter credit conditions by turning down many prospective buyers, further complicating the process for consumers to secure auto loans.
  - Zero Hedge, 29 February 2024

• Apple terminates its electric car project. The car, which Apple spent billions of dollars researching, had been intended as a rival to Tesla's, which include autonomous driving features.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 28 February 2024

• Apple terminates its electric car project. The car, which Apple spent billions of dollars researching, had been intended as a rival to Tesla's, which include autonomous driving features.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 28 February 2024

• The electric vehicle champion of Zhōngguó, BYD, wants to conquer more. BYD has announced discounts that put prices below those of gas-powered equivalents built by some foreign competitors.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 28 February 2024

• Electric vehicle startups struggled to build cars. Now they struggle to sell them. Lucid and Rivian are more exposed to cooling demand than their legacy rivals, which can lean on gas-powered vehicles to support electric investments.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 26 February 2024

• Are you 'bleeding' money on car insurance? So are insurers. Even as used-car prices fell in 2023, an eye-watering rise in premiums often t enough to offset higher costs for auto insurers. And it is not just happening in the USA.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 26 February 2024

• No, electric vehicle sales are not dropping. Here is really going on. The trend line of EC alses is not slanting upward as sharply as many had predicted so the industry is lowering future estimates.
  - Zero Hedge, 25 February 2024

• Automotive News was the first to report that Ford Motor has halted shipments of all 2024 F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks for an undisclosed quality control issue just weeks after slashing production volumes for the EV model due to sliding demand
  - Zero Hedge, 24 February 2024

• Gone in 20 seconds: how 'smart keys' have fuelled a new wave of car crime. One London resident watched on CCTV as a thief walked up to his 40,000 Pound car and drove away. Now manufacturers say they are being drawn in to a hi-tech 'arms race' with criminals.
  - The Guardian, 24 February 2024

• Ahead of the entry of Tesla into Bharat, electric vehicle makers slash prices to boost demand in the world's third large automobile market
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 February 2024

• "We have consistently flirted with death": Elon Musk wanted his Boring Company to build a tunnel system below Las Vegas. Former employees say they feared for their lives while working for the extremely rich Musk.
  - Jiaravanon's Fortune, 24 February 2024

• It is "absolutely crazy": a vacant office tower in Los Angeles is to be torn down for just 30 new charging stations for electric vehicles. The value of commercial real estate has plummeted so much that this makes economic sense.
  - Zero Hedge, 22 February 2024

• Mercedes-Benz backs off plan to only sell electric vehicles by 2030
  - The Verge, 22 February 2024

• Shares of Rivian drop 25% to an all-time low, after firing people and a reduction in estimates of future production
  - Apollo Global's Yahoo Finance, 22 February 2024

• Shares of Carvana rise 18%as the online seller of used-cards predicts stronger-than-expected earnings in the future
  - Investors Business Daily, 22 February 2024

• Why car insurance rates are so high. The price of car insurance was up more than 20 percent over the same time last year, and up 38% since January 2020. Inflation is definitely a big part of the equation. Everything now costs more, including cars and car repairs, and insurance companies are passing those costs on to consumers.
  - Vox, 21 February 2024

• Air pollution could be significant cause of dementia -- even for those not predisposed. People in areas of high PM2.5 concentrations had higher amounts of amyloid plaques in brain. Traffic-related PM2.5 concentrations are a major source of ambient pollution in urban centres across the planet.
  - Zero Hedge, 21 February 2024

• As Zhōngguó expands its electric vehicle industry, it is also flagging likely health hazards at battery plants. Investigations by health authorities in various parts of Zhōngguó in recent years have found that EV battery production can involve high noise and dust levels, and the release of chemical toxins, laser radiation, and other harmful elements.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 February 2024

• Ford is slashing prices and increasing incentives on its electric Mach-E and F-150 Lightning. It is not just Tesla -- the increasing saturation of the electric vehicle market continues driving down prices as manufacturers strive to remain competitive.
  - Zero Hedge, 20 February 2024

