by Jim Stickford

The Super Bowl and Ground-hog Day both fell on Feb. 2 thisyear – a fact that FCA was able touse to create what many calledthe best Super Bowl commercialof 2020.FCA’s commercial featured co-

median Bill Murray recreating hisroll from the classic 1993 film,“Groundhog Day.” In that movie,Murray’s character is stuck in atime loop that keeps repeatingthe same Groundhog Day.The FCA commerical featured

Murray waking up and realizinghe’s stuck in the GroundhogDay loop again, but when hewalks outside, he sees a newJeep Gladiator and says, "That’snew." Murray then takes theJeep and the groundhog usedin the annual ceremony andgoes on adventures. Now every-time he wakes up, he’s excited

®Detroit Auto Scene ®

VOL. 88 NO. 5 FEBRUARY 10, 2020FIRST IN THE HEART OF DETROIT: ESTABLISHED 1933 AND 1976

info@detroitautoscene.com

®TechCenterNews®

OEMs’ Financial Reports Show Different Levels of ProfitabilityGeneral Motors Co. reported

solid 2019 full-year earnings thatwere heavily impacted by a workstoppage in the third and fourthquarters.However, underlying perform-

ance remained strong, said GMChief Financial Officer DhivyaSuryadevara, driven by sales ofGM’s new full-size pickups andthe company’s ongoing cost ac-tions.That’s what the company told

investors in the earnings and2020 financial report presentedto the public on Feb. 5.The company’s financial re-

port stated that GM made a $6.7

billion profit for the year despitelosses it took in the fourth quar-ter related to the lenghty strikeby UAW employees.The report stated that “four

weeks of vehicle productionwere lost in the fourth quarterdue to the work stoppage, re-ducing wholesales by 191,000units year over year. The netstrike impact to fourth quar-ter EBIT-adjusted was $2.6 bil-lion, or $1.39 per diluted-adjust-ed share. For the full year, thestrike reduced EBIT-adjustedby $3.6 billion and lowered ad-justed auto free cash flow by$5.4 billion.

That was the bad news. Thecompany declared that its pick-up truck portfolio was in goodshape and that “Chevrolet andGMC full-size pickups droveGM’s underlying business per-formance in 2019. Combinedsales of the Chevrolet Silveradoand the GMC Sierra were strong,totaling 802,962 pickups, whilecombined retail market sharegrew almost one full percent-age point, according to J.D. Pow-er. The final variants of the Silver-ado and Sierra heavy-duty pick-ups launched in the fourth quar-

GM Earns $6.7B for 2019 Despite Lengthy UAW Strike

MILAN (AP) – Record U.S. salesof Ram trucks and the launch ofthe new Jeep Gladiator helpedfourth-quarter profits at FiatChrysler Automobiles grow bymore than a third, the U.S.-Italiancompany reported Feb. 6.Fiat Chrysler, which is in the

process of merging with Frenchrival PSA Peugeot, reported netprofit in the three months endedDec. 31 of 1.58 billion euros($1.74 billion), up from 1.17 bil-lion euros last year.CEO Mike Manley called 2019

“a historic year” for the compa-ny, citing its strengthened finan-cial position, key product invest-

ments and the nearly $50 billionmerger agreement with PSA Peu-geot.Its North America division re-

ported record adjusted earningsbefore taxes, depreciation andamortization of over 2 billion eu-ros. It accounted for 97 percentof adjusted EBIT generatedworld-wide.That was against losses in Asia

and at luxury carmaker Maseratiand declining profits in Europeand the Middle East. Outside ofNorth America, only Latin Ameri-ca contributed to boosting quar-terly profits, up 9 percent to 135million euros.

During the full year, Ram salesin the United States soared 18percent, led by the Ram Heavy-Duty, Ram 1500 and Ram 1500 SClassic.Still, 2019 global deliveries

were down 9 percent, to 4.4 mil-lion units, which Fiat Chryslersaid was due to dealer stock re-ductions in North American, low-er shipments by the joint venturein China along with efforts to de-stock and discontinued productsin Europe.The company confirmed 2020

guidance of adjusted earnings

FCA Cites 2019 ‘Historic Year’ Because of Merger, Profits

Ford vehicle sales kept ontrucking for the year 2019, withthe F-150 pickup truck leading allvehicle sales in the United Statesfor the 43rd year in a row, accord-ing to Ford spokesman Said Deep.Ford truck sales for the year,

including pickups and vans,climbed 9.1 percent with morethan 1.24 million trucks sold. Inthe fourth quarter of 2019, Ford’soverall truck sales closed strong,increasing 15.9 percent.It was Ford’s best overall fourth

quarter truck sales result since2001, Deep said, and the F-Seriesachieved its 43rd straight year asAmerica’s best-selling pickup.

“America’s best-selling brandfor the past decade is on a roll,"said Mark LaNeve, Ford vicepresident, U.S. Marketing, Salesand Service. "F-Series celebrates43 years as the country’s fa-vorite truck and 38 years asits overall vehicle, and Transitstood at the top of the vanpodium again.“We promised a winning port-

folio and that’s what we’re deliv-ering with more on the way, in-cluding Mustang Mach-E, an all-new F-150 and the return of Bron-co. It’s going to be an excitingyear for new product at Ford.”But the good news didn’t end

with the F-Series, Deep said. TheRanger finished its best salesquarter since its reintroductionin early 2019.Combined sales of F-Series and

Ranger totaled almost 1 millionpickups at 986,097 vehicles for

Ford Looks to 2020 as 2019 Financial Figures Disappoint

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Trucks like the 2020 GMC Canyon in GM’s portfolio proved a success.

Vehicles like the 2020 Ram 1500 drove profits for FCA in 2019.

Ford said cars like E-Mach will help the bottom line this year.

view this week’s edition at DetroitAutoScene.com

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

FCA Super Bowl Success Repeats With its Ground Hog Ad

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

WASHINGTON (AP) – HyundaiMotors is suspending produc-tion in South Korea, a sign thatthe economic fallout from Chi-na's viral outbreak is spreading.For other companies bracing

for losses from coronavirus, thedamage has so far been delayed,thanks to a stroke of timing: Theoutbreak hit just when Chinesefactories and many businesseswere closed anyway to let work-ers travel home for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday .But the respite won’t last.If much of industrial China re-

mains on lockdown for the nextfew weeks -- a very real possibili-ty -- Western retailers, auto com-panies and manufacturers thatdepend on Chinese imports willstart to run out of the goodsthey depend on.In order to meet deadlines for

summer goods, retail expertssay that Chinese factories wouldneed to start ramping up pro-duction by March 15. If Chinesefactories were instead to remainidle through May 1, it would like-ly cripple retailers’ crucial back-to-school and fall seasons.

Auto IndustryAmong ThoseHurt by Virus

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4Murray’s commercial featuring his character from “Ground Hog Day” proved to be popular with ad experts.

PAGE 2 FEBRUARY 10, 2020DETROIT AUTO SCENE - TECH CENTER NEWS

Ford has some super newsabout its super car.Ford Performance revealed its

upgrades to the Ford GT super-car for 2020, including increasedengine power to 660 horsepowerand improved cooling, said Fordspokesman Jiyan Cadiz.Much of the 2020 Ford GT’s ad-

vancements are a result of Ford’scontinuous technological innova-tion, especially GT’s 3.5-liter Eco-Boost twin-turbo V6, said EdKrenz, Ford Performance chiefprogram engineer.“Ford GT continues to be the

pinnacle of Ford performance,”said Krenz. “GT is always the ulti-mate expression of Ford racing in-novation, and as we know fromthe 1966 Le Mans through today,that means constantly raising ourgame for our customers as well asearning the checkered flag.”Beyond 13 additional horse-

power compared to 2017-19 GTsupercars, the 2020 GT’s Eco-Boost engine features a broadertorque band and revised enginecalibration plus mechanical up-grades that include gallery-cooled pistons and higher-energyignition coils, thanks to lessonslearned from the limited-edition,track-only GT Mk II, Krenz said.Additional engine cooling and

airflow updates includes newbuttress air ducts designed to in-crease air flow by 50 percentwhile larger intercoolers keepcharge air temperatures cooler,preserving peak power for themost strenuous, high-tempera-ture sessions at the track.Suspension damping is in-

creased in track mode to furtherenhance handling and body con-trol, particularly for those high-speed transient sections ofclosed-course circuits.Ford Performance is also intro-

ducing the premium Akrapovič ti-tanium exhaust as standardequipment for GT, Krenz said.

