Tag Archives: Industry News

It Looks Like BMW Is Developing A Special M Car That Will Debut In 2022

December 22, 2021 admin

Could It Be A Special Edition M4?

It Looks Like BMW Is Developing A Special M Car That Will Debut In 2022 Exterior Spyshots
- image 1016902 — The report comes from g80.bimmerpost. A user on the forum stated that a “very special limited edition M4 will be produced for just a few months. starting November 2022.”

The report comes from BMW Blog and g80.bimmerpost. The former caught a post on the forum wherein the user stated that a “very special limited edition M4 will be produced for just a few months. starting November 2022.” BMW Blog noted that this user has a good track record with such things, so it can’t be passed off as a baseless rumor. However, there is still no confirmation surrounding it, so we suggest you take it with a pinch of salt.

The post also mentioned that the car “mostly configured like the CSL but with manual transmission, several options (comfort access, parking sensors, electric seats) deleted, and the forged wheels off G81.”

It’s A Big Milestone And An M4 Special Edition Won’t Do It

It Looks Like BMW Is Developing A Special M Car That Will Debut In 2022 Exterior Spyshots
- image 930420

All said and done, it may not be just an M4 edition. There are posts on the forum that talk about 50 Jahre models, but again, that’s something we might see during the year and it won’t be the special model. Motor1 has speculated that an 8 Series coupe that was spotted this year at the Nürburgring could be the one. But, you never know. If you were to ask us, we would speculate it to be an electric successor to the M1. However, take this with a pinch of salt, too. We would’ve guessed the M8 CSL to be the one, but this is already ruled out by BMW.

There’s One Thing That We’re Sure Of

It Looks Like BMW Is Developing A Special M Car That Will Debut In 2022
- image 1035485

BMW recently revealed that every M high-performance car that will be produced from March 2022 will feature a special logo that’s inspired by the classic ‘BMW Motorsport Logo’. The classic logo is a series of semicircles in blue, red, and violet shades. Each color has a meaning. Blue stands for BMW, red for motorsport, and violet is the unique combination of the two. The logo will be slapped on the front, rear, and wheel hubs. The classic logo has a rich history. It was first used in 1973. What we also know is that the company will come up with historically accurate M paint finishes, like the Dakar Yellow, Fire Orange, Daytona Violet, Macao Blue, Imola Red, or the Frozen Marina Bay Blue.

Final Thoughts

Now, all we can do is be on the lookout for the slightest of hints and try to connect the dots. At the moment all we know is that a special model is being planned, but have close to no idea what it could be. It will be quite a bummer if it turns out to be a special edition based on the M4. What we can vouch for is that it will be a limited-production model with an exorbitant price tag.

What do you think this could be? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.

Source: g80.bimmerpost

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Vaccine Mandates Being Considered By Auto Industry, UAW

September 10, 2021 admin

<img data-attachment-id=”1773672″ data-permalink=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/09/vaccine-mandates-being-considered-by-auto-industry-uaw/covid-19vaccinationrecordcardsissuedbycdcunitedstatescenters/” data-orig-file=”http://offroadtrucksxtreme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/vaccine-mandates-being-considered-by-auto-industry-uaw-5.jpg” data-orig-size=”1000,667″ data-comments-opened=”1″ data-image-meta=”{“aperture”:”0″,”credit”:”Shutterstock”,”camera”:””,”caption”:””,”created_timestamp”:”0″,”copyright”:”Copyright (c) 2021 Michael Vi\/Shutterstock. No use without permission.”,”focal_length”:”0″,”iso”:”0″,”shutter_speed”:”0″,”title”:”Covid-19,Vaccination,Record,Cards,Issued,By,Cdc,(united,States,Centers”,”orientation”:”1″}” data-image-title=”Covid-19,Vaccination,Record,Cards,Issued,By,Cdc,(united,States,Centers” data-image-description=”

Michael Vi/Shutterstock

With the Biden administration having announced that it would start requiring companies to vaccinate employees, automakers and UAW are finding themselves in a sticky situation. Unions had previously said they wanted to hold off on endorsing or opposing mandatory vaccinations until after they discussed things with the industry and their own members. Considering Joe Biden said he wouldn’t make vaccines mandatory less than 10 months ago, employers are getting caught with their pants around the proverbial ankles.

Automakers had previously been surveying white-collar workers to see what they wanted to do while upping on-site COVID restrictions, but operating under the impression that any hard decisions were likely a long way off and left entirely to their discretion. Now the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is planning a new standard that requires all employers with 100 (or more) employees to guarantee their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any unvaccinated workers to produce a negative test result on a minimum weekly basis.

