Affordability is key for the latest wave of car shoppers. Can carmakers keep up?

Apr 2, 2024
Many companies have focused on building more expensive SUVs and fewer affordable compact cars. That's causing a mismatch with current demand.
“Even now, though, a monthly car payment can be well over $700. Which is obviously a pretty large monthly expense for a household,” says David Whiston, an auto analyst with Morningstar.
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Automakers rely on temp and "tiered" workers. The UAW wants them to stop.

Sep 18, 2023
The practice dates back to the federal bailout in the 2000s.
Up to 40% of autoworkers in some plants are tiered, according to Syracuse University professor Tod Rutherford.
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United Auto Workers strike would hit the Upper Midwest hard

Sep 11, 2023
Contracts with Ford, GM and Stellantis all end at the end of Thursday, and the president of the United Auto Workers union has made clear that members are prepared to strike.
Some United Auto Workers members in Detroit gathered after the city's Labor Day parade in early September.
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What's driving car prices ever higher?

Apr 6, 2023
The new entry-level price for a new vehicle is $25,000, auto research site Edmunds says.
Ford is one automaker that has moved its focus from smaller, more affordable sedans to trucks and SUVs.
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Sales of fully electric vehicles nearly doubled in 2022. Which carmakers came out on top?

Jan 6, 2023
EVs account for about 5% of car purchases, according to automotive website Edmunds. Rivals to Tesla are making inroads.
Tesla still holds an estimated 60% of the EV market, but its share has been declining.
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Canadian protests are choking off one of the most important arteries in the auto industry

Feb 9, 2022
U.S. automakers depend on parts from Canadian manufacturers. And a lot of them cross the Ambassador Bridge.
A trucker protest against Canada’s COVID-19 rules has blocked traffic at the Ambassador Bridge in Ontario, halting the supply of some auto parts to Detroit.
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The chip shortage is idling Ford plants – and Ford autoworkers

Jul 1, 2021
The automotive business has its ups and downs, but union contracts protect workers from big pay cuts.
A Ford worker at an F-150 truck plant in Michigan.
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For public good, not for profit.

This year has been a "roller-coaster ride" for automakers

Jul 29, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic forced Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler to close factories and halt production. They're expected to report large losses.
Analysts say this could be one of the most difficult quarters for carmakers in modern history. Pictured: Cars for sale at a Ford dealership in the Queens borough of New York City.
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Vehicle sales crash in April, analysts say, dropping by half

May 1, 2020
Pickup truck sales are holding up better than some other vehicles, spurred by incentives like zero-percent financing deals.
A line of Ford F-150 trucks. Dealer incentives tend to work well with truck buyers.
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Elon Musk and Tesla report a profit for the first quarter, despite COVID-19

Apr 30, 2020
It's the automaker's third profitable quarter in a row.
Musk told investors Wednesday that the company is "pedal to the metal" on expansion right now.
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