Interesting Car/Truck Manufacturer News

[CobraBob]

Forbidden Ford: Everest SUV is brand's coolest truck you can't buy in U.S.​

Midsize truck designed in Australia​

By Gary Gastelu | Fox News


You won’t have to climb a mountain to drive the new Ford Everest SUV, but you will have to cross an ocean.

The Ford Everest is based on the Ranger pickup. (Ford)

The new truck was primarily designed and engineered in Australia and will be built in Thailand when it goes on sale pretty much everywhere but the U.S. later this year.

The Ford Everest features body-on-frame construction and a solid rear axle. The midsize hardtop SUV is based on the recently revealed Ranger pickup that will be built in Michigan for the U.S. market next year and features both body-on-frame construction and a solid rear axle.

It’s about the same size as the Ford Bronco, but offers up to three rows of seating like an Explorer, which is a unibody vehicle.

The Everest’s front cabin is nearly identical to the Ranger’s and features a large portrait-oriented touchscreen display. It will be offered with the choice of a four-cylinder diesel or six-cylinder diesel engine.

The Ranger platform can accommodate a gasoline motor, which it will use when it arrives in the U.S, but Ford currently has no plans to offer the Everest here.

Gary Gastelu is FoxNews.com's Automotive Editor covering the car industry and racing @foxnewsautos

 

[SID297]

Forbidden Ford: Everest SUV is brand's coolest truck you can't buy in U.S.​

Midsize truck designed in Australia​

By Gary Gastelu | Fox News


You won’t have to climb a mountain to drive the new Ford Everest SUV, but you will have to cross an ocean.

The Ford Everest is based on the Ranger pickup. (Ford)

The new truck was primarily designed and engineered in Australia and will be built in Thailand when it goes on sale pretty much everywhere but the U.S. later this year.

The Ford Everest features body-on-frame construction and a solid rear axle. The midsize hardtop SUV is based on the recently revealed Ranger pickup that will be built in Michigan for the U.S. market next year and features both body-on-frame construction and a solid rear axle.

It’s about the same size as the Ford Bronco, but offers up to three rows of seating like an Explorer, which is a unibody vehicle.

The Everest’s front cabin is nearly identical to the Ranger’s and features a large portrait-oriented touchscreen display. It will be offered with the choice of a four-cylinder diesel or six-cylinder diesel engine.

The Ranger platform can accommodate a gasoline motor, which it will use when it arrives in the U.S, but Ford currently has no plans to offer the Everest here.

Gary Gastelu is FoxNews.com's Automotive Editor covering the car industry and racing @foxnewsautos

If it could be had in US spec with a manual trans I would seriously consider picking one up.

 

[Weather Man]

Panasonic to build huge U.S. battery plant to supply Tesla - NHK​

TSLA -4.61%Mar. 03, 2022 7:25 PM ET25 Comments
Panasonic (OTCPKCRFY) plans to build a multi-billion dollar factory in the U.S. to supply Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) with lithium-ion batteries, Japan's NHK reports.
The Japanese company is looking at sites in Oklahoma and Kansas to build the plant because of their proximity to Texas, where Tesla is preparing a new electric vehicle plant, according to the report.
Panasonic, a longtime supplier for Tesla, already has unveiled plans to begin mass-producing a new type of lithium-ion battery for the automaker by March 2024 with two new production lines at its Japanese plant in Wakayama.
Tesla shares have traded higher this week as investors weighed the possibility that Russia's attack on Ukraine could accelerate the timeline for EV adoption in major nations.

 

[Weather Man]

Japan's Sony, Honda joining forces to develop and sell EVs​

HMC -2.63%Mar. 04, 2022 3:31 AM ET5 Comments

• Japan's manufacturing giants Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) and Sony Group (NYSE:SONY) said on Friday they have agreed to join hands to develop and sell battery electric vehicles (BEVs), according to Reuters report.
• The two companies said in a statement their decision to form a strategic alliance to develop and sell electric vehicles this year.
• The two companies recently signed a memorandum of understanding with focus on EVs.
• As part of this joint agreement, Honda will be responsible for manufacturing the first model, while Sony will develop the mobility service platform, they said.
• The two companies have also announced that their first jointly developed electric car will hit the markets by 2025.
• The presidents of both companies will hold a joint news conference in Tokyo at 5 p.m. (0800 GMT) on Friday.
• Sony's chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida announced in January a plan to create a new company, Sony Mobility, saying it was exploring a commercial launch of EVs.

 

[CobraBob]

If it could be had in US spec with a manual trans I would seriously consider picking one up.

What things do you like most about it, Sid? I like the front end/grill a lot. The rear, though, has cues of the Dodge. The interior, though, leaves something to be desired. A bit rough compared to our own SUVs.

 

[SID297]

What things do you like most about it, Sid? I like the front end/grill a lot. The rear, though, has cues of the Dodge. The interior, though, leaves something to be desired. A bit rough compared to our own SUVs.

