UAW Says It Remains at Odds with GM Over Job Security
According to Automotive News, the UAW and General Motors are still far apart on at least one of the labor contract's major sticking points: job security, a top UAW official said Tuesday. "We have openly told GM that we do not see a solid commitment to this talented and skilled workforce that has made them billions of dollars in profits. We have made it clear that there is no job security for us when GM products are made in other countries for the purpose of selling them here in the U.S.A.," Terry Dittes, vice president of the UAW-GM department, wrote in a letter to more than 46,000 GM workers who have been on strike over the labor contract since Sept. 16. GM's initial proposal included allocating an electric pickup to the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant and battery cell manufacturing in Lordstown, Ohio, according to a person familiar with the offer. Lordstown is one of three U.S. plants where GM has ended production this year, and the Detroit-Hamtramck plant is otherwise scheduled to close in January. Read more here.
GM's Redesigned Corvette Stingray to be Delayed by UAW Strike
General Motors' much-anticipated redesigned Corvette Stingray will be delayed going on sale because of the ongoing United Auto Workers strike. According to USA Today, two people familiar with GM's production plans said the automaker will have to delay the production and launch of 2020 Corvette as it works to catch up on production of the 2019 model and retool the plant to prepare to build the 2020 model. Neither of those two things can happen as scheduled because of the strike. GM’s Bowling Green Assembly in Kentucky was scheduled to start building the new car late this year, and while some production could still occur, the plant won't get up to speed quickly. Read more here.
Subaru's Streak of Consecutive Monthly Sales Increases Snapped at 93
One of the automotive industry’s more impressive streaks has come to an end: Subaru’s run of consecutive months of increasing sales ended with September’s decline at 93 months. According to The Detroit Bureau, the automaker reported a 9.4% decline last month. It was a difficult month for the industry in general with most companies reporting sales drops due to fewer sales days and the Labor Day sales being pulled forward into August. While the end of the streak may be disappointing, Subaru of America CEO Thomas Doll took the long view of the situation. “2019 is already turning out to be another record year for Subaru thanks to the excellent efforts of our retailers,” Doll said. “Due to the rapid sell-down of the last generation Legacy and Outback models, our yearly, month-over-month sales streak of 93 consecutive months came to an end in September. We look forward to robust sales in October and are on target to achieve our 700,000-vehicle sales goal for 2019, marking 12 consecutive years of sales increases.” Read more here.
Renault Plans Bigger Electric Car to Rival Tesla and VW
Renault SA is rushing to keep up with rivals to tap growing demand for electric cars in Europe with new models -- possibly with the help of Nissan Motor Co., reports Bloomberg. The French carmaker is mulling a new all-electric car, bigger than its best-selling Zoe, that could compete with the likes of Tesla Inc.’s Model 3 and Volkswagen AG’s ID.3. The car may be produced on a common platform with Nissan and third alliance partner Mitsubishi Motors Corp., according to Emmanuel Bouvier, commercial director of Renault’s electric car business. “We’re working on developing the range of our lineup so as to cover all segments with electric cars,” said Bouvier, adding the new vehicle could also be derived from an existing model. “It’s too early to say that we’ll be in competition with Tesla head on, but we’re obviously planning to cover a larger share of the market.” Read more here.
CPO Car Sales Appear Set for New All-Time Record
An ample supply of popularly equipped off-lease vehicles, consumer concerns about the economy and upgraded certified used-vehicle programs from major players, have set the stage for another record-setting year of CPO sales, said industry analysts and mangers of factory CPO programs. According to Auto Remarketing, Cox Automotive predicts that industry-wide CPO sales will hit 2.75 million units by year-end, representing a 1.9% increase over CPO sales for all of 2018, said Zo Rahim, the company’s manager of economics and industry insights. Supporting those sales are an expected 4.1 million units coming off lease this year. The number of off-lease units in 2020 is expected to be about the same or “slightly down, but still at very high levels,” Rahim predicts. Read more here.
Around the Web
2021 Ford Bronco: What We Know So Far [Car and Driver]
Toyota Reveals e-Palette Self-Driving Shuttle for 2020 Olympics [MotorAuthority]
What Happened to This Car is Nuts. 200 Walnuts to Be Exact. [CNN]
Mercedes-Maybach GLS Prototype Caught Testing with Its Big New Grille [Autoblog]
