Through our Dealers Do Good campaign, AIADA is recognizing dealers for the positive impact they have in the communities they serve. If you’re a dealer doing good, let us know here, tag us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, or join the conversation with the #DealersDoGood hashtag.
The Blaise Alexander Subaru dealership furnished 15 boxes of school supplies and $500 checks for teacher recipients to purchase their own materials. The dealership sourced donations from customers, who used a QR code to navigate to the AdoptAClassroom.org portal and select the items they wished to give to teachers. Car buyers also submitted encouraging notes to the educators, one of which read, “Teachers change lives!” Click here to read an article. EU Needs More Than Just Tariffs to Counter China’s Electric Cars
China’s homegrown automakers have started to dominate the domestic market and have been setting their sights on Europe. Concern about this impending influx has led the Europe to investigate whether subsidies have given the electric vehicles China is exporting an unfair pricing advantage. While the probe may lead to increased tariffs, closing the gap in supply chain readiness, engineering expertise and technological innovation will take much more than just slapping bigger levies on China’s EVs. Bloomberg reports, shipments of passenger EVs from China are rising quickly, reaching 476,000 units in the first half of this year. This was more than 38 percent of the country’s auto exports, a sharp increase from just 2 percent in 2019. Chinese manufacturers including BYD, SAIC and Xpeng are accelerating their move into Europe, while the likes of Tesla, Renault and BMW are also turning China factories into export hubs. Nearly half of those exports are destined for Europe. With 10 percent tariffs on imported vehicles, Europe is by no means hugely inviting to China’s manufacturers. Click here for the full story.
Auto Industry Faced with More Uncertainty If Government Shuts Down
Though any short-term impact would likely be minimal, the U.S. auto industry still would not be spared from disruption if the federal government shuts down this weekend. Congress needs to pass a spending bill before Sunday to avoid a shutdown. However, lawmakers remain at odds over the funding, with some House Republicans pushing for deep spending cuts unlikely to survive in the Democratic-controlled Senate. For the auto industry, any added uncertainty during a revolutionary and costly shift to electric vehicles — and amid a potentially escalating UAW strike at the Detroit 3 — is especially concerning, reports Automotive News. "This is a dynamic industry that really relies on certainty," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters Wednesday. "The good news is a lot of what we're doing on EV chargers and in other areas was advanced appropriated … although even that work could get gummed up by other administrative functions that are not working the way they should in the context of a shutdown." A spokesperson for NHTSA, part of the U.S. Transportation Department, also said important safety work at the agency would continue if there were a shutdown. Click here for the full story.
2024 Honda Prologue Revealed as 300-Mile EV with 5,000 lbs Towing Capacity
Honda has named its first all-electric SUV Prologue to symbolize "the key role it plays in the company's electrification strategy." It's a perfect-sounding Honda name and in the vein of the Prelude, which was used for an Accord-based sedan to launch the Japanese Honda retail sales chain, Honda Verno, back in the day. Like the Prelude, the Prologue is based on an existing platform, although this one results from Honda's partnership with GM. According to Carbuzz, the Prologue looks all Honda from the outside, though, and will arrive in early 2024 as a large, spacious, two-row electric crossover boasting 300 miles of range, 288 horsepower, and a tech-rich interior. We were invited to a studio in LA to get a good look at the new SUV and left feeling like Honda had made a strong, considered decision to launch the Prologue in 2024. It's based on GM's Ultium drivetrain technology and BEV3 platform, which starts to show once you get inside the Prologue. Click here to learn more and view photos.
Traffic Fatalities Declining From Pandemic Highs
A downward trend in traffic fatalities appears to be emerging as the country shakes off the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a preliminary report released Thursday. Based on early numbers, the agency says that fatalities on U.S. roads have decreased for five straight quarters, resulting in a 3-percent drop in fatalities in the first half of 2023. "After spiking during the pandemic, traffic deaths are continuing to slowly come down — but we still have a long way to go," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “Safety has always been the core mission of this department, and thanks to President Biden, we are delivering unprecedented resources to communities across the country to make their streets safer.” And while this is good news on spec, NHTSA included two caveats. First, these are preliminary numbers, and they may change when the F.A.R.S. system is fully updated, reports Autoblog. Second, the improvements weren't universal; the downward trend presented itself in 29 states; 21 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia are projected to show increases in traffic fatalities when all the data are in. Click here for the full story.
Around the Web
Hyundai Offers EV Buyers a Charger – at No Charge [Auto Remarketing]
Review: 2024 Kia Niro EV GT-Line Is Expensive But Extremely Efficient [Carscoops]
The Mazda3 Is the Best Car for a New Driver [Jalopnik]
