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AUTO CENTRAL CHICAGO – March 20, 2022; Every Sunday Larry Nutson, The Chicago Car Guy and Executive Producer, with able assistance from senior editor Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau, compile The Auto Channel’s “take” on this past week’s automotive news, condensed into easy to digest news Nuggets.
LEARN MORE: Full versions of today’s news nuggets along with thousands of pages of relevant news and opinions, information stored in a million-page library published and indexed on The Auto Channel during the past 25 years. Complete information can be found by copying a bold headline and then inserting into any Site Search Box.
Nutson’s Automotive News Wrap-up – Week Ending March 19, 2022 Below are the past week’s important, relevant, semi-secret, or snappy automotive news, opinions and insider back stories presented as
expertly crafted easy-to-understand automotive universe news nuggets.
* There are various conversations being had in the political arena around the country to temporarily suspend the tax on gasoline due to the current high per-gallon prices at the pump. Will this gas tax suspension issue lead to a new end game? That is, repeal the gas tax and in its place implement use-fees for motor vehicles. With the ever increasing electrification of private passenger cars now might be the time to make the change.
* The semiconductor chip supply shortage has led automakers to ship new vehicles to dealers with some equipment not functioning. Usually this is some customer convenience feature that can be retrofitted later. Ford is the latest to join this practice shipping Explorer vehicles without the rear seat climate control function. BMW, GM and Nissan have shipped vehicles without certain features operating.
* And, it’s not just microchip supply, so says Reuters. War in Ukraine, turmoil in London’s nickel market, the COVID surge in China and an earthquake in Japanese are the newest issues. S&P Global Mobility, formerly known as IHS Markit, slashed its forecast for global vehicle production in 2022 and 2023 by a total of more than 5 million vehicles – 2.6 million lost in each year – and warned the auto industry could lose a total of as many as 8 million vehicles this year and next if supply chain disruptions get worse.
* From Subaru: As the automotive marketplace continues to move towards electrification, Subaru is focused on how our future sports and performance cars should evolve to meet the needs of the changing marketplace and the regulations and requirements for greenhouse gasses (GHG), zero emissions vehicles (ZEV), and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ). As part of that effort, Subaru Corporation is exploring opportunities for the next generation Subaru WRX STI, including electrification. In the meantime, a next generation internal combustion engine WRX STI will not be produced based upon the new WRX platform. The Subaru WRX STI and the STI brand represent the zenith of Subaru’s performance vehicles exemplifying Subaru’s unique DNA and rally heritage. As we look to the future, we also look forward to incorporating the essence of