Good morning! It’s Friday, March 22, 2024, and that is The Morning Shift, your every day roundup of the highest automotive headlines from all over the world, in a single place. Here are the necessary tales it is advisable to know.
1st Gear: Plug-In Hybrids Are Outpacing EV Sales
Electric car gross sales in America are doing alright; they now account for roughly 10 p.c of all automobiles bought throughout the nation, and that determine retains rising. But are you aware what determine is rising faster? The variety of plug-in hybrid fashions being bought all over the world.
Demand for plug-in hybrid fashions is way outpacing that of battery-powered automobiles, stories Automotive News. The website defined that gross sales of PHEVs grew sooner than these of fully-electric fashions throughout Europe in February, reversing a development that had seen EV gross sales soar lately. As the positioning explains:
Plug-in hybrid gross sales rose 12 p.c to 72,376 final month in contrast with February 2023, whereas BEV gross sales elevated by 10.3 p.c, in line with figures from business affiliation ACEA launched on Thursday.
Preliminary figures from market analyst Dataforce – minus statistics for a number of smaller nations — confirmed that plug-in hybrids and BEVs grew on the similar tempo. Full-electric automotive gross sales had been up 11 p.c, whereas plug-in hybrids gained 10.9 p.c, Dataforce figures confirmed.
Significantly, plug-in hybrids outpaced the general market, which was up 10.3 p.c, in line with ACEA. Dataforce figures confirmed market development of 10.3 p.c.
According to the positioning, the best-selling plug-ins throughout Europe are the Volvo XC60, the Porsche Cayenne and the Mercedes GLC, with a mixed 11,000 items bought throughout the bloc in February. Plug-in fashions are additionally gathering tempo within the U.S., the place automakers like General Motors have introduced plans to extend funding within the sector.
2nd Gear: 285,000 Dodge and Chrysler Cars Recalled
After the Takata airbag inflator recall impacted thousands and thousands of automobiles throughout America, one other doubtlessly faulty inflator is now parking recollects throughout the nation. Stellantis has been pressured to situation a recall affecting greater than 280,000 automobiles attributable to facet curtain airbag inflators that might throw shrapnel into the cabin once they go off.
The second Stellantis airbag recall to be introduced this week impacts 284,982 automobiles, together with Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 fashions, stories Reuters. The recall, which was introduced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) earlier at this time impacts automobiles constructed between 2018-2021 that had been fitted with SABIC inflators. As the NHTSA explains:
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) (Stellantis) is recalling sure 2018-2021 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 automobiles. The proper and left facet curtain airbag inflators could rupture attributable to a producing defect.
An inflator rupture could end in sharp metallic fragments hanging occupants, leading to damage or dying.
Dealers will change each facet curtain airbags, freed from cost. Owner notification letters are anticipated to be mailed May 3, 2024.
The barely explosive airbag inflators are because of moisture which will have discovered its method into the elements throughout manufacturing. The moisture inside might corrode the components, weakening them so they might explode once they go off.
An investigation into the faulty components was launched final 12 months, and its findings inspired Stellantis and the NHTSA to situation the recall discover. So far, Stellantis has been made conscious of 5 buyer help data in relation to the difficulty. It has additionally had two guarantee claims filed, however has thus far obtained no discipline stories of the explosive airbags.
third Gear: Ex-Bentley Boss Is New Aston Martin CEO
It’s time for a recreation of musical chairs at Britain’s most luxurious automotive corporations, as the boss of Bentley is leaping ship to Aston Martin after Aston’s present CEO, Amedeo Felisa, introduced intentions to step down forward of his 78th birthday. Happy birthday, Amedeo.
Adrian Hallmark, who’s at present in cost at Bentley, will take the helm of Aston Martin, changing into the corporate’s third CEO in 4 years, stories British outlet Autocar. As the positioning explains:
Hallmark has left Bentley with fast impact, and can begin his new position in Gaydon “no later than 1 October 2024″, said Aston in a statement.
Felisa – who was CEO of Ferrari from 2008 to 2016 – will be busy in his final months as boss, with Aston ramping up to replace the DBS and launch the Valhalla supercar by the end of this year.
According to a statement from Bentley, Hallmark is now busy “preparing for new tasks outside the Volkswagen Group.” Felisa is, in the meantime, preparing for the “transition to new leadership,” stories Reuters.
4th Gear: New Car Sales Are Still Rising
Despite it feeling like everything is getting more expensive and harder to track down, that hasn’t stopped Americans from buying cars. Lots and lots of cars. So many, in fact, that sales of new cars are predicted to rise by double digits in March 2024.
According to new figures shared by Reuters, sales of new cars are projected to grow by more than 12 percent in March, fueled by strong demand for new cars and increased inventory at dealers across the country. As Reuters explains:
Total new-vehicle sales for March 2024, including retail and non-retail transactions, are expected to reach 1,525,700 units, a 12.1% jump from a year ago.
Average transaction prices are trending toward $44,186, down 3.6% from March 2023, while average incentive spend per vehicle has grown 66.6% from a year ago and on track to reach $2,800.
Total retailer profit per unit is expected to decline by around 32% in the month.
The declining profits at automotive retailers across the country might ring alarm bells for dealers, but it could offer a glimmer of hope for anyone in the market for a new car. According to Reuters, the lower profits are as a result of increased inventory and more cars sitting unsold on dealer lots. As such, some are being forced to cut prices as “competitive pressures intensifies.”
Reverse: A Dark Day For Car Design
On The Radio: Foals – ‘Hummer’
Source: jalopnik.com