balthazar

The 2nd Rivian factory is looking more & more like an unnecessary white elephant. They're never going to be putting out even 300K units per year, never mind 600K. I would love to know where they think their volume is going to come from. When & how much will the next MSRP jack be?? This is very unfortunate event for the company's near future.

This, almost exactly a year after announcing its stillborn pickup would be killed off. Workhorse Group has stated their corporate revamp will include 2 new electric commercial vehicle platforms, but aren't expected until Q3 2023. In the meantime, they are outsourcing an electric platform from its competition; Canada's GreenPower Motor. The company expects to deliver just 250 vehicles in 2022, according to CNBC. Stock closed yesterday at $3.74/share.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2022/02/23/ceo-jim-farley-vows-company-not-split-restructure/6909570001/?gnt-cfr=1

With consumers revolting, no; I don't at all think it was 'totally expected'. Not sure where you get that from. Consumer price index rose 0.6 in January, annual inflation is 7.5%, Rivian raised pricing 17-20%, not 7%. But more to the point- skyjacking MSRPs on already ordered vehicles is the lowest sort of nasty business practices. At least honor those. But with no pricing competition- the consumer is powerless... but at least he gets spared from the horrors of 'negotiating'. 😆 Pay up, sucker! Will be interesting to watch the stock from here - it's already dropped from its peak of $172 to today's close of $61.

Rivian has announced MSRP price spikes on both the R1T and R1S vehicles, of 17% and 20% respectively, citing "inflationary costs". https://finance.yahoo.com/news/rivian-hikes-vehicle-prices-20-011627886.html For the R1T, that mean the originally-announced $67,500 base price will rise $11,475 to $78,975. For the R1S, it's original $70,000 tag will jump $14,000 to $84,000. Apparently effective immediately, this INCLUDES vehicles already ordered. Customer backlash is already occurring, with buyers threatening to cancel orders. With no dealer network to compete on pricing, this is your new 'no-haggle' mandatory base price. Just don't call it 'bait & switch'. 😉

^ ‘57. saw an approx 5-yr old F-350 crew cab/8-ft bed dually. Except it had dual axles with dual tires, so a total of TEN tires on one pickup.

I looked at one of this generation about 15 years ago, on an old farm. Although I have to have some horsepower in vintage iron (COE excepted), I have to admit that that huge cast iron straight 8 just had something alluring about it.

mercedes might not have to worry about the EQS matching the IC s-class volume; the s-class sales in the US are down to 58% ('21) of what they were just 7 years earlier. If it keeps falling, the EQS won't have to rise much for the 2 volumes to meet. What's interesting to me is- all the pre-production press on the EQS showed the full-width dash with the 3 screens behind it. Yet when I looked at a couple online local to me, they had a markedly different & cheaper-looking interior. What's the story there? That bottom one is awful!

Well, GM at least is FAR leaner than they were in 2008, so that alone (even if the mindset / SOP was the same) should preclude over-production.

Jives with the other recent survey that said 95% do not plan their next vehicle to be a battery vehicle. NOT good news for OEMs going all in.

No worries: with daimler’s track record on BE’s, the S won’t be a single all electric model until ten years after it should’ve been (so; 2038).

So daimler is going to R&D / engineer a eqs, refine it for 8 years, then drop it as a failure? You’re dreaming- the eqs IS the future s-class. Get use to the ‘best jellybean’ look.

For those lamenting that Chevy 'is becoming a truck brand' :

Who knows what this is?

The years you were referring to were not specified, so pardon me. Referencing 10 or even 5 years ago doesn't make much sense to me, but I'll play. The "crazy amount of autos" actually isn't - annual volumes (passenger + commercial) have been surprisingly consistent within a tight range. 1993-2007 was annually between 10.3m and just over 13m. It dropped with the recession starting in '08 to 8.6m, 5.7m, 7.7m 8.6m thru 2011. 2012 thru 2019 was between 10.3m and 12.1m - or right back to '94-07 levels. 2020 dropped due to the pandemic/supplier issue (chips) to 8.8m. 2021 was 14.9m, which makes the 2-yr average [8.8 + 14.9/2] ... 11.8m. Or right back to '94-07 levels. So where exactly is Mary Barra putting the 'pin' in as far as comparing the future to 'the way things were' ??? If she's talking about pre '08; oops- we already went there. If she's talking about pre '19; oops- we already went there. If she's proposing to restrain production back to pre 1993 levels [6-8m] (and what does the UAW and supplier contracts have to say on that?) ... that's only going to exasperate full MSRP and higher sales numbers. Sure- the OEMs make HUGE profits cutting factory rebates out/down to near nothing... but the consumer doesn't so easily forget getting a 'good deal' vs. 'bait & switch / price gouging'. It's a sticky wicket that is best played by slight corrections instead of a massive shift. If ANYTHING is going to spur 'discount slapping', it'll be sudden price jumps of $5-$15 grand in asking prices.

KN niro : $25K KN niro EV : $40K KN sorrento : $30K KN sorrento plug-in : $45K KN k5 : $24K KN EV6 (almost identical-sized) : $36K. It will be interesting to see if the KN demographic supports these price tiers.

It's 41 grand for a KN; it's already overpriced.

Where are stored '21 vehicles selling with "heavy discounts"?? GM just sent a memo discouraging charging TOO MUCH. In fact, GM completely eliminated all factory rebates for a huge chunk of last year. Welcome to the new reality; price gouging straight from the manufacturer with basically no competitive pricing via the dealer. ENJOY!!

Pininfarina styling proposal of a 'Buick Lido' (not penned by Buick) ~

My grandfather lived to be 6 wks shy of his 101st, my father is in very good health having just turned 80… but 2060 will put me closer to 101 than 80. 😬 I may not WANT to still be around.

How did I 'skip' that? I literally stated that IC vehicles will never be gone in our lifetimes. A 2030 IC vehicle will be around in 2060... and I may well not be.