• The boom in metals for batteries for electric vehicles is turning to bust. Producers of lithium and nickel have paused projects after prices collapsed, and as momentum slows for electric-vehicle sales.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 20 February 2024

• Even the world's biggest market for electric vehicles, Zhōngguó, is slowing. The government of Zhōngguó is urging carmakers to expand overseas, while EV-maker BYD is ramping up its export targets.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 20 February 2024

• The Biden administration is reportedly considering easing tailpipe emissions regulations, a move that was designed to force Americans from gas and diesel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles, according to The New York Times, citing three people familiar with the plan. This potential policy adjustment is in response to concerns from major automakers and labor unions and comes amid sliding EV demand, recently prompting companies such as Ford Motor Company to reduce EV production and lay off workers.
  - Zero Hedge, 17 February 2024

• The Biden administration is reportedly considering easing tailpipe emissions regulations, a move that was designed to force Americans from gas and diesel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles, according to The New York Times, citing three people familiar with the plan. This potential policy adjustment is in response to concerns from major automakers and labor unions and comes amid sliding EV demand, recently prompting companies such as Ford Motor Company to reduce EV production and lay off workers.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 17 February 2024

• To avoid hefty tariffs, BYD - based in Zhōngguó -- considers selling into the car market of the USA via Mexico. The Tesla competitor, which is expanding rapidly in Europe and Southeast Asia, is also looking at a new export base in Mexico.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 17 February 2024

• Volkswagen under pressure to terminate joint venture in Zhōngguó, as the USA impounds its vehicles for connections to human rights abuses in Zhōngguó. Large German manufacturers have expanded their footprints in Zhōngguó, threatening the efforts of the government of Deutschland to reduce economic reliance on Zhōngguó.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 16 February 2024

• Lucid is the latest electric vehicle maker to cut prices as demand ebbs. Pricing pressure in the automobile industry is hitting unprofitable electric-vehicle startups hard.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 16 February 2024

• As hybrid automobiles become more popular (Toyota's long-term strategy), is it time to short Tesla and buy Toyota?
  - Zero Hedge, 14 February 2024

• The cost of owning a car is getting painful. Gasoline prices are in check, but nearly everything else related to your vehicle is getting more expensive.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 14 February 2024

• The slowdown in the electric vehicle industry is not over, predicts the Royal Bank of Canada. "Key takeaways thus far from earnings season are that the EV slowdown is not showing any evidence of an inflection, Level 4 autonomy headwinds continue to persist, and fears over supplier inventory overbuild are likely overblown."
  - Zero Hedge, 13 February 2024

• How Zhōngguó built BYD, its Tesla 'killer'. BYD, the leading company in Zhōngguó for electric vehicles, with origins as a battery maker, has posted two years of million-car growth in sales.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 13 February 2024

• CATL, BYD and other battery and car makers in Zhōngguó unite efforts to achieve breakthroughs with solid-state battery technology
  - Nikkei Asia, 12 February 2024

• Removing taxes/tariffs on imports of aluminum will be a win for the electric vehicle industry. Section 232 tariffs caused domestic aluminum prices to jump 1.6%, from about $1600 per ton in 2018 to more than $2,400 per ton today, increasing costs and reducing aluminum supplies for downstream industries that depend on the material.
  - Real Clear Markets, 12 February 2024

• Arrival, an electric vehicle startup based in the UK, files for bankruptcy ('administration' in the UK). It once had a $13 billion valuation, though it never actually sold a vehicle. It wasted $50 million of new investment monies it received in 2023.
  - The Street, 11 February 2024

• What the 'electric vehicle city' of Zhōngguó, Hefei, says about the state of the economy. Hefei has led the country in making electric vehicles and other tech products, but it still has not escaped a nationwide housing crisis.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 10 February 2024

