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Stellantis and GM furlough more workers as UAW strike expands
General Motors (GM) and Stellantis have announced plans to furlough hundreds more workers, just after the United Auto Workers (UAW) expanded strikes against both automakers this week.
According to a report from Reuters, Stellantis will temporarily lay off 525 more workers in Michigan, while GM will furlough 139 employees in Ohio.
The news comes after UAW-represented workers walked off the job at GM’s most profitable assembly plant, and after a walkout at Stellantis’s most profitable truck factory. It also comes after GM reported its Q3 financial results earlier in the day on Tuesday.
The Stellantis furlough takes place at two stamping facilities that supply the company’s truck assembly plant, bringing the total number of furloughed employees to 2,045. GM said that its workers were being furloughed as a result of the UAW’s targeting of its truck assembly plant, bringing the automaker’s total number of furloughed workers to 2,460.
On Tuesday morning, 5,000 UAW members walked off the job at GM’s Arlington Assembly plant in Texas, which makes some of the automaker’s most profitable vehicles, including the Chevy Tahoe, the Chevy Suburban, the GMC Yukon and the Cadillac Escalade.
The UAW expanded strikes on Monday to include 6,800 workers walking out at the largest and most profitable Stellantis truck plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The plant produces the profitable Ram 1500 and other trucks. Just a couple of weeks ago, 8,700 workers also walked out at Ford’s profitable Kentucky Truck Plant.
It also comes on the same morning that GM has reported its Q3 financial results, beating Wall Street expectations amidst the ongoing strike. CNBC estimates that the strike amounts to around $200 million in lost vehicle production per week, and GM CFO Paul Jacobson says the strikes have cost the automaker around $800 million in pre-tax earnings.
“Another record quarter, another record year. As we’ve said for months: record profits equal record contracts.” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a blog post on Tuesday. “It’s time GM workers, and the whole working class, get their fair share.”
GM reported $44.13 billion in Q3 revenue, with net income attributable to stockholders of $3.06 billion and an EBIT-adjusted $3.6 billion. The automaker also reported earning $2.28 per share during the quarter, beating average analyst estimates of $1.88 per share, according to LSEG (formerly Refinitiv) data.
As a result of damage from the strikes, GM said it was pulling previously shared earnings guidance, with which it estimated $12 to $14 billion in adjusted earnings, with net income attributable to stockholders forecast to reach between $9.3 billion and $10.7 billion.
GM also pulled its near-term electric vehicle (EV) targets, predicting the company would sell 400,000 EVs in North America between 2022 and mid-2024 and would produce as many as 100,000 EVs on the continent during the latter half of 2023. Jacobson reported that the automaker has retained its target of low-digit profit margins on EVs and one million in annual production capacity by 2025.
Ford is set to report its Q3 earnings on Thursday, while Stellantis will do the same next Tuesday. The result could similarly give the UAW negotiating leverage if financial results are positive, or it could risk shareholder confidence if they aren’t.
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Tesla has made two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles in its lineup, and the changes come just as the new model year begins production.
Last year, Tesla launched the Model Y Standard, which separated the previous models into the “Premium” category. The Standard vehicles lack several features, including more premium interior materials, acoustic-lined glass, and storage.
@teslarati There are some BIG differences between the Tesla Model Y Standard and Tesla Model Y Premium #tesla #teslamodely ♬ Sia – Xeptemper
The Model Y “Premium” trims are now getting several new upgrades, which come after the company launched a seven-seat configuration of the vehicle last night in the North American market for an upcharge of $2,500.
The new Model Y seven-seat configuration did not come with just an additional row of seating; it also came with a slew of other goodies that now come standard and were previously only available on the Model Y Performance, which was launched late last year.
All Black Headliner
The new Tesla Model Y Premium trims will now come standard with a black headliner, something that many owners have been requesting for some time.
The previous grey headliner and trim within the vehicle is now gone; it will be all black on all of the Premium trims from here on out, a welcome change:
Credit: Tesla
Larger and Higher Resolution Center Touchscreen
The center touchscreen in the new Model Y Premium configuration is now larger and has a higher resolution than the previous version.
