Auto executives are bracing for substantial disruptions from EV, software shifts, survey finds
About 60 percent of auto executives find it difficult to know which areas of disruption to prioritize, an AlixPartners survey reveals.
Audi pads EV lineup in U.S. with Q6 E-tron
The midsize Q6 E-tron is the first Audi model on Volkswagen Group’s Premium Platform Electric architecture, which is shared with Porsche.
Astronaut Thomas Stafford, commander of Apollo 10, dies at 93
Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, who commanded the Apollo 10 dress rehearsal flight for the 1969 moon landing and the first U.S.-Soviet space linkup, died Monday. He was 93.
Stafford, a retired Air Force three-star general, took part in four space missions. Before Apollo 10, he flew on two Gemini flights, including the first rendezvous of two U.S. capsules in orbit. He died in a hospital near his Space Coast Florida home, said Max Ary, director of the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
Stafford was one of 24 NASA astronauts who flew to the moon, but he did not land on it. Only seven of them are still alive.
“Today General Tom Stafford went to the eternal heavens which he so courageously explored as a Gemini and Apollo astronaut as well as a peacemaker in Apollo Soyuz,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said via X, formerly known as Twitter. “Those of us privileged to know him are very sad but grateful we knew a giant.”
Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel
General Thomas Stafford, an Apollo astronaut, waves during a black tie event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and the moon landing. The event, sponsored by Omega watches, was at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, May 9 2019. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
After he put away his flight suit, Stafford was the go-to guy for NASA when it sought independent advice on everything from human Mars missions to safety issues to returning to flight after the 2003 space shuttle Columbia accident. He chaired an oversight group that looked into how to fix the then-flawed Hubble Space Telescope, earning a NASA public service award.
Businesses are ready for April’s total solar eclipse with celestial-themed doughnuts and beer
By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS (AP Business Writer)
NEW YORK (AP) — Eclipse-themed beer. Jewelry and ornaments. And doughnuts that capture the sun’s disappearing act with the help of buttercream frosting.
With April 8’s total solar eclipse right around the corner, businesses are ready for the celestial event that will dim skies along a generous path across North America.
There are oodles of special eclipse safety glasses for sale, along with T-shirts emblazoned with clever slogans and other souvenirs — just like the last time the U.S. got a big piece of the total solar eclipse action in 2017.
Hotels and resorts along the prime path are luring in visitors with special packages and Southwest and Delta are selling seats on eclipse-viewing flights. Cities, museums and parks are staging watch parties to draw in tourists as well as residents.
“This is a special event and … the travel industry certainly is in a very good spot,” said Jie Zhang, a marketing professor at the University of Maryland’s business school. She also noted the eclipse craze arrives at a time when consumers are continuing to ramp up spending on new experiences.
Chinese EV battery maker sues Michigan township over $2.4B factory plan
Chinese battery manufacturer Gotion Inc. is suing the township where it plans to build a $2.4 billion electric vehicle battery factory, alleging breach of contract in relation to the project.
The company filed a lawsuit Friday against Green Township, which is just north of Big Rapids, three hours northwest of Detroit, in U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan, claiming that in November it “abruptly reneged” on contractual obligations established for the project in 2023.
“The (Green Township) Board gave no justifiable reason for its sudden refusal to honor its contractual obligations,” the lawsuit said.
“The only thing that changed between October and November was the composition of the Township’s Board, most of whose members are now ardently opposed to Gotion’s project,” according to the complaint, written by Gotion attorney Ashley Chrysler with Warner Norcross + Judd LLP.
At immediate issue in the federal lawsuit is the construction of water infrastructure for the project, which is promised to bring 2,350 new jobs and dramatic change to the rural community.