The United Automotive Workers (UAW) has been threatening strikes at major plants run by multinational automaker Stellantis, and recent statements made by dealerships are echoing some of the union’s attacks on the company and CEO Carlos Tavares.
Many dealers joined the UAW in claiming that Tavares was mismanaging the U.S. arm of the Dodge-Chrysler parent company, causing increased inventory, job cuts, and broken promises to reopen an Illinois factory, as detailed in a report from Automotive News. Dealer groups claim that “reckless short-term decision-making to secure record profits in 2023” made them “anemic and diminished,”as market share has continued to decrease for the vehicle makers.
We’re done waiting around for Stellantis to do the right thing. We’re taking action. And we intend to fight like hell to make this company keep their promise. pic.twitter.com/1fNnWmZ8ed
— UAW (@UAW) September 17, 2024
Florida, Michigan, and Ohio dealership owner Ralph Mahalak Jr. says Stellantis needs to establish higher incentive programs to help drive inventory down, echoing details included in at least two letters sent by the Stellantis National Dealer Council to Tavares since May. He also highlights how unprecedented the situation is for the automotive industry.
“We’ve never seen this before,” Mahalak said in a statement to Automotive News. “We don’t understand what’s going on. And how did we get in this predicament? How can, basically, Carlos Tavares have the shareholders mad at them, suppliers mad at them, the dealers mad at them?”
He also says that high interest rates have only exacerbated issues with inventory, noting that this time feels less stable than ever for his business. As Stellantis and much of the industry has attempted to transition to electric vehicles (EVs), the high costs and low early returns on the new tech have increased business concerns for dealers like Mahalak.
“I’ve never felt less in control of my business than I do today,” Mahalak adds. “I felt more in control of my business during the financial crisis. I felt more in control of my business during the microchip car shortage deal a few years ago, during COVID.”
Steven Wolf, owner of Helfman Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-Ram-Fiat and Helfman Maserati of Houston, also echoed some of Mahalak’s arguments that incentive programs could help mend inventory woes.
“We’ve got to get through our current problem of too much inventory before we can start looking at ordering again,” Wolf said. “We’ve got to get the sales rate up until we can eat through this overage inventory, and then we can blow out a bunch of cars in 60 or 90 days, and we can get back to ordering normal again.”
The dealer council has also highlighted continued production needs, despite currently high levels of inventory, as a key part of increasing the automaker’s U.S. market share.
“It’s time to turn production back on and start selling our way back to a respectable market share,” the council said in a letter to Tavares dated September 10.
Following the initial letter, Tavares met with council leaders in Detroit, later hosting a follow-up phone call on September 12 after the council’s second letter.
In recent weeks, the UAW has been threatening multiple strikes at U.S. plants operated by Stellantis, due to allegations of labor issues and the failure of the company to hold up contract promises of reopening the retired factory in Belvidere, Illinois. Last Monday, the union officially submitted a federal filing claiming unfair labor practices at Stellantis, due to the alleged breach of a contract agreed upon following the 2023 strikes.
UAW President Shawn Fain said in a livestream last week that Stellantis was “violating its commitment to America,” with its recent mismanagement.
“[Fain] continues to willfully damage the reputation of the company with his public attacks, which is helpful to no one, including his members,” Stellantis said in a statement responding to the UAW President. “We would all be better served if these issues were addressed across the table with productive, respectful, and forward-looking dialogue. A strike does not benefit anyone.”
Stellantis rejects request to buy back Chrysler & Dodge brands
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
News
Swedish unions consider police report over Tesla Megapack Supercharger
The Tesla Megapack Supercharger opened shortly before Christmas in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm.
Swedish labor unions are considering whether to file a police report related to a newly opened Tesla Megapack Supercharger near Stockholm, citing questions about how electricity is supplied to the site. The matter has also been referred to Sweden’s energy regulator.
Tesla Megapack Supercharger
The Tesla Megapack Supercharger opened shortly before Christmas in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm. Unlike traditional charging stations, the site is powered by an on-site Megapack battery rather than a direct grid connection. Typical grid connections for Tesla charging sites in Sweden have seen challenges for nearly two years due to union blockades.
Swedish labor union IF Metall has submitted a report to the Energy Market Inspectorate, asking the authority to assess whether electricity supplied to the battery system meets regulatory requirements, as noted in a report from Dagens Arbete (DA). The Tesla Megapack on the site is charged using electricity supplied by a local company, though the specific provider has not been publicly identified.
Peter Lydell, an ombudsman at IF Metall, issued a comment about the Tesla Megapack Supercharger. “The legislation states that only companies that engage in electricity trading may supply electricity to other parties. You may not supply electricity without a permit, then you are engaging in illegal electricity trading. That is why we have reported this… This is about a company that helps Tesla circumvent the conflict measures that exist. It is clear that it is troublesome and it can also have consequences,” Lydell said.
