Free Republic

The chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission will propose a potential new rule Wednesday that would subject automakers that sell internet-connected cars to a telecommunications law intended to protect domestic violence survivors. Cases of technology-enabled stalking involving cars are emerging as automakers add ever more sophisticated features, such as location tracking and remote control of functions like locking doors or honking the horn. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel last month wrote to nine large automakers and three telecom providers seeking more information about their policies involving internet-connected car technology and domestic abuse. The federal Safe Connections Act gives the FCC authority...

Burn on, Bidenomics! The Biden administration is reportedly considering easing tailpipe emissions regulations, a move that was designed to force Americans from gas and diesel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles, according to The New York Times, citing three people familiar with the plan. This potential policy adjustment is in response to concerns from major automakers and labor unions and comes amid sliding EV demand, recently prompting companies such as Ford Motor Company to reduce EV production and lay off workers. “Instead of essentially requiring automakers to rapidly ramp up sales of electric vehicles over the next few years, the administration would...

(FOX40.COM) — Days after over 80 vehicles were towed during a sideshow in Stockton, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said that no one will be getting their cars back anytime soon. “We’re getting a tremendous amount of calls from people wanting their vehicles back,” said San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow. “To those people whose vehicle we have in our possession, they can stop calling.” [snip] He added that vehicles deemed to be a public nuisance face the possibility of being destroyed.

Nearly 4,000 car dealerships are begging Joe Biden to pull back on the “unrealistic” EV mandates. The EVs are piling up on lots and carmakers are losing billions of dollars. A group of 3,882 dealers sent President Biden a letter begging him to lighten future EV sales requirements. EVs are not ready for the average buyer and may not be for some time. It’s amazing that Biden’s advisors didn’t see that before demanding the regulations. In the letter dated November 28th, 2023, dealers say that while BEVs are ideal for many people, “demand today is not keeping up with the...

Soviet Joe Biden, who is a believer in Soviet-style command economies where rather than rely on free market capitalism, we now have CC (Crony Communism) running the US economy. Into the ground. But in the tradition of bad Federal policiies, Soviet Joe and Energy Secretary Granholm (with help from Congress) mandate green energy transition at all costs, watch the auto industry suffer, then bail them out. Sounds a lot of like the banking crisis of 2008 where The Federal government pushed homeownership until it helped almost collapse the banking sector, then the Federal government bailed out the banks. Rinse, repeat,...

Biden’s approval ratings are terrible. Okay, Biden is the worst President in history, weak, can’t speak coherently and is letting chaos reign on the southern border. But from a consumer standpoint, he and crazy spending Congress have helped make America simply unaffordable for miillions. Once again, Biden’s obsession with foolish green energy, Congress using Covid to spend trillions, then the green energy subsidy Act (aka, Inflation Reduction Act) where Biden and Congress agreed to make massive payoffs to big donors (the donor class). All this resulted in 40 year highs in inflation leading The Federal Reserve to raise interest rates...

One of the greatest barn finds of all time was recently uncovered in the Netherlands and will soon be sold at auction. The Palmen Barnfind Collection is named after its former owner. Mr. Palmen began collecting special cars over 40 years ago. He eventually stored over 230 vehicles in a church and two warehouses, where the cars were rarely seen by anyone. Due to circumstances and his increasing age, Palmen can no only longer keep his impressive collection, and Gallery Aaldering, a classic car dealer, acquired the massive historic fleet.

I once believed that GM had everything needed for a successful EV program. The Detroit carmaker invested billions in overhauling its factories and building new ones. Its EV plans looked rock solid, with more than a dozen EV models planned, some in the mass-market segments. GM even started partnerships with battery makers and raw material suppliers to ensure it has everything in place for a successful execution of its EV plan. I smiled when Mary Barra vowed to surpass Tesla by 2025, although I thought if anyone were to challenge the EV leader, it would be GM. With all the...

Used car prices have soared, recording the largest February increase in 14 years, according to reports. The spike in prices comes as inflation continues to drive consumer prices. Wholesale used-vehicle prices increased 4.1 percent from January through the first half of this month, signifying the largest February increase since 2009’s full-month 4.4 percent gain, according to the mid-month Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index from Cox Automotive. This comes just a month after markets were hit with a massive rise in used car prices, according to the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index. The used vehicle index rose to 234.0, down 7.3...

This morning I discovered something *extremely* alarming happening in the car market, specifically in auto lending. I'm now convinced that there is a massive wave of car repossessions coming in 2023. Here's what I discovered (and what no one knows): Background: Over the past 2 years, many people took out exorbitant loans on cars. Car values were inflated (and frankly, still are to some extent). But many people simply had no choice and bought an overpriced a car. Well... Car valuations are now plummeting. Some cars have declined in value as much as 30% y/y. And these same people that...