• Indonesia wants to attract manufacturers of batteries for electric vehicles. Nickel is its big draw.
  - Murdoch's Barron's, 10 February 2024

• Some idiots are buying cars and trucks that require monthly payments of $3000, enough to buy a house< that depreciates far less slowly than vehicles
  - Zero Hedge, 09 February 2024

• An electric vehicle that is truly equivalent to a gas car is not coming anytime soon. Gas vehicles today have a median range of around 400 miles, refuel in under five minutes, and typically cost between $25,000 and $45,000. The EV models currently sold in the USA have a median range of 250 miles, recharge 10% to 80% in 18 to 40 minutes, and have a median cost of $57,000.
  - Real Clear Science, 09 February 2024

• How Ford's electric truck, the F-150 Lightning, once in hot demand, lost its luster (in part due to poor performance in cold weather). Some buyers said the electric Lightning did not meet expectations, and Ford has slashed its production plans for the pickup because sales are lagging.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 09 February 2024

• The middle class of Zhōngguó put spending on hold over wealth and income concerns. A widely used measure to gauge the health of the middle class in Zhōngguó showed household wealth and income indices remained in contraction in the fourth quarter of last year.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 February 2024

• Deflation in Zhōngguó is raising worries, as caused by falling prices for food and cars. In addition to consumer price declines in January, wholesale prices fell last month, and have been down in every month since October 2022.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 09 February 2024

• The deflation problem in Zhōngguó is getting worse, a stark symptom of a deepening economic malaise that spells trouble for the global economy.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 February 2024

• Zhōngguó offers financial support to accelerate the global expansion of the country's electric vehicle companies. Zhōngguó is encouraging its electric vehicle makers to expand their overseas presence, including forging tie-ups with foreign research institutions and countries to build industrial clusters.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 08 February 2024

• Ford could get 50% more profit without electric vehicles. Delaying investments in the technology will boost earnings but also prolong a messy transition.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 08 February 2024

• Toyota cashes in on booming hybrid sales, a strategy it was ridiculed for. The carmaker in Nihon forecasts a record profit driven by gas-electric vehicles, as competitors in the USA look to catch up.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 07 February 2024

• People in Paris vote to triple parking fees for big SUVs and other hefty cars (more than 1.6 metric tons, more than 2 tons for EVs). The city authorities say that large cars pollute more and are dangerous for pedestrians.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 06 February 2024

• The dreams of Indonesia of prosperity due to the electric vehicle industry helps fuel an excessive use of coal instead. The nickel industry of Indonesia has seen explosive growth, but it is powered by a coal binge that is throwing off the climate goals of the counrty.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 05 February 2024

• Volvo, an early electric car adopter, ends funding for its EV affiliate. Volvo Car said it will not provide further funding to Polestar, the electric-car maker it created with Geely (Volvo's owner in Zhōngguó) -- the latest EV retrenchment by the global auto industry.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 February 2024

• General Motors reverses an all-in electric vehicle strategy, and brinks back plug-in hybrids, after abandoning them in 2019.
  - The Drivew, 31 January 2024

• Taxpayer-funded electric busses are sitting broken down and idled across the USA
  - Zero Hedge, 30 January 2024

• So many problems continue to plague the electric vehicle industry
  - Zero Hedge, 30 January 2024

• Electric vehcicle sales in the USA increased 29% in Q4, within the context of a much more moderate total car sales increase of 8%
  - Zero Hedge, 30 January 2024

• Shares of General Motors jumped 7% in premarket trading in New York after the Detroit automaker reported forecast adjusted earnings per share for 2024 that exceeded the average analyst estimate on Wall Street and fourth-quarter EPS and net sales that beat consensus estimates
  - Zero Hedge, 30 January 2024

• General Motors invested heavily in electric vehicles. Dealers say buyers want hybrids. Some influential dealers are pressing General Motors to introduce hybrid models, worried they risk losing customers who are not ready to make the switch to fully electric cars.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 30 January 2024

