Nutson’s weekly automotive news recap week ending April 9, 2022



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AUTO CENTRAL CHICAGO – April 10, 2022; Every Sunday, Larry Nutson, The Chicago Car Guy and Executive Producer, with the able help of Editor-in-Chief Thom Cannell of The Auto Channel’s Michigan bureau, compiles The Auto Channel’s “take” on the week’s automotive news. last, condensed into new, easy-to-digest Nuggets.

LEARN MORE: Full versions of today’s news nuggets plus thousands of relevant news and opinion pages, information stored in a million-page library published and indexed on The Auto Channel over the last 25 years. Complete information can be found by copying a title in bold then inserting it into any site search box.

Nutson Automotive News Summary – Week Ending April 9, 2022 Below are the major, relevant, semi-secret or high-profile automotive news, opinions and insider stories from the past week, packaged as easy-to-understand nuggets of automotive news designed by experts.

* The US DoE reports that net oil imports into the United States continue to decline. Following increased domestic oil production in the United States and the repeal of the crude oil export ban in December 2015, overall net oil imports declined. Petroleum consists primarily of crude oil, refined petroleum products and hydrocarbon gas liquids. Although net imports of crude oil are still positive, they have fallen from a peak of 10 million barrels per day in 2005 to just 2.7 million barrels per day in 2020. Rising exports of refined petroleum products and hydrocarbon gas liquids over the past decade has contributed significantly to the decline in net oil imports.

* Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has signed a multi-state agreement that pledges that at least 30% of all new trucks and buses sold will be zero emissions by 2030, and 100% will be zero emissions by 2050. Nevada joins 16 other states and the District of Columbia as signatories to the Multi-State Memorandum of Understanding for Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles (MHD ZEV), which accounts for 40% of the population of the United States. The other 16 states that have signed the memorandum of understanding are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.

*According to General Motors and Honda have announced plans to take the relationship between the two companies to a new chapter by co-developing a series of affordable electric vehicles based on a new global architecture using next-generation Ultium battery technology. The companies are working together to enable the global production of millions of electric vehicles from 2027, including compact crossover vehicles, leveraging the technology, design and supply strategies of both companies. Companies will also work to standardize equipment and processes to achieve world-class quality, higher throughput and greater accessibility. The compact crossover segment is the largest in the world, with annual volumes of more than 13 million vehicles.

* Car rental company Hertz plans to buy up to 65,000 electric vehicles from Swedish premium electric car maker Polestar over the next five years, in a bid to increase its electric vehicle rental fleet. The vehicles are expected to be available in Europe in the spring and in North America and Australia later this year. The announcement comes more than five months after Hertz announced it would buy 100,000 electric vehicles from Tesla.

* Motor 1.com has a report from a Ford executive in Australia that a new Ford Mustang is coming for 2024. It will have a V8. Most likely, it will also be electrified with a hybrid engine available. The rear wheels may be driven by ICE and the front wheels may have electric motors for all-wheel drive. A manual transmission may no longer be offered.

* Porsche invests $75 million in HIF Global LLC. In return, the sports car manufacturer acquires a long-term stake in HIF Global LLC, a holding company of internationally active project developers for eFuel production facilities. Among other projects, the Santiago de Chile-based company is building the Haru Oni ​​eFuel pilot plant in Punta Arenas (Chile). Initiated by Porsche and implemented with partners such as Siemens Energy and ExxonMobil, the production of eFuels from hydrogen and CO2 using wind energy is expected to start there in mid-2022. These electricity-based synthetic fuels enable almost CO2-neutral operation of combustion engines. So, combustion engines may have been around longer than some now realize.

* U.S. safety regulators have launched an investigation into electric and hybrid vehicle batteries after five automakers issued recalls over possible faults that could cause fires or stalls. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the probe covers more than 138,000 vehicles with batteries made by South Korea’s LG Energy Solution. General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Stellantis and Volkswagen have issued recalls since February 2020, most due to internal battery failures which can increase the risk of fire.

* Electrified power, legendary 4×4 capability and exceptional performance will take center stage at this year’s Easter Jeep Safari, the home away from home of the Jeep brand. The Jeep brand and the Jeep Performance Parts (JPP) by Mopar team bring their A game to life with an extraordinary lineup of custom-built 4×4 and 4xe concept vehicles to conquer the iconic red rock terrain of Moab, Utah. Thousands of off-road enthusiasts and Jeep brand loyalists from around the world will descend on Moab, April 9-17, for the annual tradition of a week of riding and technical off-roading.

* DeLorean Motor Company, the short-lived 1980s automaker behind the DMC DeLorean sports car that became a pop culture staple thanks to the Back to the Future franchise, returns with an EV model. DeLorean Motor Company has announced a new reveal date and released its first look at its electric vehicle. The concept car is now set to premiere on Thursday August 18 at the prestigious Ramp Award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

* Packard luxury cars were built from 1899 to 1956. Today, 66 years after the last car was built, a Detroit judge has ordered the demolition of the longstanding but deteriorating Packard automobile plant because that it has become a public nuisance. Peruvian owner Fernando Palazuelo and his company, Arte Express Detroit, must remove all trash and debris from the sprawling site and demolish all buildings and structures.

* Dan Parker, a blind racing driver, won the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for ‘Fastest speed for a car driven blindfolded’ on Thursday March 31. Parker set a new speed record of 211.043 miles per hour on the Spaceport America runway in his custom-built Corvette, which included an innovative audio guidance system designed to his specifications. The previous record was held by Mike Newman from the UK, who hit a speed of 200.51 miles per hour in 2014. Parker was blinded following a racing accident ten years prior. The record attempt was made as part of the National Federation of the Blind’s Accelerating Blind Driver Challenge – an initiative that aims to draw attention to the importance of breaking down barriers to mobility and demonstrate the incredible achievements of blind people.

Stay safe. Be well.

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