G. David Felt

Ford has announced additional production shutdowns due to the chip production shortage. Seems we will see 6 plants shut down multiple times between now and June affecting their Truck and SUV production as well as cars. Ford is Expecting Billions in losses due to the production shutdown. Ford Says Chip Shortage Forcing Production Halt at Several Plants - WSJ

I remember that mess as it really screwed up the PNW and I was having to go around and pick up family and get everyone home, longest day I ever drove.

I am going to also step out and say that dealerships will be gone in 50 years as technology is showing us that people do not want to deal with the dealership nightmare. Like @balthazar and a few others here that have posted that they never have any problems at dealerships. I also have never had a problem. I do my research for myself or who ever it may be that asks for my help be it family, friends, etc. I then go to the dealership where they have the product the person is interested in and set the ground rules with the sales person up front. I control the experience and while the stupid long hours is still inexcusable, I at least make it pleasant as the person buying is not dealing with the manipulation of the sales process at the dealership. Yes I get that process that Costco uses, but even that has many happy customers that accept the prices emailed to them, finish up all the paperwork over the net and then stop by to pick up the auto and sing the last few things making time at the dealership very short. The future is changing just as Amazon has massively changed the way people shop and even Hotels and Airlines have changed to smartphone check in, dealing with people is very rare now and as the Pandemic continues on, while people will start to vacation again, masks, social distance and self check-in are the new norms. Buying via the internet, minimal actual human interaction is becoming the new norm and while I love to test drive an auto before buying and test fit my large ass in the auto, many people are not needing that. Had my oil change and some service at the Caddy Dealership and I noticed that the wall of Sales people was only 1/3rd of what it was. Asked the sales manager who was still the same, he informed me that when the pandemic started and the owner required everyone to wear masks, all the retirement eligible sales folks retired as they refused to wear masks. The whole sales staff is all new and under 35. The manager told me that 50% of their sales are now done online and the people come in sign and are gone in under 30 min. A very different buying experience than what older folks are used too and he expects it to become the new norm rather than going back to the way dealerships used to be. Scary is I went by the dealership today as I had to run an errand and the lot was only 1/3 full of auto's, so much empty asphalt due to production cuts due to the chip shortage. Just weird as I also noticed this at the Hyundai, Kia, Mazda and Ford dealerships near me too.

While not about auto's, this video does have me cracking up as I love our multi-Cultural world. So fun seeing how people behave in the US when they come here from China and are talked to in their own language by a white guy.

@daves87rs @ykX Seems pricing is starting to show up online based on interviews. Standard base price for the EV6 seems to be $56,344 according to this story: Kia EV6 Priced From £40,895 In The UK, Deliveries Start This Fall | Carscoops Yet then we have these stories which are based on the US market with a base RWD EV6 starting at $40,000 2022 Kia EV6 Prices, Reviews, and Pictures | Edmunds Tom's Guide says estimates is starting at $40,000 but no firm prices, but they also quote the UK numbers which have been released. Kia EV6 2022: Release date, price, range, interior and more | Tom's Guide QUOTE: However, as a rough guide in the UK the EV6 is listed at £40,895 ($56,142 based on a straight currency conversion); the EV6 GT-Line is £43,896 ($60,262); and the GT is £58,295 ($80,027).

There are plenty of Product companies that allow you to buy direct, prices are usually higher, but if you do not want to deal with a retailer and plenty of people would rather just order up and have it shipped to their home as the Pandemic has proven, it SHOULD be an option, not a monopoly, but an option over dealerships. I always will check out an auto first and do my homework, but I would rather not waste hours at a dealership when I can decide what I want, check it out and decide if I want to pay that price or not. Cell Phones is a perfect example of where you can Buy an iPhone or any Samsung phone from the company usually at a higher price or go to a retailer and get what you want at various prices. Auto's should be the same way, you should have the CHOICE to buy from the manufacture or from a dealer.

