Average fuel economy of vehicles in the US hasn’t improved at all last year, Toyota may be rethinking its electrification strategy and the fate of Stellantis’ Illinois Jeep Cherokee electric vehicle plant Maybe it’s the electric car. All that and more in this version of Morning shift for Tuesday, December 13, 2022.
Gear 1: Step on water
Sure, there are more electric vehicles on the market than ever before, but they still make up a small percentage of total sales. Meanwhile, people are buying bigger vehicles – crossovers, SUVs and pickups. D.Despite technological advances, they are still not as efficient as cars, in part because they are getting heavier and heavier. So it’s no surprise that average U.S. fleet fuel economy won’t improve at all in 2021, according to new data released by the Environmental Protection Agency and reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Reuters.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said the fleet-wide real-world average was 25.4 miles per gallon for the 2021 model year, which is the same as the 2020 EPA’s estimated average performance per gallon. The entire fleet in 2022 will increase to 26.4 mpg.
Automakers are meeting the increased emissions requirements in part through the use of credits earned in previous years or by purchasing excess credits from rivals.
Stellantis, Chrysler’s parent company, has the lowest fuel economy among all automakers at 21.3 mpg in 2021, while General Motors is at 21.6 mpg and Ford Motor is at 22. ,9 mpg.
The three U.S. automakers have the lowest fleet-wide fuel economy among the 14 major auto companies, while electric vehicle maker Tesla leads all automakers by equivalent to 123.9 mpg.
Subaru, Kia and Nissan followed Tesla as the most efficient brands. The fact that Detroit’s Big Three are leading the convoy should come as no surprise, as they began purging their passenger cars about four years ago. Stellantis had to buy a lot of credits to make up for all those Hellcats, Demons, and TRXs:
The report shows that Stellantis leads all automakers in purchasing emissions credits and purchased 102.6 million megagrams of credits in the 2021 model year, while Tesla (TSLA.O) sold 72 million. General Motors bought 28.3 million credits and Mercedes Benz (MBGn.DE) while Honda (7267.T) sold 50.5 million credits and Toyota (7203.T) 38.9 million.
Automakers fell short of their goal of reducing emissions by 5% annually, choosing instead to market larger vehicles that are subject to less stringent fuel economy standards. That’s one of the main reasons why every truck today, medium or large, has four doors, and why Ford can’t sell Maverick no combo options, like Motorcycle Trends explained last year. However, the EPA predicts that the US fleet’s MPG could go up a notch next year – so at least that’s something.
2nd Gear: The Best Truck Ford Ever Made
Talk about good people at Motorcycle Trendsthat’s what they call Lightning F-150received top honors in the publication’s 2022 Truck of the Year awards.
You can read their reasons on website, but the bottom line is that the Lightning drives better than any previous F-150, while also bringing to market nearly $20,000 less than the next cheapest all-electric competitor. That will be MotorTrend’s 2021 winner, person Rivian R1T. Like the R1T, the Lightning isn’t quite as capable as a gas-burning pickup, but MT don’t hold that against it:
When evaluating the F-150 Lightning, we have to admit that Ford intended this particular model to do some slightly more limited work. Simply put, Lightning is not intended to be a vehicle for long-distance towing. This is not a Ford technical fault but a technical limitation of today’s battery technology and charging infrastructure that needs to be improved. That’s a disappointing limitation because Lightning’s instantaneous torque, regenerative braking, and improved travel and handling make it very good at towing heavy trailers—just not much. miles as achieved by gasoline-powered models.
The verdict, on the other hand, is that buyers get a lot of what ICE trucks can’t offer:
Pickup trucks, more than any other vehicle type, are often bought for what they are capable of doing when the need arises. They are the ultimate multi-tool, able to carry people as comfortably as cargo and trailers. They move around as easily as off-road, move furniture as easily as transporting wood. No serious truck owner would give up that versatility just for the ease of refueling at home or the ability to hit 60 mph faster.
The Ford F-150 Lightning doesn’t require those buyers to make major compromises. In fact, it just means they don’t last long distances. In return, it offers a range of features that no other petrol or diesel truck can match. Be it for the campsite, workplace or home, Lightning offers a whole new world of possibilities for truck owners while also saving them money on pump purchases and possibly even at the repair shop. . It’s a bargain that many will find extremely livable.
