Good morning! It’s Friday, October 25, 2024, and that is The Morning Shift, your day by day roundup of the highest automotive headlines from around the globe, in a single place. Listed here are the necessary tales you want to know.
1st Gear: VW Doesn’t Know How To Save Itself But
The Volkswagen model wants a turnaround quite rapidly, however thus far it hasn’t offered any plan for make itself extra aggressive. That is in line with a employees handout from the pinnacle of the group’s work council in Germany. It additionally mentions that administration stays keyed in on labor prices. Not nice, VW. Not nice. From Reuters:
The feedback by Daniela Cavallo come as Europe’s prime carmaker and highly effective union battle over potential manufacturing facility closures and job cuts as a part of the group’s efforts to decrease prices, with the second spherical of negotiations scheduled for Oct. 30, the day Volkswagen will launch third-quarter outcomes.
“The Board of Administration has nonetheless not offered a coherent total idea for the way it intends to strategically lead Volkswagen into the long run with the best merchandise, processes and plans,” Cavallo mentioned within the handout seen by Reuters.
“As a substitute, it continues to focus solely on points similar to labour and manufacturing facility prices.”
There are rising issues from Volkswagen staff over potential staffing cuts. The German automaker has declined to rule that out because it struggles to seek out methods to regulate its place in Europe following a drop in demand and a smaller market. Maybe it may construct higher, extra aggressive, vehicles, however what do I do know?
We ought to be studying extra in regards to the state of affairs in just a few days. Staff are holding conferences at a number of VW factories in Germany — and the automaker’s Wolfsburg headquarters — on October 28. Employees can be knowledgeable in regards to the present state of affairs at VW.
2nd Gear: Get Prepared For Price Reducing At Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz says it’s going to step up cost-cutting measures after earnings had been halved within the third quarter. Lukewarm demand and robust competitors from China had been the principle driving forces for this drop. Mercedes minimize its full-year revenue margin goal twice throughout Q3. Not nice. It’s hoping a sweeping new mannequin rollout will assist gross sales in 2025.
The automaker’s automobile division’s adjusted return on gross sales fell to 4.7 % within the third quarter from 12.4 % final yr. It’s Mercedes’ worst profitability for the reason that pandemic, whereas earnings within the unit had been greater than halved. It’s really worse than analysts anticipated. From Reuters:
“The Q3 outcomes don’t meet our ambitions,” CFO Harald Wilhelm mentioned in a press release, including that the group will step up price cuts.
Wilhelm declined to offer extra particulars about the associated fee cuts, however warned that “it is going to be tighter and harder for positive”.
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In 2020, Mercedes launched a plan to scale back prices by 20% between 2019 and 2025, 15-16% of which was already achieved, in line with the finance chief.
The July-September earnings had been hit as Chinese language shoppers continued to chop again on luxurious items in a weakening financial system, which has specifically weighed on Mercedes’s profitable high-end S-Class mannequin gross sales within the nation.
Mannequin revamp prices added to the strain, particularly for brand new variations of the G-Class SUV, which is able to hit the market within the subsequent quarter, Mercedes added.
In 2024, the corporate sees automobile gross sales barely beneath the earlier yr, and fourth-quarter gross sales consistent with the third quarter.
Nonetheless, Mercedes refuses to scale back costs and prefers to stay to its “worth over quantity” technique, together with in China.
Chinese language automakers are actually making each different automobile firm’s life hell, aren’t they? I get it. They make some actually nice vehicles over there.
I’m simply hoping this cost-cutting at MB doesn’t trickle down into the product in any tremendous noticeable approach. Mercedes is (or was) all about high quality, in spite of everything.
third Gear: Stellantis Fires Again At Lawmakers
Stellantis isn’t caving to strain from lawmakers in Washington, D.C. simply but. The automaker simply reiterated that it hasn’t determined the place the next-generation Dodge Durango can be made. It additionally made clear it’s delaying — not canceling — its plans for the idled Belvidere Meeting Plant in Illinois.
In a press release, Stellantis mentioned its determination to delay the reopening of the plant “is in keeping with the present difficult automotive panorama and the plain language within the contract that the UAW agreed to.” The automaker mentioned this in response to letters signed by about 80 members of Congress expressing concern about what the automaker was doing relating to its contract commitments with the United Auto Staff union. Stellantis defended its determination, pointing blame for the delay on the present car market From the Detroit Free Press:
“Stellantis has repeatedly said that it has abided by and can proceed to abide by the 2023 collective bargaining settlement. It’s in everybody’s greatest curiosity to have a wholesome, sustainable firm that may compete in a world market,” in line with an organization assertion offered by spokeswoman Jodi Tinson. “There’s indeniable volatility available in the market associated to the transition to an electrified future, which the signers of those letters help. Over the previous yr, quite a few firms throughout the trade have introduced funding and product delays in addition to outright product cancelations.”