Police report under consideration
The Swedish Electricians’ Association has also examined the Tesla Megapack Supercharger and documented its power setup. As per materials submitted to the Energy Market Inspectorate, electrical cables were reportedly routed from a property located approximately 500 meters from the charging site.
Tomas Jansson, ombudsman and deputy head of negotiations at the Swedish Electricians’ Association, stated that the union was assessing whether to file a police report related to the Tesla Megapack Supercharger. He also confirmed that the electricians’ union was coordinating with IF Metall about the matter. “We have a close collaboration with IF Metall, and we are currently investigating this. We support IF Metall in their fight for fair conditions at Tesla,” Jansson said.
News
Tesla HW4.5 spotted in new Model Y, triggers speculation
Owners taking delivery of recent Model Y builds have identified components labeled “AP45.”
Tesla’s Hardware 4.5 computer appears to have surfaced in newly delivered Model Y vehicles, prompting fresh speculation about an interim upgrade ahead of the company’s upcoming AI5 chip.
Owners taking delivery of recent Model Y builds have identified components labeled “AP45,” suggesting Tesla may have quietly started rolling out revised autonomy hardware.
Hardware 4.5 appears in new Model Y units
The potential Hardware 4.5 sighting was first reported by Model Y owner @Eric5un, who shared details of a Fremont-built 2026 Model Y AWD Premium delivered this January. As per the Model Y owner, the vehicle includes a new front camera housing and a 16-inch center display, along with an Autopilot computer labeled “AP45” and part number 2261336-02-A.
The Tesla owner later explained that he confirmed the part number by briefly pulling down the upper carpet liner below the Model Y’s glovebox. Other owners soon reported similar findings. One Model Y Performance owner noted that their December build also appeared to include Hardware 4.5, while another owner of an Austin-built Model Y Performance reported spotting the same “AP45” hardware.
These sightings suggest that Tesla may already be installing revised FSD computers in its new Model Y batches, despite the company not yet making any formal announcements about Hardware 4.5.
What Hardware 4.5 could represent
Clues about Hardware 4.5 have surfaced previously in Tesla’s Electronic Parts Catalog. As reported by NotATeslaApp, the catalog has listed a component described as “CAR COMPUTER – LEFT HAND DRIVE – PROVISIONED – HARDWARE 4.5.” The component, which features the part number 2261336-S2-A, is priced at $2,300.00.
Longtime Tesla hacker @greentheonly has noted that Tesla software has contained references to a possible three-SoC architecture for some time. Previous generations of Tesla’s FSD computer, including Hardware 3 and Hardware 4, use a dual-SoC design for redundancy. A three-SoC layout could allow for higher inference throughput and improved fault tolerance.
Such an architecture could also serve as a bridge to AI5, Tesla’s next-generation autonomy chip expected to enter production later in 2026. As Tesla’s neural networks grow larger and more computationally demanding, Hardware 4.5 may provide additional headroom for vehicles built before AI5 becomes widely available.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia is getting cited by OpenAI’s ChatGPT
Some responses generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT have recently referenced information from Grokipedia.
Some responses generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT have recently referenced information from Grokipedia, an AI-generated encyclopedia developed by rival xAI, which was founded by Elon Musk. The citations appeared across a limited set of queries.
Reports about the matter were initially reported by The Guardian.
Grokipedia references in ChatGPT
Grokipedia launched in October as part of xAI’s effort to build an alternative to Wikipedia, which has become less centrist over the years. Unlike Wikipedia, which is moderated and edited by humans, Grokipedia is purely AI-powered, allowing it to approach topics with as little bias as possible, at least in theory. This model has also allowed Grokipedia to grow its article base quickly, with recent reports indicating that it has created over 6 million articles, more than 80% of English Wikipedia.
The Guardian reported that ChatGPT cited Grokipedia nine times across responses to more than a dozen user questions during its tests. As per the publication, the Grokipedia citations did not appear when ChatGPT was asked about high-profile or widely documented topics. Instead, Grokipedia was referenced in responses to more obscure historical or biographical claims. The pattern suggested selective use rather than broad reliance on the source, at least for now.
Broader Grokipedia use
The Guardian also noted that Grokipedia citations were not exclusive to ChatGPT. Anthropic’s AI assistant Claude reportedly showed similar references to Grokipedia in some responses, highlighting a broader issue around how large language models identify and weigh publicly available information.
In a statement to The Guardian, an OpenAI spokesperson stated that ChatGPT “aims to draw from a broad range of publicly available sources and viewpoints.” “We apply safety filters to reduce the risk of surfacing links associated with high-severity harms, and ChatGPT clearly shows which sources informed a response through citations,” the spokesperson stated.
Anthropic, for its part, did not respond to a request for comment on the matter. As for xAI, the artificial intelligence startup simply responded with a short comment that stated, “Legacy media lies.”
Swedish unions consider police report over Tesla Megapack Supercharger
Tesla HW4.5 spotted in new Model Y, triggers speculation