• General Motors invested heavily in electric vehicles. Dealers say buyers want hybrids. Some influential dealers are pressing General Motors to introduce hybrid models, worried they risk losing customers who are not ready to make the switch to fully electric cars.
  - Zero Hedge, 30 January 2024

• Canada is a new hot spot in a global wave of auto thefts. Light penalties and lax border security are combining with booming overseas demand to create a lucrative market for crime rings, law-enforcement specialists say.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 29 January 2024

• Zhōngguó is the top manufacturer of electric vehicles. Zhōngguó produces more electric vehicles than the rest of the world but Beijing sees 'blind' expansion that needs to be curtailed.
  - Murdoch's Barron's, 27 January 2024

• Independent review blames General Motor's Cruise robotaxi mess on "poor leadership". "The reasons for Cruise's failings in this instance are numerous: poor leadership, mistakes in judgment, lack of coordination."
  - Zero Hedge, 26 January 2024

• Automobile insurance rates soar at fastest pace since 1970s inflation spike. "It is the complexity of vehicles these days."
  - Zero Hedge, 26 January 2024

• Later in the day, shares of Tesla are down 12% after Tesla warns of slowdowns this year
  - Comcast's CNBC, 25 January 2024

• Share of Tesla drop 8% pre-market (down 6% after yesterday's close, and continued down) after company warns of slowdown in 2024
  - Comcast's CNBC, 25 January 2024

• The chairman of Toyota says that electric automobiles will never dominate global markets
  - Zero Hedge, 23 January 2024

• Average price of a used Tesla tumbles for 18 straight months
  - Zero Hedge, 22 January 2024

• An electric vehicle in the style of a Lamborghini: BYD goes upmarket to outmaneuver Tesla. BYD, based in Zhōngguó, overtook Tesla as the top electric-vehicle seller in the world by offering drivers in Zhōngguó a choice of models. Now it is moving into the luxury market.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 22 January 2024

• Schaeffler, an automotive and industrial parts maker (mostly bearings), showed up to a Las Vegas tech showcase in January as an electric vehicle battery outsider with a unique prototype being hyped by a company official as the next industry pace-setter with their solid-state battery technology
  - The Cool Down, 19 January 2024

• Hybrid cars (part gasoline, part electric) enjoy a renaissance as sales slow for all-electric vehicles. Automakers like Ford, Kia and Toyota are offering more hybrid options to appeal to buyers who are not ready for fully electric vehicles. Nearly one in 10 new cars pairs a gasoline engine with electric motors to save fuel and boost performance, which cost about $20,000 less than all-electric vehicles..
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 19 January 2024

• Hyundai and Kia emerge as the biggest rivals of Tesla in the USA for sales of electric vehicles. A pair of allied Korean carmakers are pushing to launch electric vehicles ahead of competitors.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 19 January 2024

• The multibillion-dollar bet that truckers will ditch diesel for electricity. Cummins, the leading maker of diesel engines in the U.S., and two truck makers, Daimler and Paccar, are teaming up on a $2 billion factory in Mississippi to make batteries for electric commercial trucks.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 19 January 2024

• Huawei has set up a separate smart car unit, in another stride forward in the tech giant's plans to make a big impact in the automotive world. The new firm is wholly owned by Huawei (based in Shenzhen, Zhōngguó) and will focus on the "manufacturing and sales of intelligent car systems and equipment".
  - Newhouse CNN, 18 January 2024

• Tesla drivers crash more than drivers of gas-powered cars. Worse, he costs of repairs of an electric vehicle are also much higher.
  - Newhouse CNN, 18 January 2024

• Tesla price cuts send shares of automobile makers in Europea and Zhōngguó lower. Shares fell after Tesla continued to cut prices, amid heightened global competition and uncertain demand in the electric-vehicle market.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 18 January 2024

