A survey that polled 1,300 drivers found that 96 percent of people said they should own any and all data generated from their car, and 78 percent of drivers are uncomfortable or extremely uncomfortable with automakers even collecting driver data in the first place. (LEO MICHAEL)
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has said the sweet spot for affordable EVs is around $25,000. Jeep plans to undercut that price with an electric Renegade around 2027. (LEO MICHAEL)
In a recent survey on what sounds an EV should generate, people gravitated toward sounds that reminded them of the "whooshing" of a gasoline-powered automobile passing by. (LEO MICHAEL)
Many EV startups went public in 2020 and 2021 via mergers with special purpose acquisition companies. But the results were not as hoped, leading to bankruptcies, phenomenal cash burns and, for those still in business, an uncertain path to profits. (LEO MICHAEL)
Automakers are pressing the pause button on various investment plans to bring new electric cars and trucks to the U.S. market amid a slowdown in interest from consumers. (LEO MICHAEL)
Is the UAW victory in Chattanooga a one-off or a sign of change? Volkswagen’s Chattanooga Assembly complex made history this month with a vote to unionize that is being heralded by workers as a game changer. But what does the UAW victory really mean for the future of organized labor in the South? (LEO MICHAEL)
While automakers discount the electric vehicles they pledged to pour billions of dollars into, trusty hybrids are gaining traction in the U.S. (LEO MICHAEL)
Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk is returning to the automaker's "master plan" by shifting its focus toward developing a dedicated robotaxi — with huge potential profits — and away from a low-cost EV with scant margins (LEO MICHAEL)
Any lessons learned by automakers and dealers — for example, how record-low inventories allowed them to achieve record profitability during an industrywide supply shortage — probably are not repeatable. (LEO MICHAEL)
About 56% of Mercedes plant workers in Alabama voted against joining the UAW, a defeat that comes less than a month after the union won a similar election at Volkswagen in Tennessee. (LEO MICHAEL)
President Joe Biden is hiking tariffs on a wide range of Chinese imports — including semiconductors, batteries, solar cells, and critical minerals — in an election-year bid to bolster domestic manufacturing in critical industries. (LEO MICHAEL)
Same-store finance and insurance gross profit per vehicle fell at five of the top six public auto dealership groups in the first quarter 2024 compared with the first quarter of 2023. (LEO MICHAEL)
U.S. auto safety regulators finalized a rule that would require all vehicles to be equipped with automatic braking systems that would stop and avoid a collision with another car at speeds up to 62 mph. (LEO MICHAEL)
