August auto sales signal softening market
Auto sales in August increased to 1.33 million, up 17 percent over a year ago, but there are signs the market could be contracting.
Mercedes plans electric ‘little G' SUV for U.S. in 2027
Production starts in Kecskemet, Hungary, in late 2026.
Jeep seeks to halt sales slide with new ads
The ads are being launched as Jeep strives to avoid a fifth consecutive year of declining U.S. sales.
Cummins, Daimler and Paccar partner on $3 billion battery plant for electric trucks
Cummins Inc., the Indiana-based diesel and natural gas engine manufacturer, will partner with two truck manufacturers and China’s EVE Energy Co. to build a battery plant in the US.
Cummins, Daimler Truck Holding AG and Paccar Inc. expect to invest $2 billion to $3 billion in the joint-venture factory, the companies said Wednesday. The three firms will each own 30 percent of the venture, while EVE Energy will hold 10 percent as their technology partner.
With electric cars becoming more widespread, battery-powered trucks are next in line as part of global efforts to reduce emissions from the transport sector. But the cost and size of batteries required to power heavy-duty vehicles has been a challenge.
The new factory, set to start making batteries from 2027, will initially focus on lithium-iron-phosphate cells for commercial vehicles. These will offer lower cost, longer life and greater safety than other battery chemistries, the companies said. A range of U.S. locations are under consideration, and a decision is due within the next six months, a Daimler Truck spokesman said.
EV broken? Finding a technician to fix it may take a while
LONDON/DETROIT/MILAN – A global shortage of technicians and independent repair shops qualified to fix EVs threatens to increase repair and warranty costs for drivers, potentially undermining upcoming deadlines to cut vehicle carbon emissions.
From Milan to Melbourne to Malibu, technician training organizations, warranty providers and repairers say that independent repair shops will be vital for making EVs affordable because they are far cheaper than franchise dealers.
Many garage owners balk at training and equipment costs for fixing high-voltage EVs – with 400- and 800-volt systems that could electrocute and kill unwary or untrained technicians in seconds – especially with relatively few EVs on the road.
Along with electrocution risks, the risk of EV fires – notoriously hard to put out – also has to be taken seriously.
Roberto Petrilli, 60, who owns an independent repair shop in Milan, is reluctant to spend 30,000 euros ($32,600) on the needed equipment when EV sales in Italy are still low and the charging network is tiny.