• American car insurance is still far too cheap. As much as drivers may resent paying higher premiums, insurance covers only a small fraction of the costs inflicted in car crashes. Instead, health insurers, government and drivers involved in crashes shoulder the burden, and victims are rarely fully compensated. Insurance premiums are hard to raise, because it would make insurance cost more. And that is deeply unpopular, despite being the nature of affairs in other rich countries. Around one in eight American drivers is not covered, a far higher share than in other rich countries. Drivers are in the USA get away with this because of the subsidies of the government.
  - Economist, 18 January 2024

• Robots are looking better to Detroit as labor costs rise. Expensive new union contracts are sparking more interest in assembly-line automation for vehicles, but risks exist.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 16 January 2024

• Northvolt, one of the most valuable battery startups in the world, is is raising $3.4 billion in debt from the European Union and a group of banks including JPMorgan Chase, to increase battery production at a factory in northern Sweden for customers sucha as Volkswagen. This investment will accelerate a race to build more batteries outside Zhōngguó and take advantage of a tidal wave of clean-energy subsidies.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 16 January 2024

• It is getting harder to make automobiles and trucks more fuel efficient. Thus, it is probably time to limit the production of large, fuel inefficient, vehicles such as SUVs.
  - The Week, 16 January 2024

• Still-expensive (even with subsidies) electric vehicles may not be cheaper to own than gasoline-powered vehicles. Researchers have found, using more complete economic models, that while small and low-range EVs capable of traveling around 200 miles are indeed less expensive to own than their gas-powered counterparts, larger, long-range EVs that can cover 400 miles are more expensive. Midsize SUV EVs -- currently the top-selling models by far -- only reach cost parity if government incentives are applied.
  - Real Clear Science, 16 January 2024

• Buying home and auto insurance is becoming impossible
  - Zero Hedge, 14 January 2024

• Huawei will be the next to challenge Tesla in autonomous driving
  - Zero Hedge, 13 January 2024

• The administration of President Biden is releasing $623 million in funding to boost the number of electric vehicle charging points in the USA
  - The Guardian, 11 January 2024

• The FCC questions carmakers about unwanted tracking via their apps. The Federal Communications Commission is concerned about abusive partners using connected car apps to harass and track their victims.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 11 January 2024

• Your vehicle is spying on you, and now they are going to start installing ChatGPT in new Volkswgen models. Be careful what you say while you are driving your vehicle, because you are being watched.
  - Zero Hedge, 11 January 2024

• Hertz will shrink its electric vehicle fleet after being burned by price cuts at Tesla. Hertz blamed the sharp drop in the value of electric vehicles and higher repair costs for its decision to sell 20,000 cars.
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 11 January 2024

• Hertz plans to sell 20,000 electric vehicles, including Teslas, as it returns its focus to cars powered by gasoline
  - Murdoch's New York Post, 11 January 2024

• Hertz plans to sell 20,000 electric vehicles, including Teslas, as it returns its focus to cars powered by gasoline
  - Zero Hedge, 11 January 2024

• Western companies are worrying as electric cars from Zhōngguó are gaining more market share outside Zhōngguó
  - Zero Hedge, 11 January 2024

• The high-speed railroad project in California is still nothing more than a socialist fantasy
  - Washington Examiner, 10 January 2024

• Zhōngguó becomes the biggest exporter of automobiles in the world. Zhōngguós overseas auto sales surged to a record last year, on track to surpass Nihon as the biggest exporter and marking a tectonic shift for the global auto industry.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 10 January 2024

• A meltdown in some of the most-hyped energy-transition metals is wreaking havoc across the mining world, stalling projects, scuppering deals and triggering a scramble for cash that promises to reverberate through the industry for years. Lithium -- the ultra-light metal used in electric-vehicle batteries -- has plunged more than 80% from a late-2022 record, as the market whiplashed from shortage fears to a mountain of surplus inventories. Nickel and cobalt have also tumbled, weighed down by an influx of new production amid concerns that the shift to EVs may not be as smooth and quick as predicted.
  - Bloomberg, 09 January 2024

