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GM Keeps a Big Promise to Close the Gap with Tesla and Ford

By Michael J. Moody 2 months ago

In the automotive industry, the most important thing is timing. 

Let’s consider the timetable given by car manufacturers when they announce and present a new model. Basically, when do they intend to start production and on what date do they envisage the first deliveries. 

This calendar is important for potential customers because it tells them when they will receive the vehicles ordered, which can allow them to plan in the meantime. 

The schedule has taken on even greater importance due to the shortage of chips and the disruption to the supply chain caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the criticisms often made of Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla  (TSLA) – Get Tesla Inc Report, is that he never respected all the schedules given when presenting the company’s vehicle models. 

The last example concerns the very futuristic Cybertruck whose production date has already been postponed several

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Campus Connection: Taryn Reichow: “I feel like a car is just a big puzzle’ | Local

By Michael J. Moody 3 months ago

Taryn Reichow graduated from Winona State University last spring with a major in legal studies and a minor in Spanish. So how did she end up in the automotive technology program at Minnesota State College Southeast this year?

“Auto mechanics has been on my mind since high school. Everyone is surprised because it’s something that I never shared with anyone,” said Taryn.

Taryn grew up in Glencoe, a small town west of the Twin Cities. While in high school she took enough college-level classes to cover most of the general education requirements. That meant when she started at WSU, she was already a year ahead, so she was able to graduate in only three years.

She had always been fascinated by automobiles, especially the restoration of classic cars. “My grandpa had a vintage Dodge truck that he completely restored when he was first married,” she said. “My grandmother used to

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Used Car Values Poised For Big Drop

By Michael J. Moody 5 months ago
Image for article titled Used Car Values Are Poised For A Big Drop

Photo: Getty Images (Getty Images)

Negative equity looms for those with used car loans, there is a leadership shake-up at Ferrari, and Nikola. All that and more in The Morning Shift for December 21, 2021.

1st Gear: Used Cars

Used car prices have spiked for months because of low new car inventories, itself because of the chip shortage that has gripped the industry. This is not news, though the accounting firm KPMG said in a new report that prices have gotten so far out of whack that negative equity is now an issue, and likely will be in the future, too. Basically, if you took out a loan to buy a used car in the past year or so, you might owe more than your car is worth.

From Automotive News:

The used-car market has historically been closely correlated with the new-car market, KPMG global head

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‘The Big Book of Tiny Cars’ Celebrates the Smallest Automobiles

By Michael J. Moody 6 months ago
Photo credit: Motorbooks

Photo credit: Motorbooks

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Small cars are currently out of vogue. In a market dominated by ever-growing SUVs, major automakers like Ford, Fiat, VW, and Mercedes (through its hapless Smart subsidiary) are giving up on the category—at least in the U.S. market. Even Minis no longer live up to their name, with the smallest one cresting 3000 pounds. But once a car category departs the commonplace, interest tends to pick up among enthusiasts and collectors. How else to explain the current fascination with personal luxury coupes of the ’70s and ’80s?

To slake our growing thirst for subcompacts, British automotive writer Russell Hayes has written a new book about them, The Big Book of Tiny Cars: A Century of Diminutive Automotive Oddities (Motorbooks, $40), that will be available electronically on Nov. 30. The hardcover

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