The next few years of the electric truck tit-for-tat between Ford, GM and Ram will be interesting.
3rd device: Toyota and electric car
Toyota needs to secure a successor strong BZ4X is more than good. To do this, it will take a little longer than planned. Courtesy of Reuters, by auto news:
Toyota is expected to map out the tweaks to its electric vehicle strategy for key suppliers early next year, as it races to close the price and performance gap with the leaders. industry and BYD, two people familiar with the work said.
The automaker is expected to detail changes to its electric vehicle plans through early 2026, while also announcing those adjustments to major suppliers, the source said. condition of anonymity because the information is confidential.
Toyota has been looking to improve the competitiveness of planned electric vehicles this decade, in part by accelerating the adoption of planned EV performance-enhancing technologies, from the electric powertrain – including the motor – to the electronics that convert the power from the electric motor. grid into energy stored in batteries and more integrated heating and cooling systems, residents said.
These changes, however, could include delays to some of the EV development programs that were originally planned over a three-year period, one of the people said.
The big change in strategy could lead to the premature death of the company’s e-TNGA platform – a version of the core architecture for gas-powered cars with tweaks to suit electrification. chemical. Toyota is considering phasing out the e-TNGA, which is just three years old, and is fast on track for an electric-vehicle-specific replacement. But that will still take time.
And so, Toyota is still in a difficult position to keep up with its electric vehicle repertoire. It probably won’t help the New Priuswill come in traditional or plug-in hybrid form, looking much more futuristic and appealing than the BZ4X or Lexus RZ.
Device 4: The Jeep Cherokee Factory May Have a Future
However, that future certainly won’t lie in making Cherokee. Belvidere Council in Illinois will Stop SUV production at the end of February and maybe move that line to Mexico. But Stellantis is assuring everyone that the Illinois plant isn’t necessarily closed — just temporarily out of business, until the company can figure out what to do next. Are from auto news:
The Illinois plant that builds the Jeep Cherokee will be shut down in early 2023, but Stellantis North America COO Mark Stewart on Monday said the plant could still have a future.
Stewart, at an event at a Detroit-area plant, said the automaker is “continuing to look at what we can do to repurpose that facility — but it’s not working, no.” close the door.”
Stellantis intends to help workers at the Belvidere Assembly Plant who are being displaced find other positions within the company, Stewart said. Last week, the company said production would end on February 28, with layoffs of hourly salaried workers expected to last at least six months.
“We are also working with the UAW, as well as with state and local governments, to ensure that those who are being laid off find roles,” he told reporters. “We have multiple roles here in southeastern Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, so those who want to go to another location during that time to work, those jobs will be available to those people. It’s really important to us and to the UAW that we find roles for those people.”
The future of the Belvidere may be electric, but it must first be retooled. Conveniently, the Illinois legislature just approved extending tax incentives for electric vehicle manufacturersso there seems to be a way forward for Stellantis, if it wants to embrace it.
5th Gear: Warren Buffett Keeps Selling BYD
It happened again: Berkshire Hathaway dumped more than a million shares of Chinese automaker BYD. Every Reuters:
Berkshire Hathaway, the investment firm owned by Warren Buffett, sold 1.33 million Hong Kong-listed shares of electric vehicle maker BYD for HK$267.69 million ($34.43 million). dollars), a securities trading record shows.
The sale reduced Berkshire’s share of BYD’s total issued H shares to 14.95% as of December 8, down from 15.07%, according to a filing with the Stock Exchange. Hong Kong on Tuesday.
This has happened just a few weeks agoand even before thatall while BYD is Preparing to enter the Mexican market. Together, Buffett’s company sold more than a quarter of its stake in BYD in just five months. This is pretty much the only story you actually hear about BYD anymore, which is weird because it doesn’t look like the company is in trouble.
Reverse: Spygate is coming to an end
It was another time, when Ferrari could win the Formula 1 championship and McLaren was also really good. On this day in 2007 every WikipediaMcLaren has issued a press release admitting to having obtained confidential Ferrari documents – a breach that will eventually result in the team being stripped of Constructors’ Championship points from last season and being disqualified. $100 million fine.
On Radio: Princess Nokia — ‘Versace Hottie’
The Need unlimited speed the soundtrack is really good.