Employers that fail to implement the stated requirements could face fines of nearly $14,000 per violation, according to the White House, with penalties also doubling for those who refuse to wear masks during interstate travel. Those are potentially steep fees when you’re employees number in the thousands. Union officials have said they’re considering the matter without committing to more than absolutely necessary — though the UAW officially opposed vaccine requirements in the past.

From UAW President Ray Curry:

“The UAW has and continues to strongly encourage all members and their families to be vaccinated unless there is specific health or religious concerns. We know that this is the best way to protect our members, coworkers and their families.

We are reviewing the details of yesterday’s announcements and the impact on our members and our over 700 employer contracts.

In the meantime, we continue our member commitment to practice safety in every one of our worksites by following protocols including masks, sanitizing and reporting any exposure or symptoms of the virus. At the UAW we all understand that fighting this pandemic and protecting our families is key to our survival.”

Assuming the union ultimately decides to endorse the vaccine decree, it’s likely going to be fracturing its membership. While I am hardly against vaccinations, I strongly support informed consent and speaking candidly about this has resulted in autoworkers frequently confessing they’re similarly opposed to forced vaccinations. Many have said they would immediately quit their jobs, matching a recent Washington Post poll claiming 70 percent of unvaccinated workers would simply abandon their positions if vaccine mandates are instituted. It’s my assumption that the industry will have a sudden, catastrophic staffing shortage were it to move forward with the Biden plan.

Automakers have been similarly noncommittal, with manufacturers (including Ford, GM, Stellantis, Honda, and Toyota) stating they encourage staff to get vaccinated and want to adhere to all government-issued health protocols. But they typically steer clear of addressing the Biden plan directly, possibly indicating some hesitancy. That said, it hasn’t even been a full day since the vaccine mandate was announced and their HR and legal departments are probably wringing their hands as they ponder upon what’s to be done and the fallout it might create.

Every statement automakers have been willing to make thus far can be paraphrased into “hold on … we’ve got to think about this,” followed by a paragraph about how they believe in vaccinations and want to adhere to recommendations coming from the relevant health experts. Conversely, very little has been said about the rights or preferences of their employees.

I’m not going to beat around this bush. The entire premise of these mandates seems insane to me, bordering on wicked. As an American, I always thought the whole premise of the country was predicated upon the shared belief that personal liberties and freedom of choice trump everything else. But that doesn’t seem to be what’s coming down from the top anymore. The rhetoric being used by Joe Biden is egregiously confrontational, including statements like “we’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin” as he made sweeping assertions about how the unvaccinated are stifling national unity and progress. He also confusingly stated that vaccinated workers need to be “protected” from the unvaccinated.

Assuming vaccines are effective, shouldn’t it be the other way round? What exactly are we shielding people from when new strains continue to manifest, can still be spread amongst the vaccinated, and the shots we currently have are targeting older COVID variants that have lost steam?

The economic and social stress this is likely to place upon the industry and country as a whole will be nothing short of monumental. Protests have been erupting across the globe all summer. Truckers have started organizing in numerous countries and have refused to deliver to areas imposing strict COVID rules, exacerbating food shortages in urban areas. In the United States, the same was true for cities that opted to defund police departments. Now they’re starting to talk about strikes focused on vaccine and mask mandates while they’re already experiencing a severe shortage of drivers. Imagine if that spills over to an automotive sector that’s already been beleaguered by the semiconductor shortage, their suppliers, and every other industry you rely on.

[Image: Michael Vi/Shutterstock]

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Why is the Biden Administration So Afraid of Tesla?

August 7, 2021 admin

Tesla Snubbed By the White House During its EV-Themed Event

General Motors and Ford are certainly trying to make a shift to electrification, but even if you combine the two, they don’t come close to the dent Tesla has made when it comes to electrification. It would only make sense for Tesla to be there, yet – according to Elon Musk himself – Tesla wasn’t even invited.

Yeah, seems odd that Tesla wasn’t invited

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 5, 2021

So, once again, America’s largest full-scale EV producer was snubbed, and what it boils down to is money. How does it boil down to money? Well, Tesla isn’t a part of the UAW which, as you know, makes contributions to politics in one way or another. When asked about Tesla’s absence, press secretary, Jen Psaki, said,

“Today, it’s the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers, and the UAW president who will stand with President Biden as he announces his ambitious new target”

When Tesla’s absence was brought up yet again, the response was even more direct:

“Well, these are the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers, so I’ll let you draw your own conclusions”

So, in other words, and the way I see it, Tesla wasn’t invited because it wasn’t part of the circle jerk that is the UAW and Biden Administration. Secretary Pete couldn’t even give an honest answer, saying “I’m not sure. What I know is that you are seeing so many leaders in the industry.”

