AD #3647 – UAW Plans Targeted Strike at Specific Plants; Ford Reveals Updated F-150; Hyundai To Adopt Gigacastings
September 13th, 2023 at 11:54am
Listen to “AD #3647 – UAW Plans Targeted Strike at Specific Plants; Ford Reveals Updated F-150; Hyundai To Adopt Gigacastings” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 9:43
0:00 UAW Plans Targeted Strike at Specific Plants
0:57 Ford Says New UAW Offer Is Most Lucrative in History
1:52 EU Launches Investigation into Chinese EVs
2:38 Hyundai/Kia Face Another Lawsuit Over Vehicle Thefts
3:57 Ford Reveals Updated F-150
7:15 Hyundai To Adopt Gigacastings
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UAW PLANS TARGETED STRIKE AT SPECIFIC PLANTS
We’re now one day away from a potential UAW strike. The current contract expires at midnight tomorrow. And now it’s being reported that the union is planning a targeted strike at specific plants of all three Detroit automakers if they don’t reach a tentative agreement by the deadline. UAW President Shawn Fain is planning on doing a livestream on Facebook at 5PM today to update members on the negotiations and its potential strike strategy. It’s not known what plants the UAW would go after but it’s a safe bet that it will be ones that build the automaker’s most popular or profitable models. The union’s strike fund currently sits at $825 million, which would cover 11 weeks of pay.
FORD SAYS NEW UAW OFFER IS MOST LUCRATIVE IN HISTORY
And Ford seems to be taking the UAW’s strike threat to heart. Last week, it fast tracked nearly 8,000 employees to the top wage rate which translates to an extra $9,000 per year in salary. And now CEO Jim Farley has told the Detroit Free Press that it made its third contract offer to the union and says “It’ll be the most lucrative offer in the 80-year history of the UAW and Ford.” While Farley didn’t reveal specifics, he said there will be “huge” wage increases, the end of tiered wages, better health care coverage, better retirement contributions, more time off, 17 paid holidays and 5 weeks of vacation. There’s no word yet on what the UAW thinks of the offer but no doubt Fain will have something to say on his livestream today.
EU LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO CHINESE EVs
As we’ve reported, Europe is concerned about the flood of low-cost EVs from China that have entered the market. And now the European Union is opening an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese EVs. The President of the European Commission says Chinese automakers are receiving “huge state subsidies” that keep prices artificially low. And if the investigation concludes that the subsidies are hurting the EU’ auto industry, it could impose tariffs on Chinese EVs. A recent UBS study said that BYD will have a 25% long-term cost advantage against its Western competitors in their home markets.
HYUNDAI/KIA FACE ANOTHER LAWSUIT OVER VEHICLE THEFTS
Hyundai and Kia are facing another lawsuit in the U.S. over vehicle thefts, which they’re asking a judge to dismiss. Seventeen cities filed the suit due to the wave thefts that occurred after social media videos showed how to start Hyundai and Kia vehicles without a key because they weren’t equipped with engine immobilizers. The automakers say they shouldn’t be held responsible and point to policing and prosecution policies, and budget decisions in the cities that diverted funds from preventing car thefts. Earlier this year, the companies settled a $200 million consumer class action lawsuit over the thefts and they also face a lawsuit from insurance companies who claim the thefts have cost them $600 million. Hyundai and Kia did release a software update for most of the affected vehicles to help stop the thefts.
FORD REVEALS UPDATED F-150
The best-selling truck in America just got a facelift. Ford revealed the refreshed 2024 F-150 at an event in Detroit last night. The front-end design is mostly new with new grilles for the different grades, standard LED front lighting, which includes a new interpretation of the C-clamp style that’s available on higher trim levels, modular bumpers for Tremor and Raptor and a new Ford logo. Instead of chrome in the lettering and the ovals around the outside of the logo, it’s painted white and there’s only one oval. The logo itself is also flatter, rather than domed. This is picked up on the tailgate as well, but not in other areas like the wheel center caps or horn pad. Ford didn’t seem to really want to talk about the new logo, it’s not even mentioned in the press release, which leads me to believe there’s a bigger story and it will get spread across the lineup. But let us know what you think about the new-look logo. One of the other big stories with the 2024 F-150 is its clever new tailgate. The available Pro Access Tailgate can fold down like any standard tailgate, but it also features a swing open door in the middle. Not quite the full width of the tailgate, the door allows someone to access the bed without having to reach over the tailgate. And it’s even meant to operate with a trailer hooked up. To order this as a feature requires a $1,600 bed utility package that also includes bed lighting and an upgraded tie-down system. While the Pro Access Tailgate is one of a number of brand-new options, Ford is slashing the number of order configurations for the new F-150 by 90%. It’s doing things like making the extended range fuel tank and Class 4 trailer hitch standard. For example, the previous version of the Raptor could be ordered 40 different ways. Now it’s slashing that to just 6. Ford is also seeing more demand for electrified F-150s. Hybrid sales are up 28% and hybrids now account for 10% of F-150 sales, so Ford says it’s doubling production of hybrid F-150s. And to make the choice even harder on customers, initial pricing of the PowerBoost Hybrid on XLT to Platinum Plus will match the 3.5-liter EcoBoost. Sticking with engines for the moment, the base 3.3L engine is gone. The 2.7L EcoBoost is now standard. And Ford wouldn’t come out and directly say that the V8 in the Raptor R will have more power, but the V8 in the Raptor R will have more power. And unfortunately, we’re going to wait to have to see how much more. But while we’re talking about the Raptor, it’s available with new graphics, a new paint color and Fox dual valve shocks. I’d say that covers most of the highlights with the new F-150, but there are some other new features and if you’d like to learn more we’ll provide a link to the release.
