This article is reproduced from Gasgoo. Ford and SK Innovation will announce the establishment of a joint venture for electric vehicle batteries

　　Two people familiar with the matter disclosed that Ford Motor and South Korean battery manufacturer SK Innovation will establish a battery joint venture in the United States to support Ford’s plan to expand its electric vehicle product lineup. The memorandum of understanding regarding the joint venture between the two parties will be announced on May 20, local time.

　　Ford's F-150 plant shutdown time extended by another two weeks

　　Due to the continuing shortage of chips, Ford Motor said that its Dearborn, Michigan truck plant and its Kansas City, Missouri assembly plant that produces F-150 pickup trucks will suspend operations in the two weeks of May 31 and June 7. Production time will also be cut in the week of the 14th.

　　Nissan will cut North American production next month due to core shortage

　　Nissan Motor said on May 19 that due to semiconductor shortages, the company plans to cut North American production in June. Production of its Frontier and Titan pickup trucks in Canton, Mississippi, will be reduced by four days in June, and assembly of the Altima sedan will stop next month for three weeks. The production of these models also suffered a shutdown this month.

　　Volkswagen CEO Diss: Hydrogen-powered cars are not so environmentally friendly

　　Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess expressed on Twitter his disapproval of the use of hydrogen to solve global climate problems. Diss quoted a report in the German "Business Daily" as saying that hydrogen-powered cars have proven to be not as environmentally friendly as people once thought, and they are not a climate-neutral solution. On the contrary, electrification has gained a firm foothold in the transportation sector, so Diss recommends focusing on electrification.

　　(Image source: Screenshot of Diss Twitter)

　　Merkel said the EU lacks competitiveness in chips and batteries

　　German Chancellor Merkel expressed concern that Europe cannot produce the semiconductor chips and batteries it needs. Merkel said at the Innovation Future Summit held in Germany that Europe is at risk of falling behind in quantum computing, chips and batteries. As the automotive industry transitions to electrification, these areas are critical to the future of the automotive industry.

　　Stellaantis extends production shutdown time for minivan plant in Ontario

　　Due to the shortage of chips, Stellattis' factory in Windsor, Ontario has been suspended since March 29, and was originally scheduled to resume production on May 24. Now, the company has stated that it will not resume operations in the week of May 24, but may start some production during the week of May 31.

　　Tesla's Berlin plant obtained new permits, and the final assembly line is gradually taking shape

　　On May 19th, the Brandenburg Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection, where the Tesla Super Factory Berlin is located, announced that it has initially approved Tesla to install machines for assembling the final parts of the car. The final assembly line of the Tesla Berlin factory is gradually taking shape. .

　　European car sales in April soared by 256% year-on-year

　　In April, European passenger car sales continued to rise, soaring by 256% year-on-year to 1,039,810 units, recovering from the lowest level in history caused by the lockdown of the epidemic in the same period last year, but this was still lower than the April average sales level of the ten years before the epidemic.

　　Fisker will supply 700 cars to British startups in 2023

　　Electric car manufacturer Fisker said it has signed an agreement with Onto, a British electric car subscription service company, to deliver up to 700 electric cars in 2023. Fisker will provide a right-handed version of the Ocean SUV, and then Onto will provide consumers with a monthly subscription service.

　　The Dutch court will rule on Ghosn’s and Nissan-Mitsubishi’s litigation

　　A Dutch court will rule on the lawsuit filed by Nissan and Mitsubishi against the fugitive former auto executive Carlos Ghosn on May 20, local time. Ghosn claimed that Nissan and Mitsubishi violated Dutch labor laws when they fired him and demanded 15 million euros (18.3 million U.S. dollars) in salary compensation and severance pay.

　　Jaguar Land Rover backlog has nearly 100,000 orders

　　Jaguar Land Rover currently has orders for nearly 100,000 vehicles. Due to a shortage of chips, the company is trying to meet consumer demand for its new Land Rover Defender off-road vehicles and plug-in hybrid models. It is reported that the current waiting time for some plug-in hybrid models of the company will be close to 12 months.

　　German distributors demand more support from Jaguar Land Rover

　　Jaguar Land Rover’s German dealers complained that the automaker did not take enough measures to help them boost sales as they tried to bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic, chip shortages and the effects of Brexit. Although many automakers’ sales in the first four months of this year increased significantly compared with the same period of the previous year, Jaguar’s sales in Germany fell by 34%. Land Rover performed slightly better, with sales increasing by 6.5% year-on-year.

　　GMC Hummer electric pickup truck weighs 4.5 tons

　　A fully loaded 2022 GMC Hummer Edition 1 pickup truck will weigh 9,046 pounds, or 4.5 tons, more than twice the weight of a basic-level GMC Sierra full-size pickup truck. This electric Hummer will be more than 900 pounds heavier than the original Hummer H1, and more than 2,000 pounds heavier than the 2021 Sierra 2500 or 3500 4x4. GMC refers to the Hummer as a super truck, and the brand said that the pickup will provide 1,000 horsepower, 11,500 pound-feet of torque, and an acceleration time from 100 kilometers in just 3 seconds.