It reminds me of the old 1st and 2nd Gen Explorers. It shares a lot of components with Ranger (including the interior), and I really like the way Ranger drives and handles.

 

[CobraBob]

Yeah, makes sense it would have some of the Ranger components as it's based on the Ranger. I've never driven a Ranger, but based on your own comments about the Ranger, it seems a shame this one isn't (yet) coming to the U.S.

 

[Weather Man]

Business Insider

Tesla was both the least reliable but most popular EV brand in a survey of owners that found one in three of all EVs had major issues in the past year​

[email protected] (Dominick Reuter) - Yesterday 12:30 PM

• Electric vehicles are less reliable than gas cars, according to a survey of UK drivers.
• Nearly one third of EVs had a fault, compared with a rate of 18.6% for gasoline vehicles.
• Kia was the most reliable EV maker in the study, while Tesla was the least reliable.

 

[Weather Man]

The Drive

Jegs, the Famous Auto Parts Catalog Company, Sold to Private Equity Firm​

By Victoria Scott, The Drive - Monday

© Provided by The Drive

Jegs, the mail-order auto parts behemoth that has been firmly embedded in the American aftermarket scene since its formation in 1960, has been purchased by a private-equity firm. This is the first time the company has ever received private funding, according to a report from Dragzine, marking a stark departure from its family-owned status for the past 62 years.

The retailer, which has approximately 400 employees, was an old-school model for the American success story. According to Team Jegs, the company's in-house drag racing team, Jeg Coughlin Sr. began mail-ordering parts for his personal drag cars after realizing it was the only way to get the components he wanted to install. After winning with his machines--and getting attention on them--Coughlin Sr. realized there was a parts market to capture in the Midwest. Soon after, Jegs was formed. From there the company grew to a mainstay of American tuning, and the company's race team is one of the more successful in NHRA history, with Coughlin Sr. boasting 11 NHRA divisional wins alone.

Greenbriar Equity, the purchasing private-equity firm, is a bit less storied. The company was founded in 1999 and, according to its site, focuses on supply-chain investments and advanced engineering. Greenbriar has only a handful of other automotive-related investments, but it has a variety of shipping and logistics companies under its purview.

The Coughlin family will retain a minority ownership stake, although because Jegs is private, exact financial splits are unclear. The initial reason funding was sought and the company was sold is also unknown. Both the Coughlin family and the Greenbriar groups' statements focused on company growth, and Jegs had sought a new CEO with experience in mail-order industries as recently as five years ago to help with expansion. It's unclear what this will mean for the business, although for now, those parts should keep flowing in the mail.

 

[sonicx]

The Drive

Jegs, the Famous Auto Parts Catalog Company, Sold to Private Equity Firm​

By Victoria Scott, The Drive - Monday

© Provided by The Drive
View attachment 1740506
Jegs, the mail-order auto parts behemoth that has been firmly embedded in the American aftermarket scene since its formation in 1960, has been purchased by a private-equity firm. This is the first time the company has ever received private funding, according to a report from Dragzine, marking a stark departure from its family-owned status for the past 62 years.

The retailer, which has approximately 400 employees, was an old-school model for the American success story. According to Team Jegs, the company's in-house drag racing team, Jeg Coughlin Sr. began mail-ordering parts for his personal drag cars after realizing it was the only way to get the components he wanted to install. After winning with his machines--and getting attention on them--Coughlin Sr. realized there was a parts market to capture in the Midwest. Soon after, Jegs was formed. From there the company grew to a mainstay of American tuning, and the company's race team is one of the more successful in NHRA history, with Coughlin Sr. boasting 11 NHRA divisional wins alone.

Greenbriar Equity, the purchasing private-equity firm, is a bit less storied. The company was founded in 1999 and, according to its site, focuses on supply-chain investments and advanced engineering. Greenbriar has only a handful of other automotive-related investments, but it has a variety of shipping and logistics companies under its purview.

The Coughlin family will retain a minority ownership stake, although because Jegs is private, exact financial splits are unclear. The initial reason funding was sought and the company was sold is also unknown. Both the Coughlin family and the Greenbriar groups' statements focused on company growth, and Jegs had sought a new CEO with experience in mail-order industries as recently as five years ago to help with expansion. It's unclear what this will mean for the business, although for now, those parts should keep flowing in the mail.

Maybe they’ll finally get some customer device help or fix their website…. Probably not though. Summit for the win

 

[CobraBob]

Jegs! Does ANYONE buy from them? LOL. Way back in the day Jeg's was a premium parts supplier.

 

[Weather Man]

Semi's about to get a whole lot more expensive.


MarketWatch

EPA rule would make heavy trucks cut smog, soot pollution​

Associated Press - 3h ago


© APEPA rule would make heavy trucks cut smog, soot pollution
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Biden administration is proposing stronger pollution regulations for new tractor-trailer rigs that would clean up smoky diesel engines and encourage new technologies during the next two decades.

The proposal released Monday by the Environmental Protection Agency would require the industry to cut smog-and-soot-forming nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 90% per truck over current standards by 2031. The emissions can cause respiratory problems in humans.