My Most Favorite Mid 80's GM Car, 1986 Monte Carlo SS Aero-coupe This is a pretty hot car too! Sweet Camaro SS Love me some GTO baby! Lovely Green Camaro Is it me or does Florida have allot of nice Muscle Cars? Coronet 440 anyone?

I really like this car, it speaks to me of the awesome T top, smooth lines, Muscular and yet reserved. I like this just like I like my mid 80's Monte Carlo SS.

Yes, I realize that and Hopefully the politicians will see the benefits to the citizens over protecting the dealerships. Positive thought for change.

This is a funny new taking delivery of a Tesla Model Y by an owner who is not aware of over the air updates. Breaking News Toyota Might be in Talks with Tesla to develop a dedicated EV platform for their new EV product line that they are taking slow in approach as they pushed their Hybrids and Hydrogen solutions over EV. Tesla And Toyota May Be Working On Potential Future Partnership (insideevs.com)

Great race of the EV6 against various other auto's. @oldshurst442 @ccap41 @balthazar @Robert Hall @ykX @daves87rs @riviera74 @surreal1272

Pepsi Co stated in an interview that they expect to take delivery of 15 Tesla Semi Trucks by the end of this year. 15 Tesla Semi electric trucks are expected to be delivered to PepsiCo this year - Electrek

Many dealerships use the additional markup on BS add on to keep the sales price at MSRP or above if possible. In fact more and more people hate the dealership experience and the facts bear out that more and more are willing to buy without a test drive, online and from a trusted source like Costco for a set price than deal with the dealership where the bulk of people feel ripped off. The numbers are I think pretty real on why dealerships are hated more just about than any other purchase process. This is one of the most detailed showing how consumers hate dealerships and buying of an auto and why the set price at Saturn Dealerships made their satisfaction ratings one of the highest. Sadly gm SCREWED that up. The money invested in Saturn should have been put into Chevrolet and a change of how Chevy sold auto's would have made them that much stronger. 25 Amazing Statistics on How Consumers Shop for Cars | V12 (v12data.com) gm never learned from the Saturn experience. Auto companies need to change to a better way to sell auto's. When It Comes to Customer Experience, Saturn Runs Circles Around the Competition | CustomerThink

Yup posted about this in the EV6 thread. Thank you for posting it here. I really think Kia has a home run on their hands once it is available at their dealerships. Kie EV6 Revealed ahead of the World's Premiere for their first BEV! - Kia - Cheers and Gears

I disagree with you, Rivian already has a couple dozen delivery van in the greater LA area and will have another dozen or so in the San Francisco area. The plan is to have over 30,000 by the end of the year being used on top of the R1T (June Deliveries) and R1S (July Deliveries) to start, I honestly think they will ramp faster with far better quality than Tesla and on a product far more people want. Tesla, aka Musk is stretching himself far too thin for more look at me narcassistic life than building and delivering quality profitable products. I expect Rivian to out do Tesla in the US at a faster pace than Tesla has been growing in a shorter time frame.

Yet we see Franchises over charge over MSRP all the time, AKA Mach1 example we discussed lately. I see no reason a company if they do not have franchise, should not be allowed to sell direct. If anything this scares the franchise dealers as they fear competition. Since Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, Lordstown have no franchises, they are not breaking the law and as such could have their own studio stores to sell. They already lost to Tesla, I expect them to loose to Rivian, Lucid, Lordstown and everyone else who comes to this model of business. Times are a changing and better for it.

Tesla has gone from arrogant to paranoid. Very common in tech to hire away skilled people and I suspect Rivian will win in the long run. Tesla is scared as they are falling behind as every OEM starts to join the EV race. Rivian has superior product based on what we know so far compared to Tesla and their Truck and SUV sales should really do well once they start shipping product in June.