Boasting the signature crafts-manship of these renowned raceexperts, this exhaust provides anine-pound weight savings overthe previous system while “fea-turing that deeply resonant, un-mistakable sound emanatingfrom the more powerful Eco-Boost engine,” Krenz said.Newly available Ford GT Liquid

Carbon places an emphasis onGT’s lightweight sculpted carbonfiber body completely free ofpaint color.A special clearcoat punctuates

each GT’s unique carbon fiberweave in this limited-edition ap-pearance option.“This next chapter in the Ford

GT story allows us to fullydemonstrate our mastery in boththe art and science of carbonfiber craftsmanship and finish-

ing,” said Angus Smith, GeneralManager of Multimatic Niche Ve-hicles, North America. “The re-sults of this ongoing partnershipbetween Multimatic and FordPerformance speak for them-selves, as each visually stunningand unique Liquid Carbon GT is amanufacturing marvel, showcas-ing the characteristics and nu-ances inherent in carbon fibercomposites.”Ford GT Liquid Carbon fea-

tures carbon fiber wheels asstandard equipment. Owners canchoose titanium lugnuts, six-point racing harness anchors,five interior options and fivecaliper colors, Cadiz said.Further personalization is

available through two over-the-top stripe options – the dual cen-ter stripes offered on the stan-

dard Ford GT or the single stripefound on the Carbon Series aswell as optional painted mirrorcaps.Stripes and mirror caps are

available in any of the sevenstandard paint colors as well asthe extended color palette, Cadizsaid. For the first time, these fea-tures can be ordered independ-ently of one another.Ford Performance is also up-

dating GT’s iconic heritage liverywith a new design that includes ablack pinstripe to divide the dis-tinct blue and orange colors, re-calling the 1968-69 Le Mans-win-ning GT40.The optional carbon fiber num-

ber switches from 9 on the 2019model to 6 for 2020, matchingthat of the historic back-to-backwinning car, chassis No. 1075.

Ford GT’s Slick Look Possible Via New Liquid Carbon Fiber

The newly-available Ford GT places an emphasis on a sculpted look and its lightweight body.

Registration is now open foremployers interested in partici-pating in the annual MacombCommunity College and City ofWarren job fair to be heldWednesday, April 22, 4 – 7 p.m.,at the Sports & Expo Center onthe college’s South Campus inWarren.Employers have until March

31 to register and pay the $100entry fee per table. The fair typi-cally attracts more than 1,100job seekers, said Sean Patrick,MCC manager of Media Rela-tions. The annual job fair is opento community members as wellas current and former MCC stu-dents, and allows employers tomeet a diverse group of qualifiedcandidates and conduct prelimi-nary informational interviewson-site.Employers are encouraged to

register as soon as possible asspace is limited. Registration isnot complete until payment is re-ceived. Both registration andpayment by credit card can bedone online at macomb.edu/mcl-employer.For more information, contact

the college’s Career Services of-fice at 586.445.7321 or by emailat careerservices@macomb.edu.Macomb Community College

(www.macomb.edu) is one of thenation’s leading community col-leges, providing learning experi-ences to nearly 38,000 studentsannually. Macomb nationallyranks in the top two percent inthe number of associate degreesawarded by community collegesand is one of the largest grantorsof associate degrees in Michigan.The college’s comprehensive ed-ucational programming includespre-collegiate experiences, uni-versity transfer and careerpreparation programs.

MCC Job FairNow SeekingEmployers

by YURI KAGEYAMAAP Business Writer

TOKYO (AP) – Tokyo prosecu-tors issued an arrest warrant lastmonth for Nissan’s former chair-man Carlos Ghosn, who skippedbail while awaiting trial in Japanand is now in Lebanon.Japan has no extradition treaty

with Lebanon, so he’s unlikely tobe arrested. Lebanon has indicat-ed it will not hand over Ghosn.Tokyo prosecutors also issued

arrest warrants for three Ameri-cans they said helped andplanned his escape, Michael Tay-lor, George-Antoine Zayek andPeter Taylor.Deputy Chief Prosecutor

Takahiro Saito declined to saywhere the three men werethought to be staying. He saidMichael Taylor and George Zayekare suspected of helping Ghosnflee by hiding him in cargo at aJapanese airport and getting himinto a private jet to leave thecountry.Saito would not say if Japan

has asked U.S. authorities forhelp, though he said all optionswere being explored. Japan andthe U.S. have an extraditiontreaty.Michael Taylor is a former

Green Beret and private securityspecialist. Peter Taylor appearsto be his son. Security footage re-leased earlier showed Zayek andTaylor transiting Istanbul Airportat the same time Ghosn allegedlypassed through Turkey on hisway to Beirut.Prosecutors suspect Peter Tay-

lor met several times with Ghosnin Tokyo, starting in July lastyear, to plot his escape. Saitosaid Ghosn was given a key to ahotel room in Osaka near theKansai Airport that Ghosn leftfrom.Prosecutors say Ghosn broke

the law by violating bail condi-tions that required him to stay inJapan, mostly at his Tokyo home.

“We want to stress that the actof fleeing was clearly wrong,"Saito told reporters. “We need toerase the misunderstanding."Separately, Saito said prosecu-

tors on Jan. 29 forced open a lockto search the Tokyo office ofGhosn’s former defense lawyerJunichiro Hironaka for records ofpeople Ghosn met with while outon bail, and other materials.Prosecutors are asking a judgefor help in accessing contents ofa computer Ghosn used at Hiron-aka’s office that the lawyer hasrefused to hand over, citing attor-ney-client privilege.Ghosn has said he is innocent

of allegations he under-reported

his future income and committeda breach of trust by diverting Nis-san money for his personal gain.He says the compensation wasnever decided on or received,and the Nissan payments werefor legitimate business purposes.Ghosn has lashed out at the

Japanese judicial system, sayinghe fled because he could not ex-pect a fair trial, was subjected tounfair conditions in detentionand was barred from meeting hiswife under his bail conditions.He contends others at Nissan

Motor Co., which he led for twodecades, drove him out to pre-vent a fuller merger with itsFrench alliance partner Renault.

FEBRUARY 10, 2020 PAGE 3DETROIT AUTO SCENE - TECH CENTER NEWS

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Call it fishing where the fishare.General Motors will open a

new technical center focused onperformance and racing in theCharlotte, North Carolina region,a major racing hub in the UnitedStates.The facility will expand GM’s

performance and racing capabili-ties, with a focus on transferringknowledge and resources fromthe racing programs to core vehi-cle engineering, said GMspokesman Stefan Cross.The goal for the new Charlotte

Technical Center is to eventuallyhouse future technology and en-gineering development capabili-ties.The 75,000-square-foot facility

will be located in Concord, NC,off Interstate 85 and less than 10miles from the Charlotte MotorSpeedway.The new technical center will

provide an opportunity to recruitpotential GM employees from thegrowing pool of technical talentin the Charlotte area. It's expect-ed to open by mid-2020.“We’re thrilled to expand GM’s

U.S. footprint by establishing agreater presence in Charlotte, acommunity that has become aracing and engineering mecca,”said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S.vice president of Performanceand Motorsports.“The new facility will be close

to a number of key Chevrolet andCadillac racing partners, teamsand suppliers. This will allow forimproved collaboration as wellas access to some of the indus-try’s best talent.”The new technical center pro-

vides GM the opportunity to ex-pand and enhance its support forChevrolet NASCAR race teams aswell as various other GM racingteams.

The facility will feature Driver-in-the-Loop simulators, vehiclesimulation, aero developmentand other practices designed toadvance racing and productioncapabilities.“Chevrolet and Cadillac Racing

are two of the winningest brandsin motorsports. This new facilitywill build upon their legacies andhopefully lead to even more suc-cess on the track,” said Camp-bell. “Racing helps us acceleratethe development, performanceand popularity of our cars andtrucks across the world.”Development technologies of-

ten make their way from the rac-ing world to production vehicles,said.Computational Fluid Dynam-

ics, scale model testing androlling wind-tunnel testing wereall pioneered in racing and arenow used extensively in produc-tion vehicle development.

GM’s Latest Tech Center Devoted to RacingThis rendering shows what GM’s auto racing tech center in Charlotte, N.C., will look like once it’s completed.

Japanese Government Going After Ghosn

Altair of Troy, a global tech-nology company providing solu-tions in product development,high-performance computingand data analytics, said the 2020Altair Enlighten Awards is nowopen for submissions.Presented jointly with the Cen-

ter for Automotive Research(CAR), the 8th Annual EnlightenAwards were created to acknowl-edge the world’s best initiativesto reduce vehicle weight andmeet emissions targets, inspiringbreakthrough innovations topush the industry towards amore sustainable future.Recognizing commercial auto-

motive lightweighting achieve-ments and technologies, the En-lighten Awards will be presentedin four categories Full Vehicle –exceptional achievement in thelightweighting of an entire vehi-cle.

Module – innovation in thelightweighting of a subsystem orcomponent and Enabling Tech-nology – any technology that en-ables lightweight innovation in avehicle, such as a material orjoining technology as well as Fu-ture of Lightweighting – innova-tive ideas, processes, materials,and technologies that have sig-nificant potential to supportlightweighting initiatives.“At Altair, when we contem-

plate the perils of global warm-ing and climate change, we think‘what can we do to help?’ We be-lieve passionately that our solu-tions help customers fundamen-tally rethink and redesign vehi-cles to reduce weight without re-ducing performance,” said JamesScapa, Altair’s CEO.To submit an entry please visit

altair.com/enlighten-award/. En-tries must in by May 31, 2020.