HYUNDAI TO ADOPT GIGACASTINGS
Another automaker is copying Tesla’s large castings, known as gigacastings. Reports say that Hyundai is going to make what it calls “hypercastings” as a way to reduce manufacturing time and costs. Others like the Geely Group, including Volvo, Toyota and GM are going to use large castings. But unlike some of them, Hyundai is going to build its own casting, processing, and assembly plant, which is expected to be pumping out parts by 2026.
The Battery Show kicked off yesterday in Novi, Michigan and it’s all about presenting some of the most exciting technology coming into the whole electrified field. John has been running around the floor of the show looking for the coolest stuff and you may have seen a couple of his videos pop up yesterday. But this is just the start. You’ll definitely see more today and probably tomorrow too. So, check that out if you want.
But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for tuning in.
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Comments (22)
September 13th, 2023 at 12:07 pm
“…An example of the aforementioned advanced casting can be seen in a ribbed aluminum casting, which begins at the shock tower and runs to the rear of the CT6. Hester explains normally this structural component would take some 35 pieces to assemble, but with the new casting technology, it’s one single piece. He also noted that there are no less than 13 high-pressure die-cast aluminum pieces in the structure of the CT6. Including the transmission tunnel… GMAuthority 2015
September 13th, 2023 at 12:11 pm
I was looking at the refresh last night. It is a much needed refresh but what caught my eye was towing and payload. Those are up to the 1 ton trucks of yesteryear. Even though Ford did not announce pricing of anything but the base model, I suspect it is going to be very pricey. The base 2WD model was around a $4K jump for instance. I suspect that will hold true across the line up which makes it cost wise a non starter for me. Most of these trucks are off my radar because of cost these days. Very capable vehicles, but $10k too expensive.
September 13th, 2023 at 12:25 pm
After CT6 large castings came the Corvette C7 and C8 large castings.
September 13th, 2023 at 12:28 pm
@Norm T – I wish GM would have put more resources into their castings. If it had kept improving them and using them on more high volume models, we’d be calling GM the large casting pioneer and not Tesla.
September 13th, 2023 at 12:32 pm
GM’s castings are not the type that require house-sized machines, like Tesla. The castings in the Model Y replace something like 150 stamped components.
September 13th, 2023 at 12:33 pm
In my opinion the Hyundai and Kia lawsuits are ridiculous and baseless. If there is no government regulation or specification that requires engine immobilizers than it seem silly to assume because thief’s have discovered a way to do something illegal and shared it on social media that somehow that becomes their problem. This becomes a law enforcement problem not a manufacturers problem. As for the insurance companies. Go kick sand! You are collecting money on basically a bet that nothing will happen. So when something does happen and you lose you want to go after the manufacturer because you figured wrong. I’d throw their case out so fast their heads would spin.
As for the Ford emblem it looks like it was a cost saving move as white is certainly cheaper than chrome and a flat emblem would be cheaper than the old domed design. If they save 25 cents on each emblem assuming 2 per vehicle and the sell about 4.2 Million vehicles that a $2,100,000 savings. Could be why they didn’t have much to say about it.
September 13th, 2023 at 12:34 pm
Wow. Castings, I wish you would play some of the commentary when Tesla first announced the casting. I remember them saying what a bad idea it was to use large castings. It took a great new metal and a great new press.
September 13th, 2023 at 12:36 pm
2 $38,565 for a regular cab, bottom trim level, which probably won’t actually exist. This article has base prices for all of the trim levels:
https://www.autoblog.com/2023/09/13/2024-ford-f-150-pricing-revealed-configurator-opens/#:~:text=As%20expected%2C%20the%20base%20price,more%20equipment%20for%20that%20price.
Making the 2.7T standard could account for much of the price increase of the base truck. Almost no one will need the class 4 hitch, but it’s probably cheap to add, if you put it on all of them.
September 13th, 2023 at 1:12 pm
The Ford emblem change is meaningless unless the new one fixes the quality issue of the old one (fading).
When a company is not proud of their logo (not making it durable), I really question the integrity of the rest of the vehicle.
