Drew Dowdell

Tesla is seeking to raise nearly $2.7 billion to add to its sagging balance sheet according to a filling. It would offer 3.5 million shares priced at $243 per share and a $1.6 billion convertible debt. Elon Musk will be buying $25 million in shares and currently owns around a 20 percent stake in the company. Wall Street seemed to find this capital raise promising as it boosted shares 1.5% before the opening bell. Analysts were calculating that Tesla, which burned $1.5 billion in Q1-2019 alone, would not have enough cash to continue working on its Model Y crossover and the new Tesla Semi-truck, and also getting production rolling in China. In the backdrop of a sagging US auto market, Tesla has seen demand for its cars soften dramatically in the US over the past two quarters, though demand for EVs in Europe has increased. View full article

Ford said that it would be cutting a shift from its Essex Engine Plant in Ontario starting in October. Ford says the move will "better align with consumer demand". The likely cause? Ford F-150 buyers are shifting more of their purchases away from the 5.0 liter V8. F-150 buyers have a choice of 5 engines when selecting a truck, the 2.7-liter Ecoboost, the 3.3-liter V6, the 3.5-liter Ecoboost, and now a 3.0-liter PowerStroke Diesel, all in addition to the 5.0-liter V8, and the customer mix appears to be skewing towards the smaller displacement engines. The cut in shifts will not result in job cuts as those workers will be transitioned to another engine plant to build the 7.3-liter engine due to be installed in the 2020 Ford Super Duties. That transition will happen in November of this year. View full article

Overall sales for the whole US market were down 2.3%

Chevrolet has updated the Camaro for 2020 with some new styling updates and packaging changes. Most notable is the updated front fascia which received much criticism. The new front end appearance comes for the SS model based on the Camaro Shock show vehicle that debuted at the SEMA show last fall. The Bowtie emblem is now higher on the grille, and the bar between the upper and lower grilles is now body color. Also new is a new LT1 model that takes the Camaro LT trim and adds the 455 horsepower LT1 engine. This makes the LT1 trim the most affordable V8 Camaro with a starting price of $34,995 including destination charges. The LT1 will be offered in both hardtop and convertible configurations. Other additions to the LT1 are the vented hood from the SS, black bowtie badges, 20-inch SS style wheels, and an available technology package. Buyers of the V6 will also see a boost as the engine is now mated to the 10-speed automatic from the SS and ZL1. Chevrolet has struggled with sales of the Camaro in recent years, often coming in third place in sales behind the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger. The 2020 Camaro with all of these updates will go on sale in Fall 2019. View full article

Wait till you learn to search for car parts from it while you're still under the car.....

Because they're using that money to try and revive dead Italian brands. Something over a billion dollars spent on the Alfa platform, and what have they got to show for it?!?

Must be a platform limitation.

My impression of the Chinese billboard was more that they were criticizing Tesla's customer service and long repair times. Cars of every make break down at some point, but 45 days average repair time is unacceptable no matter what brand it is. They'd be putting the same billboard up in Time Square if it was Camrys that were taking 45 days to fix also.

There's plenty of money. They have no debt. They already have the platform. They could build two or three crossovers off the Pacifica. Build a Terrain sized crossover for Chrysler off the Cherokee and give it a Buick Envision type of quiet luxury. Jeep is gushing cash and that cash is being spent poorly on trying to give CPR to Alfa Romeo and Fiat instead of Chrysler. As far as making it global, they could be sold as Chrysler in China and as Lancia in Europe. Just swap the badges. Chrysler isn't meant to compete against the German brands directly. It should be more of a Lincoln brand/Buick brand type of thing. Porsche and Audi are no more different than Chrysler and Jeep... if anything they are much closer in mission than Chrysler and Jeep are.

Lincoln style crossovers based on Pacifica. It could be done just fine. Why does Porsche, Audi, and VW all have SUVs that overlap?

