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Californian drivers appear to be losing some enthusiasm for Tesla. A California Auto Outlook report shows year-over-year Tesla registrations are down again in the state. The report, published on Monday by the California New Car Dealers Association, summarizes first-quarter vehicle registration figures statewide. The report said Tesla saw a 7.8% dip in sales in California in the first quarter, down from 54,265 in the last quarter of 2023 to 50,025 in Q1. The drop follows last quarter's 9.8% decline. Read more in Business Insider https://lnkd.in/exaHWtm5

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Check out what CAR has been checking out! We asked some members of the Center for Automotive research team to share what they have been reading, watching, or listening to recently. "The issue of vehicle affordability not only impacts consumers but also has long-term consequences for the automotive industry and the environment. Automakers are forced to scale back production and workforce, and more consumers are turning to the used vehicle market, which often offers less fuel-efficient vehicles with higher greenhouse gas emissions. This trend undermines both economic growth and environmental sustainability in the long run." - Yen Chen See what else CAR is Checking Out: https://lnkd.in/gCaFgF4r

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Honda's new family of electric vehicles advances the carmaker toward a next generation of software-powered EVs that are bound for the U.S. and other markets. TOKYO — Honda is launching a series of sleek-looking, next-generation electric vehicles in China in a bid to rekindle its flagging fortunes in the world's biggest auto market and bridge the Japanese carmaker's shift to a lineup of software-defined EVs heading to the U.S. The family of all-electric vehicles, called the Ye Series, goes on sale in China starting this year and features rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive layouts for more dynamic driving and handling. Honda Motor Co. plans to introduce six Ye Series models by 2027. It will unveil two Ye models plus a concept at the Beijing auto show, which runs Thursday to May 5. The new entries advance Honda's electrification strategy toward another next-generation platform that will land in the U.S. and other global markets from 2026. That platform, called the 0 Series, was unveiled at this year's CES in Las Vegas as is crucial to Honda's late-coming gambit to become a relevant player in the global EV market. Honda sold 19,115 EVs globally in 2023, down from 22,256 the year before. To date, most of Honda's EV sales come from China. The carmaker offered no EVs in the U.S. until last month, when it began selling the Prologue crossover, jointly developed with General Motors. In China — the world's biggest, most vibrant EV market — Honda has been struggling like many international players to boost its presence. China is Honda's second-biggest market, after the U.S. But sales there essentially stagnated at 1.01 million vehicles in the first three quarters of the fiscal year ended March 31. Honda's U.S. sales, by contrast, rose 43 percent to 1.02 million. ‘Shine brilliantly' The design language of the Ye family features clean surface lines, a technical-looking fascia with an undercut, inverted nose and thin, linear lighting motifs up front. The vehicles get long wheelbases with short front and rear overhangs. They will bear a redesigned "H mark" that Honda will use on its next-generation EVs, including the Honda 0 Series. It is updated from the classic Honda badging that debuted in 1981. The Ye EVs were developed by Honda in China for the local market and are based on a newly developed dedicated EV platform called Architecture W. Honda won't say right now whether these vehicles may ever be sold or manufactured outside of China. The name Ye stems from the Chinese character meaning "shine brilliantly."

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Is there anything more inherently sexist, and embarrassing, in the automotive industry than the international motor show? I've tried, and failed, to see what others see in them; tried to create useful content and find a news story, and failed; tried to get excited by round-table CEO interviews where everyone gets the same response and the male motoring editors chat to the sales director about football to bond...and failed. What is the point? We get all the releases under embargo in our inboxes at our desks, and in terms of networking, what a load of b*llocks - it's the same old suited bosses having the same conversations with their like-minded c-suite peers and male motoring editors behind roped-off areas: they're building fortresses, not networks. Time for the concept to die so we can all move on and spend budgets on more progressive, inclusive formats that have the consumer in mind. Thanks to ElectricDrives, LinkedIn's fastest-growing e-mobility channel in Europe, for publishing a smorgasbord of B2B and B2C EV content - it's an unusual mix that works well. #electricdrives #EV #motorshow #IAA #genevamotorshow #munichmotorshow

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Insights on the future of the automotive industry and the EV market development by David Sargent, J.D. Power. ✴ Among the top five reasons that consumers reject EVs: Lack of charging station availability Purchase price Limited driving distance per charge Time required to charge Inability to charge at home or work ✳ Among the positives in favor of EVs: Availability will grow, especially among affordable EV models EVs are at parity on cost, or better Owners are mostly satisfied and likely to stay with EVs ✴ Among the negatives: Interest remains limited and regional Infrastructure is lagging Concern about durability and depreciation #EV #evcharging #battery #automotive #tesla

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The U.S. government's imposition of quadrupled tariffs on Chinese electric cars may have negative impact on organic competition in the global #AI #EV industry, and the value of FF as a bridge between the Chinese and U.S. automotive industries has been brought into the spotlight. We welcome communications with any Chinese companies and supply chains who are interested in collectively building the China-U.S. automotive bridge.

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News coverage in Automotive News featuring our most recent thought piece on #Batteries and the battery #Component #ValueChain in Europe and North America. How #EVs and the transition to EV can ultimately accelerate and regain momentum. https://lnkd.in/gxXMm74W

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Why are American roads so unsafe? On this week's Automotive Ventures "Future of Automotive" segment on CBT News we find the answer may be very different than what you think. We also have a new "Company to Watch": LOOKOUT https://lnkd.in/dbyhRG7s

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The US federal tax credit is a big incentive for automakers to localise EVs and their components in the US. The local assembly of the EV is mandatory, but there are other requirements, too. The $7,500 incentive is a sum of two equal amounts, with $3,750 depending on the source of critical minerals and the remaining half on the source of battery components.