September 13th, 2023 at 1:26 pm
I expect the EU will find massive government support from the Chinese car companies, justifying a reciprocal duty when imported into Europe. With no native car industry to protect, I hope Canada sticks with its low tariff. I’d like to see personally what all the interest is about.
September 13th, 2023 at 2:06 pm
9 Thats probably a bigger reason why Ford didnt say much about the emblem change. As that would highlight the fact that they are aware of the horrible quality of the current emblem fading.
Another un-named manufacturer was buying their emblems from China. They had quality problems too and when asked to fix the problem the Chinese company told them they would get it fixed a few weeks. (unacceptable answer for normal suppliers) Must have gotten a really good price because I found it amazing they continued to ship luxury cars with bad looking emblems. The one symbol on the car that identifies your brand and they get if from the supplier with crap quality and even worse customer service. I wonder who was making the Ford emblems.
September 13th, 2023 at 2:50 pm
10 Canada doesn’t have major “local” OEMs, but they have a lot of operations by the U.S. and Asian companies. Also, Canada has the huge supplier Magna. I’d think if Chinese imports started hurting those operations in a big way, there could be sentiment for protectionism.
September 13th, 2023 at 3:24 pm
Ford increased the F150 hybrid production … what about the Lightning? I don’t know anybody that owns one.
September 13th, 2023 at 3:45 pm
13 Tripling Lighning production by this fall. Maybe subject to change, with a strike.
https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2023/08/01/ford-restarts-expanded-rouge-electric-vehicle-center–f-150-ligh.html
September 13th, 2023 at 4:12 pm
John, nice demonstration yesterday on Model Y assembly. Wow, amazing simplicity, in a way revolutionary but wonder how far you can push this without making the final product feel cheap. No wonder everyone else will go towards giga castings and fewer parts. Once batteries become cheaper, new cars may finally become more accessible once again.
September 13th, 2023 at 6:47 pm
Give credit where credit is due. Tesla did not invent the idea of aluminum castings for vehicle structures although they did resurrect it to good effect. The idea was used at least as far back as 1982 by Robert Cumberford for his Martinique sports car. Two prototypes were built but funding dried up in the wake of the Delorean scandal and the car never went into production. Check out the illustrations in the brochure here: https://www.autopaper.com/1982-cumberford-martinique-sales-brochure-color-photo-portfolio-original.php
September 13th, 2023 at 7:01 pm
15 I have driven a Tesla Model 3, and liked the powertrain, but not much else. To me, the operator interface is dismal, and is getting worse, since they are replacing the turn signal stalk with buttons for you to feel for, or look for on the steering wheel.
I was reminded about what I think of as “luxury” at a car show this weekend. There was a 1966 Jaguar sedan, with beautiful wood on the dash and tops of doors, some chrome bits surrounding the gauges, etc. I didn’t notice how logical the switches were, but I’m sure it had a switch for the wipers, volume and tuning knobs for the radio, and generally, controls you could work without looking away from the road too much. We’ll see if Tesla continues to dominate EV sales after they have more competition, and if they need to compromise on some of their weirdness, as they did when they started again putting steering wheels in Models S and X.
September 14th, 2023 at 7:25 am
17 I dont think removing the turn signal stalk would be all bad if the switch was on the wheel within reach of my thumb. I’m sure after a few days a driver would just get used to the location and have no need to look down at the wheel. I’ve done this with all the radio controls on my wheel.
I will say I dont like buttons for fan control speed and the radio volume. I prefer knobs that I can turn up or down quickly.
I’ve noticed on a lot of the newer vehicles even with knobs that they dont work for a second or two during start up. Or if you spin them too quickly they dont work well either. It has a haptic feedback that feels like it changed but cannot read the signal that fast. Not a big fan of those either.
September 14th, 2023 at 7:52 am
18 With radio controls, if you hit the wrong button, like while having a different from usual hand position, it won’t result in not signaling, or signaling “right” for a left turn. We should soon know how it works out, but I think Elon is just seeing what he can get away with, in this case, as with calling a level 2 driver aid “full self driving.” They backed off with the idiotic, for a road car, yoke steering control.
September 14th, 2023 at 8:01 am
18, One of the few quirks that I don’t like about my RAM is the electric knobs that you mentioned, though RAM goes one step further. They do have haptic feel, but not only do they not work upon start up, but they also are disabled for 1-2 seconds every time you change stations -which is exactly when you would be inclined to turn the volume up or down! Everything else is great, and I know 1-2 seconds sounds petty, but that would be the one thing I would change.
September 14th, 2023 at 8:24 am
20 There is a short, maybe 1/2 second delay for the horn when you hit the button with my Mini. That normally wouldn’t make any difference, but it should be imnediate, like with a switch and relay.
September 14th, 2023 at 9:45 am
20 Yep, I was referring to my Ram too.
It also will not let me turn the radio volume down for a few seconds if I put it in reverse. The rear back up camera comes on and its like its disconnected from the controls to the radio when the camera is on.