Elm Analytics - Automotive Supply Chain Risk Digest #256 - December 31, 2021 - January 6, 2022
BANKRUPTCY
Chinese JV, Renault Brilliance Jinbei Automotive is beginning bankruptcy restructuring hearings. The company "has not been able to meet its current financial obligations" and shut down manufacturing.
INDUSTRY DIRECTIONS
Stellantis announced this week that they will reinvent their Chrysler brand as an all-EV brand by 2028. The plans started with a new concept car called the Chrysler Airflow unveiled online for the CES consumer technology show in Las Vegas.
Deloitte: 2022 Global Automotive Consumer Study (pdf)
Toyota is launching its own automotive software platform, Arene, by 2025. The systems will handle everything from essential functions to autonomous driving.
LITIGATION
German prosecutors have charged a former executive at BMW with 18 counts of commercial corruption and 33 counts of breach of trust. The former employee allegedly received nearly $3M in kickbacks from 2007-2015 for awarding consulting contracts.
A BMW X7 owner in California is suing the automaker in a $5M category action lawsuit alleging a cover-up regarding faulty cupholders. The suit states that liquid can leak through the cupholders and damage electronics beneath.
MERGERS, VENTURES, ACQUISITIONS
VW and Brose have formed Brose Sitech, a seating systems JV headquartered in Polkowice, Poland.
Eaton has acquired Royal Power Solutions, which produces electrical connectivity components. The company has manufacturing facilities in Carol Stream, Illinois, and Queretaro, Mexico.
Stellantis is partnering with Amazon to put the online retailer's software in its cars and trucks. The results of the collaboration will be seen in infotainment systems launching in 2024.
This week, Sony debuted a new EV concept car at the Consumer Electronics Show and said they would establish a new company, Sony Mobility Inc., in the spring.
OPENING
Chinese battery maker China Lithium Battery Technology is planning a new 20GWh battery plant in Europe. No location is confirmed, but Germany is likely.
EV battery recycler Battery Resourcers is investing $43M into a new plant in Covington, Georgia. In August, the plant will commence operations in an existing building and employ 150 people.
Magna is launching a new EV center at its Troy, Michigan HQ to continue the development of its EV powertrain system.
EnPower will open a customer qualification facility for batteries in Indianapolis in 2022. They also plan to expand their capacity by 2023.
Honda's Chinese subsidiary Dongfeng Honda is building a new EV plant in Wuhan, China. The plant will have an annual capacity of 120k units and will start production in 2024.
PRODUCTION INCREASE
Toyota is now the top-selling automaker in the US. Semiconductor shortages forced GM out of the number one position it had held since 1931.
In response to customer demand, Ford will double the production capacity of its all-electric F-150 to 150k vehicles per year. The increase will happen by mid-2023.
Stellantis resumed production at its plants in Vienna, Austria, and Eisenach, Germany. Both facilities closed for most of Q4 2021.
RAW MATERIALS
IHS Markit: Electrical steel – Another temporary supply chain shortage or a threat to OEMs’ electrification plans?
RECALLS
Mercedes-Benz is warning 800k owners in Europe of a potential cooling pump leak resulting in a fire. They added that a recall isn't possible due to necessary parts being unavailable.
RISK ANALYTICS
Hitachi Astemo held a news conference, admitting to falsifying data to pass customer standards over the past 20 years. The company supplied brake and suspension components to Honda, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota.