Shawn McEwen’s Post

Ford Motor Company is revising its vehicle strategy to meet the changing demand of the users and "third wave" severe competition from companies such as BYD (with plans for a Mexican factory) and Xiaomi Technology. The Wall Street Journal reports that Ford Motor is canceling plans for a large electric sport-utility vehicle and expects to take $1.9 billion in related special charges and write-downs, as automakers continue adjusting their EV plans because of heavy competition and softer-than-expected demand. This is further aggravated by an apparent over-supply of EV's in China with early models being sent to graveyards. https://lnkd.in/g5vxqTjU

Volkswagen Group is taking several steps to stay competitive in #China. In November, the automaker unveiled its "In China, for China" plan. Last week, it shared new details of the plan's key components, which include: 💰 Reducing vehicle costs by 40% 👨💻 Introducing a new, locally developed tech platform 🤝Key partnerships with local automakers like XPENG and SAIC Motor Read more in the story below 👇 #automotive #technology

Ford Makes Strategic Shift to Affordable EVs! #ElectricVehicles #EVrevolution #AutoIndustry ⚡️ Calling all Automotive Leaders & Analysts! Ford is making a major move in the EV landscape! In response to a growing competitive field, they're developing a new low-cost EV platform to bring us a small electric pickup and SUV, with targeted starting prices around $25,000! This strategic shift prioritizes affordability, putting Ford head-to-head with budget-conscious consumers. But there's a twist. This pivot means Ford's three-row electric SUV is on hold for now. The reason? The increasing influence of low-cost Chinese automakers like BYD, even if they haven't entered the US market directly. As CEO Jim Farley emphasizes, these overseas rivals pose a significant threat, potentially impacting 20-30% of industry revenue if left unchecked. What are your thoughts on Ford's strategic shift? Will affordable EVs be the key to winning the EV race? Let's discuss in the comments! #EVs #electricvehiclesarethefuture Ford Motor Company https://flip.it/Z__Dvj

🚗 European Automakers and the Electric Challenge: Reinvention in Motion After talking to a number of automotive industry professionals, many of them are wondering about the current downturn in demand. I've done some research to shed some light on the subject: The European car market is shrinking, with sales dropping to 16.5 million units. Electric vehicles, once seen as the future, are struggling to attract buyers, prompting automakers to delay phasing out combustion engines to revive the market. ⚡ Volvo’s decision reflects these struggles. Like others, it has scaled back its goal of an all-electric lineup by 2030, as the European and U.S. markets can’t sustain this shift. Once a key strategy under Geely’s ownership, Volvo’s electric push is now slowing. 🚘 🔄 Hybrid and Combustion Comeback Mercedes-Benz, Renault, and Toyota have also pushed back their electric targets, offering more hybrids and combustion models to meet demand. Stellantis is adjusting its lineup for hybrids, while Volkswagen, foreseeing this, retained combustion engines in new models. 🔧 ⚠️ Overproduction Looms With declining demand and reliance on subsidies, the European EV market is weakening. The removal of support measures in Germany led to plummeting sales. Chinese brands like BYD, along with U.S. startups, are intensifying competition, forcing companies like Volkswagen and Audi to consider factory closures. 💼 🚀 Paris Motor Show: A Strategic Move To counter these challenges, automakers are gearing up for the Paris Motor Show this October. Brands like Renault, Citroën, and BMW aim to unveil new strategies to revive the struggling market. 🏁 👉 What’s your take on the future of European automakers amid these challenges?

It will be interesting to see how they plan to compete in this space. My first pickup truck was a 1986 Ranger and I loved that truck. I bought it used for $500 and it still had a bunch of life left in it. If Ford Motor Company can get back into the inexpensive, small pickup market, it would be a huge win. It will also be interesting to see how they can pull this off while keeping the price down. Companies like PTM Corporation will be vital to making that happen. Using local companies help to bring down shipping cost and the overall cost to the customer.