‘Light’ Nominations Sought

“There’s complete uncertain-ty,” said Steve Pasierb, CEO ofthe Toy Industry Association.“This could be huge if it goes onfor months.”Wuhan, the Chinese city where

the outbreak hit hardest, is acenter of automotive production.It’s been closed off, along withneighboring cities, isolatingmore than 50 million people andbringing factories to a standstill.So far, U.S. automakers haven’t

had to curb production for wantof Chinese parts. But DavidCloss, professor emeritus atMichigan State University’s De-partment of Supply Chain Man-agement, said the clock is tick-ing.“I would say it’s weeks at the

most,” Closs said. “One to two tothree weeks.”The partial shutdown of

Wuhan has already harmed theproduction of TV display panelsand raised prices, according to areport by research group IHSMarkit.David Hsieh, an analyst at IHS

Markit, said in a report that“these factories are facing short-ages of both labor and key com-

ponents as a result of mandatesdesigned to limit the contagion’sspread,” leading suppliers toraise panel prices more aggres-sively.In the meantime, economists

are sharply downgrading the out-look for China’s economy, theworld’s second-biggest. TommyWu and Louis Kuijs of OxfordEconomics have slashed theirforecast for Chinese economicgrowth this year from 6 percentto 5.4 percent. They expect mostof the damage to be inflicted inthe first three months of 2020.“But a more serious and long-

lasting impact cannot be ruledout,” they wrote Feb. 4.Forecasters are contending

with unknowns. No one knowshow long the outbreak will last,how much damage it will causeor how policymakers will re-spond to the threat.“We’re grasping for prece-

dents,” said Phil Levy, chief econ-omist at the freight companyFlexport who was an economicadviser in the administration ofPresident George W. Bush.Some look back to the SARS

outbreak, which paralyzed theChinese economy for the firstfew months of 2003. But the dam-age from SARS faded quickly:China was booming again byyear’s end.And the world economy

emerged mostly unscathed.But times have changed in

ways that are not favorable tocontaining the economic dam-age.The health crisis coincides

with an especially difficult timefor China’s factories. Many aremoving to Vietnam or other low-wage countries to dodge Presi-dent Donald Trump’s taxes onChinese-made goods.The coronavirus, along with

fears that U.S.-China tensionsover trade and geopolitics willpersist, gives them one more rea-son to reduce their reliance onChina.

PAGE 4 FEBRUARY 10, 2020DETROIT AUTO SCENE - TECH CENTER NEWS

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to meet the day because he getsto go Jeeping.CNN wrote, “Bill Murray in a

‘Groundhog Day’ spoof -- reunit-ed with co-stars like Stephen To-bolowsky -- on Groundhog Day?The closest the day came to ad-vertising perfection.”The Murray Jeep ad trended

number one on Google as well asUSA Today’s “Ad Meter.” It alsowas the top ad on iSpot.tv.In addition to the USA Today

Ad Meter accolade, “GroundhogDay” was ranked by Adweek asthe number one Super Bowl com-mercial in 2020 and AdvertisingAge gave the commercial a ratingof "five footballs," one of onlyfour brands to receive that high-est ranking.Across all Jeep brand digital

and social channels, the videohas been viewed 85,020,893times from the time it launchedat 6 a.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 2,through Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 6 a.m.ET.Additionally, visits to Jeep.com

were up 50 percent on Sunday,Feb. 2, over the January daily av-erage, while lower funnel activity(LFA) is currently up 18 percentover average, said FCA spokes-woman Diane Morgan. Also, theJeep Gladiator vehicle landingpage visits on Sunday, Feb. 2,were up 261 percent from theJanuary daily average, coming inat the second highest volume af-ter the November 2018 reveal ofthe vehicle at the Los AngelesAuto Show.Jeep Gladiator LFAs were also

up 96 percent the day of thegame, Feb. 2.

Getting Murray to appear in atelevision commercial wasn’teasy, said Olivier Francois, chiefmarketing officer, FCA.“In my wildest dreams, any ad-

vertiser’s dream, really, couldyou dare to believe that Bill Mur-ray would agree to be in your Su-per Bowl commercial, and on topof that, ask him to relive his icon-ic role in ‘Groundhog Day’?”asked Francois.“How do you even have that

make sense and not be forced?Magic first happened when I hadthe incredible luck to meet Bill inperson a few years ago, and Iknew then that he was perfectfor Jeep. Because like Jeep, Bill isa free spirit, he intentionallyseeks out ways to find adventureand live an extraordinary life.”Francois said that “when we

learned that Groundhog Day fellon Super Bowl Sunday for thesecond time in 54 years, wecouldn’t help but take thatchance. The stars magicallyaligned. Bill agreed to do the firstnational broadcast commercialin which he’s ever appeared, andnot only that, relive his role asPhil Connors for our Jeep Gladia-tor. But this time, in our spot, thehero makes a different choice bychoosing a different pickup truck– the Jeep Gladiator – and itchanges everything for him.”“This is my first commercial. I’m

glad I did it with you (Jeep),” saidBill Murray. “And I'm glad that thisis my last commercial, as well.”The Jeep brand commercial

was created in partnership withChicago-based agency Highdive,the Jeep Brand Agency of Recordand 2019 Ad Age Small Agency ofthe Year (Midwest, Gold).

FCA Super Bowl CommercialRepeats Company’s Success

OEMs’ Financials Varied in FY 2019

ter, completing the company’sfull-size pickup truck lineup. GMwill now benefit from a fullyear of these highly profitable ve-hicles in 2020.”The Associated Press reported

that, excluding one-time itemsfor employee separations andthe sale of a Chinese joint ven-ture, GM made 5 cents per share,soundly beating Wall Street esti-mates. Analysts polled by Fact-Set expected a profit of 1 centper share.Revenue for the quarter was

$30.8 billion, down almost 20 per-cent from a year ago. That fellshort of Wall Street estimates of$31.2 billion.The company still made $8.2

billion in North America for thefull year, so about 44,000 U.S. fac-tory workers will get $8,000 prof-it-sharing checks this month.That’s down from $10,750 in2018.GM said the strike, which ran

from Sept. 16 through Oct. 25,cost the company sales of191,000 vehicles and cut quarter-ly pretax earnings by $1.39 pershare. For the full year, the strike

cost GM $1.89 per share, thecompany said.The strike paralyzed GM’s U.S.

factories and cut production inMexico and Canada before it wassettled.Shares of GM rose 2.2 percent

in premarket trading to $35.15.GM said it expects pretax earn-

ings of $5.75 to $6.25 per sharethis year, about flat with 2019when strike costs and profitsfrom its investment in the Lyftride-hailing company and stockwarrants in France’s PSA Peugeotare backed out.Globally, GM’s vehicle sales fell

nearly 8 percent to just over 7.7million last year. In the U.S., salesdropped 2.5 percent.Strong U.S. pickup truck sales

helped GM weather the strikeand other financial headwinds,Suryadevara said Feb. 5. Thecompany rolled out new light-and heavy-duty pickups duringthe year, gaining a full point inmarket share of sales to individ-ual buyers, she said.The company’s 2020 outlook

is supported by more newproducts coming this year, in-cluding the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and Cadillac Escalade

SUVs and two new Cadillacsedans, she said.Government steps to stop the

Coronavirus from spreading haveforced GM to close 15 assemblyplants there, and Suryadevarasaid it’s too soon to talk abouthow long it will take to reopenthe factories. “We’ve activatedcontingency plans across the en-terprise,” she said. “People areworking around the clock heretrying to mitigate the impact ofthis going forward. But it’s reallyearly days and it’s very fluid.”Suryadevara said parts flow

from Chinese factories to GM’sU.S. factories and other plantsaround the world. The companyis looking at what vehicles couldbe affected by a prolonged short-age if Chinese factories stayclosed.“It’s an integrated supply

chain,” she said. “We are lookingat all of that and figuring outwhat are the key components,which are the vehicles that areimpacted and which are the trimsand models that are impactedand what we can do for each ofthose parts to mitigate the im-pact,” she said. “We’ll have moreto say as the situation unfolds.”

GM Earns Billions for 2019 Despite Lengthy UAW StrikeCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the year – an increase of 8.4 per-cent. Ranger fourth quarter saleshit 33,059 pickups for the quar-ter, totaling 89,571 for the year.As America’s best-selling com-

mercial van line, Ford’s overallvan sales delivered their bestfourth-quarter results since 1978on sales of 59,930 vans, Deepsaid. For the year, Ford van salestotaled 240,529 vehicles – a 10.5percent gain.Additionally, Ford Expedition

sales posted their best results inover a decade, while EcoSporthad its best sales year sincelaunch, Deep said.Expedition sales accelerated in

the fourth quarter with a gain of71.6 percent, while the affordablypriced EcoSport reported gainsof 19.1 percent for the year, saidLaNeve.Ford Explorer sales gained big.

