Nissan Looks to Get Leaner, May Axe Datsun Brand, Report Says
Nissan is likely to terminate its Datsun brand, drop some unprofitable products, and close a number of assembly lines worldwide as it seeks to boost profits by getting smaller. Automotive News reports that known internally as the "performance recovery plan," the proposed steps mark a sharp break with Nissan's strategy under ousted leader Carlos Ghosn, who pursued ambitious vehicle sales targets in the U.S. and other major markets. The plan is the automaker's latest attempt to pull itself out of crisis after Ghosn was arrested for financial misconduct - charges he denies. Nissan will likely kill loss-making variants for the Titan large pickup, a move reported by Automotive News last month. Unprofitable variants include the single-cab and diesel versions. A planned shuttering of under-utilized production lines will most probably hit plants in emerging markets building Datsun and other small cars hardest. Read more here.
6th Ex-UAW Official Pleads Guilty
A former high-ranking UAW official in the union's General Motors department pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges of conspiracy and fraud, reports Automotive News. Jeffery Pietrzyk, who was an assistant to former UAW-GM Department Vice President Joe Ashton, is the 10th person to plead guilty as a result of an ongoing federal probe into misuse of union funds. Six of the 10 are former UAW officials. Prosecutors said Pietrzyk conspired with other union officials to take bribes and kickbacks related to vendor contracts for watches, backpacks, jackets, and other items. The UAW said it has changed its purchasing procedures since the contracts Pietrzyk was involved with were awarded. Pietrzyk, 74, must repay $123,000 of the money he took, according to the plea agreement he reached with prosecutors. He is expected to receive 24-27 months in prison or supervised release. Sentencing was scheduled for March 2020. Read more here.
'Encouraging News': U.S. Highway Deaths Fell in 2018 for Second Straight Year
The U.S. government’s road safety agency says traffic deaths fell by a small amount for the second straight year, reports USA Today. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration attributed the 2.4% drop partially to technology in newer vehicles that can prevent crashes. A total of 36,560 people died on the nation’s roads in 2018, the latest full-year statistics available. The agency says the downward trend is continuing into 2019. First-half estimates show fatalities down 3.4%. “This is encouraging news, but still far too many perished or were injured, and nearly all crashes are preventable, so much more work remains to be done to make America’s roads safer for everyone,” Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, whose department oversees NHTSA, said in a statement. But pedestrian deaths rose 3.4%, and the number of people killed on bicycles and other pedaled vehicles went up 6.3%. People killed in large-truck crashes rose just under 1%. Read more here.
Auto Theft Fell 3.1% in 2018; California Had Most Stolen Vehicles
Nearly 750,000 vehicles were stolen in the United States in 2018, which is a 3.1% drop from the year prior, according to Federal Bureau of Investigations statistics, reports The Detroit Bureau. Officially, there were 748,841 vehicle thefts – nearly 75% were cars – in the United States in 2018, while that was a decrease from the 2017, it marked a 9% increase compared with 2014. Those stolen vehicles represent $6.3 billion in losses. The recovery rate for stolen motor vehicles in 2018 was 59.3%, meaning about 300,000 motor vehicles went unrecovered, although it’s difficult to point to a specific number, since vehicles are recovered nationwide daily, officials from the National Insurance Christians Bureau noted. The bottom line is that every 42.2 seconds, a car, truck or SUV is stolen in the U.S. So in about the time it will take you to read this story, about four or five cars will be nabbed. More vehicles are stolen in California than any state in the Union by double. Read more here.
Lexus Pulls Wraps Off BEV Concept in Tokyo
Lexus debuts a 400-kW (536-hp), 311-mile-range (500-km) battery electric concept vehicle Wednesday morning at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show that hints at a future generation of BEVs due around 2030. WardsAuto reports that the concept’s unveiling comes ahead of the debut next month of its very first BEV. The LF-30, roughly the length of a Lexus LS and said to be able to accelerate from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.8 seconds, is Lexus’ “vision for an upcoming generation of electrified vehicles,” the Toyota luxury brand says in a statement released to media ahead of the show. Up to now, Lexus and parent Toyota generally have shied away from BEVs, as well as plug-in hybrids, preferring to focus on traditional hybrids and hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles. Nearly every model in Lexus’ lineup has a hybrid variant, and Toyota recently debuted a second-generation Mirai FCEV based on a Lexus platform. Lexus has no PHEVs currently, while Toyota has one (the Prius Prime) and is planning another (the RAV4 PHEV). Read more here.
Federated Insurance's Claim of the Month – Could It Happen to You?
A manager thought an employee was modifying her time cards and not properly clocking out for breaks and lunch. The business terminated the employee without consulting their HR department. It was later determined that several employees were doing the same thing. The employee, who was pregnant, filed an administrative charge alleging disability, gender discrimination and wrongful termination.
RESOLUTION AMOUNT: $50,000
Employment-related matters are among the most delicate and complex in the business world. Always act deliberately and with caution regarding these issues. Having an in-depth understanding of it can spare a lot of wasted time, frustration, and expense to defend against an accusation or to potentially pay damages if the case is lost. Do your research and gain as much understanding of a given situation and the laws surrounding it as you can. Visit federatedinsurance.com or contact your local marketing representative for resources you can use to create or enhance your own risk management program.
Around the Web
Subaru Levorg Prototype Debuts [MotorAuthority]
Porsche Says It Can't Rely on Selling Cars Forever [Motor1]
Penske is Getting Into the Car-Sharing Business [Tech Crunch]
