AIADA Awards Advacacy Award to Bob Carter
Last night, AIADA honored Bob Carter, executive vice president of sales for Toyota Motor North America, with its 2022 Fritz Hitchcock Advocacy Achievement award. The award is bestowed annually upon an industry leader who has made an exceptional effort in engaging elected officials and other policymakers on issues impacting the international auto dealer community. “Bob understands dealers, their stores, and their concerns on every level,” said AIADA President and CEO Cody Lusk. “When we’re fighting in D.C. to protect dealerships and dealership employees, we always know Bob will be right there with us. He has spent his career acting as a voice for dealers and they are grateful to have him as a friend and an advocate.” Carter has been with Toyota since 1981 and has held a variety of leadership roles, including vice president of sales for both Toyota and Lexus, general manager of Toyota’s Denver regional sales office, Lexus Eastern area manager, and Lexus national market representation manager. He received the 2022 Fritz Hitchcock Advocacy Achievement award during a welcome dinner for AIADA’s annual spring Fly-In, which brings dealers from around the country to Washington, D.C. to meet with their lawmakers. Click here to for the full press release.
Toyota Again Rated Highest for Relationships with Suppliers
Toyota again receives the highest score among six major automakers in Plante Moran’s 22nd annual North American OEM-Supplier Working Relations Index (WRI) Study, followed again by Honda and General Motors. Wards reports Ford and Nissan were ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, and Stellantis again was a distant sixth. Results of the 2022 study show some automakers did a better job than others of handling supply-chain shortages and production volatility, the transition to electrified vehicles, logistics hurdles and increasing raw materials costs. This year’s rankings remained the same as 2021, with Toyota dropping two points to 345 on a scale of 0-400, Honda significantly gaining 18 points to rise to 334, GM slipping two points to 287, Ford falling seven points to 242, Nissan improving eight points to 219 and Stellantis plummeting 42 points to 128. The 217-point gap between No.1 Toyota and No.6 Stellantis was the widest since 2008 when the same two automakers were separated by 206 points. Click here to see the rest of the survey results.
Global Surge in EV Sales Adds to Pressure on Supply Chains
Sales of electrified vehicles – full-electric and plug-in hybrids -- doubled globally in 2021 to 6.6 million, but that rapid growth has further stretched supply chains already threatened by the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine, the International Energy Agency said in its annual electric vehicle outlook report. Essential materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt are particularly at risk, the IEA said, noting that prices for lithium – an essential component of EV batteries – were seven times higher in May than they were at the start of 2021. Automotive News reports Cobalt prices more than doubled, and nickel prices almost doubled. That surge was a result of "unprecedented" battery demand and "a lack of structural investment in new supply capacity," the report said. That has had a direct impact on the price of batteries, which make up about one-third of the cost of new EVs. Battery prices fell by 6 percent to $132 per kilowatt in 2021, a slower rate of decline than 2020’s 13 percent, the IEA said. Click here for the full story.
Kia Sells 10 Millionth Vehicle in the U.S.
Continuing its rapid expansion, Kia America celebrated the sale of the 10 millionth Kia vehicle in the U.S. Since start of sales in 1993, Kia's growth is one of the auto industry's greatest success stories and the result of delivering world-class quality, design and technology in every rugged and capable SUV, sporty sedan, and electric vehicle the company offers. Autobody News reports the 10 millionth vehicle --- a Runway Red all-electric EV6 purchased by Monti Charoenphong at Car Pros Kia Moreno Valley in Moreno Valley, Calif.--- underlines Kia's commitment to sustainable mobility leadership going forward. "Selling 10 million vehicles is a significant achievement and we at Kia are proud not only how far we've come, but also what the future has in store as we continue our push for sustainable mobility leadership," said Sean Yoon, president and CEO, Kia North America and Kia America. "To thank our customers for their support, Kia wants to give back in meaningful ways by helping those in need. We hope the positive impact of these donations will resonate for years to come." Click here for the full story.
Honda Drops a Sneak Peek of the All-New 2023 CR-V
There’s a new Honda CR-V coming for 2023, and Honda just dropped a hint of what’s to come for its bestselling U.S. model by offering up a few photos, and saying that the new model will have “a rugged and sophisticated design” with “increased versatility.” The Detroit Bureau reports Honda is also promising “a more advanced hybrid system for a sportier driving experience and more capability.” Certainly, the photos reveal a CR-V with cleaner front end and slim, sporty headlights paired with a grille design that looks as if it could be used on a battery-electric vehicle. Hmmm … more on that in a minute. In the rear, the taillamps seem to be an evolution of the current model, which resemble those used on Volvo CUVs and Cadillac’s XT4. The vehicle seems more sophisticated and less outdoorsy, a slot now taken by the Honda Passport. The whole vehicle just seems to be a bit less fussy in design. Click here to learn more about the new CR-V.
Around the Web
Porsche’s First Special Edition Taycan Celebrates Hockenheimring’s 90th Anniversary [Carscoops]
Nissan Sakura Is a Cute Electric Runabout for Japan, Priced Under $14,000 [Car and Driver]
2023 Toyota GR Supra Preview [Autoblog]
The Lotus Eletre Electric SUV Will Be Astonishingly Light [Carbuzz]
