BMW North America has named Marcus Casey as its new head of US marketing and Raymond Wittmann as its new CFO. Both appointments take effect on September 1.

Christopher “CJ” Moore is moving from his management position on Apple’s vehicle team to Luminar. Previously director of Autopilot at Tesla, Moore is one of a series of Apple managers that have left within the past two years.

Qichao Hu, CEO of solid-state battery startup SES AI:

FCA US has agreed to a $300M plea deal with the US Justice Department related to the diesel emissions probe.

Ford has agreed to pay $19.2M to settle allegations of falsely advertising fuel economy ratings and payload capacity for certain pickups and hybrids.

Samsung SDI and Stellantis have formed a JV to build a 23/33GWh battery plant in Kokomo, Indiana.

Lear is buying IG Bauerhin (IGB), based in Gruendau-Rothenbergen, Germany. IGB produces seat and steering climate control modules, providing Lear with an active cooling offering.

Automotive remanufacturing company ATC Drivetrain acquired Global Battery Solutions, a battery lifecycle management company.

Leoni AG will sell its automotive and special cables business to Asian wire/cable supplier Stark Corporation. The sale does not include Leoni’s wiring systems business.

Britishvolt will spend $38.6M to acquire German battery cell maker EAS. EAS has been developing and producing large-format cylindrical lithium-ion cells for 25 years.

Hyundai announced that it plans to invest over $10B into the US by 2025. The investment aims to accelerate innovation and mobility electrification.

Hyundai will invest $5.54B into a new EV and battery manufacturing plant in Ellabell, Georgia. Some of Hyundai’s non-affiliated suppliers will invest another $1B into the project to create approximately 8.1k new jobs in the area.

Hella and Minth Group have opened a new JV plant in Jiaxing, China. It is the JV’s second plant in China, and it produces absorbent covers for radar systems.

Nidec is building its new e-axle factory in Pinghu, China. Production will start in late 2023, with annual numbers slated at 1M units.

This week, Tesla expects to return to pre-COVID-19-lockdown production levels at its Shanghai, China plant. The outbreak and delayed returns to operation affected the plant since March.

Sources believe BMW’s San Luis Potosi, Mexico plant will become its first dedicated EV facility.

Plante Moran’s 2022 North American Automotive OEM-Supplier Working Relations Index Study:

Last week’s Stellantis contract wording changes with suppliers may not be a 100% win. The company walked back North American changes but kept its global terms in place. Lawyers at Foley & Lardner encourage suppliers to closely review issues around:

19-year-old Tesla hacker David Colombo:

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this week, VW CEO Herbert Diess said he sees “clear improvement” in semiconductor supplies. Additionally, Diess added that VW’s supply chain disruptions in Ukraine have lessened.