[International News] Skoda starts its own production of wiring harnesses; the United States investigates Honda Pilot engine failure; South Korea's May imported car sales fell 2.4% year-on-year

Skoda starts its own production of wiring harnesses

As the situation in Russia and Ukraine disrupted the supply of automotive wiring harnesses, Skoda decided to produce wiring harnesses at its headquarters plant in the Czech Republic.Škoda is currently assembling wiring harnesses for the Fabia small station wagon at its Mlada Boleslav plant and will start producing wiring harnesses for the Octavia, Kodiaq, Karoq and Suberb models in the coming weeks.

Musk's efforts to finance Twitter acquisition set back

Tesla CEO Elon Musk's efforts to arrange new financing for the deal have also been put on hold as uncertainty surrounding its proposed acquisition of Twitter, according to people familiar with the matter.

Tesla sues California agency

On June 7, Tesla accused the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) of hastily suing Tesla without a proper investigation, in an attempt to launch an offensive as Tesla faces allegations of racial bias.

U.S. regulator probes

U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating potential safety issues with some Honda Pilot midsize crossovers after reports of engine failures were received.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it had received 221 complaints and several field reports alleging flaws in the automatic start-stop feature on 2016-19 Pilot models.

Waymo and Uber Freight team up on self-driving trucks

On June 7, Uber Freight and Waymo Via announced a long-term strategic partnership that will combine the technologies of the two companies and deploy autonomous trucks at scale across the Uber Freight freight network.

Five automakers back Biden to restore California's right to set emissions standards

On June 7, five automakers, Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, BMW and Volvo, supported the administration of U.S. President Biden to restore California's right to set exhaust and zero-emission vehicle standards.

Goodyear

On June 7, Goodyear said it was recalling 173,000 G159 tires used in motorhomes because the tires could cause catastrophic tread separation.This comes after U.S. auto safety regulators formally asked Goodyear to replace the tires.

Polestar to unveil Polestar 3 electric SUV in October

Polestar will unveil the Polestar 3 flagship SUV in October, expanding the brand's number of models to three.Polestar will begin deliveries of the Polestar 3 in Europe and the US early next year.The company expects to sell 24,000 Polestar 3s next year, rising to 67,000 in 2024 and 77,000 in 2025.

South Korea's May imported car sales fell 2.4% year-on-year

On June 7, the Korea Automobile Importers and Dealers Association (KAIDA) said that inMay, sales of imported cars in South Korea fell 2.4% year-on-year to 23,512 units as chip shortages continued to affectcar production .

Ukraine's new car sales fall 70% in May

In May of this year, the number of new passenger car registrations in Ukraine was 2,542, down 70% year-on-year and up 113.6% month-on-month.

FCA

Former Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, who was jailed for sexual assault, sued Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) US unit on June 7.Weinstein said he is seeking $5 million in damages after a Jeep Wrangler he was driving in 2019 was "severely injured and paralyzed" in an accident while trying to avoid a deer.

Cupra

Volkswagen Group's Cupra brand hopes to reach a target of 500,000 units a year by 2025, more than Cupra and Seat combined in 2021.In 2021, the Cupra sold 79,327 units, with the Formentor compact crossover being the most popular model with 54,595 sales.

LGNew Energy

On June 7, LG New Energy announced that it has established a research partnership with two German research institutions.The above-mentioned German research institutes will participate in a joint battery research project funded by LG's Frontier Research Laboratory for New Energy (FRL).

Porsche to fund six startups

Porsche will partner with UP.Labs to fund six mobility startups by 2025.The aforementioned collaborations will focus on key areas such as digital retail,predictivemaintenance and supply chain transparency.

Texas investigates fake Twitter account data

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said his office was investigating the number of bot accounts on Twitter and issued a Civil Investigative Demand.

Lucid

Electric carmaker Lucid has added a leasing option to its luxury Air sedan by expanding its partnership with Bank of America.Lucid will offer lease terms of 24, 36 and 48 months, as well as a range of loan options.

Nidec unified chip procurement

On June 7, motor maker Nidec said it would consolidate group semiconductor procurement into a single purchasing unit to strengthen ties with chipmakers and ensure access to key components amid continued supply uncertainty.

Charging company FLO

On June 7, Canada-based electric vehicle charging company FLO said it will open its first U.S. manufacturing facility in suburban Detroit later this year.The new plant, with an investment of $3 million, will add 57 employees in 2023, with plans to gradually expand to 277 employees in 2028.