In the fourth quarter, on im-proved availability, sales of thenew Ford Explorer continued toexpand – totaling 48,083 SUVs.This represents a 52.4 percent in-crease over third-quarter vol-umes, LaNeve said.In December, Explorer had its

strongest monthly retail sales

performance since its launch inJune.Sales of America’s best-selling

sports car, the Ford Mustang,saw a strong gain of 20.4 percentin the final quarter of the year onsales of 17,124 cars, Deep said.Overall, Mustang sales totaled72,489 cars this year, making itAmerica’s best-selling sports carfor a fifth straight year. Mustangbegan its first sales of GT500 inQ4, with GT350/GT500 sales up35.2 percent.And the good news was not

limited to just sports cars. TheLincoln SUVs had their best an-nual sales results since 2003 onsales of 87,893 SUVs. In thefourth quarter, Lincoln SUVswere up 30.9 percent, making itLincoln’s best Q4 sales perform-ance for its SUVs since 2001,Deep said.Overall, Lincoln continued its

growth with the strong perform-ance of its new products, Deepsaid. As Aviator stock levelsbuild and Aviator Grand Touringmodels are added, sales contin-ued to climb, posting sales of6,424 in the fourth quarter. Avia-tor had its best sales perform-ance in December with 2,810 SU-Vs sold. Lincoln Corsair contin-

ues to grow, representing 43 per-cent of Corsair/MKC retail salesmix in December.Sales numbers for 2019 com-

pared to 2018:• Ford – 2,310,494 comparedto 2,393,731 for a 3.5 percentdecline;

• Lincoln – 112,204 versus103,587 for an 8.3 percent in-crease;

• Total sales for all Fordbrands – 2,422,698 versus2,497,318 for a 3 percent de-cline.

Deep said that, overall, Fordsaw a 28.2 percent decline insales of traditional cars. Thecompany sold a total of 349,091in 2019 compared to 486,024 in2018. Sales of traditional cars, hesaid, will continue to drop overtime as Ford stops making mostmodels.SUV sales went from 872,215 in

2018 to 830,471 in 2019 for a 4.8percent drop. But sales of truckswent from 1,139,079 in 2018 to1,243,136 in 2019 for a 9.1 per-cent increase.The Associated Press reported

that overall vehicle sales in theNorth American market for OEMbrands dropped 1.2 percent in2019.

Ford Looks to 2020 as 2019 Financial Figures DisappointCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

before taxes, depreciation andamortization above 7 billion eu-ros, and industrial cash flow ofmore than 2 billion euros.FCA also announced the com-

pany’s profit-sharing figures for2019.

Based on the Company’s2019 financial performance, FCAUS LLC announced today that

the eligible profit sharing amountof $7,280 will be paid to UAW-rep-resented employees on March13, 2020. Approximately 44,000employees are eligible to receivethe payment.With this payment, U.S. hourly

employees have received on av-erage more than $36,000 in profitsharing since 2009.The 2019 profit sharing pay-

ment was calculated on the

terms negotiated as part of the2015 FCA-UAW Collective Bar-gaining Agreement. It is based onthe adjusted EBIT margin per-formance of the North Americanregion reported in the FCA N.V. fi-nancial results and on individualcompensated hours.In total, FCA has invested more

than $14 billion and created near-ly 30,000 new jobs in the U.S.since 2009.

FCA Cites 2019 ‘Historic Year’ Because of Merger, ProfitsCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Virus Hurts OEMs’ Supplies

Who says the next generationof automobiles will be dull todrive and look at? Not the peopleat FCA.The automaker recently un-

veiled its “Airflow Vision” con-cept vehicle in Las Vegas at theJanuary Consumer ElectronicsShow.The Airflow Vision is a sculptural

design concept that envisions thenext generation of premium trans-portation and User Experience(UX) by considering how the driv-er and passengers could interactwith advanced technologies, saidFCA spokesman Nick Cappa. It iscreated for customers with an on-the-go lifestyle and a desire for afirst-class travel experience whilebalancing their technology needswithin a serene environment.Inside, UX plays a prominent

role and is designed to be a capti-vating experience using multi-lay-ered, high-contrast graphics andthoughtful details that provide aclean, sophisticated appearance.Built on the principles of depth,hierarchy, consistency and legi-bility, the user will be able to seeand experience the interface in away that is safe, easy to use andunderstand.Using a menu-based format,

screens can be personalized,simplified and grouped to indi-vidual needs and interests, Cap-pa said.Offering multiple display

screens, the user can accessneeded information and deter-mine how it’s displayed. Informa-tion on the screens can be

shared with all passengers byswiping, allowing each passengerto participate in the experience.Customization and personaliza-tion are key, whether driving oracting as a co-pilot.A simple, modern and spa-

cious interior, accented by alight, calming color palette, of-fers passengers a home-away-from-home environment and afirst-class travel experience. Us-ing the dimensions and flat-loadfloor of the Chrysler PacificaPHEV, the interior creates a spa-cious environment for all occu-pants.Premium suede and leather

materials are abundant, offeringluxurious touchpoints to its oc-cupants, said Cappa. Seating us-es a unique slim structure thatrests on a pedestal base, enhanc-ing comfort and roominess andallowing for maximum legroom,shoulder space and personalstorage for each passenger.Functional and ambient light-

ing enables the driver and pas-sengers to create a personalizedinner sanctum, he said.“Outside,” said Cappa, “the Air-

flow Vision captures a new pro-portion with an elegant and cleandesign statement, and hints atthe future of premium design. Itfeatures an athletic profile, longwheelbase, sleek lines and widestance that creates a dramaticpersona and aggressive, yet ele-gant silhouette.“Simplified to its purest artistic

expression, the Airflow Visionreimagines a muscular body that

flows into and becomes one withthe wheels. The wheels are in-spired by mechanical elementsof an electric motor and give thesense of motion similar to the in-ternal mechanisms of a watch.”Crystalized textures through-

out the vehicle, he said, add asense of precision and intricatetransition from exterior to interi-or. LED crystal lighting flowsseamlessly into a cross-car bladethat conveys a commandingpresence.The Airflow Vision’s dramatic

expression is completed by anArctic White body color that con-veys a sense of calm and serenityand is supported with a CelestialBlue underbody, Cappa said.

®TechCenterNews®

FEBRUARY 10, 2020 PAGE 5DETROIT AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING AND TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES

William Springer II, publisherLisa A. Torretta, operationsJim Stickford, editorDetroit Auto Scene and Tech Center Newsare registered trademark and property ofSpringer Publishing Co., a Mich. corporation.

Info@TechCenterNews.comwww.DetroitAutoScene.com

586-939-6800

Deadline: Thursday 5:00 p.m.for the next edition of Monday

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• Winter Games • Polar Bear Dip• Ice Fishing Contest • Broom Ball• DJ • Beer Tent • Chili Cook-Off

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FCA’s Airflow Concept Vehicle Points Way to Future Design

The concept vehicle by FCA shows how future cars have individualized seats in the rear of the vehicle.

This concept interior has an uncluttered look along with new tech.

Cerence Inc. of Massachusettshas introduced new innovationsto its Cerence Drive platform, in-cluding enhanced, button-free in-teraction that leverages voicerecognition, gaze detection,touch, and gesture to create themost natural, human-like in-carexperience available now.At CES 2020, Cerence show-

cased how voice recognition andhead tracking can be used to-gether to open windows anddoors, and how the automotiveassistant will bring the outsideworld in, tracking users’ gazecombined with their voice to pro-vide information about points ofinterest outside the car, said Cer-ence spokeswoman Kate Hick-man.Alongside these multi-modal

innovations, the demo featuredintelligent voice traffic notifica-tions that use natural languagegeneration to assist drivers with

route selection; new CerenceEmergency Vehicle Detection;and Cerence’s new Car Life suiteof solutions that support driversthrough the entirety of the carownership life cycle.In addition, Cerence Drive now

includes gesture-based interac-tion with a windshield user inter-face. Drivers can use gestures tomove, select and interact withon-windshield widgets for turn-by-turn navigation, music, weath-er, and more.For example, the driver can

use a grab-and-drop motion com-bined with eye tracking to movethe navigation widget in front ofthe passenger so they can serveas the “co-pilot,” or use a tappingmotion to pause and un-pausethe music or move to the nexttrack.“We believe that the best in-car

experience is one that makes in-teracting with your car as close

to interacting with another hu-man as possible: a multi-sensory,conversational experience inwhich voice, eye movements,and gestures are all part of the in-teraction,” said Sanjay Dhawan,CEO, Cerence.“What we’re showcasing at

CES, especially gesture-based in-teraction, does just that, and cre-ates a safe, productive, entertain-ing environment that will be coreto the automotive experienceboth now and in the level-threeand beyond autonomous vehi-cles of the future.”The Cerence booth also fea-

tured first-of-its-kind voice andmulti-modal interaction in an au-tonomous, electric and sharedvehicle, in partnership with e.GOMOOVE GmbH and Saint-GobainSekurit.For those interested in learn-

ing about Cerence, please con-tact press@cerence.com.

Company Shows its Voice Recognition Tech

When is the space under thehood of a car actually a foodcooler? When it’s under the hoodof the upcoming Ford Mach-E.

“Kansas City football fans canbask in the glory of a worldchampionship – at least for thenext six months or so – but forfans across the country, it’s nottoo early to start thinking aboutnext season. Specifically, the tail-gating,” said Ford spokeswomanEmma Bergg.

“Here are four ways footballfans can elevate their tailgatesfor next season with the all-elec-tric Mustang Mach-E’s fronttrunk, or frunk, a 4.8-cubic-footplastic space – the equivalent toa 36-gallon cooler – that sits un-derneath the hood. (In a gas-

powered vehicle, where the en-gine is typically located.)”

