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GM might lose 90-year U.S. sales crown over chip shortage

Automotive News editor Nick Bunkley tweeted on October 1 that according to AutoNews data, General Motors "has been the largest seller of vehicles in the U.S. every year since passing Ford in 1931." With automakers having turned in light car and truck sales data for the first three quarters of 2021, GM's 90-year-run might not reach 91. According to AN figures, Toyota was 80,401 vehicles ahead when the October workday started. Worse, GM is so far behind its historic pace that it might only sell enough light vehicles in the U.S. to match its numbers from 1958.  Meanwhile, the New York Times put a few more salient numbers to the pain GM and Toyota are enduring alongside the the rest of the industry. GM sold 33% fewer cars in Q3 2021 than it did in Q3 2019 during the dark days of the pandemic, 446,997 units this year as opposed to 665,192 last year. GM's Q3 2020 was only down 13% on Q3 2019. Over at Toyota, the bottom line showed a 1% gain in Q3 2021 compared to 2020, with 566,005 units moved off dealer lots. The finer numbers show two steps forward and one step back, though; Toyota's September sales were down 22% compared to last year.  GM remains optimistic about what's ahead, GM's president of North American operations telling the NYT, "We look forward to a more stable operating environment through the fall." We'd like to see that happen, but we don't know how it happens. The chip shortage said to have been the inciting incident for the current woes isn't over, and not only can no one agree when it will be over, the automakers, chip producers, and U.S. government still can't get on the same page about who needs what and when. Looking away from that for a second shows articles about "No End In Sight" for supply chain disruptions in early September, before China had to start working through power supply constraints, global supply chain workers started warning of a "system collapse," and roughly 500,000 containers sat waiting to be unloaded at Southern California ports — a record number seemingly broken every week. And back to chips, we're told just a few days ago the chip shortage is "worse than we thought."   For now, the NYT wrote that GM dealer inventory is down 40% from June to roughly 129,000 vehicles, and down 84% from the days when dealers would cumulatively keep about 800,000 light vehicles in stock. However, GM just announced it would have almost all of its U.S. facilities back online next week, although some would run at partial capacity.

2023 GMC Sierra AT4X new AEV Edition's spirit animal is the Bison

GMC's newly redesigned 2023 Sierra is getting some equipment that might sound familiar to fans of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 formula that inspired it. Don't call it a "Bison," but the new Sierra AT4X AEV (American Expedition Vehicles) Edition sounds an awful lot like everybody's favorite bovine-themed midsize off-road pickup, and GMC says it will be its most off-road capable factory Sierra 1500 ever. If you're not familiar with the AT4X formula, it's already pretty robust. The GMC twin to the new Silverado ZR2 boasts Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers, improved ground clearance and approach/departure/breakover angles compared to the "standard" AT4, plus front and rear electronic locking differentials. The AEV Edition looks to the margins for additional improvement.  "The Sierra 1500 AT4X is an incredibly formidable platform when it comes to on- and off-road performance and capability,” said AEV CEO & founder Dave Harriton. “We took our signature approach to help elevate this truckÂ’s inherent off-road capability to the next level. We are confident customers will love the result." The standard AT4X already offers plenty of ground clearance (10.8 inches) and an approach angle of 25.5 degrees, departure angle of 23 degrees and breakover angle of 22.7 degrees. The AEV Edition bumps the ground clearance to 11.2 inches and its AEV-sourced stamped steel bumpers improve the approach angle to 32.5 degrees, departure angle to 23.4 degrees (compared to 23 degrees) and the breakover angle improves to 23 degrees.  "Our customers want an uncompromising combination of on-road technology and off-road capability," GMC boss Duncan Aldred said in the company's announcement. "Leveraging GMCÂ’s unwavering dedication to providing premium trucks and AEVÂ’s expertise in engineering and integrating performance-driven parts and accessories, this truck provides extreme capability, technology and comfort." The AEV Edition will ride on 33" mud-terrain tires wrapped around unique 18-inch AEV "Salta" wheels finished in gloss black. The front end was restyled to accommodate the AEV Edition's wheel and tire package (it was too big for the existing wheel wells, apparently) and front bumper.

Weekly Recap: Geneva's splendor reflects growing demand for ultra-luxury cars

Geneva is one of the most glittering auto shows in the world, but the list of high-powered and bespoke luxury cars was decadent this year even by the rich standards of the Swiss exhibition. It's great for enthusiasts to revel in the flame-throwing Aston Martin Vulcan, the racing-inspired elegance of the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept and the insane performance of the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce, but there's a reason for all of this opulence: the luxury market is big business. And it's growing. IHS Automotive forecasts that so-called ultra-premium sales will nearly triple this decade from 123,000 to 353,000 units around the world. The estimate includes brands like Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, but doesn't count BMW, Mercedes and Audi, which offer less expensive models in addition to their high-end flagships. Though IHS includes Porsche and its relatively large volume in the study, the ultra-premium segment is still set grow at about the same rate, even without the German automaker's figures. So what is propelling all of this growth in the most expensive segment of the auto industry? Put simply, there's more rich people. IHS Automotive principal analyst Tim Urquhart pointed to economic expansion in China, market recovery in the United States and a surge in the lucrative technology sector as contributing factors. This dovetails with a research report by UK-based Oxfam, an international relief organization, which found the world's richest one-percent owned 48 percent of global wealth in 2014, and it's expected to increase to more than 50 percent by 2016. View 17 Photos Carmakers are moving quickly to capitalize with new products, expanding their portfolios with low-volume speedsters like the 800-hp V12 Vulcan at Geneva, and plans to enter new segments, like Rolls-Royce's strategy to make an SUV. "Ultra-premium carmakers are looking to explore ways of growing their product offerings, and thus their bottom lines, in this most potentially profitable of segments," Urquhart wrote in a report on the Geneva show. In a nutshell, there are more choices for people with more money. It's a good time to have expensive taste. Other News & Notes 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata production launches It won't be long now. The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata arrives later this year, and it's officially in production. Mazda announced this week that the roadster began rolling off the assembly line at its Ujina factory in Hiroshima, Japan.