• Wholesale used vehicle prices, tracked by Cox Automotive, peaked nearly two years ago and have since plunged into a bear market. The declines are a welcoming sign and give the Federal Reserve much-needed breathing room for interest rate cuts this year.
  - Zero Hedge, 09 January 2024

• Buying home and auto insurance is becoming impossible. Huge losses from national disasters have prompted the industry to jack up prices and pull back from some markets.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 09 January 2024

• In Europe, trains are full, and more are being planned. Amid concerns about climate change, demand for rail service is strong, and both governments and private investors are trying to keep up. Even Eurostar may see competition on its London-Paris route.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 08 January 2024

• Automakers in Zhōngguó are beating Elon Musk at the Tesla game. Zhōngguó's BYD has surpassed Tesla in electric-vehicle sales. Firms such as BYD may not be explicitly state-owned, but they are state dependents, part of a cozy, nasty little circular flow of money and power between the CCP and the notionally private market. But he real costs of Chinese protectionism are born in the main by Chinese consumers, who are forced to accept a lower standard of living to line the pockets of politically connected business interests and party bosses. The same largely holds true in the United States: The USA war on Canadian lumber benefits a small number of influential U.S. businessmen at the cost of consumers who pay more for things made out of wood, such as houses.
  - Zero Hedge, 06 January 2024

• Shares of cognac-maker Remy Martin drop 15% after Zhōngguó launches an antidumping probe into brandy imported from the European Union. The threat is if the European Union tries to protect its electric vehicle market, and Zhōngguó responds similarly.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 06 January 2024

• A lithium deal in Chile is good news for electric vehicles. A public-private partnership between local miner SQM and U.S.-based Albemarle will extend production of the mineral used for EV batteries.
  - Murdoch's Barron's, 06 January 2024

• Even as General Motors prepares to roll out electric versions of its Buick vehicles, hundreds of Buick dealerships nationwide, including at least four in Massachusetts, are turning their backs on the storied brand. Smaller, low-volume Buick dealers either can't or won't make the big investments needed to begin selling EVs, especially as sales growth in the sector has cooled and unsold electrics are piling up on dealer lots.
  - Boston Globe, 05 January 2024

• Why car buyers in the USA are rethinking electric vehicles. High sticker prices, steep financing rates and range anxiety will fuel a slowdown in electric-car adoption this year in the USA.
  - Business Week, 04 January 2024

• Only 13 models of electric vehicles are now eligible for a $7500 subsidy, due to new rules that exclude the subsidies for vehicles that use battery components manufactured by companies in Zhōngguó
  - Zero Hedge, 04 January 2024

• Shares of Rivian fall 10% on declinign fourth-quarter deliveries of electric vehicles
  - Comcast's CNBC, 03 January 2024

• BYD, the auto giant of Zhōngguó, overtakes Tesla as the largest maker of pure-electric vehicles in the world
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 January 2024

• Tesla falls behind BYD in quarterly EV sales for the first time
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 January 2024

• Sales of vehicles by BYD, the auto giant of Zhōngguó, reached 3 million last year, including 1.6 million fully battery-powered cars. It is a sign of the rapid growth of EVs Zhōngguó.
  - Ochs-Sulzberger's New York Times, 02 January 2024

• BYD beats Tesla for a second straight year after producing more than 3 million cars in 2023
  - Comcast's CNBC, 02 January 2024

• Why every western automaker is visiting this remote part of South Africa. The region is home to the largest of just a handful of refiners of battery-grade manganese located outside Zhōngguó.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 January 2024

• Western anxiety about EVs from Zhōngguó could prove self-defeating. The USA and Europe risk slowing electric-vehicle adoption by excluding Chinese suppliers from subsidies and raising taxes/tariffs.
  - Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (locked), 02 January 2024