Auto industry chip supply is improving but imperfect

Auto industry chip supply is improving but imperfect

A global shortage of semiconductor chips was the automotive industry’s kryptonite for most of 2021 and 2022. But the crisis is now fading, S&P Global Mobility said Thursday.

The chip shortage cost the industry the production of about 9.5 million light vehicles in 2021, according to S&P Global Mobility estimates, and another 3 million in 2022. In the first half of 2023, production cutbacks tied to chip shortages fell to about 524,000 vehicles. Supply remains constrained, but automakers have been able to adapt production schedules as chip availability becomes more predictable, S&P Global Mobility said.

“We are now in a

Should You Repair or Replace Your Damaged Auto Glass?

Should You Repair or Replace Your Damaged Auto Glass?

If you’re a Tampa, FL, vehicle owner who has recently had their auto glass damaged, you’re probably wondering if the damage is repairable. In the sections below, you’ll learn more about the factors affecting auto glass repair and replacement.

Repairing Your Damaged Auto Glass

Repairs are preferable over replacement because it’s cheaper and, in some cases, auto insurers will cover the repair costs completely. For windshield repair or other types of auto glass to be repairable, it must meet the following criteria:

  • The crack or chip only damaged the outer layer of glass
  • The bullseye is no bigger than one

No return to pre-COVID inventory levels in sight

No return to pre-COVID inventory levels in sight

As supply chains began to slowly mend in 2022, automakers poured the limited parts they had available into high-content, high-priced vehicles. High-end trims accounted for about 56 percent of inventory at the end of 2022, compared with 40 percent in 2021 and 17 percent in 2020.

“That’s a business decision to be made and a financial decision to be made but there are consumer-oriented repercussions to that, and I think that’s where there are still lessons to be learned,” Wainschel said. “As they get more parts flowing in, [automakers] are looking to balance out their trim mix towards the middle

Tesla vehicles are driven more miles than other EVs, study finds

Tesla vehicles are driven more miles than other EVs, study finds

The Tesla Model X crossover was No. 1 at 10,378 miles per year, iSeeCars said. Battery range for the Model X was calculated at 341 miles. iSeeCars averaged the range of different Model X trims.

The Tesla Model Y crossover was the No. 2 most-driven EVs at 10,199 miles, according to the study. It has an average range of 316 miles per charge.

The Tesla Model 3 sedan tallied 9,960 miles of usage per year and an average range of 279 miles. And the Tesla Model S hatchback traveled with annual mileage of 9,340 and a range of 378 miles,

LUXURY: Tesla Q1 sales more than double those of BMW

LUXURY: Tesla Q1 sales more than double those of BMW

The entire US luxury sector sales rose 23 percent to 616,970 cars and light trucks in the first quarter, outperforming the broader industry’s 8.4 percent bump.

In the first quarter, BMW sales rose 12 percent, and the automaker secured a more than 14,000 vehicle advantage over No. 3 Lexuses. The Toyota luxury brand delivered 68,251 vehicles, up 6 percent from a year earlier.

BMW, which commanded a 13 percent share of the luxury segment, extended its lead over German rival Mercedes-Benz with a more than 20,000-vehicle advantage.

Mercedes’ sales of 61,531 were down 1.2 percent from the prior year as

Tesla deliveries to measure the effectiveness of price cuts

Tesla deliveries to measure the effectiveness of price cuts

Tesla Inc. shares are set to mark their best-ever start to a year, buoyed by price cuts across the electric-vehicle maker’s lineup in a bid to boost sales. Investors will soon discover if all the enthusiasm was justified.

the Elon Musk-led carmaker is expected to announce quarterly delivery and production figures in early April, providing an initial glimpse into how well the company’s strategy of chasing volume over profit margins worked.

Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expect the Austin, Texas-based company to deliver a record 421,164 cars globally in the first quarter of 2023, up from the 405,278 it delivered

EV battery damage may force insurers to write off the entire car

EV battery damage may force insurers to write off the entire car

Sandy Munro, head of Michigan-based Munro & Associates, which tears down vehicles and advises automakers on how to improve them, said the Model Y battery pack has “zero repairability.”

“A Tesla structural battery pack is going straight to the grinder,” Munro said.

EV battery problems also expose a hole in the green “circular economy” touted by automakers.

At Synetiq, the UK’s largest salvage company, head of operations Michael Hill said over the last 12 months the number of EVs in the isolation bay – where they must be checked to avoid fire risk — at the firm’s Doncaster yard has

These Automakers Can’t Quite Hold Onto Their First-Time Buyers

These Automakers Can’t Quite Hold Onto Their First-Time Buyers
The back of a Ram truck is seen on a sales lot on May 23, 2017 in Miami, Florida.

The back of a Ram truck is seen on a sales lot on May 23, 2017 in Miami, Florida.

Some automakers are struggling to convince first-time buyers to return to the showroom, Elon Musk tested that he really believed he’d be able to take Tesla private in 2018 with some help and Audi took Nio to court and won. All that and more in The Morning Shift for January 24, 2023.

1st Gear: The ‘Nomad Retention Challenge’

There’s apparently a name for people who purchase a car from a brand, but don’t buy their next vehicle from that same brand.