💡 is finally on! BYD and CATL collectively dominate over 52% of global battery production. BYD manufactures a range of electric vehicles, from luxury to practical models, with varying price points. Meanwhile, Ford remains renowned for producing highly sought-after pickups, particularly the F-Series, which are unlikely to lose their popularity anytime soon. However, is there a segment of consumers being overlooked who would be interested in purchasing a smaller Ford vehicle? Perhaps brands are realizing that the transition to electric vehicles is happening too rapidly and is too complex. Manufacturering both ICEs and EVs could be a solution or adding more hybrid vehicles could help appease shareholders while navigating this challenging transition. Even certain FOMO governments, willing to invest billions in taxpayer dollars, are now acknowledging that electric vehicles alone will not sufficiently address climate change as mandated EV dates are being challenged by both consumers and manufacturers with or with volatile economies where consumers and governments are edging closer to going broke. A cautionary note: attempting to pass off a small EV and something akin to the Cadillac Cimarron on consumers won't go unnoticed! #retail #technology #strategy #ev

This article lays out the looming threat to the US auto industry if very inexpensive electric vehicles now being made in China and being sold for $15,000 or less are imported into the US. Ford, GM, and Stellantis (formerly Chrisler) all face a potential existential risk of survival. The Inflation Reduction Act and other laws have provided government funding to build out the battery and EV manufacturing to compete but US traditional automakers are struggling to make the transition. South Korea’s car companies have made great strides with EVs. US EV-only companies like Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid are leaders in the space with great technology. The next 2-3 years may be decisive for the health of the Detroit automakers.

🚘🪫TOYOTA: CREDITS V "WASTED MONEY"🪫🚘 The CEO of Toyota isn’t mincing words, saying that he believes EVs will only make up 30% of the US new-vehicle market in 2030, half of the target the EPA sought last year. As the car industry’s largest hybrid pusher, Toyota says it is better positioned to just buy credits to close the EPA gap rather than “waste” money on BEVs. In an interview with Automotive News, Toyota CEO Ted Ogawa said that the Japanese automaker plans to go with customer demand – and in his view, that’s varying degrees of “electrification,” usually in the form of hybrids with gas-burning engines. Of course, none of this is terribly surprising. The brand has been a huge champion of hybrids all along and sells just one EV for each of its two US brands, the Toyota bZ4X and Lexus RZ450e crossovers. Toyota also has a history of greenwashing its advertising and marketing, calling its half a dozen hybrid models “electrified,” which confuses consumers. Toyota, like pretty much all automakers operating in the US, has a worried eye on China entering the US through Mexico – although BYD has said it has no plans to sell cars in the US due to too many hassles. Still, the fear is there, and the possibility looms that lower-priced Chinese vehicles will undercut those sold by other automakers, as happened in Mexico. #toyota #hybrid #electricvehicle #ericcook

How did China become a global leader in electric vehicles? If we go back in history, China was never a leader in automobiles. It was always dependent on companies like Volkswagen around 1970-1978. So, what did China do? Collaborate - Reverse engineer - Innovate. 1. China, in its race to become a leader in automobiles, decided to invest in R&D for hybrid, electric vehicles, and fuel cells around 2001. 2. Despite the investments, Chinese automakers were considered cheap. That's when they invited Tesla to open a plant in Shanghai. Tesla provided specifications to Chinese auto parts makers. These specifications were used by them to supply the same quality spare parts to Chinese automakers. 3.When the car quality and price were almost on par with other automakers, Chinese automakers identified a niche. They worked on the car's software! They quickly understood the needs of Chinese customers to have digitally connected cars. And soon they started providing features like "Karaoke" and "Selfie cameras," which weren't considered essential features by competitors, hence they failed to provide the same. Coming back to today, global auto makers are reducing their prices in China to sustain their market share. Apart from it, they are also working on improving the software systems. China, on the other hand, after already capturing its own market, is now targeting the global markets. #electricvehicles

As China moves away from combustion-engine cars, Volkswagen Group, Mercedes-Benz AG and BMW Group are struggling to offer electric vehicles that appeal to customers in their largest and most lucrative market, putting €35 billion ($38 billion) of investment on the line. After dominating the combustion-engine era, German automakers became complacent, underestimating the threats posed by new rivals and reluctant to abandon the profits generated by big-engine cars. That allowed Tesla and local companies led by BYD to speed by with tech-savvy and affordable plug-in hybrids, and now China no longer needs or wants them there. https://lnkd.in/eB_PFYey