Porsche Reports April U.S. Retail Sales First four months up 2.7 percent ahead of new Macan, 911, electric TaycanAtlanta, Georgia. Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), importer and distributor of the Porsche 911, 718 Boxster and Cayman, Panamera, Cayenne, and Macan model lines, today announced April retail sales of 5,018 vehicles. The total was an increase of 5.0 percent from March but down 9.9 percent from a record April 2018. The primary reason for the year-over-year decline was the transition to the new Macan, the best-selling Porsche model that is due in U.S. dealerships this month. U.S. retail sales in the first four months were 2.7 percent ahead of the same period in 2018, which itself was the seventh record retail year in a row for PCNA. “We are already feeling the excitement for the refreshed Macan and later this year for the eighth generation of the iconic Porsche 911,” said Klaus Zellmer, President and CEO of PCNA. “In September we will unveil the first all-electric Porsche, the Taycan, so all in all we have a thrilling year to look forward to along with our 191 U.S. dealer partners.” April results were driven by strong demand for the new Cayenne, with a notable 86.1 percent increase compared to April 2018. The mid-engine 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman together were up 1.3 percent from a year ago. Porsche Approved Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales in the U.S. totaled 1,975 vehicles in April, up 9.4 percent year-over-year. Model April Sales Year-to-Date 2019 2018 2019 2018 ALL 911 655 804 3,549 3,315 ALL 718 612 604 1,277 1,956 ALL PANAMERA 992 1,026 2,690 2,942 ALL CAYENNE 1,645 884 7,204 4,171 ALL MACAN 1,114 2,252 5,322 7,140 GRAND TOTALS 5,018 5,570 20,042 19,524

Chrysler needs product. Jeep and Ram are thriving because they actually have new product. Chrysler will too if given the chance.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported April sales of 22,949 Mercedes- Benz models. Mercedes-Benz Vans reported April sales of 2,682 units and smart reported 85, bringing MBUSA to a grand total of 25,716 vehicles for the month. On a year-to-date basis, MBUSA recorded sales of 94,120, adding 10,158 units for Vans and 316 vehicles for smart, bringing the year-to-date sales volume to 104,594. "Sales in April were again impacted by model changes and availability constraints of our high-volume SUV and compact model lines," said Dietmar Exler, president and CEO of MBUSA. "We expect increased vehicle availability in the coming months." Mercedes-Benz sales leaders in April included the GLC, C-Class and E-Class model lines. The GLC lead totals with 5,378 vehicles followed by C-Class sales of 4,054. The E-Class rounded out the top three with 3,372. April sales of Mercedes-AMG high-performance models totaled 2,796 units (+3.3%) with 12,480 vehicles sold year-to-date (+20.9%). Separately, Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) models recorded sales of 10,311 vehicles in April, an increase of 10.9% versus last year. On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 40,676 vehicles, an increase of 4.2% from the previous year. Mercedes-Benz Passenger Vehicles Apr-19 Apr-18 Monthly % YTD 2019 YTD 2018 Yearly % A-CLASS 804 _ _ 1,694 _ _ B-CLASS 1 7 -85.7% 4 129 -96.9% CLA 986 1,910 -48.4% 6,196 7,365 -15.9% C-CLASS 4,054 5,148 -21.3% 19,056 18,498 3.0% E-CLASS/CLS 3,372 3,945 -14.5% 13,766 16,380 -16.0% S-CLASS 958 1,535 -37.6% 4,109 6,100 -32.6% SLC 303 197 53.8% 812 783 3.7% SL 193 202 -4.5% 629 842 -25.3% AMG GT 340 178 91.0% 984 559 76.0% GLA 1,770 2,011 -12.0% 6,491 8,535 -23.9% GLC 5,378 5,853 -8.1% 20,744 22,113 -6.2% GLE 2,566 4,110 -37.6% 9,101 15,766 -42.3% GLS 1,678 1,794 -6.5% 7,695 7,290 5.6% G-CLASS 546 317 72.2% 2,839 1,321 114.9% TOTAL 22,949 27,207 -15.7% 94,120 105,681 -10.9% Vans 2,682 2,815 -4.7% 10,158 11,001 -7.7% smart 85 93 -8.6% 316 414 -23.7% MBUSA Combined Total Apr-19 Apr-18 Monthly % YTD 2019 YTD 2018 Yearly % GRAND TOTAL 25,716 30,115 -14.6% 104,594 117,096 -10.7% 1 Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner Sprinter and Metris Vans are sold and marketed in the U.S. by Mercedes-Benz USA and Daimler Vans USA, respectively.