But wait, it gets worse. Bill Ford, the Executive Chair of Ford Motor Company (so, essentially Ford itself) had the new to say that “Ford is leading the electric revolution.”

Somebody please remind @Ford that it takes more than one Production EV and a an electric pickup concept that will have little range when towing at full capacity to “lead” the electric revolution. https://t.co/fgxzlBERUb

— Robert Moore (@RobMoore839) August 6, 2021

I don’t think I stand alone when I say that one new EV – the Mach-E, which is built in Mexico, by the way –
and the concept that is the Ford F-150 Lightning does anything in terms of leading when you have companies like Tesla – an American company – that has sold way, way more EVs than Ford. In fact, Audi, BMW, Nissan, and even GM (yes, really GM) has sold more EVs than Ford. Sorry, Ford, but you’re not leading a damn thing.

In the end, Tesla was left out so that company’s like Ford, GM, and Stellantis can pretend to be major leaders in a segment that they barely exist in. The numbers speak for themselves, and as best I can tell, it’s because Tesla doesn’t buy into the political side of things or suck and the tit of the Biden administration every chance it gets. That’s why the Biden Administration snubbed Tesla, and that’s why it’s like pulling teeth to get anyone in the white house to even say the word “Tesla.”

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European Car Sales Plummet as Continent Revisits Lockdown Protocols

November 4, 2020 admin

<img data-attachment-id="1717816" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/04/european-car-sales-sank-like-a-stone-in-march-april-not-looking-any-better/shutterstock_657641722/" data-orig-file="http://offroadtrucksxtreme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/european-car-sales-plummet-as-continent-revisits-lockdown-protocols-6.jpg" data-orig-size="1000,563" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="european car lot car storage" data-image-description="

GLF Media/Shutterstock

If you hadn’t already heard, Europe began taking actions to prepare itself for another pandemic-related lockdown. Last month, leadership in Germany and France noted that existing restrictions were “not enough anymore” and began issuing specific citizens “certificates” allowing them to move freely within the country. As you might have imagined, this didn’t exactly bolster automotive sales.

While most of the new restrictions were implemented at the tail end of October, they’ve foreshadowed additional measures introduced as more countries climbed aboard (like the UK’s second banning of sex with people from outside of the household) and began signaling that automotive sales were about to be routed. Gains made in September look to be completely undone, with Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority stating new-car registrations fell by 3.6 percent in October (vs 2019) on Wednesday. But that’s only the beginning of the bad news.

According to a recent market analysis conducted by Bloomberg, sales in Spain dropped by at least 20 percent, with France seeing a 10-percent decline in volume. Italy also saw modest declines that are likely to worsen as lockdown measures continue. The end result saw Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Michael Dean suggesting European car sales will drop by a full quarter this year, which is worse than previous estimates.

While the European Automobile Manufacturers Association won’t have the official numbers posted for almost two weeks, the prognosis is generally poor. State-funded loans and subsidies designed to spur EV adoption are assumed to soften the blow slightly but will be incapable of making a meaningful difference. The outlet has already signaled that it expects the end-of-year forecast to worsen as lockdowns continue.

From Bloomberg:

In the U.K., Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a four-week partial lockdown, with non-essential shops including car dealerships to close from Thursday. France issued similar restrictions last week.

While dealerships remain open in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has imposed a partial shutdown and is urging citizens to stay at home whenever possible. Austria, Greece and Portugal also have expanded limits for November, while Italy is restricting opening hours of businesses.

The curveball comes as most automakers had actually planned to increase production through the rest of 2020. Unless they’re similarly mandated to go home and wait for the government to change its mind, they’ll be churning out vehicles many people won’t be able to purchase. This could again totally disrupt automotive supply and demand, especially if restrictive measures last through the whole of winter.

