Nissan's New CEO is Rolling Up His Sleeves on U.S. Market
As Makoto Uchida gears up to rebuild the beleaguered Nissan Motor Co., there is a glaring blank spot on the new CEO's resume: U.S. work experience. That might be a challenge for any leader trying to reboot Nissan's flagging fortunes in that key market. The U.S. is one of the carmaker's biggest cash cows, but it has devolved into a profit-draining problem child in need of urgent discipline. Yet, to hear Uchida tell it to Automotive News, his career arc is perfectly suited to the task. The guitar-playing, car-guy chief executive says he has never stayed in the same job more than two and a half years. He masters one duty, he says, then moves to the next. "That means one of my strengths is to be very adaptable to different circumstances," Uchida said in an interview at Nissan's global headquarters here south of Tokyo. "I should have an instant ramp-up to knowing about the U.S.," he predicted. Uchida's comments, delivered shortly after taking office Dec. 1, underscore the confidence the 53-year-old brings to the job of forging a "new Nissan" after a year of tumult. Read more here.
Truck Wars: Ram Pickups Beat Chevy Silverado in 2019 for First Time
Ram pickups surpassed the Chevrolet Silverado in U.S. sales in 2019 for the first time ever, reports The Detroit News. Although Ford Motor Co.'s F-Series has been America's best-selling vehicle for more than 40 years, the jostle for No. 2 pickup has heated up the past couple of years. That's when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles began selling an older, less-expensive version of its truck — known as the Ram 1500 Classic — alongside the new-generation Ram 1500 that debuted in 2018. The tactic paid dividends in the end. "To shake that up is big," said Jeremy Acevedo, auto information website Edmunds.com Inc.'s senior manager of industry insights. "It was a successful strategy by Ram." Fiat Chrysler said Friday it sold 633,694 Ram pickups in the United States in 2019, up 18% from 2018, while General Motors Co. delivered 575,600 Silverados, down 1.7%. Slightly more than 58,000 units separated the vehicles. Ford plans to release its 2019 sales numbers Monday; it sold 909,330 F-Series trucks in 2018. Read more here.
These Are the Best, Most Interesting, Important Vehicles Coming in 2020 This should be a great year for new-car buyers, fans of new technology and exciting designs, writes Mark Phelan at The Detroit Free Press. New vehicles ranging from America’s perennial best-seller, the Ford F-150, to luxury SUVs, electric sports cars and affordable entry-level models will all go on sale over the next 12 months. The year’s bonanza got an unexpected boost from GM’s strike last fall, which pushed sales of the remarkable 2020 Chevrolet Corvette and the CT5, Cadillac’s latest swing at the sport sedan market. Here’s a quick survey of some of the best, most interesting and important vehicles going on sale this year.
Tesla Faces Fresh Challenges After Hitting 2019 Delivery Goal
Tesla Inc. made good on Chief Executive Elon Musk’s promise of boosting production and delivering at least 360,000 electric vehicles in 2019, sending shares to new heights and increasing expectations for this year. But, reports The Wall Street Journal, the road ahead for the Silicon Valley auto maker comes with a familiar challenge: execution. It also takes Tesla down a path in which its fortunes rest, to an unprecedented degree, on how it performs overseas—particularly in China, the electric vehicle maker’s top foreign market. The company has begun making local deliveries of China-made Model 3 compact cars after constructing a factory there in a blazing fast year. And it is gearing up to start production of a new Model Y compact sport-utility vehicle later this year. “2020 represents a pivotal year for Musk & Co., as ultimately this will be the year the bulls have been waiting for with China coming on board and Musk’s grand [electric-vehicle] vision starts to potentially take hold,” Dan Ives, an analyst for Wedbush Securities, said Friday in a note to investors. “China remains the major swing factor.” Read more here.
Here's What Automakers Are Showing at CES
The former Consumer Electronics Show, now known simply as CES, lacks the new-model cachet of a premiere world auto show. And automakers are not yet using the Las Vegas electronics extravaganza to shine the spotlight on their newest creations. But as the auto industry grapples with technology-fueled disruption from electrification, autonomous driving, and upstart business models, CES is becoming the venue of choice for brands to prove to consumers, and each other, that they are embracing the future of mobility, reports Automotive News Europe. More than 160 automotive technology companies, including 10 major automakers, will attend this year looking to forge partnerships and recruit hard-to-find tech and engineering talent. Several top auto industry executives will attend, including Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius, Ford Chief Technology Officer Ken Washington and BMW r&d boss Klaus Frohlich. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao will deliver a keynote address on the state of innovation and DOT initiatives to integrate new technologies into U.S. transportation systems. Here's a roundup of what automakers expect to show at CES.
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Consider Roaring Through the 2020s with These 1920s Cars [Jalopnik]
6 Cars That Won 'Car of the Year' Award in 2019 [Business Insider]
The 5K Car Car That Fits in the Palm of Your Hand [WSJ]
Mercedes Recalls 750K Cars Because Sunroof Can Fly Off [USA Today]
