Nutson's Weekly Automotive News Wrap-up November 19-25, 2023
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Here are Larry's picks among the past week's important, relevant, semi-secret, or snappy automotive news, opinions and insider back stories presented as expertly crafted easy-to-understand automotive universe news nuggets. for Nutson's Auto News Weekly Wrap-up November 19-25, 2023.
* We hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! AAA projects 55.4 million travelers headed 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period. This year’s Thanksgiving forecast is an increase of 2.3% over last year and marks the third-highest Thanksgiving forecast since AAA began tracking holiday travel in 2000. The top two years were 2005 and 2019, respectively. Most Thanksgiving travelers drove to their destinations. AAA projected 49.1 million Americans will get behind the wheel, an increase of 1.7% compared to 2022. Drivers could be paying less for gas than last Thanksgiving when the national average was $3.58. This year, the national average peaked in mid-August at $3.87 and has been coming down since, despite global tensions causing ripples through the oil market.
* Concluding the UAW strike and contract negotiations with the Detroit-three automakers, all three company's rank and file UAW members have ratified the new labor agreements and are back to work. Hourly workers at Ford, the first to reach a deal with the union, supported the agreement by more than 69%. At Stellantis, it was 70%. Hourly employees at General Motors Co., the last to reach an agreement, passed the deal by almost 55%. That averages out to 64% across all three, according to the UAW.
* In October, the average transaction price for a new vehicle in the U.S. experienced a year-over-year decline, which happened for only the second time in the last decade. According to Kelley Blue Book, the average price paid for a new vehicle in the U.S. was $47,936 in October. Although the UAW strike was underway during that period, new-vehicle inventories were on the rise. Compared to last year when incentives were near historic lows, October’s average new-vehicle transaction prices were approximately $670 lower, down 1.4%. This year, new-vehicle transaction prices have fallen more than 3.5%, which means that buyers in the market continue to benefit from downward price pressure.
* Automotive News Headline: "Crossing the chasm' on EVs may require plug-in hybrids" It's hard to see a retail environment in 2032 where 67 percent of new-car sales are full EVs, but it's easy to see a 2032 where a majority of new-car sales are plug-in hybrids. November 16, 2023, Mike Stanton, CEO of the National Automobile Dealers Association.
* Edmunds EV Charging Test is a new, standard-setting, empirical measure of the time taken to add range to an EV's battery at a fast charger (DCFC). Edmunds points out that until now there has been no industry standard for measuring charging speeds...auto manufacturers have been able to pick and choose charging data to highlight the best attributes of their vehicles without scrutiny. This new tool provides a measure of how long you'll be stopped to re-charge on a family road trip. https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/electric-car-charging.html
* US DoE factoid of the week: Thirty percent of cities in the United States with shared micromobility options had both bikeshare and scootershare in 2022. In 2022, 401 cities in North America (363 in the U.S.) had micromobility options. Thirty percent of all cities with micromobility systems offered both scootershare and bikeshare, while 36% offered scootershare only and 34% offered only bikeshare. While all scootershare systems are fully electric, bikeshare systems consist of both e-bikes and pedal bikes, with e-bikes accounting for 55% of the total.
* New Jersey has committed itself to moving to zero-emission vehicles by banning the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced. New Jersey joins a growing list of states that have taken this step, including California, Vermont, Virginia and New York, according to Coltura.
* Programs in Colorado, California and Vermont encourage customers to turn in older models of internal combustion vehicles in exchange for incentives to buy electric cars. Carrie Atiyeh, associate director of transportation fuels and technology at the Colorado Energy Office, said the scrappage program offers a "holistic approach to getting these high-emission vehicles off the road." Read more details here. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/how-to-boost-ev-sales-pay-drivers-to-turn-in-old-polluting-cars-1.2001036
* Honda is recalling nearly 250,000 vehicles in the U.S. because engine bearings can fail, causing the engines to stall and increasing the risk of a crash. The recall covers certain 2018 and 2019 Honda Pilot SUVs and Odyssey minivans and some 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline pickup trucks. Also affected are certain 2015 to 2020 Acura TLX cars and some 2016 to 2020 Acura MDX SUVs.
* And, Honda is also recalling select 2023-2024 Accord and HR-V vehicles due to a missing piece in the front seat belt pretensioners, which could increase injury risks during a crash. More than 300,000 Accords and HR-Vs are potentially affected.Honda estimates that less than 1% of the potentially affected vehicles will require a replacement. The vast majority are expected to be satisfied by an inspection alone.
* And again, a park outside alert! Stellantis is recalling 45,000 Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid SUVs from the 2021 to 2024 model years. As part of what the company described as a routine review of customer information, Stellantis determined that eight of the hybrid Wranglers had caught fire while they were turned off and parked. Six of the vehicles were being charged when the fires started. The Wranglers affected by the recall can still be driven until they are fixed, but Stellantis is recommending they be parked away from buildings and not be charged until they can be repaired.
* The Amelia, a leading global Concours weekend known for its racing roots and luxurious setting at the beautiful Ritz Carlton Amelia Island, announced Rick Hendrick as Honoree at The Amelia in 2024, continuing the longstanding tradition of the event as “the racers concours.” Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and the chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group, is the winningest team owner in NASCAR Cup Series history and one of the most successful car dealers in the United States.
* Last weekend's Las Vegas GP F1 race was a bit of a cluster. The first session of the weekend lasted just minutes as Formula 1 abandoned practice. Problems with the manhole covers around the street circuit saw FP1 end after nine minutes. Carlos Sainz' Ferrari and Alpine star Esteban Ocon both sustained car damage in their early laps. An indefinite delay to the proceedings saw FP2 pushed back by multiple hours. The race was run, eventually, with it's start at the always planned 10pm local time, both to shift local road closures to later in the day and to accommodate TV viewers in Europe.
Stay safe. Be Well.