The trunk in the front is aboutthe size of a large cooler, so fanscan forget about lugging a heavycooler to a tailgate, Bergg said."Just fill the front trunk with iceand beverages and cruise rightup to your tailgate. When you’redone, open the drain cap at thebottom of the front trunk and letgravity do the rest.

“Sign up to bring a gamedayspread best served chilled? Topoff the frunk with some shavedice to keep veggies, dips andeven shrimp cold and ready toeat,” Bergg said. “Feed an entireteam by loading the front trunkwith hot wings: you can holdmore than 1,000 regular-sized

wings with the extra storagespace. And don’t worry aboutthe sauce – you can open thedrain cap and hose down thefront trunk when you get home.”

Deliveries of the electric SUVbegin late 2020. Reserve the Mus-tang Mach-E to secure yours fornext season.

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PAGE 6 FEBRUARY 10, 2020DETROIT AUTO SCENE - TECH CENTER NEWS

The space normally used for an engine can be used for all sorts of different things in Ford’s Mach-E Mustang.

The Mach-E ‘Frunk’ Offers New Possibilities

Ford Motor Company hasnamed Jim Farley as chief oper-ating officer of Ford, reporting toJim Hackett, the company’s pres-ident and CEO, as Ford continuesto carry out its Creating Tomor-row Together strategic plan.

Ford also announced on Feb. 7that Joe Hinrichs is retiring asFord’s president, Automotive, af-ter a highly accomplished 19-year career with the company.

The press release announcingthe changes said the move wasdone because Ford is movingwith urgency to fully integrateand accelerate its transformationinto a higher-growth, higher-mar-gin business by leveraging smart,connected vehicles and services.

Since 2017, Ford has made im-portant progress in transformingthe company in the face ofsweeping technological changeand disruption in the auto indus-try while working to improve thefitness of its base business – re-structuring operations, invigor-ating the product portfolio andreducing bureaucracy.

“Jim Farley is the right personto take on this important newrole,” Hackett said. “Jim’s pas-sion for great vehicles and his in-tense drive for results are wellknown. He also has developed in-to a transformational leader withthe imagination and foresight tohelp lead Ford into the future.”

Farley, 57, joined Ford in 2007as global head of Marketing andSales and went on to lead Lin-coln, Ford South America, Fordof Europe and all Ford globalmarkets in successive roles.Since April, Farley has led Ford’sNew Businesses, Technology &Strategy team, helping the com-pany determine how to capitalizeon the powerful forces reshapingthe industry – such as software

platforms, connectivity, AI, au-tomation and new forms ofpropulsion.

Farley now will lead Ford’sdrive to strengthen its Automo-tive operations and deliver a sus-tainable global EBIT margin of atleast 8 percent. He also will re-tain leadership of Ford SmartMobility, Ford’s AV LLC andFord’s partnership with Argo AI.

“I’m thrilled and humbled bythe opportunity to work with JimHackett and the entire Ford teamto advance our vision to designincreasingly intelligent vehiclesand connect them to the worldaround us, all to make life betterfor our customers and communi-ties,” Farley said. “Ford isblessed with great people and anincredible brand, and togetherwe will build a very bright fu-ture.”

In addition, Ford announcedthat Hau Thai-Tang, chief prod-uct development and purchasingofficer, will take on an expandedrole, reporting to Jim Farley.Thai-Tang, 53, will continue tolead Product Development andPurchasing, while adding respon-sibility for Enterprise ProductLine Management and connectiv-ity.

“Hau will be the primary archi-tect as we bring together the ve-hicle architecture and softwarestack to create products, servic-es and experiences our cus-tomers will love,” Hackett said.“We are moving forward with anintegrated approach to vehiclesand connected services, all an-chored in an obsession for thecustomer, great design and acommitment to strong returns.”

Hackett lauded Hinrichs’ con-tributions to Ford.

All the changes announced willbe effective March 1.

Ford Shakes Up Leadership,Hinrichs to Retire in March

by TOM KRISHERAP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) – Ford is recall-ing its popular F-150 pickuptruck in Canada to fix a problemwith electric tailgate latches, butidentical trucks aren’t being re-called in the U.S.

Ford’s F-Series pickups are thetop-selling vehicles in the U.S.An auto safety advocate says thecompany is avoiding a U.S. recallto save money.

The recall covers nearly90,000 trucks in Canada thatwere built at two U.S. factories.Water can get into the electricalwiring and cause a short-circuitin the electric latch releaseswitch. That can activate theswitch and cause the tailgates toopen unexpectedly, possibly al-lowing unsecured cargo to fallout.

The trucks are from the 2015through 2018 model years.

Ford said in statement that ithas received far fewer reports ofthe problem in the U.S. than inCanada. It said the problem oc-curs mainly in areas of Canadathat are cold and wet and farfrom the U.S. border. Ford says itwill notify U.S. owners that theycan get a free repair if they havethe problem.

But Jason Levine, executive di-rector of the nonprofit Centerfor Auto Safety, said the problemis just as likely to happen in theU.S. as it is in Canada.

“This isn’t about weather andit isn’t about safety,” he said inan e-mail. “It’s about the moneyFord doesn’t want to pay for arecall of its most popular vehiclein America."

The U.S. National HighwayTraffic Safety Administration,the government’s vehicle safetyagency, said it is reviewing F-150data to determine if further ac-tion is needed.

“So far, NHTSA has not seenthe frequency of complaints inthe United States as Canada hason this issue,” the agency said.

In December, Ford recallednearly 262,000 heavy-duty pick-up trucks in both Canada andthe U.S. for a similar electric tail-gate problem. The recall coversF-250, F-350 and F-450 trucksfrom the 2017 through 2019 mod-el years. Trucks with manual tail-gates are not affected.

A Ford spokeswoman said theheavy-duty trucks have differentelectrical systems and a higherrate of problems than the F-150s.

In both the light-duty andheavy-duty recalls, dealers willchange the tailgate frame wiringand install a new tailgate handlerelease switch, Ford said.

Ford sold just over 3.4 millionF-Series pickups in the U.S. from2015 through 2018, and abouttwo-thirds of those were F-150s.Ford only reports a combinednumber for the F-Series and doesnot break out numbers for thelighter-duty F-150s.

Ford has F-150 Tailgate Woes

FEBRUARY 10, 2020 PAGE 7DETROIT AUTO SCENE - TECH CENTER NEWS

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The FCA Foundation is helpingscholars close to home.The Michigan College Access

Network (MCAN) has received a$50,000 grant from the FCA Foun-dation that will enhance pro-grams and activities to helpMichiganders -- particularly low-income students, first-generationcollege-going students and stu-dents of color -- pursue collegeand postsecondary degrees andcredentials, said FCA spokesmanKevin Frazier.The grant, the second of its

kind from the charitable arm ofFiat Chrysler Automobiles, willalso help foster the growth of thecollege-going culture andprocess – particularly in south-eastern Michigan.“This continued investment

will enhance our capacity to in-crease postsecondary attain-ment in Southeast Michigan,”said Ryan Fewins-Bliss, executivedirector of the Michigan CollegeAccess Network. “We appreciatethat the FCA Foundation’s inter-ests align with our central workin the region. They clearly under-stand the need for developingtalent through education.”“Research tells us that educa-

tion, particularly a postsec-ondary education, can have aprofound effect that can extendgenerations into the future,” saidChristine Estereicher, globalchief operating officer for theFCA Foundation.“We are pleased to support

MCAN in its efforts to ensure stu-dents and their families have ac-cess to the knowledge, tools andsupport to make college, and thecompletion of postsecondary de-grees and credentials, a reality.”This funding and these efforts

will help MCAN achieve its “Sixtyby 30” goal – 60 percent of Michi-

gan’s residents will have a post-secondary degree or credentialby 2030.The FCA Foundation, the chari-

table arm of Fiat Chrysler Auto-mobiles, supports organizationsand initiatives that help empow-er people, build strong, resilientcommunities and generate mean-ingful and measurable societalimpacts particularly in the fieldof education, said Frazier.As the leader in the state’s col-

lege access movement, MCANhas a mission to increase Michi-gan’s college readiness, partici-pation and completion rates,particularly among low-incomestudents, first-generation col-lege-going students and studentsof color, Frazier said.For the eighth year in a row,

Michigan’s postsecondary edu-cational attainment rate has in-creased – from 35.7 percent of25-to-64-year-olds possessing atleast an associate degree in 2008,to 41 percent in 2018. Additional-ly, it is estimated another 4 per-cent of Michiganders have apostsecondary certificate, bring-ing Michigan’s official 2019 at-tainment rate to 45 percent.

