Tag: automotive news canada

Rising new car prices stalling purchases

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More than a quarter of shoppers who would have bought a new vehicle within a year now report they’ll give it another 12 months. Additionally, interest in buying a new vehicle within the next six months has fallen below pre-pandemic levels, according to market research company GfK, which pointed to vehicle affordability as the culprit. Six-month demand for a new vehicle dropped 13 percent across all consumers between January 2020 and December 2022, according to a January survey by GfK. Demand fell 11 percent among households earning $50,000 to $99,999, a key consumer demographic. Interest in buying a new vehicle…
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Germany’s auto industry must defend itself in moving to EVs

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Germany for decades led on well-engineered combustion cars. It’s now facing a watershed year in the quest to retain an edge in the age of electric vehicles. Europe’s biggest economy is under growing pressure to retool dozens of fossil fuel-era factories employing tens of thousands of workers in a race for clean-technology leadership with the US and China. Volkswagen Group, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are rolling out several new battery-powered models in the coming months that will be pivotal to proving they can finally start to narrow the gap to Tesla and China’s BYD, the two clear leaders in EV sales.…
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Amazon deploys 5,000 Rivian vans

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“To date, Amazon’s Rivian vans have delivered more than 150 million packages across the country,” Amazon said in a blog post Thursday. More than 800 cities now have the electric vans delivering packages, the retailer added. Amazon first deployed the EDV van about a year ago. For the US, the van comes in three cargo sizes: 500 cubic feet, 700 cubic feet and 900 cubic feet, according to Rivian. “This expansion marks a major milestone for Amazon as we continue to drive the fastest rollout of an electric delivery fleet at this scale in the US,” Amazon said. Since Rivian…
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Here’s how US auto sales shook out in the first half of 2023

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Six months into 2023, the supply shortages that had handcuffed sales for several years were fading, and volume was up year over year in nearly every vehicle segment. General Motors outsold Toyota at the halfway point for a second consecutive year, and Ford was on pace to become the top brand for the first time in three years. Hyundai-Kia leapfrogged Stellantis to become the No. 4 automaker, as Tesla — based on estimates since it doesn’t report US results — climbed to No. 8. Tesla still has three of the four most popular electric vehicles, though others are grabbing more…
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The latest numbers on the automotive microchip shortage

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There are more signs that the microchip shortage is easing, even as automakers cut 82,573 vehicles from production plans worldwide last week, according to the latest estimates from AutoForecast Solutions. North American factories lost 38,677 vehicles because of a lack of semiconductors last week, in addition to 21,700 cut from assembly plants in China and 22,196 removed from production schedules elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region. For the second consecutive week, AutoForecast Solutions lowered its full-year production-loss estimate for North America. It now expects about 954,206 vehicles to be cut in the region by year’s end, an improvement from the 1.01…
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Tesla’s 20-year transformation of the auto industry

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“Over time we should cover all areas. It would probably make sense to develop a compact car as well as a van or minivan,” Musk said in September 2020 in a – rare – interview with Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche. Meanwhile, the model plans have progressed further, but there is a lack of concrete statements, especially on the compact model. Breaking conventions The reasons for the success of the company, which is 20 years old on July 1, are well known and widely discussed. Musk broke with industry conventions from the start. All-electric drive, central control architecture, smart…
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Reasons DIY Auto Glass Solutions are a Bad Idea

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You may be tempted to try DIY auto glass solutions to resolve cracks in your windshield or other damage to your auto glass. However, these at-home kits can fail to produce the desired results and can even cause additional damage to your vehicle’s windshield in many cases. A Low Chance of Success According to the National Windshield Repair Division of the Auto Glass Safety Council, less than 10 percent of all auto glass damage can be repaired safely with DIY auto glass solutions. Even if your windshield falls to this 10 percent, the chance that you could repair it to…
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