A growing percentage of Americans with auto loans are struggling to make their monthly payments. Subprime borrowers in particular are feeling the impact of higher prices for both new and used vehicles. The rise in delinquencies also follows the end of loan-accommodation programs set up during the pandemic. With inflation cutting into the budgets of Americans, a growing percentage of people with auto loans are struggling to make their monthly payments. TransUnion, which tracks more than 81 million auto loans in the U.S., said Tuesday the percentage of loans that are at least 60 days delinquent hit 1.65% in the...

An Arizona man was facing multiple theft charges last week after detectives found more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto parts that play a critical role in reducing vehicle emissions. The discovery followed a months-long investigation that began with a January tip that someone was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial area near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. “We were very surprised at the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier said in a police video taken Thursday as officers were pulling...

Buttigieg said electric buses will create better, high-paying jobs and clean up congestion on freeways. He also said federal funds have been set aside to train the "diesel workers of today" to build and maintain the electric transit buses of the future. "Clean transportation can bring significant cost savings for the American people as well," Buttigieg said. He added that $5 billion have been invested into building a nationwide electric vehicle charging network "so that people from rural, to suburban, to urban communities, can all benefit, from the gas savings of driving an (electric vehicle)." "Today is about how we...

Both Ford and GM are directing their dealers to stop charging so much for autos, according to a new report by the Wall Street Journal. Dealerships have been marking up vehicles over sticker price as a result of a drought of inventory, attributable to supply chain issues and the semiconductor shortage, combined with increased demand. But Ford Chief Executive Jim Farley said this week that dealers who gouge prices will “face consequences” that may include losing supplies of future models. “We have very good knowledge of who they are,” he said on his company’s earnings call, talking about these dealerships....

They don’t even hide their intentions anymore. As inflation continues to climb to record highs Joe Biden on Friday commented on the rise in car prices. Joe actually said if car prices are high, then one way to reduce the demand for cars was “to make Americans poorer.” It’s the Democrat way! And people actually listen to this nonsense. video

How else can auto makers meet the requirement of a 55 mpg fleetwide average by model year 2026? Under the guise of regulating greenhouse-gas emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency recently announced new, more stringent fuel-efficiency standards for passenger cars and light-duty trucks. The real purpose of higher fuel-efficiency standards is to impose an electric-vehicle mandate by regulatory fiat, because there is little chance that Congress will enact legislation banning the sale of internal-combustion vehicles. For those who drive hundreds of miles every day, as some rural consumers do, having to spend hours recharging an EV isn’t practical. It isn’t even...

Supply chain issues aren’t just showing up for consumer staples, they’re also starting to rear their head in rental cars. There has been a shortage in the rental car industry since earlier this year and while travelers are “encountering higher rates and few choices,” according to a new Wall Street Journal article, companies like Hertz are “struggling” to re-stock fleets after downsizing due to Covid. For customers lucky enough to even find a car, many are being forced to downsize or book vehicles they didn’t originally intend. At the same time, rental rates are skyrocketing. The daily rate is now...

Those holding off on purchasing a used car, expecting prices to come back down, might be in for a surprise. A new Cox Automotive report said used car prices may never return to pre-pandemic levels. Philip Nothard, insight and strategy director at Cox Automotive, said used car prices show no signs in reversing as there is no “tsunami of used stock” on the horizon and warned secondary markets had lost around 1.4mln vehicles. He said prices might stabilize in mid-2022 as the market reverts to some normalization but said a new benchmark for used vehicle values has been established and...

General Motors is out on Wednesday with surprising commentary on the ongoing semiconductor shortage: namely, the auto giant says that it is seeing a “better flow” of semiconductors. Additionally, GM says that “most of its assembly plants in North America are now back to running regular production,” according to a report by Reuters. A spokesperson from GM said: “In fact, the week of November 1 represented the first time since February that none of our North American assembly plants were idled due to the chip shortage.” Recall, at the end of October we asked whether or not the shortage may...

I live in Manassas, Virginia and have an RV, which I took to the Camping World dealer where I purchased it for some service. My brother gave me a ride back to my home and on the drive he remarked that the dealerships did not have new vehciles in their showrooms and lots. As we passed several dealerships on the way to my place, I looked over at the lots and showrooms. Sure enough, while there were many used vehicles, where new vehicles should be on the lots and in the showrooms, it was sparse to empty. The big lie...