KIA MOTORS AMERICA ANNOUNCES APRIL SALES Year-to-Date Sales Up 5.9-Percent IRVINE, Calif., May 1, 2019 – Kia Motors America today announced April sales of 51,385 vehicles. Sales were led by Soul which posted an 18-percent increase over the same period last year. Telluride sales remained strong with 5,570 units sold during the model’s second full month of availability. “Telluride is Kia’s fastest turning vehicle in America right now and its popularity is driving new customers into Kia showrooms on a daily basis,” said Bill Peffer, vice president, sales operations, Kia Motors America. “When you add the new 2020 Soul launch campaign which is airing now and Kia’s Summer Sales Program which is set to kick off, we’re confident Kia’s momentum will continue to grow as we move swiftly into the summer sales season.” About Kia Motors America Headquartered in Irvine, California, Kia Motors America continues to top quality surveys and is recognized as one of the 100 Best Global Brands and 50 Best Global Green Brands by Interbrand. Kia serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and offers a complete range of vehicles sold through a network of nearly 800 dealers in the U.S., including cars and SUVs proudly assembled in West Point, Georgia.* For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com. To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert. *The Telluride, Sorento and Optima (excluding Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid) are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts. MONTH OF APRIL YEAR-TO-DATE Model 2019 2018 2019 2018 Rio 2,082 1,964 7,926 6,989 Forte 7,336 9,199 28,710 32,930 Optima 8,411 8,276 31,079 27,886 Cadenza 117 510 528 2,689 Stinger 939 1,378 4,166 5,298 K900 43 40 145 131 Soul 10,431 8,825 35,984 30,243 Niro 1,839 2,340 7,185 8,675 Sportage 6,077 7,653 25,275 27,112 Sorento 7,473 8,915 31,092 30,301 Telluride 5,570 N/A 10,965 N/A Sedona 1,067 1,485 4,926 5,276 Total 51,385 50,585 187,981 177,530

Dodge is the everyman brand Chrysler is the premium brand like a cross between Buick and Lincoln. Fiat - kill in the US Alfa - Merge with Maserati Maserati - Ultra luxury brand Ram - Trucks Jeep - just be jeep.

