Happy Monday! It’s April 15, 2024 and here it is Morning shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are the important stories you need to know.
First gear: Tesla is cutting 10% of its total workers
Tesla is the most valuable automaker in the world by market capitalization, but its actual sales don’t really support that valuation. In reality, Those sales have declined, which seems to have had some influence on the company’s leadership. No, Elon Musk won’t stop pushing Blind content on Twitter, but he will lay off about 14,000 people. From Reuters:
Tesla will lay off more than 10% of its global workforce, an internal memo seen by Reuters on Monday showed, as it struggles with falling sales and an all-day price war even more severe for electric vehicles.
The world’s largest automaker by market value had 140,473 employees globally as of December 2023, the company’s latest annual report showed. The memo did not say how many jobs there were. work will be affected.
…
“As we prepare the company for its next phase of growth, it is critically important to look at every aspect of the company to reduce costs and increase productivity”.
“As part of this effort, we took a hard look at the organization and made the difficult decision to reduce our headcount globally by more than 10%,” it said.
Whenever a CEO posts a memo like this, I always wonder how “difficult” the decision really was. Do they have insomnia? Do they suffer from having to let go of each individual name? Somehow I doubt it.
2nd gear: Kia wants more hybrid cars
Car buyers are still not completely sold on electrification and automakers are happy to offer them gasoline-powered vehicles instead. Kia, reading the room, will supplement its electric vehicle offerings with hybrids until buyer minds change. From Automotive news:
Kia plans to increase its hybrid vehicle offering amid reduced and uncertain demand for electric vehicles so it can ensure “maximum flexibility” in its product line.
The Korean automaker will build its gasoline-electric hybrid product portfolio to nine models by 2028, from six models in 2024, and add hybrid options on most of its major models.
Kia CEO Ho Sung Song outlined the strategy at this month’s CEO Investor Day presentation.
“While long-term electric vehicle demand for 2030 is expected to remain unchanged,” Kia said in a press release on April 5 after its annual business strategy update in Seoul, South Korea. , but demand growth may not be uniform in the near future.” .
Total “Individual buyers rejected electric vehicles and automakers added more gasoline-powered cars” It seems like this is a bad sign for the world situation. Do you miss snow? I miss snow. However, I’m not sure Zoomers will.
3rd gear: UAW is coming soon for Volkswagen
American auto manufacturers’ U.S. factories are often unionized, but American workers working for foreign automakers are not always so lucky. The UAW, in its latest effort, is looking to change that. From Automotive news:
“Conditions are as favorable as they have ever been in my lifetime,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in an interview. “It’s the culmination of a lot of things, but I think the moment we’re in, it’s clear that workers are looking for a better way.”
The upcoming election will show whether workers agree that the UAW can provide a better way. VW employees here will vote this week, and another vote at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama is expected in early May.
These two locations will be a good measure; The UAW has failed twice since 2014 to organize VW’s Chattanooga workforce, and multiple attempts to unionize the Mercedes-Benz site outside Tuscaloosa, Ala., have not even resulted in a walkout. promissory note.
The big contracts won by the Big Three will likely help the UAW’s case, as workers at Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz can count on union benefits. Shawn Fain’s commitment to the cause could also be an asset.
4th gear: NHTSA is looking into the Cadillac Lyriq’s brake assist error
The Cadillac Lyriq is starting to appear on real-world streets – they’re becoming more and more common to see on the road – but it seems there are some issues that need to be addressed. Confusing things like “using ABS can physically damage the vehicle”. You know, normal stuff. From Reuters:
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Monday said it has opened a preliminary review to investigate complaints related to loss of brake assist for 3,322 electric vehicles. GM’s Cadillac Lyriq.
NHTSA said it has received reports of hard braking followed by a “Brake system failure” message when starting or driving. The review covers 2023 models.
GM said the electronic brake control module has an internal spindle that could break during a problem with the anti-lock braking system (ABS), according to NHTSA’s preliminary assessment report.
GM has apparently prepared an update for affected Lyriqs that will warn drivers if that spindle is actually broken, but that doesn’t address the fact that the spindle has could break right from the start. Perhaps it’s time for a new, beefed-up department.
On the contrary: The big boat crashes, the fancy necklace is lost
Neutral: It’s great
Have you pulled your motorbike out of the garage yet? Well, what are you waiting for! It’s expected to be over 70 in New York today, so riding conditions don’t get much better than this. Out of here!
On the radio: Porter Robinson – “The Cheerleader”