Michigan Students GettingHelp From FCA Foundation MADISON, Wis. (AP) – An at-

tempt to recover a rare car thatthieves smuggled from Milwau-kee to Europe more than adecade ago can continue, theWisconsin Supreme Court ruledFeb. 4.According to court documents

and Milwaukee Journal Sentinelnewspaper reports, millionaireRoy Leiske’s 1938 Talbot Lago, arare French sports car, wasstolen from the Milwaukee facto-ry where he had been restoring itin March 2001.The vehicle was one of only

about 16 of its kind produced.Justice Brian Hagedorn, writingfor the majority in the ruling,said the car “is considered bysome one of the most beautifuland innovative cars in theworld.”Leiske died in 2005 and be-

queathed the car to his cousin,Richard Mueller, who in turn solda percentage of ownership toJoseph Ford III, a classic car sell-er from Florida. Together theytried to find the car without suc-cess.In 2015, an Illinois dental com-

pany founder Rick Workman pur-chased the car from ChristopherGardner, an American living inSwitzerland.

The asking price? $7.6 million,with $6.8 million going directly toGardner.Gardner shipped the car from

Switzerland to Chicago. Work-man’s holding company –TL90108 LLC, named for the car’sserial number – tried to registerit in Illinois, triggering a hit on astolen vehicle report.A federal grand jury in Milwau-

kee indicted Gardner this pastMay on four counts of wire fraudand one count of transporting astolen car in foreign commerce.According to the indictment,

Gardner stole the Talbot Lagofrom the Milwaukee factory,stored it until mid-2005 andforged documents showing hewas the legal owner. He shippedthe car to Switzerland in 2006and restored it in France beforeselling it to Workman, falsely rep-resenting to Workman that hewas the legal owner.Workman’s attorney, Larry

Heftman, said Workman boughtthe car in good faith and paid afair price.Mueller and Ford demanded

TL90108 return the car to themand sued the company in 2017when the company refused tohand it over.Then-Milwaukee County Cir-

cuit Judge Rebecca Dallet, now aWisconsin Supreme Court jus-tice, dismissed the case, findinga six-year statute of limitationson such action expired in 2007and the clock didn’t restart whenthe company acquired the car.A state appeals court reversed

Dallet.The company subsequently

asked the state Supreme Court toreinstate her ruling.The court upheld the appellate

ruling, finding unanimously thatMueller and Ford aren’t time-barred from trying to recover thecar because the clock startedwhen TL90108 acquired it in2015.Therefore their lawsuit was

filed within the six-year window,the court found.Dallet didn’t participate in the

ruling.Mueller’s attorney, Matthew

Fisher, said the court got the rul-ing 100 percent correct. Ford,who is representing himself, saidhe was pleased with the deci-sion.Heftman said Workman dis-

agrees with the ruling but de-clined further comment, sayingthe lawsuit is still pending.Online court records didn’t list

an attorney for Gardner.

Attempt to Recover Stolen Car Now in Court

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.(AP) – Penske Automotive GroupInc. (PAG) on Feb. 5 reportedfourth-quarter net income of$101.6 million.On a per-share basis, the

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan-basedcompany said it had profit of$1.25.The results surpassed Wall

Street expectations. The averageestimate of five analysts sur-veyed by Zacks Investment Re-search was for earnings of $1.20per share.

The auto dealership chainposted revenue of $5.88 billion inthe period.For the full year of 2019, the

company reported a profit ofabout $435.8 million, or $5.28 pershare.Revenue was reported as

$23.18 billion.Penske shares have declined 6

percent since the beginning ofthe year.The stock has decreased near-

ly 1 percent in the last 12months.

Penksi Automotive Reports Earnings

PAGE 8 FEBRUARY 10, 2020DETROIT AUTO SCENE - TECH CENTER NEWS

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NBA star LeBron James offi-cially told the public aboutGMC's new Hummer EV in a com-mercial during the Super BowlFeb. 2.The GMC Hummer EV is a mod-

ern green version of the formervehicle better known for its sizeand poor fuel economy.The new vehicle, when fully

shown to the public on May 20,will bring bold design and re-markable capability to the elec-trified vehicle space, said GMspokesman Stuart Fowle.The Super Bowl spot juxta-

posed the anticipated perform-ance metrics of GMC’s first all-electric truck with the quietnessinherent in the operation of anelectric vehicle, said Fowle.The GMC Hummer EV truck

will showcase the GMC brand’sdesign and engineering potential,Fowle said, and will feature:• 1,000 horsepower.• 11,500 lb.-ft. of torque.• 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds.“GMC builds premium and ca-

pable trucks and SUVs and theGMC HUMMER EV takes this tonew heights,” said Duncan Al-dred, vice president of GlobalBuick and GMC. “We are excitedto debut our revolutionary zero-emissions truck during thebiggest night in TV advertising.”“Teaming up with GMC,” said

LeBron James, "to introduce theHummer EV is a natural fit.Everyone knows about my lovefor Hummer since high schooland I’m proud to be a part of an-nouncing the new EV model.“The truck may be quiet, but theperformance numbers speak forthemselves.”The 30-second TV spot featur-

ing James aired during the sec-ond quarter of the big game inthe U.S. and during the fourthquarter in Canada.The spot highlighted the antic-

ipated performance of GMC’s all-electric super truck, said Fowle,which will generate remarkablemetrics in terms of horsepower,torque and acceleration "whileproviding incredible on- and off-road capability."All of this is combined with the

vastly reduced noise and zeroemissions inherent in the opera-tion of an electric vehicle, Fowlesaid.The GMC Hummer EV will be

revealed on May 20. It's built inMichigan at General Motors’ De-troit-Hamtramck assembly plant,Fowle said.This move by GMC is just the

latest chapter in the interestinghistory of the Hummer.The Web site History.com re-

ported that on March 22, 1983,“the Pentagon awards a produc-tion contract worth more than $1billion to AM General Corpora-tion to develop 55,000 High Mo-bility Multipurpose Wheeled Ve-hicles (HMMWV). Nicknamed theHumvee and designed to trans-port troops and cargo, the wide,rugged vehicles entered the spot-light when they were used by theAmerican military during the1989 invasion of Panama and thePersian Gulf War in the early1990s.”History.com further reported

that in 1992, a civilian version ofthe Humvee, known as the Hum-mer, went on sale.“The hulking, attention-grab-

bing road warrior tipped thescales at some 10,000 poundsand got less than 10 miles pergallon. It was an early hit withHollywood celebrities such asArnold Schwarzenegger, whowent on to own a fleet of Hum-mers.In December 1999, when the

economy was strong and gasprices were relatively low, Gener-al Motors purchased the rights

from AM General to market anddistribute the Hummer. In 2002,the Hummer H2, a smaller (some8,600 pounds), less expensiveversion of the original model, de-buted.“The Hummer became a sym-

bol of America’s super-sizedlifestyle; however, the gas-guz-zling vehicle was also a target ofheavy criticism from environ-mentalists. According to a 2008report on Salon.com, in August2003, ‘Hummer-hating eco-van-dals [struck] four car dealershipsin Southern California’s SanGabriel Valley, destroying, defac-ing and burning dozens of Hum-mers and other SUVs, whilescrawling love notes like ‘Fat,Lazy Americans’ about the prem-ises.”In 2005, the Hummer H3, an

even smaller (5,800 pounds),more fuel-efficient (16 to 20 milesper gallon) vehicle, was released.

The following year, GM endedproduction of the original Hum-mer, due to low sales.

In 2008, as Americans faceda growing economic crisis andrising gas prices, along with in-creasing environmental con-cerns, Hummer sales shrunk bymore than 50 percent.In December 2008, General Mo-

tors, which was hard hit by theglobal recession and slumpingauto sales, received a multi-bil-lion-dollar federal bailout loan inorder to stay afloat and avoid go-ing out of business.On June 1, 2009, the auto giant,

which until 2008 had been theworld’s top-selling maker ofcars and trucks, filed for Chapter11 bankruptcy protection. Thefollowing day, GM announcedthat as part of its reorganizationplans it would sell the Hummerbrand to a Chinese machinerycompany.

GMC Revives ‘Hummer’ with a Green EV Twist

This 2006 Hummer H1 Alpha Wagon came equipped with a GM Duramaxdiesel engine and weighed 7,847 pounds and averaged about 15 miles tothe gallon.

