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Insider trading ahead of Hyundai-Kia MPG debacle suspected

Reuters is reporting that large-scale insider trading may be at the heart of some particularly fishy stock-selling behavior, just prior to the original announcement about the Hyundai-Kia fuel economy ratings debacle.
On November 1st, Hyundai-Kia shares traded roughly 2.2 million times (the single highest-volume day of the year), and the stock price fell by about four percent. For reference, a standard daily trading volume for the stock in 2012 saw about 600k shares trading hands. On November 2nd, the company made public the bad news about the dropping fuel economy ratings for many of its models. In other words: No one outside of the company (and only a smallish group inside the company, we'd imagine) should have known anything about the impending bad news as of the first day of November. After the announcement, the stock price tanked, as you'd expect, and trading volume was way down as well.
Experts seem fully aware that the whole thing reeks of leaked information and subsequent insider trading. If chicanery on this sort of scale seems wacky to you, you'd be inline with the experts who report to Reuters that the level of trading is absolutely suspicious.

Hurricane Sandy cost automakers 15,000 vehicles, may have ruined up to 200k

Hurricane Sandy was the largest Atlantic storm in US history, and its total economic impact is just now coming into view. According to Automotive News, Toyota, Chrysler, Nissan and Honda are set to scrap around 15,000 new vehicles ruined by the storm. Nissan alone accounts for about 40 percent of those, with 6,000 Nissan and Infiniti models deeded "un-saleable" due to damage. The company saw 56 dealerships shuttered due to the storm, but 51 of those have since reopened.
Toyota, meanwhile, had some 4,000 vehicles at its Newark port facility, and of those, 3,000 may be scrapped. An additional 825 were dealer inventory when they were ruined. Honda and Acura dealers are reportedly sending 3,440 vehicles to the salvage yard. By comparison, Chrysler weathered the storm fairly well with 825 units destroyed, while Hyundai suffered only 400 lost units and Kia scrapped around 200.
As you may recall, Fisker also suffered some losses, and Automotive News reports the manufacturer saw 320 Karma models damaged beyond repair. Ford and General Motors have yet to come up with estimates, and no automaker has commented on the full cost of replacing the vehicles.

Hyundai going with AeroVironment for dealership PHEV chargers

Hyundai will partner with AeroVironment as the supplier for charging stations at dealers for the 2016 Sonata Plug-in Hybrid. The 240-volt chargers will be able to top up the PHEV in less than three hours. Customers can also order AeroVironment's home chargers directly from the automaker's showrooms. AeroVironment is a veteran to working with automakers on charging solutions and has experience partnering with Fiat, Ford, Nissan, and BMW. The company also installed a network of locations along the I-5 corridor in Oregon. Customers can already buy the Sonata PHEV in ten states, including California, for a starting price of $35,435 (after $835 destination but before any tax incentives). The sedan has a total output of 202 horsepower from its 2.0-liter four-cylinder and electric motor. The 9.8-kWh lithium-polymer battery offers 27 miles of electric range and an EPA-estimated 99 miles per gallon equivalent. Hyundai dealers might have more green cars on the lot to use these chargers in the coming years. The company reportedly has a project codenamed AE under development, and rumor indicates that hybrid, PHEV, and EV models could be on the way. Hyundai Motor America Picks AeroVironment to Provide Dealer Charging Stations for the All-new 2016 Sonata Plug-in Hybrid Model AeroVironment to provide reliable and easy-to-use EV charging stations in Hyundai dealerships Hyundai becomes the seventh major auto manufacturer to choose AeroVironment as its preferred dealer charging station provider Hyundai drivers have the option to purchase AeroVironment's portable TurboCord charging system or its wall-mounted EVSE-RS charging station SIMI VALLEY, Calif., Nov. 24, 2015 – Hyundai Motor America has selected AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) as the preferred provider for charging system installation at its dealerships across North America for its all-new 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid. Hyundai is the seventh plug-in electric vehicle (EV) auto manufacturer to choose AeroVironment as one of its suppliers. The 2016 Sonata Plug-in Hybrid comes with a high-capacity lithium-polymer hybrid battery system that delivers an all-electric range of 27 miles before switching to hybrid mode. The Sonata Plug-in Hybrid also comes with a lifetime hybrid battery warranty. The AeroVironment 240-volt TurboCord and the EVSE-RS charging station can charge the Sonata Plug-in Hybrid in less than three hours versus the approximate nine hours needed using a standard 120-volt charging cable.