BMW of North America Reports April 2019 U.S. Sales. Overall BMW Brand Sales Increase 1.4% BMW X7 Sports Activity Vehicle and All-New BMW 3 Series Sedan Continue to Drive Growth in the U.S. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – May 1, 2019… Sales of BMW brand vehicles increased 1.4 percent in April 2019 for a total of 23,816 over the 23,482 vehicles sold in April 2018. BMW Sports Activity Vehicles continue to drive sales growth in the U.S., led by the BMW X3, BMW X5 and the BMW X7, which sold 2,291 units in its second full month of availability. The all-new BMW 3 Series sedan also performed particularly well, with an increase of 2.6 percent over April 2018, while the BMW 5 Series sedan remains the leader in its segment. “We’ve said before that our focus for 2019 would be profitability and growth -- and we’re right where we want to be,” said Bernhard Kuhnt, president and CEO, BMW of North America. “Demand for the BMW X7 only continues to grow, and the new 3 Series, with its suite of new technology features and exceptional driving dynamics has drawn rave reviews from our dealers, the media and most importantly, our customers.” Vehicle Sales BMW of North America, LLC, April 2019 Apr. 2019 Apr.2018 % YTD Apr. 2019 YTD Apr. 2018 % i3 331 503 -34.2% 1,295 2,500 -48.2% i8 87 57 53.0% 248 175 41.7% 2 Series 581 879 -33.9% 2,643 3,647 -27.5% 3 Series 3,642 3,550 2.6% 11,867 17,201 -31.0% 4 Series 1,214 2,473 -50.9% 8,616 9,412 -8.5% 5 Series 2,857 3,056 -6.5% 13,202 13,094 0.8% 6 Series 96 398 -75.9% 721 1,428 -49.5% 7 Series 567 546 3.8% 2,860 2,346 21.9% 8 Series 275 0 0.0% 876 0 0.0% Z4 271 0 0.0% 472 2 23500.0% X1 1,618 2,501 -35.3% 7,474 10,752 -30.5% X2 822 1,069 -23.1% 3,773 2,016 87.2% BMW passenger cars 12,361 15,032 -17.8% 54,047 62,573 -13.6% X3 4,321 3,865 11.8% 18,889 14,647 29.0% X4 638 193 230.6% 2,074 1,610 28.8% X5 3,781 3,800 -0.5% 15,693 15,876 -1.2% X6 424 592 -28.4% 2,524 2,611 -3.3% X7 2,291 0 0.0% 4,477 0 0.0% BMW light trucks 11,455 8,450 35.6% 43,657 34,744 25.7% BMW brand 23,816 23,482 1.4% 97,704 97,317 0.4% Cooper /S Hardtop 2 Door 743 634 17.2% 2,822 2,973 -5.1% Cooper /S Hardtop 4 Door 460 394 16.8% 2,127 1,779 19.6% Cooper /S Convertible 338 972 -65.2% 1,462 1,920 -23.9% Cooper /S Clubman 200 350 -42.9% 1,039 1,297 -19.9% Countryman 880 1,381 -36.3% 4,076 6,295 -35.3% MINI brand 2,621 3,731 -29.8% 11,526 14,264 -19.2% TOTAL BMW of North America, LLC 26,437 27,213 -2.9% 109,230 111,581 -2.1%

Volvo Car USA, LLC, (VCUSA) reported U.S. sales of 8,367 vehicles for the month of April, an increase of 0.4 percent from the same period last year. Year-to-date, VCUSA has sold 30,425 vehicles, an increase of 7 percent from the previous year. April 2019 was the best April sales performance since April 2007. The XC90 was the top seller for April, up 27 percent over the prior year, with 2,700 sales recorded. The new XC40 had another record-breaking month, selling 1,824 compact SUVs. “Led this month by the XC90, our award-winning SUV line was up 10 percent for the month,” said Anders Gustafsson, President and CEO, Volvo Car USA. “Together, the XC90, XC60 and XC40 have led to a 14 percent increase in SUV sales year-over-year.” Models April 2019 April 2018 % Year To Date 2019 Year To Date 2018 % S60 1,232 575 114.3 % 5,041 2,604 93.6 % S60 CC 0 8 - - 122 - S90 258 583 -55.7 % 1,051 2,408 -56.4 % V60 27 183 -85.2 % 139 593 -76.6 % V60 CC 0 626 - 38 1,226 -96.9 % V90 40 30 33.3 % 148 82 80.5 % V90 CC 35 150 -76.7 % 361 702 -48.6 % XC40 1,824 1,404 29.9 % 5,401 2,483 117.5 % XC60 0 16 - - 204 - XC60 II 2,251 2,476 -9.1 % 8,887 8,321 6.8 % XC90 2,700 2,282 18.3 % 9,359 9,671 -3.2 % Total 8,367 8,333 0.4 % 30,425 28,416 7.1 %