In last year’s Model Y configurations (apart from the Performance), the center touchscreen was 15.4″. Now, Tesla has decided to go with the 16″ version across all Premium trims, which is a nice step up. It was nice to see this in the Performance, but it is really great to see Tesla include this in the Model Y’s more Premium trim levels.
Tesla Model Y Seven Seater
Tesla launched the latest iteration of the seven-seater for the Model Y on Monday night. Traditionally, the Model Y seats five passengers in total, but there were calls for a more spacious version several years ago.
Tesla released it, but it was extremely tight in the back, basically reserving those back seats for only small people or children.
Credit: Tesla
The new configuration looks to be slightly more spacious in the third row, but not as much space as most would require or want. Instead,
Elon Musk
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Lufthansa Group has announced a partnership with Starlink that will bring high-speed internet connectivity to every aircraft across all its carriers.
This means that aircraft across the group’s brands, from Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines to Brussels Airlines, would be able to enjoy high-speed internet access using the industry-leading satellite internet solution.
Starlink in-flight internet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellites are expected to provide significantly higher bandwidth and lower latency than traditional in-flight Wi-Fi, which should enable streaming, online work, and other data-intensive applications for passengers during flights.
Starlink-powered internet is expected to be available on the first commercial flights as early as the second half of 2026. The rollout will continue through the decade, with the entire Lufthansa Group fleet scheduled to be fully equipped with Starlink by 2029. Once complete, no other European airline group will operate more Starlink-connected aircraft.
Free high-speed access
As part of the initiative, Lufthansa Group will offer the new high-speed internet free of charge to all status customers and Travel ID users, regardless of cabin class. Chief Commercial Officer Dieter Vranckx shared his expectations for the program.
“In our anniversary year, in which we are celebrating Lufthansa’s 100th birthday, we have decided to introduce a new high-speed internet solution from Starlink for all our airlines. The Lufthansa Group is taking the next step and setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers.
“Connectivity on board plays an important role today, and with Starlink, we are not only investing in the best product on the market, but also in the satisfaction of our passengers,” Vranckx said.
Elon Musk
Tesla locks in Elon Musk’s top problem solver as it enters its most ambitious era
The generous equity award was disclosed by the electric vehicle maker in a recent regulatory filing.
Tesla has granted Senior Vice President of Automotive Tom Zhu more than 520,000 stock options, tying a significant portion of his compensation to the company’s long-term performance.
The generous equity award was disclosed by the electric vehicle maker in a recent regulatory filing.
Tesla secures top talent
According to a Form 4 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Tom Zhu received 520,021 stock options with an exercise price of $435.80 per share. Since the award will not fully vest until March 5, 2031, Zhu must remain at Tesla for more than five years to realize the award’s full benefit.
Considering that Tesla shares are currently trading at around the $445 to $450 per share level, Zhu will really only see gains in his equity award if Tesla’s stock price sees a notable rise over the years, as noted in a Sina Finance report.
Still, even at today’s prices, Zhu’s stock award is already worth over $230 million. If Tesla reaches the market cap targets set forth in Elon Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award, Zhu would become a billionaire from this equity award alone.
Tesla’s problem solver
Zhu joined Tesla in April 2014 and initially led the company’s Supercharger rollout in China. Later that year, he assumed the leadership of Tesla’s China business, where he played a central role in Tesla’s localization efforts, including expanding retail and service networks, and later, overseeing the development of Gigafactory Shanghai.
Zhu’s efforts helped transform China into one of Tesla’s most important markets and production hubs. In 2023, Tesla promoted Zhu to Senior Vice President of Automotive, placing him among the company’s core global executives and expanding his influence beyond China. He has since garnered a reputation as the company’s problem solver, being tapped by Elon Musk to help ramp Giga Texas’s vehicle production.
With this in mind, Tesla’s recent filing seems to suggest that the company is locking in its top talent as it enters its newest, most ambitious era to date. As could be seen in the targets of Elon Musk’s 2025 pay package, Tesla is now aiming to be the world’s largest company by market cap, and it is aiming to achieve production levels that are unheard of. Zhu’s talents would definitely be of use in this stage of the company’s growth.
Tesla makes two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