Envision Solar International,Inc., a producer of unique andsustainable infrastructure prod-ucts for electric vehicle charging,energy security and outdoor me-dia, today announced that theCompany introduced the new EVARC 2020 and EV ARC DC FastCharging to fleet managementand procurement professionalsat FedFleet in Washington, D.C.,held in January.FedFleet 2020 is a unique, one-

stop educational experience thatassembles fleet management andautomotive procurement profes-sionals in one place for threedays of training, said Envisionspokesman Jules Abraham.In 2018 more than 90 percent

of Envision’s revenues camefrom government sales and inthe first three quarters 2019 al-most two thirds also came fromgovernment, with many sales re-sulting from exposure to theCompany’s products and salespersonnel at government fleettrade shows.Due to its unique design, Envi-

sion’s EV ARC 2020 will continueto operate in flood waters of upto 9 ½ feet deep It provides asource of electricity to charge ve-hicles and support other vitalservices during blackouts andother emergencies.It is transportable and rapidly

deployed. EV ARC DC Fast Charg-ing offers a 50kW charge whichprovides up to 1,100 miles perday, and like all EV ARC productsrequires no construction, electri-cal work or utility bill. The com-pany believes these attributes tobe meaningful contributors tothe continued strength in its gov-ernment sales, Abraham said.“Government fleets need rap-

idly deployed and highly scala-ble EV charging infrastructuresolutions,” said Desmond Wheat-ley, Envision Solar’s CEO. “Ourproducts get them the charging

they need, from a renewablesource that meets their carbonreduction goals. Our products al-so keep their vital fleet vehiclesrunning during blackouts. All ofthis from a Made in Americaproduct. FedFleet is a great placefor us to tell this story anddemonstrate our products. Welook forward to winning morebusiness with government agen-cies and to enabling them to savetaxpayer money on constructionand utility bills and to drive onsunshine.”Invented and manufactured in

California, the patented EV RCand EV ARC HP products fit in-side single parking spaces with-out reducing available parking.The EV ARC product generates

enough clean solar electricity topower up to 225 miles of EV driv-ing in a day. EV ARC HP DC fastcharging systems provide up to1,100 miles per day. The EV ARCsystem’s solar electrical genera-tion is enhanced by EnvisionTrak(patented) which causes the so-lar array to follow the sun, gener-ating up to 25 percent more elec-tricity than a fixed array.The energy is stored in the EV

ARC product’s on-board energystorage for charging day or night,and to provide EV charging andemergency power during gridfailure.The EV ARC product is a per-

manent solution that providesLevel I, Level II and DC FastCharging but because it requiresno trenching, foundations or in-stallation work of any kind, is de-ployed in minutes and can bemoved to a new location withease.EV ARC products are manufac-

tured in the company’s San Diegofacility by highly talented, mis-sion-driven team members, in-cluding combat veterans, indi-viduals with disabilities and oth-er underserved demographics.

Envision Solar Shows OffIts New EV Technologies

Applied Manufacturing Tech-nologies (AMT) of Orion, NorthAmerica’s largest independentautomation engineering compa-ny supporting manufacturers, ro-bot companies, systems integra-tors, line builders, and users ofrobotic automation worldwide,has promoted Craig Salvalaggio ,AMT vice president of Opera-tions Services to Chief OperatingOfficer (COO), said AMT spokes-woman Georgia Whalen.“Craig is an accomplished

leader with a passion for peopleand for the business of AMT. Ashe has risen through the organi-zation, Craig has lived andbreathed AMT’s purpose andcore values earning the respectand trust of our employees, aswell as our customers and part-ners,” said CEO Michael Jacobs.“Of all the people I know, no oneis more capable and better suit-ed for this role than Craig, and Iwould like to offer him myheartiest congratulations.”As COO, Salvalaggio will lead

overall operations of AppliedManufacturing Technologiesservices along with sales, engi-neering, and talent management.His unique combination of tech-nical expertise in automationand robotics combined with hisvisionary leadership ability ledto his promotion.Joining AMT in 2003, Salvalag-

gio was hired as a robotics soft-ware engineer before being pro-moted through the ranks to proj-ect manager, engineering generalmanager, v.p. of engineering, v. p.of operations. He holds a Bache-lor of Science in mechanical en-gineering from Lake SuperiorState University, a Master of Sci-ence in operations management,and an MBA from Kettering Uni-versity.

Salvalaggio MadeChief OperatingOfficer at AMT

FEBRUARY 10, 2020 PAGE 9DETROIT AUTO SCENE - TECH CENTER NEWS

by Jim Stickford

The folks at GM Design recent-ly celebrated a relatively un-known piece of GM’s historywhen a fully-restored horse-drawn buggy was unveiled in thelobby of the Warren Tech Cen-ter’s Design Building.The vehicle made its public de-

but on Jan. 24.“This buggy is historically im-

portant because it was made inFlint in, we think, 1896,” saidKevin M. Kirbitz, manager ofGM's Heritage Operations. “Thecompany was called Durant-Dort.Michigan’s lumber industry inthe second half of the 19th centu-ry was huge. As the soft tree lum-ber ran out, many companiestransitioned to carriage making.Durant-Dort became the biggestcarriage maker in the country.“So you could say Flint put the

U.S. on wheels even before theadvent of the automobile. Thecompany’s factory became Du-rant-Dort Factory One, consid-ered to be GM’s birthplace andepicenter of the global auto in-dustry at one time.”Kirbitz said that GM got the

buggy last year from Dennis andMarcia Tipsword of Ray City.“I belong to a local club of bug-

gy enthusiasts,” DennisTipsword said. “I received a callfrom a lady who had two of thesebuggys in her barn. She calledme and asked if I was interestedin purchasing them. I was andpaid about $500 for both.”Tipsword restored one himself

and ended up selling it at an auc-tion for $1,500.“I was going to restore the sec-

ond one, but decided that itwould be better to send it to aplace where it would be appreci-ated,” Tipsword said. “That wasGM, so when I called them aboutthe buggy, they 5were most inter-ested in taking it.”Tipsword said that he had al-

ready started doing somerestoration work when he decid-ed to donate the buggy.“I put in about 80 hours of

work and spent about $400,”Tipsword said. “I contacted near-by Amish craftsmen and they re-

stored the wheels. This particu-lar type of buggy is called afringe-top surrey carriage.”It took several months to fully

restore the carriage, Kirbitz said.To complete the project, hecalled in experts from GM’s fabri-cation shops. The effort wasspearheaded by Keith Popis, su-perintendent of design fabrica-tion at the Tech Center.“I'm proud to say that our team

was up to the challenge of restor-ing this classic buggy,” Popissaid. “This was a complicated jobthat took a full team of people todo. We ended up getting peoplefrom our wood shop and ourmetal shop as well as our paintshop and our trim shop involved.The trim people had to do a lot ofresearch on the original buggy’strim -- the paint shop people,too.”A lot of the work was difficult

because even though expertswere called in, they weren’t ex-perts in vehicles made before thefounding of GM, Popis said.“Plus, we had to fit all the

restoration work in during ournormal working hours,” Popissaid. “We talked with Peter Ran-dazzo, who was able to tell usabout how to recreate the stitch-ing on the fringe top. We endedup purchasing a special sewingmachine to do the stitching forthe patent leather.”

Kirbitz said that Popis and histeam did a great job restoring thebuggy to mint condition. It’s finalresting place is at GM’s Durant-Dort Factory One museum inFlint.“I can’t tell you how lucky we

were to find carriages that wereactually being kept in a barn,”Tipsword said.“It’s been my experience that

when people get a carriage, theyturn it into a lawn ornament and

it just rots thanks to time andweather.”When asked what he meant by

lawn ornament, Tipsword saidthat he’s seen many carriagesparked in front of a house and

people have done things like putpotted plants in the carriage.

“They are literally treating anantique like a lawn ornament,”Tipsword said. “I will drive by thehouse every now and then and I

will see that the carriage has be-come progressively more deteri-orated over time. So having thechance to restore one that was indecent shape and donate the oth-er to GM has been a great honor.”

GM Tech Center Design Team Makes 1896 Buggy Like New

This is what a vehicle dealership looked like back when GM’s predecessor was making carriages in Flint.

This classic carriage made in Flint only cost $64 when it was brand new.

This barn find of a horse-drawn buggy was restored by technicians from GM’s design department in Warren.

DETROIT (AP) – Eight monthsafter it seemed headed for thecorporate junkyard, Tesla is nowworth more than General Mo-tors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler com-bined, even though the Big Threetogether sell more cars andtrucks in two weeks than Tesladoes in a whole year.In a reversal of fortune ana-

lysts find amazing if not nutty,the stock of the electric vehicleand solar panel maker has rock-eted to nearly $900, up over 30percent in just the past two days.It is now worth five times what itwas in June, when there werewhispers of bankruptcy sur-rounding the company foundedby the erratic visionary ElonMusk.Among the world’s automak-

ers, Tesla, with a market valueFeb. 4 just shy of $160 billion,ranks behind only Toyota, at$232 billion.Many investors see it as justi-

fied for a company that is leadingthe world in electric vehicle salesamid an expected global transi-tion from the internal combus-tion engine to batteries. Otherssee the meteoric rise as just plaincrazy for a company that’s neverturned a full-year profit.