Hyundai Motor America Reports April 2019 Sales Hyundai Total Sales Up 1%; Retail Sales Up 2% Elantra, Santa Fe Family, Veloster and Kona Total Sales Increase Year Over Year FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., May 1, 2019 – Hyundai Motor America reported April sales of 55,420 units, a 1% increase in comparison with April 2018 and the ninth straight month of increasing total sales. Retail sales in April grew by 2% backed by retail increases for Elantra (up 8%), Tucson (up 33%), Santa Fe (up 23%) and Kona (up 40%). Sales Summary Apr-19 Apr-18 2019 YTD 2018 YTD Hyundai 55,420 55,035 203,005 199,550 April Highlights April was a solid month for Hyundai with total sales increasing for a variety of products across the lineup. Total SUVs sales equaled 24,601 units, 44% of the total mix, with Kona, the North American Utility Vehicle of the Year up 55% and combined Santa Fe and Santa Fe XL sales up 14%. On the car front, Elantra total sales grew by 18% and Veloster increased by 68%. “Our focus on retail deliveries and working closely with our dealer partners in providing an exceptional shopping and buyer experience resulted in the third straight month of growing retail sales for Hyundai,” said John Cook, director, Sales Operations, Hyundai Motor America. “April was also an important month for brand lift as we executed two exciting new vehicle introductions at the New York International Auto Show, resulting in Hyundai being the second most talked about brand at the show. Despite challenging market conditions and slowing industry sales, we are cautiously optimistic as we enter May and typically strong Memorial Day holiday weekend sales.” April Product and Corporate Activities Hyundai Venue Global Introduction: Hyundai’s New York International Auto Show included the successful world debut of the all-new entry SUV Venue. Venue is packed with a host of premium driver safety and convenience technologies and is the perfect fit for those seeking a seamless combination of style and versatility, while slotting in as the most affordable Hyundai SUV in the lineup. Venue will arrive in U.S. showrooms in the fourth quarter of this year. 2020 Sonata North American Introduction: The dramatically redesigned 2020 Sonata made its North American debut at the New York International Auto Show and showed off its Sensuous Sportiness design philosophy, an all-new powertrain and segment-first technology, like the Hyundai Digital Key. Production of the 2020 Sonata starts in September at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama and retail sales begin in October. Santa Fe Earns Wards Best Interior Distinction: The 2019 Santa Fe was named to the Wards 10 Best Interiors list and caught the publication’s attention for “its high-quality materials, attention to detail and overall value.” Nexo Fuel Cell Earth Day: To celebrate Earth Day, Hyundai announced that its NEXO fuel cell SUV and the Tucson fuel cell SUV, together have accumulated more than 5 million miles on U.S. roads, all while emitting only clean water vapor. This cumulative distance is the equivalent of circumnavigating the Earth’s surface more than 300 times at the equator. Model Sales Vehicle Apr-19 Apr-18 2019 YTD 2018 YTD Accent 2,834 2,816 9,615 10,234 Elantra 16,586 14,044 52,698 61,108 Ioniq 1,211 1,789 4,521 5,587 Kona 5,154 3,315 23,551 5,874 Nexo 19 15* 79 17* Santa Fe 10,746 9,400 39,429 37,952 Sonata 8,634 9,616 30,154 33,441 Tucson 8,682 12,888 37,513 40,768 Veloster 1,554 924 5,445 3,964

The problem was he wanted to dump the wrong brands. He wanted to save the Italian brands and kill off the american ones except Jeep.