New rules would start in 2027 to limit the emissions from nearly 27 million heavy trucks and buses nationwide.

Although truck manufacturers are working on battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell powertrains, the EPA says the proposal is not a zero-emissions truck requirement. Rather, the agency says there are pollution control devices in development that can keep diesels in use and still clean the air.

The EPA also is drawing up stronger limits for heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions. Current standards would be updated starting in 2027 and stronger new standards would begin in 2030. Requirements were last updated in 2001, with the next big step coming in 2024.
The stronger new standards would not apply to old trucks, limiting the impact of the new rules.

Environmental groups praised the EPA’s action, but many urged the administration to move quickly on the proposal and then go farther toward requiring zero-emissions trucks.

“We really need to be doing both of these things simultaneously,” said Patricio Portillo, senior advocate for clean vehicles at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Portillo said he was disappointed that the EPA didn’t set requirements for hydrogen or electric truck sales as California and five other states now do.

He said the 90% reduction number sounds good, but still leaves a lot of pollution in the air. “The only way to get that out is to get to zero emissions,” he said.
Truck engine makers and other industry groups said they favor cutting pollution, but raised concerns that the requirements may not be technically possible or could make trucks costly and unreliable.

“We look forward to working with EPA to ensure that the final version of today’s rule is practical, technically feasible, cost-effective, and will result in the necessary fleet turnover to achieve the nation’s environmental objectives,” Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association President Jed Mandel said in a statement.

A group representing independent truckers said the EPA ignored input from drivers seeking practical emissions standards. The Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association called the requirements a “government overreach” that will force small-business truckers off the road due to the cost and reliability problems.
EPA officials say the new requirements comply with an executive order from President Joe Biden to clean up transportation, which is the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions nationwide. Transportation emits 29% of the gases, and heavy-duty trucks account for 23% of that. Biden is trying to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 to battle the effects of climate change.

The new standards would bring widespread air quality improvements, particularly in areas already exposed to heavy truck traffic, officials say.
“Seventy-two million people are estimated to live near truck freight routes in America, and they are more likely to be people of color and those with lower incomes,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.
The agency says it will offer several options to reduce heavy truck and bus pollution, and it will take public comments into account before developing final standards by the end of this year.

“The EPA has engaged with stakeholders and identified several options in the proposal that address the robustness of the standards, timing for phasing in the standards, options to incentivize early clean technology adoption and improvements to emissions warranties,” the agency said in a statement.
The EPA also would tighten requirements for school buses, transit buses, commercial delivery trucks and short-haul tractors, areas where the shift to zero-emissions vehicles is farther along.

Early versions of fully electric semis are now going on sale, and the industry is testing trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells that generate electricity.
The EPA says that new greenhouse gas standards could help hasten the transition to zero-emissions trucks and buses that weigh over 26,000 pounds.

Currently, battery electric trucks have limited travel ranges, and it takes a long time to recharge batteries. For hydrogen fuel cell trucks, there are few filling stations, and pollution is emitted when most hydrogen is made now from natural gas. But researchers are working on so-called “green hydrogen” that would be made using electricity from renewable sources such as wind or solar.

Under the pollution standards, manufacturers would be required to certify that their trucks meet the stricter requirements or face penalties. The EPA also wants them to lengthen the warranties on emissions controls, making them more cost effective for trucking companies to buy.

The new exhaust-treatment systems would come with a higher cost, as would the warranties, which likely would be passed along to truck and bus buyers. But the EPA says reduced pollution from the most stringent option would save the country up to $250 billion from 2027 through 2045, largely by preventing deaths and reducing health care costs.

The EPA said the stricter standards would prevent up to 2,100 premature deaths, cut hospital admissions and emergency room visits by 6,700 and prevent 18,000 cases of child asthma.

 

[Papaw]

My friend just had to sell this class B trucks because California said they pollute too much and declared them illegal in the state! Nothing wrong with them, not modified or anything. They just decided to make it impossible for him to make a living here as of 12/31/21. He was forced to sell them out of state.
This is one reason for the supply shortages, thousands of trucks are no longer allowed to pick up containers from California ports and transport them inland.

 

[CobraBob]

Seriously? Wow!

 

[kazman]

Death by a thousand cuts...

 

[SID297]

Death by a thousand cuts...

Regulations that have massive economic impacts like that need to be passed through the legislative method, not conjured by unelected bureaucrats.

 

[CobraBob]

I totally agree, Sid. We're seeing legislatures consistently bypassed, though, especially in Democrat led states.

 

[SID297]

I totally agree, Sid. We're seeing legislatures consistently bypassed, though, especially in Democrat led states.

That's the administrative state, not something the Founders envisioned.

 

[CobraBob]

I totally agree. Our Founders would be beyond pissed if they were here today seeing what's going on.

 

[Rb0891]

That's the administrative state, not something the Founders envisioned.

Likely a bigger problem than even the politicians. An infestation that can't be eradicated.