[Image: GLF Media/Shutterstock]

Detroit Wrapping on Ventilator Production, Returning to Cars

August 26, 2020 admin

<img data-attachment-id=”1733216″ data-permalink=”https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/08/detroit-wrapping-on-ventilator-production-returning-to-cars/shutterstock_1158833029/” data-orig-file=”http://offroadtrucksxtreme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/detroit-wrapping-on-ventilator-production-returning-to-cars-5.jpg” data-orig-size=”1000,667″ data-comments-opened=”1″ data-image-meta=”{“aperture”:”0″,”credit”:””,”camera”:””,”caption”:””,”created_timestamp”:”0″,”copyright”:””,”focal_length”:”0″,”iso”:”0″,”shutter_speed”:”0″,”title”:””,”orientation”:”1″}” data-image-title=”silverado production fort wayne GM factory assembly pickup production” data-image-description=”

John Gress Media Inc/Shutterstock

General Motors and Ford Motor Company are about to conclude their prolonged stint of ventilator production. In case you were unaware, these businesses typically manufacturer automobiles (cars, for the layperson) and have allocated a portion of their factory space to build medical equipment that was assumed to be useful during the pandemic. However, the United States now has more ventilators than it knows what to do with, and most of them seem like they won’t be required — so it’s mission accomplished, unless COVID-19 suddenly becomes a much more vicious illness.

Either way, GM and Ford both plan to re-prioritize vehicle production. The Blue Oval moved core staff off ventilator lines and back to their normal places of assembly months ago. Some of the remaining temporary workers hired to assist with the medical equipment are said to have an opportunity building the new Ford Bronco. Meanwhile, GM says it wants to move ventilator production to a facility in Kokomo, Indiana, next month, where it will hand operations over to Ventec Life Systems as it regains the union employs allocated for the project. Temporary hires will be absorbed by Ventec.

According to Reuters, GM and Ventec are in the last leg of completing their joint contract to deliver 30,000 critical care ventilators by the end of August under a $489 million contract with the federal government. Ford has reportedly assembled around 47,000 of the 50,000 ventilators it agreed to supply with help from General Electric Co. That contract is worth roughly $336 million.

From Reuters:

[Health and Human Services] said it has received more than 69,000 ventilators assembled by GM, Ford and their partners, and “both of these delivery schedules are nearly complete.”

Ford and GM earlier this year said they would employ a total of as many as 1,500 people on ventilator assembly lines. Automakers likened the efforts to their switch from making cars to tanks and planes during the Second World War.

While roughly 12,000-15,000 ventilators have been issued to U.S. hospitals, the Health and Human Services (HHS) department reported that the government has nearly 110,000 ventilators stockpiled. While President Trump suggested a large portion of those will be issued to other countries in need, demand has come down immensely. We know the United States shipped heaps of personal protective equipment to China before COVID-19 officially became a global pandemic, and that the plan was to continue doing so while incorporating breathing machines (though the latter would not be donated) once the U.S. had a reliable supply for itself. It was also made clear that other nations would be given priority, as Trump said he planned to donate 200 to the United Kingdom in April.

But treatment strategies changed.

Invasive ventilators have been replaced with sleep apnea machines for at-risk patients or simply rolling them onto their sides and giving them helpful prescriptions. The HHS also confessed that the U.S. probably never needed quite so many units as were being manufactured. “States initially requested far more ventilators than they actually needed,” an HHS spokeswoman explained, adding that orders were placed at at time where the nation had more questions than answers.

Even though ventilators are being taken off the table at automotive plants, the industry will still manufacture personal protective equipment (masks, face shields) for the foreseeable future. Demand for PPE has not diminished in the slightest, and the situation is unlikely to change while face coverings are still required to interact with the public. It’s a situation we don’t see changing, even as Sweden (a country that went largely mask-free, didn’t do lockdowns, and still avoided mass contagion) has started to claim that masks are effectively useless against the virus. The rhetoric is quite different here, though not terribly distinct from most first-world nations that wanted to exercise the maximum amount of caution.

Presidential candidate Joe Biden recently said that “every governor should mandate mandatory mask wearing” and recommended their continued use until at least November of this year. The right has been more flippant about the usefulness of face coverings in general, but even President Trump offered his own tepid endorsement this summer.

We figure this will result in automakers tossing together masks until at least 2021, though the demand this places on companies is much lower than ventilator manufacturing and shouldn’t interfere with the core business of building cars.

[Image: John Gress Media Inc/Shutterstock]

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Tag Archives: Industry News

It Looks Like BMW Is Developing A Special M Car That Will Debut In 2022

Could It Be A Special Edition M4?

It’s A Big Milestone And An M4 Special Edition Won’t Do It

There’s One Thing That We’re Sure Of

Final Thoughts

Vaccine Mandates Being Considered By Auto Industry, UAW

Related

Why is the Biden Administration So Afraid of Tesla?

Tesla Snubbed By the White House During its EV-Themed Event

European Car Sales Plummet as Continent Revisits Lockdown Protocols

Related

Detroit Wrapping on Ventilator Production, Returning to Cars

Related

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