Nissan Group reports April 2019 U.S. sales April 2019 April 2018 % chg Nissan Group Total sales (units) 95,698 87,764 +9.0 Nissan Division sales 87,207 78,804 +10.7 INFINITI sales* 8,491 8,960 -5.2 NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nissan Group announced total U.S. sales for April 2019 of 95,698 units, an increase of 9 percent compared to the prior year. Nissan highlights: Nissan Altima sales grew 59 percent in April to 16,531 units. Pathfinder SUV sales increased 72 percent to 4,713 units. NV commercial van sales were up 22 percent year-on-year. Nissan Versa sales were up 12 percent in April. The all-new 2020 Versa sedan was revealed in April and will go on sale in summer 2019. *INFINITI sales total included for reference. For more information on INFINITI's April sales performance, please visit INFINITINews.com. NOTE: To ensure consistency in global sales reporting, Nissan North America calculates monthly variances on a straight-percentage basis, unadjusted for the number of selling days. April 2019 had 25 selling days, while April 2018 had 24 selling days. NISSAN DIVISION APR APR Monthly CYTD CYTD CYTD 2019 2018 % chg 2019 2018 % chg Nissan Division Total 87,207 78,804 10.7 418,743 453,920 -7.7 Versa 6,710 5,998 11.9 31,702 31,363 1.1 Sentra 13,051 16,999 -23.2 69,844 77,001 -9.3 Altima 16,531 10,400 59.0 68,011 73,806 -7.9 Maxima 2,009 2,100 -4.3 12,563 15,854 -20.8 LEAF 951 1,171 -18.8 3,636 3,716 -2.2 Juke 1 83 -98.8 10 539 -98.1 370Z 177 260 -31.9 824 1,243 -33.7 GT-R 33 35 -5.7 126 170 -25.9 Total Car 39,463 37,046 6.5 186,716 203,692 -8.3 Kicks 3,503 0 n/a 16,022 0 n/a Frontier 4,258 5,082 -16.2 24,479 27,907 -12.3 Titan 2,489 2,670 -6.8 12,172 15,394 -20.9 Pathfinder 4,713 2,741 71.9 22,067 20,847 5.9 Armada 1,917 1,713 11.9 11,718 10,795 8.6 Rogue 24,159 23,331 3.5 117,973 139,785 -15.6 Murano 3,476 3,391 2.5 15,205 24,113 -36.9 Quest 0 0 n/a 0 2 -100.0 NV 1,494 1,225 22.0 6,001 4,993 20.2 NV200 1,735 1,605 8.1 6,390 6,392 0.0 Total Truck 47,744 41,758 14.3 232,027 250,228 -7.3 North American produced 60,573 -100.0 341,097 -100.0 Car 36,668 -100.0 201,740 -100.0 Truck 23,905 -100.0 139,357 -100.0 Import 18,231 -100.0 112,823 -100.0 Car 378 -100.0 1,952 -100.0 Truck 17,853 -100.0 110,871 -100.0 INFINITI APR APR Monthly CYTD CYTD CYTD 2019 2018 % chg 2019 2018 % chg Infiniti Total 8,491 8,960 -5.2 42,806 49,847 -14.1 Infiniti Q50 2,174 1,880 15.6 10,438 13,581 -23.1 Infiniti Q60 425 650 -34.6 1,729 3,253 -46.8 Infiniti Q70 345 272 26.8 1,307 1,763 -25.9 Infiniti QX30 232 671 -65.4 1,809 3,486 -48.1 Infiniti QX50 1,513 1,413 7.1 5,096 5,497 -7.3 Infiniti QX60 2,773 3,052 -9.1 15,603 15,076 3.5 Infiniti QX70 0 102 -100.0 6 672 -99.1 Infiniti QX80 1,029 920 11.8 6,818 6,519 4.6 Total Car 2,944 2,802 5.1 13,474 18,597 -27.5 Total Truck 5,547 6,158 -9.9 29,332 31,250 -6.1 NISSAN GROUP APR APR Monthly CYTD CYTD CYTD 2019 2018 % chg 2019 2018 % chg TOTAL VEHICLE 95,698 87,764 9.0 461,549 503,767 -8.4 Total Car 42,407 39,848 6.4 200,190 222,289 -9.9 Total Truck 53,291 47,916 11.2 261,359 281,478 -7.1 Selling days 25 24 101 101 # # #