Sino-European Electric Vehicle Industry Chain Enterprises Symposium Held; Stellantis Faces Strike Crisis Again; Volkswagen to Suspend Production of ID.4 in the U.S.

Focus - Industry & Economy Policy

Sino-European Electric Vehicle Industry Chain Enterprise Symposium Held

On 18 September local time, China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao hosted a Sino-European Electric Vehicle Industry Chain Enterprise Symposium in Brussels, Belgium. Nearly 30 Chinese and European electric vehicles, power batteries and parts enterprises and related industry associations attended the meeting. Representatives exchanged views on the proper resolution of the European Union's countervailing case against China's electric vehicles, and continued to deepen the cooperation between the Chinese and European electric vehicle industry chain.

French Automotive Suppliers Association: risk of losing half of jobs

The head of the French Association of Automotive Suppliers (Fiev) has warned that the industry is at risk of losing half of its jobs in the coming years due to falling car sales, a slowdown in the electric vehicle market and competition from China.

Italy: EU carbon ban is ‘self-destructive’

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the European Union's goal to stop selling cars that emit carbon dioxide by 2035 showed a ‘self-destructive’ stance on industrial and environmental issues. ‘Taking up the challenge of ecological transition with the industrial sector does not mean dismantling an entire industry.’

Spotlight - traditional car companies

Stellantis faces another strike crisis

The United Auto Workers (UAW) is considering multiple strikes against Stellantis in the U.S. UAW President Shawn Fain has accused Stellantis of violating contractual commitments and warned on the evening of 17 September that several union locals were preparing for a strike that could lead to a shutdown of Stellantis production.

Stellantis opposes postponement of EU 2025 carbon emissions target

Stellantis is opposed to any move by the EU to delay emissions targets due to come into force next year, which may conflict with the position of other carmakers in the EU region. stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said: ‘These regulations were announced a long time ago and companies have had time to prepare for them, so now it's time to compete. So now it's time to compete.’

UAW may strike at Ford's River Rouge plant

On 18 September, the United Auto Workers (UAW) said it had set a strike deadline for Ford's tool and die department at the River Rouge plant in response to local contract issues. If the local contract issue is not resolved, a strike will be held on 26 September.

Canadian union reaches tentative agreement with GM

On 18 September, Canadian union Unifor said it had reached a preliminary agreement with General Motors over workers at its Ingersoll, Ontario, plant.Unifor Local 88 had previously said that 97% of its more than 1,300 members were in favour of a shutdown at the CAMI plant if an agreement could not be reached.

Volvo plans to launch 10 new and upgraded models in North America

Volvo Cars unveiled a new product roadmap to its U.S. and Canadian retailers. According to dealers involved in the meeting, Volvo Cars has committed to launching 10 new and upgraded models over the next 24 months.

Spotlight - Electrification

GM launches Tesla supercharger adapter

On 18 September, General Motors said that its electric car owners will be able to use Tesla's charging network in the US by purchasing a $225 adapter. GM EV owners are said to have access to the Tesla charging network's more than 17,800 Supercharger stations.

Volkswagen Suspends U.S. Production and Sales of ID.4

Volkswagen has issued a cease-and-desist order for the ID.4 electric compact crossover in the U.S. and will suspend production of the model at its Chattanooga plant in order to find a solution to the model's faulty door handles. Previously, VW announced a recall of 98,806 ID.4s in the U.S. due to a door handle defect.

Most Tesla employees donate to Harris

Tesla CEO Musk endorsed Republican former President Donald Trump's campaign, but most of Tesla's employees donated to Trump's Democratic rival Kamala Harris. According to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan nonprofit that tracks U.S. campaign contributions and lobbying data, Tesla employees contributed $42,824 to Harris's presidential campaign and $24,840 to Trump's.

Spotlight - Supply Chain

Autoliv appoints global executive vice president and CTO

Ortoliv has announced on 17 September the appointment of Fabien Dumont as executive vice president and chief technology officer of Ortoliv and a member of the Ortoliv Executive Committee. Fabien Dumont, formerly Vice President of Engineering at Autoliv China, has been associated with Autoliv since 1998.

Italy cuts funding for ACC battery plant

Due to the slowdown in demand for electric vehicles in Europe, the Italian government will reallocate 200 million euros ($223 million) of European Union funds that were used for ACC's project to build a battery plant to other green energy projects. ACC is reportedly a battery joint venture with shareholders including Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz.

Blink Charging to cut about 14 per cent of its workforce globally

Blink Charging, a maker of electric vehicle charging equipment, said on 17 September that it will lay off around 14% of its workforce globally as part of its cost-cutting programme in response to weak market demand. The job cuts, which will reportedly save it about $9 million a year, will be completed in the first quarter of next year.