“It doesn’t seem to be closelyattached to reality,’’ said Gartneranalyst Mike Ramsey.Tesla sold only 367,500 vehi-

cles last year, compared with mil-lions at GM, Ford or FiatChrysler. GM alone sold 7.7 mil-lion, 21 times more than Tesla.Just last spring, Tesla seemed

to be in trouble. Its stock had fall-en 40 percent largely on con-cerns that it was running out ofbuyers for its high-priced vehi-cles, which start at nearly$40,000 and can run well over$100,000.Big debt payments were loom-

ing, the company was burningcash and losses were growing. Itsfederal tax credit was beingphased out by the end of theyear, and competitors wereabout to launch their own elec-tric vehicles.But sales emerged stronger

than many expected, productionproblems were vanquished, andwhile Tesla lost $862 million in2019, it turned a profit during thelast two quarters of the year, in-cluding $105 million in quarterlyearnings posted last week.Among the positive signs com-

ing from the automaker: Teslasaid it expects to exceed produc-

tion of 500,000 vehicles this yearat its factories in Fremont, Cali-fornia, and Shanghai. It appearsto have worked the kinks out ofmaking the Model 3 small car, thecompany’s lowest-priced vehicle.And it announced it will startproducing the Model Y, a smallSUV with broad global appeal,sooner than expected.“For Tesla worldwide, this will

probably be their most impor-tant car,’’ said Jessica Caldwell,executive director of insights atthe Edmunds.com auto pricingsite, which provides content forThe Associated Press.Tasha Keeney, an analyst at

ARK Invest, one of the firms mostbullish on Tesla, said investorshave figured out that Tesla isahead of competitors in suchthings as battery technology andsoftware. Also, demand for elec-tric vehicles over the next fiveyears is probably underestimat-ed, she said.“We think an electric vehicle

will be cost-competitive on asticker price basis with a gas-powered car by 2022, and this iswhat’s going to cause an inflec-tion in demand,’’ Keeney said.The run-up in price is, like all

stock investments, a bet on the

future. Electric vehicles accountfor just 2 percent of global vehi-cle sales, and Tesla is up againstwell-established competitorssuch as GM, Ford and Porsche.Tesla’s stock surge brought

major pain to a cadre of in-vestors who had bet the shareswould fall. These “short sellers’’borrowed stock and sold it inhopes of buying it back later atlower prices and pocketing thedifference. Because of persistentdoubts about Musk’s ability real-ize his ambitions, Tesla is themost shorted company on theU.S. stock market.But interest in shorting Tesla

has been falling steadily sincethe summer, when its stock be-gan climbing. When a heavilyshorted stock jumps very quick-ly in price, short sellers oftenrush to buy it in hopes of limitingtheir losses. That in turn pushesthe stock price even higher.Still, the stock rise seems irra-

tional to Gartner’s Ramsey, whopoints out that Tesla is an autocompany facing perpetually largecapital expenditures on factories,vehicle development and rawmaterials.“It doesn’t make sense in a lot

of ways,’’ he said.

Is Tesla’s Stock Price Worth What People are Paying for It?

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) _O’Reilly Automotive Inc. on Feb.5 reported fourth-quarter net in-come of $324.9 million.The Springfield, Mo.-based

company said it had profit of$4.25 per share.The results fell short of Wall

Street expectations. The averageestimate of eight analysts sur-veyed by Zacks Investment Re-search was for earnings of $4.26per share.The auto parts retailer posted

revenue of $2.48 billion in the pe-riod, exceeding Street forecasts.Five analysts surveyed by Zacksexpected $2.47 billion.For the year, the company re-

ported profit of $1.39 billion, or$17.88 per share. Revenue wasreported as $10.15 billion.

O’Reilly Auto HasStrong ProfitsIn 4Q 2019

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) – Slump-ing Nissan Motor Co. is offeringvoluntary separation packagesto many of its U.S. workers as ittries to resize itself to match low-er sales.

The Japanese automakerwouldn’t say how many employ-ees it is targeting to leave, howmuch money it expects to save,or give details of the severanceoffers. The offers are being madeto factory and white-collar work-ers over the age of 52.

Nissan’s U.S. sales were downalmost 10 percent last year, withthe Nissan brand down 8.7 per-cent and its Infiniti luxury brandoff 21.1 percent. Many analystsexpect total U.S. auto sales todrop this year.

“To adapt to current businessneeds and improve efficiencies,Nissan will offer voluntary sepa-ration packages to eligible U.S.-based employees," the companysaid in a statement Jan. 28.

Company spokeswoman Llo-ryn Love-Carter said althoughshe couldn’t give a specific num-ber of workers the company is

seeking to cut, it would not be inthe thousands. She said the of-fers will be in the U.S. only.

Earlier in January, Nissanmade its United States employ-ees take two unpaid furloughdays.

The company has more than20,000 U.S. workers, concentrat-ed mainly at its U.S. headquar-ters in Franklin, Tenn., at factorycomplexes in Canton, Miss., andSmyrna, Tenn., and a technicalcenter in Farmington Hills.

Eligible workers were notifiedon Jan. 31 and would leave laterin the year. Not all applicationswill be approved, Love-Cartersaid.

Nissan also said it would cuttwo sales regions and reduce thefrequency of its sales reports toquarterly from monthly, follow-ing the lead of Detroit automak-ers.

Last summer, Nissan said itwould cut 12,500 jobs, or about 9percent of its global workforce,to pare costs and turn around itsbusiness.

The company reported in No-

vember that its July-Septemberprofit tumbled to half of what itearned the year before as salesand brand power crumbled fol-lowing the arrest of its formerchairman, Carlos Ghosn, byJapanese authorities.

Ghosn, who fled from Japan toLebanon, was charged with un-der-reporting his future compen-sation and breach of trust in di-verting Nissan money for person-al gain.

He says the compensation wasnever decided on or paid, andthe payments were for legitimatebusiness.

PAGE 10 FEBRUARY 10, 2020DETROIT AUTO SCENE - TECH CENTER NEWS

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LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Michi-gan’s top insurance regulatorsaid the state is committed tohelping drivers navigate a newlaw that will let motorists savemoney by foregoing unlimitedmedical coverage for crash in-juries.

The state Department of Insur-ance and Financial Services cre-ated a consumer hotline andemail address to respond toquestions and complaints. Also,a new website has informationabout the changes that take ef-fect starting in July.

Department director Anita Foxdetailed the resources, as well assample forms that drivers will beasked to fill out when they buy orrenew a policy, during a wide-ranging discussion with re-porters Feb. 4 about the 2019law.

It was the most significantrewrite of Michigan’s no-fault in-surance in more than 45 years.

“We’re really focused on thekey aspects of the law ... that weare implementing a law that is a

better system for Michigan driv-ers,” Fox said.

She did not rule out using ad-vertising to make motoristsaware of the changes.

Personal injury protection, orPIP, is the portion of an auto in-surance premium that coversmedical treatment and rehabilita-tion expenses. It also covers lostwages and assistance with thingslike cooking and cleaning.

The law will let drivers opt outof what has been mandatory, un-limited PIP coverage, in a statewith the country’s most expen-sive car insurance premiums.There will be six PIP levels: un-limited; $500,000; $250,000; an-other $250,000 option that ex-cludes medical coverage if thedriver has other health insur-ance covering car crashes;$50,000, if the motorist is en-rolled in Medicaid; and zero cov-erage, if the driver has Medicarecoverage.

“What I want consumers toknow is the best thing we can dofor you is help you get the infor-mation you need,” Fox said.“What (are) the things you’re go-ing to need to know to make

choices? Then sit down withyour agent, your company, yourfamily and kind of think aboutwhat it is that works for you.”

The new PIP limits will stillequal or exceed the highest ben-efits in the U.S, she said. Michi-gan will continue to be the onlystate where unlimited PIP isavailable.

Democratic Gov. GretchenWhitmer encouraged motoriststo use the educational resourcesbefore choosing a policy.

Under the law, insurers mustreduce statewide average PIPmedical premiums for eightyears. They also will be prohibit-ed from using certain non-drivingfactors – home ownership, edu-cational level, occupation, ZIPcode or credit scores – in settingrates.

Fox said regulators hired out-side firms to review insurers’ fil-ings. Previously, she said, actuar-ial reviews were done and certi-fied by the companies.

The reviews will ensure “thatthe charges for premiums andthe rates that they put in are go-ing to have the right relationshipto risk,” Fox said.

Info on Michigan’s New Car Insurance Regs

Nissan Sales Slump, Offers Buyout Packages

FEBRUARY 10, 2020 PAGE 11DETROIT AUTO SCENE - TECH CENTER NEWS

PAGE 12 FEBRUARY 10, 2020DETROIT AUTO SCENE - TECH CENTER NEWS

*All prices and payments include GM rebates. Pictures may not represent actual vehicle. Pricing subject to change per GM incentives. Prices and paymentsare inclusive of active GM employee discount (unless otherwise stated). All leases are 10,000 miles per year with approved A Tier credit. All Vehicles shownare $999 down unless otherwise stated. Disposition Fee may be required at vehicle turn in.Must have lease loyalty or lease conquest vehicle in householdon certainmodels. Prices and payments are plus tax, title, plate, doc fee, refundable security deposit required on certain vehicles – to be determined by lender.**$3,500 trade in is valid on 2008 or newer vehicles w/ under 115k miles in drivable condition, no branded titles, reconditioning determined by appraiser.Certain restrictions may apply, see dealer for complete details. Free appraisals on vehicles see salesman for details ** Exp date: 3/2/2020. All downpayments include Card top Off.

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36MONTHS

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2020 BUICK ENCORE PREFERREDPURCHASE FOR

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$139*PERMONTH

24MONTHS

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$189*PERMONTH

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$359*PERMONTH

36MONTHS

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LEASE FORSTOCK# WZFRZG

100 YEARS OF BUSINESS | 0% for up to 72months!

LEASE FOR

$219*

PURCHASE FOR

$29,653*NO GM EMPLOYEEDISCOUNTREQUIRED

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ORDER# XGDCJ5

2020CHEVROLETBOLT 2LT

PERMONTH

LEASE FOR

$419*

PURCHASE FOR

$44,204*

39MONTHS$999DOWN

STOCK# 502220

2020 CHEVROLETTAHOELS

PERMONTH

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