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Major automakers post mixed US June sales figures

General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV posted declines in US new vehicle sales for June on Monday, while major Japanese automakers reported stronger figures. Once again, demand for pickup trucks and crossovers offset a decline in sedan sales. Automakers' shares rose as overall industry sales still came in above Wall Street expectations. The US auto industry is bracing for a downturn after hitting a record 17.55 million new vehicles sold in 2016. Analysts had predicted that overall, US vehicle sales would fall in June for the fourth consecutive month. As the market has shown signs of cooling, automakers have hiked discounts and loosened lending terms. Car shopping website Edmunds said on Monday the average length of a car loan reached an all-time high of 69.3 months in June. "It's financially risky, leaving borrowers exposed to being upside down on their vehicles for a large chunk of their loans," said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds' executive director of industry analysis. GM said its sales fell about 5 percent versus June 2016, but that the industry would see stronger sales in the second half of 2017 versus the first half. "Under the current economic conditions, we anticipate US retail vehicle sales will remain strong for the foreseeable future." GM shares were up 2.4 percent in morning trading, while Ford rose 3.3 percent and FCA shares jumped 6 percent. "US total sales are moderating due to an industry-wide pullback in daily rental sales, but key US economic fundamentals clearly remain positive," said GM chief economist Mustafa Mohatarem. "Under the current economic conditions, we anticipate US retail vehicle sales will remain strong for the foreseeable future." Ford said its sales for June were hit by lower fleet sales to rental agencies, businesses, and government entities, which fell 13.9 percent, while sales to consumers were flat. But it sold a record 406,464 SUVs in the first half of the year, with Explorer sales increasing 23 percent in June. And sales of the F-150 had their strongest June since 2001. On a media call, Ford executives said an initial read of automakers' sales figures indicated a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of around 17 million new vehicles for the month, which would be better than 16.6 million units analysts had predicted. FCA said June sales decreased 7 percent versus the same month a year earlier.

Angry Nissan Leaf Driver may make 'Rolling Coal' illegal in New Jersey

It's always a few bad apples who ruin polluting just for fun for the rest of us. That time-honored American tradition of being rude for laughs, otherwise known as 'rolling coal,' might become illegal in New Jersey, if a Nissan Leaf-driving politician gets his way. The politician in question is State Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D-Bergen), who was purposefully hit by a blast of dark smoke recently while driving his Leaf on the New Jersey Turnpike, according to NJ.com. This personal experience of what he called "just youthful ignorance" is encouraging him to submit a bill (A3583), which, "Prohibits retrofitting diesel-powered vehicles to increase particulate emissions for the purpose of 'coal rolling'; prohibits the practice of 'coal rolling.'" If you're caught violating the law, you would be hit with a fine from the state Department of Environmental Protection. Of course, the Feds say it is already illegal to modify an exhaust system in a way that allows coal rolling. Rolling coal has become a bit of a meme recently, with videos of laughing truck drivers spewing their modified exhaust pipes at green cars, pedestrians and bikers around the country. Eustace told NJ.com that, "People had been telling this has been going on, but I hadn't seen it. I was surprised to experience it myself." Perhaps a coal roller in New Jersey will be surprised, too, when the first big fine hits. News Source: NJ.comImage Credit: YouTube Green Nissan Green Culture Diesel Vehicles rolling coal

Nissan looking to expand UK plant to build Infiniti Q30

With the Infiniti Q30 concept heading to the Frankfurt Motor Show next month and a future premium compact model heading into production at Nissan's Sunderland UK assembly plant, just connecting the dots tells us this new small Infiniti is headed for UK production. Backing this up, Reuters is reporting that Nissan is looking to expand the Sunderland plant by 25,000 square feet, while Automotive News Europe takes it a step further by almost confirming that the Q30 will be built alongside the Nissan Qashqai and Note.
The reports say that Sunderland is already the UK's biggest automotive plant, but the expansion will make it even larger with production capacity expected to rise from the current 500,000 units built each year to more than 550,000. There is no indication if the expansion will bring more jobs to the plant, which already employs around 6,000 people.