Car Manufacturers

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Stellantis laying off about 400 US workers, citing 'unprecedented uncertantities'

By David Shepardson
March 25, 20243:50 PM GMT+1Updated 13 hours ago

March 22 (Reuters) - Chrysler parent Stellantis (STLAM.MI), opens new tab said on Friday it will lay off about 400 U.S. salaried workers as it seeks to cut costs, boost efficiency and ramp up electric-vehicle production plans.

The Italian-American automaker said it is reducing its engineering/technology and software organizations by about 400 U.S. jobs effective March 31, which represents 2% of those jobs worldwide. Last year, Stellantis twice offered buyouts to groups of U.S. workers, including giving 6,400 U.S. salaried employees a financial incentive to depart in November.

The company said, "As the auto industry continues to face unprecedented uncertainties and heightened competitive pressures around the world, Stellantis continues to make the appropriate structural decisions across the enterprise to improve efficiency and optimize our cost structure."

Both Ford Motor (F.N), opens new tab and General Motors (GM.N), opens new tab have vowed further cost costs and cut some jobs over the last year.
Earlier this month, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said Stellantis had terminated 2,000 temporary workers, criticizing the decision as "about corporate greed." He noted that under the UAW contract reached with Stellantis last, around 3,000 temporary workers were converted to permanent jobs.

Stellantis in December said it would temporarily cut one shift at its Detroit assembly plant that builds Jeep sport utility vehicles and reduce production at its Toledo, Ohio, assembly plant that builds the Jeep Wrangler.

Stellantis cited preparations "for the transition to electric vehicles" last year in offering buyouts after telling employees earlier that a review of the company's operations "made it clear that we must become more efficient."



https://www.reuters.com/business/autos- ... 024-03-22/

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from a fresh Mozilla newsletter

Mozilla exposed this ‘privacy nightmare on wheels.’ Here’s what has happened since then:

Hello,

Last year, Mozilla made it official – car companies are the worst category of products we have *ever* reviewed for privacy. Our research exposed how car companies use a web of in-car sensors, microphones, cameras, apps and other internet connected devices to make a full profile of your life… and then predictably, some companies even sell this information for profit.

Since this investigation, car companies have been under immense pressure – from consumers, lawmakers, journalists, and our movement. Here’s a quick summary of what we’ve achieved so far:

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has released a firm warning to car companies, saying they will take action against any illegal collection, use or disclosure of personal information.

The U.S. Government has announced an inquiry into connected cars’ privacy, due to national security concerns.

Toyota and Lexus now grant all U.S. consumers the right to delete their personal data.

European Union lawmakers have used Mozilla’s research to flag the lack of privacy protections for drivers in the European Commission on three occasions.

One European Union lawmaker has called for new laws to prevent cars from being used to spy on drivers – and again, cited our research.

The Privacy Commissioner in Australia opened an inquiry saying Australia's privacy laws aren't equipped to deal with what cars do.

These victories show our movement’s ability to have an impact, and they were made possible by generous donations from people who want to hold companies accountable for their data practices. If you’re ready to protect people’s privacy and hold irresponsible companies accountable, we hope you’ll consider adding a donation today.

[bill_g]

Oh, no fucking way ... IOT data sold at a profit without our consent or knowledge?!?! Say it ain't so. [/sarc]

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Electric SUV maker Fisker files for bankruptcy

By Olesya Dmitracova, CNN
Published 6:59 AM EDT, Tue June 18, 2024

CNN — Fisker, a US electric vehicle startup, said Tuesday it had filed for bankruptcy.

The company had already warned it was in trouble. When it published quarterly earnings in February, it said it might not have enough money to survive another year. Fisker added then that it was in discussions with an existing investor about possibly putting more money into the company.

On Tuesday, a Fisker spokesperson said in a statement: “Like other companies in the electric vehicle industry, we have faced various market and macroeconomic headwinds that have impacted our ability to operate efficiently.”

While growth in global EV sales is slowing, Fisker has also grappled with its own problems.

Its sole product is the Fisker Ocean electric SUV. Last year, around 10,000 of the SUVs were made but only about half had been delivered to customers, the company said in its earnings report in February.

The Ocean was also the subject of a review that month by American YouTuber Marques Brownlee titled, “This is the Worst Car I’ve Ever Reviewed.”

“Do not buy this version of the Fisker Ocean,” reads the video’s description. The video, which sent Fisker’s stock plunging after its release, has racked up 5.7 million views so far.

In a recent interview with Automotive News, the company’s founder and CEO Henrik Fisker admitted that the Ocean had quality problems. He blamed the issues on software from different suppliers that worked poorly together and said they were being addressed through updates.



https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/18/inve ... index.html