UPDATE per Green Car Reports 2022 Kia EV6: With Tesla Model Y-beating acceleration and charging, the Stinger of EVs (greencarreports.com) Per the Reveal Tuesday from South Korea covered by Green Car Reports, Global Brand Boss Artur Martins states the Kia EV6 is the Stinger equal of their EV line. Just like the Kia Stinger that flaunts it Gasoline power, the Kia EV6 will do the same. Kia has announced that the EV6 will have quicker acceleration times for it's top EV6 trim than the Ford Mach-E GT Performance Edition or Tesla Model Y Performance and will charge faster than either of those two. EV6 is a 5 seat hatchback with a wheelbase of 114 inches and will come in RWD or AWD for all trims. The differences end there for the Stinger and EV6 as the EV6 is built on the E-GMP modular electric platform which is about short hood and long cabin length. The EV6 is 2.3 inches longer than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 that was revealed in February, but has a wheelbase that is 3.9 inches shorter than the Ioniq 5. EV 6 details: Six different variants 58 kWh or 77.4 kWh battery pack RWD or AWD choice 167 hp / 258 lb-ft of torque, RWD with 58 kWh battery pack as entry level 321 hp / 446 lb-ft of torque, AWD with 77.4 kWh battery pack entry level 577 hp / 546 lb-ft of torque, 0-62mph 3.5 seconds with 77.4 kWh battery pack for top performance level. Charging from 10% to 80% battery capacity in 18 min via 800V fast charging Estimated 317 miles of battery pack range on par with Tesla Model Y 303 miles of range V2L or Vehicle to Load output up to 3.6 kW to power large tools, appliances or charge another EV to get it going Compatible for home use, just like the F-150 Hybrid was used in Texas to power homes While this is a Hatchback, it is cross-over inspired. Dash will have two 12 inch displays side by side. Interior is sustainable as it uses 111 recycled plastic water bottles for the interior fabrics. 14 speaker surround sound.

Sauce

VW ID.4 reviews are hitting the net.

NEWS BREAK Nissan releases pictures, details and web site for the official 2022 Nissan Ariya Electric SUV. This auto will come in 4 configurations: Ariya 2WD Standard Range Ariya e-4orce Standard Range Ariya 2WD Long Range Ariya e-4orce Long Range - Maximum performance (389 hp) and range (details not released yet) Nissan ARIYA | All-New Electric Crossover | Nissan USA

I get your point and agree that Scion tried this initially with the first push, but then FAILED as the Scion Stores did not deliver the true customization that people expected. When you went into a store, there was nothing about adding stickers, easy add on's other than wheel caps as everything else was a dealer install option with a labor charge and while low income and families looking for a new auto for their teen bought initially, the add on / customization thing failed due to it not being as cheap as the initial marketing message implied. This was the original auto show messaging: We ended up with this. The show rooms had expensive rims, radios and nothing of a clothing like inexpensive buy, add on yourself and go. Toyota FAILED to deliver on their initial marketing message. If GM can learn from the success in China and bring a cheap customizable auto to the US, I do believe even in EV form that something like this could ignite passion in driving among the youth.

As this consortium moves forward in building these bikes which are mostly used locally over road trips, the existing battery tech of about 90 to 110 miles depending on electric motor efficiency or more if truly just in the city will be efficient for commuting to and from a job and local errands. Yet as I have stated and posted, battery tech is changing fast and getting better and better and as I posted above, we now have battery tech not using rare earth elements and yet has double the capacity of previous battery tech going into production so that 90 miles becomes 180 as these new cells become available and are built into battery packs. This makes it very easy for owners of these bikes to buy with a current 90 mile battery pack for this discussion and easily upgrade probably for a fee to a 180 mile battery pack. I expect the next 10 years to be very interesting as we go into a battery war of who can build the most efficient motors and squeeze out the longest range of juice. This makes places that support this bike consortium be them dealers or charging stations in a great position for future growth as people stop by, get some food or a drink and like Propane tanks you exchange locally, you exchange battery pack depleted for fully charged for a fee. Seems engineering logical to me that this is a smart way to move forward in the EV race.

Juice

I figure it would be about a 10 to 12K auto here.