June 10, 2015
Trade Truth of the Day
More than 1 in 5 U.S. jobs is tied to trade, including 123,000 Americans employed by international nameplate automakers in the U.S.
Learn more about how trade impacts U.S. jobs here. To learn more about international nameplate automaker employment in the U.S., click here.
GOP Aiming for Friday Trade Vote, But Snag Remains
House leaders, confident but not yet certain they have the support to pass sweeping trade legislation, are aiming to bring the package to a floor vote by the end of this week—even as they rush to resolve a last-minute hangup over how to pay for aid to displaced workers. According to Politico, the vote to grant President Barack Obama fast-track authority to negotiate a massive Pacific Rim trade deal will be extremely tight by all accounts. Senior aides and lawmakers in GOP leadership are intent on scheduling the vote at the moment they believe they have the votes locked up—ideally by Friday, to spare supportive lawmakers the possibility of another weekend of attacks by trade foes back in their districts. “We’re doing very well, we’re close,” Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who’s been at the forefront of the GOP effort to round up support, said Tuesday of the current vote count. If Republicans want to bring the trade legislation to the floor Friday, they must decide Wednesday. They took a first step toward a vote early Wednesday morning, when GOP leadership posted the legislation online. DON’T WAIT. Contact your representative and ask them to support TPA by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202)225-3121 or by clicking here. For more on potential plans to bring a TPA vote by the end of the week, click here.
FCA, Mitsubishi Iron Out Details of Pickup Alliance
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Mitsubishi Motors are working out the final details of a supply contract in which the Japanese automaker will provide the Fiat brand with a version of its new Thai-built L200 midsize pickup, a Mitsubishi executive said. According to Automotive News, Fiat plans to sell the pickup in Europe and Latin America, where demand for such models is growing. "The good point for Fiat is that we can supplement their lineup, while we fill up the production in Thailand,” Mitsubishi global pickup boss Koichi Namiki told Automotive News Europe. “Fiat's pickup truck will be 100 percent Mitsubishi from a mechanical point of view, but we have to consider differentiation [to the design and other areas visible to customers] and we're working on that." The deal should be finalized before the end of this month, a Fiat spokesman said. Mitsubishi started manufacturing its re-designed L200, also known as the Triton, in Laem Chabang last year. The Japanese carmaker aims to increase global sales of the new-generation L200 to 200,000 units a year from the 130,000 of the old model. For the latest on a pickup alliance between Mitsubishi and FCA, click here.
Most Women Don't Want a Driverless Car
Automakers will have to focus on women if they hope to make driverless cars mainstream, according to a NerdWallet survey that shows men are far more likely to express interest in the new technology. Money Magazine reports that the survey of more than 1,000 Americans nationwide also exposes a sharp divide in views on self-driving vehicles between millennials and older Americans. Only 37 percent of women surveyed by NerdWallet expressed any interest in owning a self-driving car, while half of men expressed interest. Meanwhile the survey found that 53 percent of respondents ages 18-29 were “very interested” or “somewhat interested” in owning a self-driving car, compared with just 41 percent of those 30 and older. Most women expressed concern about the safety of self-driving cars, with 55 percent citing safety as among the biggest drawbacks of the new technology. Only 37 percent of men were worried about safety. Meanwhile 44 percent of men were concerned that driverless cars will take the fun out of driving, while only 23 percent of women felt that way. While consumers are not yet ready to embrace a driverless world, they are interested in safety technologies that are paving the way for fully autonomous vehicles. For more on consumer attitudes toward driverless cars, click here.
GOP Senator Considering NHTSA Reform Bill
The head of the Senate Commerce Committee is considering legislative proposals to reform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but said he is still not convinced the auto safety agency needs more funding. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chair of the committee that oversees NHTSA, told The Detroit News on Tuesday the agency needs to make changes in the wake of General Motors' delayed ignition recall linked to 111 deaths and the recall of 33.8 million vehicles with potentially defective Takata air bags. "Part of the issue for NHTSA is just reforming and doing some things differently, and they could actually accomplish their mission—and it's not necessarily an issue of money," Thune said, adding he would be willing to listen to requests for more money. "We've looked at some reforms (for NHTSA)," he said. He said he could introduce NHTSA reform legislation. The White House this year proposed tripling funding for NHTSA's defect investigations unit and doubling the number of people in the 50-person office that handled 80,000 consumer complaints last year and hundreds of recall campaigns. For more on potential legislation to reform NHTSA, click here.
Audi Snubs Google Bid to Attract German Carmakers
Google's strategy of courting German carmakers into partnerships got a snub from Audi amid concerns that Internet-assisted driving may risk intruding on passenger privacy. "A car today is a second living room—and that's private. The only person who needs access to the data onboard is the customer," Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said in a speech to executives in Berlin on Tuesday. According to Automotive News, Stadler’s comments signal a move by German automakers to tap domestic reservations about data protection as they attempt to build rival platforms to challenge Google for market share in Internet-assisted motoring. "Customers want to be at the center" of car ownership "and not exploited for it," Stadler said. "They want to be in control of their data and not subject to monitoring. And we take this seriously." Talking at the same event, Google’s Chairman Eric Schmidt said the technology company has worked with Audi, Opel, and Volkswagen in an "Automobile Alliance" for about a year. "I want to emphasize we're doing this with partners," Schmidt said. "In our case, we're working with a whole infrastructure here in Germany." Schmidt said the Google wants "essential" German expertise to realize its European automobile projects. For more on Audi’s passenger privacy concerns, click here.
Finding Recalls: Carfax Does the Work for You
The biggest recall in U.S. history affecting almost 34 million cars has brought national attention to the issue of recalls once again. One of the most immediate concerns AIADA member dealers should address is helping their customers find out which specific cars are part of this expanded recall and any other outstanding recalls. With more than 46 million cars out there with unfixed recalls, Carfax is here to help. Starting at acquisition, run all the Carfax® Vehicle History Reports™ you need as a Carfax Advantage® Dealer to know about open recalls. Plus, receive a weekly email alerting you to open recalls on vehicles already in your inventory. At retail, put your vehicles up on Carfax Used Car Listings so potential buyers see the reported history up front, including open recalls. Finally, protect all your customers by signing them up with myCarfax, a free service that alerts people on their mobile devices when their car has a recall. This simple customer service addition to your vehicle delivery or Fixed Operations process can help set apart your dealership. Become a Carfax Advantage Dealer by calling (877-606-9119) to find and fix more recalled cars in your shop.
Around the Web
Take Action on TPA TODAY [Alert]
BMW Rumored to be Working on Tesla Model X Rival [MotorAuthority]
Audi Bringing All-Electric CUV to Frankfurt [Autoblog]
Free Webinar June 16: Prepare for Changes in Payment Acceptance [Register]