Good morning! Today is Friday, June 30, 2023 and here it is Morning shift, your daily compilation of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are the important stories you need to know.
Number 1: Customers will not let Macan ICE die
Porsche plans to phase out the existing internal combustion engine Macan in 2025 or 2026, to replace it with an all-electric version. The problem is that the Macan is also Porsche’s best-selling model, and the compact SUV accounted for a third of the company’s US sales last year. Naturally, Porsche is currently reconsidering this move. From auto news:
The company will now take a wait-and-see approach to go electric only with its best-selling model, Porsche told US retailers at a two-day meeting in the Canary Islands in this week.
“They will look at it,” said one retailer at the meeting auto news. “They’ll see how sales play out over the next two years.”
Last year, the Macan accounted for a third of Porsche’s sales in the US.
The dealer said apprehension about going all-electric with the bulk model was related to the lack of well-maintained public charging infrastructure.
“They have received objections from customers,” he said. “They realized there weren’t enough chargers out there” to support the Macan customer base.
At the meeting, attended by Porsche Cars North America CEO Kjell Gruner, the executives rejected the auto industry’s plan to connect to Tesla’s Supercharger network.
“[Executives] said they are trying to buy as many chargers as possible,” the source said. “They know it’s a problem and they’re trying to figure out how to best deal with it.”
Retailers have already seen the electric Macan and the new Taycan fastback arriving at next year’s event. Also shown is recent reveal Supercar Mission X concept, will likely evolve into an all-electric 918 successor.
Dealers summit attendees are said to have previewed next year’s refreshed Taycan as well as the aforementioned electric Macan. Porsche’s corporate staff also expressed frustration that the average age of their customers is over 50, when they really want it to be somewhere between 25 and 35. Being a major mid-ranger. between 25 and 35, I have some thoughts on this, but you maybe know what that is.
To reach out to this demographic, Porsche is calling on its dealers to take their youth seriously. No, really:
Historically, a 24-year-old walking into a showroom could be dismissed as not a serious buyer, the agent said.
Porsche is “trying to change that mentality,” he said. Expanding the customer base is essential to driving volume for the niche brand.
Either way, to bring it back to the Macan, if the company can continue to supply bulk sellers at the height of its popularity and launch an electric variant to customers who already ready, that seems like the most prudent move. Porsche doesn’t need to fix what’s not broken or draw lines in the sand, because it’s Porsche.
2nd device: Fusion Plug-In Hybrid recalled
Remember Ford offered a plug-in hybrid version of the Fusion called the Energi? Me too, but so does the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and they want owners of 2019 and 2020 models to know they shouldn’t charge their sedans until they’ve been serviced. , due to the risk of power failure and fire. From car news:
Owners are advised not to charge their vehicle until the fix is complete, according to a Ford filing with NHTSA. If charged, the battery power control module may be damaged due to excessive current and voltage.
The number of vehicles potentially affected is 14,452. There have been seven fires and 270 warranty claims, according to the filing.
A remedy for the risk of power outages and fires is being developed. A temporary letter notifying owners of the safety risk is expected to be sent on July 10, according to the filing.
We are guiding customers with Ford Fusion Energi 2019 and 2020 [cars] Ford said in a statement. “Until remedial action is taken, lowering the battery’s charge state will reduce the risk of power outages and fires around the vehicle’s battery control module, located in the vehicle’s trunk. We are committed to keeping our customers informed as we work to resolve this issue.”
Fortunately, being a plug-in hybrid, the Fusion Energi never needs to be charged and so owners can continue to use their vehicle in the interim. Still not a great look for Ford, which only cannot look ARRIVE shake those annoying memories.
3rd Gear: Audi’s new CEO has work to do
Markus Duesmann was absent from Ingolstadt and was replaced by Gernot Döllner. The top-level staffing change was announced this week, amid direct criticism of brand from Volkswagen Group Director Oliver Blume, who said that Audi must shape. polite Bloomberg:
VW CEO Oliver Blume, who has led Europe’s biggest carmaker for less than a year, has pointed out that Audi has fallen short of its potential as he outlines measures to improve performance across the group. On Thursday, VW announced Döllner would replace 54-year-old Markus Duesmann at the helm of the brand, confirming an earlier Bloomberg report.
Döllner has earned Blume’s trust by leading Porsche’s product development process and overseeing the sports car brand’s popular Panamera range. Audi, along with Lamborghini, Bentley and Ducati, generated about a third of the VW group’s operating income last year.
Audi fell behind in China, where it was very successful until about five years ago, and was forced to delay upcoming electric models due to software problems. It’s amazing how one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world never bother to find out common software and user experience until now, but then arrogance is not a new problem for the German giant.
4th gear: TuSimple hits the hard times
TuSimple, the company that promises to solve long-distance, heavy-duty transportation with self-driving software, and recently announced a restructuring effort, is to discover opportunities to sell yourself. One last time, from auto news:
Automated trucking company TuSimple is considering selling its business in the United States, according to documents filed Tuesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to a TuSimple press release, the decision to explore strategic alternatives for the U.S. business, including sales possibilities, “was guided by the company’s consideration of a variety of business factors business and commercial opportunities”.
A company spokesperson said on Thursday that the board “regularly assesses a range of business factors including the macro environment, access to capital, commercial partnerships and milestones.” time. Those factors led the board to make the decision to explore the possibility of a sale at this time. We’re very early in the process, so we don’t have any specific prospects that we can discuss at the moment.”
This is also TuSimple Previously cooperated with Navistar to produce but not anymore, just like TuSimple is like it promote a federal investigation into a highway crash and also economic espionage concerns. For those who keep score.
Reverse: Do the right thing
On this day in 1989 — 34 years ago — do the right thing was released in theaters. Normally, I would look for a more automotive-related entry for Reverse, but this one deserves an exception.
Neutral: Porsche Market Research
Are you between the ages of 25 and 35 and are you eligible to buy a new Porsche with cheapest option can start from $62,550? I just conducted my own survey.