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CAWA in Coalition Opposes SB 903 - A New Regulatory Program Update: The Senate Appropriations Committee today held SB 903, meaning the measure will not be advancing this session. A major win for CAWA and the coalition. This Legislation Stifles Innovation, Negatively Impacts Virtually Every Sector of the Economy Aerospace, Semiconductors, Clean Energy, Electronics, Medical, Industrial Processes, Agriculture ...Millions in New State Costs to Implement. A coalition of California’s leading job creators, innovators, manufacturers, grocers, clean energy producers, agriculture and others is opposed to SB 903 (Skinner), legislation that would create an expensive and complex new regulatory program at the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to regulate all commercial and consumer products that may contain, as well as any industrial manufacturing processes that may use, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances. See the Coalition letter enclosed. Should you have any questions regarding this matter, contact CAWA's Legislative Advocate Ryan Pierini at rpierini@mwcllc.com or 916.995.5323.

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Concerning results from the recent J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) reveal the deteriorating dependability of vehicles. Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power, highlights surprising findings, noting the increase in problems when comparing J.D. Power studies across 90 days and three years. In 2023, there was a 12% increase in issues from 90 days to three years of ownership, with a further rise to 17% in 2024. The five-percentage-point deterioration compared with 2023 underscores a worsening trend. Customers are experiencing more problems, on average, not only with new technology, but also with issues thought to be resolved long ago. Explore further into Frank Hanley’s article on WardsAuto: https://hubs.ly/Q02tFpnK0 #Automotive #AutomotiveIndustry #Cars #Vehicles

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The U.S. is a dynamic and exciting mobility market that is dominated by trucks and SUVs that "work" beyond simply commuting. #Hybrid powertrains are an important bridging technology on the path to #electrification. I had the chance to share my perspective in Automotive News on this topic and how the industry can work together to explore new hybrid approaches that keep consumers happy while also reducing vehicle emissions. #mobility

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Automaker is reinvesting profit in next-gen EVs, software and AI. TOKYO – CEO Koji Sato wrapped his first year at the helm of Toyota by driving profit up 77 percent in the latest quarter to rack across-the-board record results as the world’s biggest automaker bankrolls piles of cash to plow into next-generation technologies. The automaker did not skip a beat in saying how it would reinvest the bonanza. The company said it would boost investment in growth technologies such as electrification, software and artificial intelligence by 42 percent to 1.7 trillion yen ($11.24 billion) in the current fiscal year. Toyota will also spend billions more on improving human capital, including efforts to support suppliers and dealers. Those outlays will tally about 380.0 billion yen ($2.51 billion). The outlays are so heavy they will eat into earnings this fiscal year. Ever-conservative Toyota forecast that operating profit and net income will actually fall in the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, retreating from the just-achieved records. The slowdown is part of an intentional pause Sato outlined earlier this year as part of an effort to regroup and stay profitable for the long run after sprinting to record sales and production. “We need this time of plateau for our long-term future growth,” Sato said at a Tokyo news conference. “We would like to make proactive efforts for future sustainable growth.” In the company’s just-ended fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31, Toyota’s operating profit soared 77 percent to 1.11 trillion yen ($7.34 billion), from 626.9 billion yen ($4.14 billion) a year earlier. Toyota delivered a stellar double-digit operating profit margin of 10.0 percent in the quarter, up from 6.5 percent the year before. Net income nearly doubled to 997.6 billion yen ($6.59 billion) in January-March, from 552.2 billion yen ($3.65 billion) a year earlier. Global revenue rose 14 percent to 11.07 trillion yen ($73.17 billion) in the quarter. Toyota stormed ahead as the global semiconductor shortage eased and customers snapped up the company’s trademark gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. The company cranked up its global manufacturing machine to record output. Favorable foreign exchange rates also helped, bolstering yen-denominated earnings and adding 305.0 billion yen ($2.02 billion) to operating profit. Consolidated global sales declined 7.9 percent to 2.15 million units in the quarter, including shipments from the company’s Daihatsu minicar and Hino truck-making subsidiaries. North American sales rose 18 percent to 655,000 units; Europe increased 13 percent to 308,000. Deliveries in the home market of Japan tumbled almost by half to 363,000.

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While everyone is talking about Tesla’s Supercharge network, I’m watching General Motors. Last week GM’s CEO Mary Barra spoke at the Detroit Economic Club. She described EV adoption as a “once-in-a-generation type of transformation.” In this interview she discussed; - EV adoption challenges - Charging station partnerships - Charging infrastructure concerns - Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill funding GM views the lack of sufficient charging infrastructure in the US as a major challenge to mass EV adoption. Here's what they're doing about it; ​​- Investing $750M in charging infrastructure through various partnerships - Building 2,000 charging stalls nationwide with EVgo and Pilot Flying J   - Installing (with EVgo) an additional 3,250 stalls by 2025 (1,000+ already installed) - Installing 40,000 chargers at local dealers through the Dealer Community Charging Program While Tesla is dominant in the modern EV market, GM has been in the game for 20+ years -- they built the first mass-produced EV (the EV1) back in 1996. Expect to see GM continue to play an increasingly large role in charging infrastructure.

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