Ford Motor Co.

Truck Talk: Electrical storm edition

This week, we chase storm clouds gathering for electric pickup trucks not wearing a Ford blue oval, speculate on who a big customer at Plus might be and review how Daimler Truck is setting the stage for its independence.

Storm clouds for electric pickups

Now that Ford Motor Co.(NYSE: F) has revealed the F150 Lightning electric truck, it is — or should be — panic time for startups eyeing the battery-powered commercial pickup segment.

At the top of the list, with arguably the most to lose, is...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-talk-electrical-storm-edition

Auto industry faces more work stoppages due to chip shortage

Ford Motor Co. expects to lose about 50% of its planned second-quarter production, about $2.5 billion in earnings, due to the global semiconductor chip shortage affecting the industry. 

“The semiconductor shortage and the impact to production will get worse before it gets better. In fact, we believe our second quarter will be the trough for this year,” CEO Jim Farley said during the company’s earnings call Wednesday. 

Matt Silver, CEO of cross-border logistics technology platform Forager, said...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/auto-industry-faces-more-work-stoppages-due-to-chip-shortage

Transmission: Daimler’s new electric truck and Biden plans meeting to discuss chip shortage

Hello, Transmission members!

You know that your corner of the automotive industry isn’t exactly niche anymore when mainstream media outlets start encroaching on the topic. That’s the case today, as exemplified by an NPR segment Thursday morning discussing electric vehicle battery components.

That’s as good a place as any to start the newsletter, since the sourcing of advanced vehicle components is only going to get more and more important — in other words, more and more newsworthy — as the...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/transmission-daimlers-new-electric-truck-and-biden-plans-meeting-to-discuss-chip-shortage

The adventures of finding Ford’s ‘Big Red’

Peter Holderith and his team at The Drive, an automotive news source, went on a mission last year to find a one-of-a-kind, turbine engine, superhighway semi-truck known as “Big Red.” On Wednesday, Holderith announced that the famous vehicle still exists, and better yet, it still runs.

“I got very close in the initial search, and soon after we published the first article I got a tip with a key piece of information that led me to find the truck minutes later,” Holderith wrote in an email to...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/the-adventures-of-finding-fords-big-red

Transmission: Auto suppliers will head south for better weather

Here’s what’s cookin’ today in Transmission:

  • Suppliers are following OEMs to Mexico
  • VW unveils its new EV strategy 
  • Industry news

Suppliers are following OEMs to Mexico

There are a couple of trends shaking up the automotive industry in the years ahead. Electric vehicles are the obvious example that comes to mind. Other examples include the rise of digitization in new vehicle models and the need for an omnichannel car-buying experience. One trend often gets left out: the growing reliance on...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/transmission-auto-suppliers-will-head-south-for-better-weather

Ford CTO: Auto industry at ‘inflection point’ with vehicle electrification

The American automotive industry will benefit from an extraordinary conference of technological advancements that will elevate customer relationships and revenue streams to levels that would have been unimaginable five years ago, Ken Washington, Ford Motor Co.’s (NYSE:F) chief technology officer, said Thursday during FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week.

Keynoting the event’s fourth day, Washington said that Ford and its fellow manufacturers are at an “inflection point” of vehicle...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ford-cto:-auto-industry-at-inflection-point-with-vehicle-electrification

Oshkosh beats Workhorse for Postal Service delivery vehicle contract

Defense contractor Oshkosh Truck Corp. (NYSE: OSK) won a 10-year contract to build next-generation delivery vehicles (NGDVs) for the U.S. Postal Service, beating out electric delivery van maker Workhorse Group Inc.

Day traders had driven Workhorse (NASDAQ: WKHS) shares to record levels in recent months, anticipating that at least a piece of the multibillion-dollar contract would be awarded to the company. It was one of three finalists. The Postal Service delayed awarding the contract for several...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/oshkosh-beats-workhorse-for-postal-service-delivery-vehicle-contract

Truck Talk: Decoding messages on stressed supply chains

This week, we decode warnings about what stressed supply chains mean to truck makers; share some social commentary from Cummins and Wabash National; and look at a busy round of business tie-ups. You can get Truck Talk delivered via email by subscribing at https://www.freightwaves.com/truck-talk.

May the chain be unbroken

Messages from truck makers and major suppliers in their earnings reports this week suggest downtime and production delays impacting the light-vehicle industry may be closing in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-talk-decoding-messages-on-stressed-supply-chains

U.K. electric vehicle startup Arrival picks N.C. for North American base

London-based electric delivery van and bus startup Arrival will base its North American headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s about a half-hour north of its planned microfactory and close to major customer United Parcel Service.

UPS (NYSE: UPS) and Arrival co-developed the purpose-built electric vehicles. The initial order of 10,000 vehicles will be rolled out through 2024. UPS has an option to order 10,000 more. 

Arrival joins a crowded last-mile electric delivery truck segment where Am...

https://www.freightwaves.com/charlotte-close-to-planned-microfactory-and-major-customer-ups

Workhorse scrutinized as Postal Service again delays contract

Investors pummeled Workhorse Group (NASDAQ: WKHS) shares Wednesday after the U.S. Postal Service again delayed a multibillion-dollar contract for next-generation delivery vehicles.  

“The COVID-19 pandemic previously resulted in the expected production award being pushed to the end of 2020,” Postal Service spokeswoman Kim Frum said Wednesday,

“However, amid continuing COVID-19 concerns, and in order to provide for capital investment activities and required approvals, the program decision is now...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/workhorse-group-scrutinized-as-postal-service-again-delays-contract

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