On Wednesday, quite a few members of Michigan’s congressional delegation joined others from throughout the nation in calling on Stellantis to honor its commitments, stating that tax cash is getting used to help the automaker. A few the signers, U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, and Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, rallied with UAW staff and leaders, together with President Shawn Fain, at a union corridor in Trenton the identical day.
“Taxpayers are at the moment funding shopper incentives for a number of Stellantis autos, and Stellantisis slated to obtain $585 million below the Home Manufacturing Conversion Grant Program.
“Beneath this program, Stellantis is on monitor to pocket $335 million to reopen the Belvidere Meeting plant in Belvidere, Illinois,” in line with the letter from U.S. Home members to the Stellantis board of administrators. “As stewards of taxpayer funding, we have now a duty to make sure these investments profit the general public curiosity. We hope it’s clear to you that the American folks is not going to tolerate taxpayer subsidies for an organization that’s reducing manufacturing and slashing jobs — all of the whereas it will increase government compensation, dividends to shareholders and inventory buybacks.”
“In 2024 thus far, Stellantis has paid $5 billion in dividends to shareholders and bought $3.3 billion of its personal inventory. Within the first half of the yr, Stellantis was among the many most worthwhile automotive firms on the earth, with a ten% world revenue margin. If Stellantis is performing so properly that Mr. Tavares can earn 518x greater than the common Stellantis employee, we’re inclined to imagine market circumstances are optimistic,” in line with the Home members’ letter.
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The Senate letter famous that “we’re deeply involved that Stellantis shouldn’t be holding the guarantees it made to strengthen and broaden good-paying union jobs in America,” and pointed to the corporate’s said intent to shift extra manufacturing to lower-cost international locations.
Stellantis responded by saying, “the corporate stays dedicated to investing within the U.S. to create jobs and help our communities as evidenced by the announcement final month to speculate greater than $400 million in three of our Michigan services.”
These commitments embrace the manufacturing of the Ram 1500 REV (an electrical pickup) at Stellantis’ Sterling Heights Meeting Plant. Some people are involved that the corporate is planning to broaden its truck plant in Saltillo, Mexico.
4th Gear: Mazda Trims 2025 Outlook
Mazda is only a quarter away from a document gross sales yr in 2024, however the automaker isn’t anticipating its exponential progress to proceed in 2025 because it initially anticipated. Its North American CEO Tom Donnelly, mentioned there are “no scarcity of headwinds.” CEOs love speaking about headwinds, man. From Automotive Information:
“The as soon as in 100-year-plus transformation the trade goes via — all of us are coping with that,” Donnelly mentioned, noting that he does anticipate sturdy trade gross sales. “The core enterprise continues to be going to be strong.”
Whereas Mazda had estimated its gross sales would soar to 500,000 subsequent yr, Donnelly mentioned the model is extra prone to finish north of 450,000, though it stays on an “upward trajectory.” Introduction of the CX-50 hybrid subsequent month in addition to a brand new model marketing campaign referred to as “Transfer and Be Moved” can be Mazda’s main progress drivers subsequent yr, he mentioned Oct. 23.
Mazda sees marginal progress within the U.S. EV market subsequent yr as adoption stays in flux, Donnelly mentioned. Mazda now not has an EV in its lineup after it cancelled the low-volume, low-range MX-30 offered solely in California final yr. However he mentioned Mazda’s new hybrid compact crossover can be a boon as extra shoppers flock to the fuel-efficient expertise as a approach to economize and dabble in inexperienced.
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The launch of the CX-90 and CX-70 midsize crossovers — which each provide plug-in hybrid powertrains — in addition to a manufacturing enhance of the CX-50 compact crossover on the Mazda-Toyota joint-venture manufacturing facility in Alabama helped spur gross sales. By means of the primary 9 months of the yr, CX-50 gross sales elevated 85 % to 58,515.
Mazda’s prioritization of constructing extra of what’s in demand — together with particular trims and powertrains — and placing these autos in markets with retail companions the place they’re turning quickest has additionally yielded outcomes, Donnelly mentioned. And Mazda continues to work carefully with its captive, Mazda Monetary Companies, to react rapidly to market suggestions on lease applications and APR incentives.
“We’re happy with the agility we’ve proven and the outcomes we’ve been in a position to obtain,” he mentioned.
In 2024, Mazda expects to hit 400,000 gross sales within the U.S. It might be the best gross sales quantity for the automaker because it entered the U.S. market in 1970. In 2023, Mazda’s gross sales grew 23 % to 363,354 autos. The Japanese automaker is now near surpassing that determine… via September. Gross sales have elevated 15 % to 313,452 in contrast with final yr.
