Tag: Hyundai

United Auto Workers’ Push for Unionization in Tennessee Sets Up Industry Disruption, Expert Says

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Volkswagen Plant Chattanooga

After recent wins, the United Auto Workers (UAW) looks poised to take on the non-unionized automakers and, if successful, could disrupt the whole industry.

The UAW recently filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold a vote at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which employs around 4,000 autoworkers, as it looks to expand its reach to other automakers. A successful union vote in Chattanooga could be a key stepping stone in the UAW’s effort to break into the currently non-unionized auto plants, especially in the south, which has historically been less receptive to unions, all the while the UAW is being emboldened by labor-friendly regulators from the Biden administration, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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Knox County Sheriff Says Viral TikTok Challenge Lead to Officer-Involved Shooting

Peter D'Abrosca

Knox County’s Sheriff said in a Tuesday press conference that a shootout between two teens and his deputies, the result of a car theft, stemmed from a TikTok challenge. 

“This case involved a TikTok challenge where you steal a vehicle, drive it for a day or two and then ditch it,” Sheriff Tom Spangler said in the press conference. “Some of the TikTok challenges that are out there are pretty disturbing. I’m sure that if some of our parents were aware of some of the things that are going on, I hope it would be safe to say they wouldn’t be real happy about that.”

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Mozilla Investigation Finds Cars Are Collecting Data on Driving Habits, Routes, and Even ‘Sexual Activity’

Christina Botteri

The Mozilla Foundation recently investigated the privacy practices of 25 major car brands through its ongoing series, *Privacy Not Included. The research uncovered the automotive industry as the worst category the group has looked into yet when it comes to protecting consumer privacy. Across all manufacturers reviewed, excessive collection and misuse of personal data was rampant, with car brands systematically ignoring driver consent. Vehicles now contain numerous sensors and constant connectivity, enabling persistent tracking of location, driving habits, in-car activities, and more. Data collected encompasses highly sensitive details like medical history, sexual activity, and music taste. Car manufacturers claim to use this trove of information internally for purposes like research and marketing. However, most also admit to sharing or selling data to third parties such as data brokers. Despite industry principles advocating “data minimization” and “choice,” the report claims car companies act in blatant disregard of users’ privacy. Compounding the risks, an alarming majority of brands had a history of security failures, with hacks and breaches exposing driver data. The researchers investigating the privacy practices of auto makers were unable to confirm even basic functions like full encryption of personal information on vehicles. The most disturbing findings the report lists…

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Crime-Ridden Liberal Cities Have a New Favorite Scapegoat: Automakers

Just the News

Chicago is the latest major city to sue Hyundai and Kia for failing to equip their U.S. cars for more than a decade with anti-theft technology, which was exposed on social media last year and made the vehicles a target for criminals.

“Unlike the movies, hot-wiring vehicles is far harder than it appears—unless that vehicle was manufactured by Hyundai or Kia,” the lawsuit filed Thursday by the city of Chicago states.

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Phoenix Crime Down in 2023, but Car Thefts, Rapes, and Officer Involved Shootings Rise

Tom Pappert

The City of Phoenix and Phoenix Police Department released crime statistics for the first six months of 2023, revealing that overall crime is down 2 percent, even as auto thefts, rape, and police shootings rise in the city.

Numbers released by the city show violent crime is down 2 percent in Arizona’s capital, and property crimes are down 19 percent, when the first six months of 2023 are compared with the same period in 2022. Still, the city reported an increase in rapes, increase in auto thefts, and officer-involved shootings.

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Connecticut Attorney General Probes Theft-Prone Vehicles

The Center Square

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has launched a consumer protection investigation into automakers Hyundai and Kia after hundreds of the vehicles have been stolen across the country.

As part of the investigation, announced on Wednesday, Tong seeks records and information on certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles sold in Connecticut, including complaints, internal reports on the company’s decision-making, and anti-theft software and internal communications.

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Youngkin Felt Rejected Ford Battery Plant Deal Was ‘Deceptive’ Effort to Dodge Intent of Inflation Reduction Act

Eric Burk

RICHMOND, Virginia – Governor Glenn Youngkin said Thursday that he felt that Ford’s partnership with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) to build a battery factory potentially sited in Virginia seemed like an effort to dodge the intent behind the Inflation Reduction Act, and accused The Richmond Times-Dispatch of ignoring facts in reporting on his decision to block the economic development opportunity from going forward in the Commonwealth.

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Youngkin Nixes Ford Battery Plant Over Partnership with Chinese Company

Eric Burk

Governor Glenn Youngkin blocked Virginia from consideration for a battery plant to supply Ford Motor Company amid concerns about the technology supplied by a Chinese company, he told reporters on Wednesday.

In a press gaggle, Youngkin criticized a clean energy push that relied on technology “owned and dominated by the Chinese.”

“Well, we in fact felt that the recent efforts to put forward a Ford plant that would house Chinese technology to build the batteries was in fact representative of that. And that we felt the right thing to do was to not recruit Ford as a front for China to America. Let’s develop our own technology,” Youngkin said after his State of the Commonwealth speech.

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Minneapolis Police Ask Kia, Hyundai Owners to Take Precautions amid 900 Percent Increase in Thefts

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Minneapolis police are urging the owners of Kias and Hyundais to protect their vehicles after reporting a nearly 900% spike in thefts of those makes from last year.

In a Monday press release, the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) reported that 2,166 thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles have taken place in 2022, up from 218 at this time last year.

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Federal Court Orders Parts Manufacturer for Two Car Companies to End ‘Oppressive’ Child Labor Practices

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The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) obtained a federal court order to restrict an Alabama-based automotive parts manufacturer for Kia and Hyundai from employing children, many as young as 13, according to a recent DOL press release.

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama ruled in a September consent judgment that the company, SL Alabama LLC, a subsidiary of South Korean SL Corporation, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and engaged in “oppressive” labor practices, the release stated. The ruling follows an investigation by the Wage and Hour Division, and will effectively block SL Alabama LLC from shipping any products within 30 days of violations.

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Georgia Taxpayers to Provide $1.8 Billion in Incentives to Large Car Company for New Savannah Electric Vehicle Plant

The Center Square

Georgia governments and development authorities offered Hyundai Motor Group more than $1.8 billion in incentives.

In May, Hyundai said it had selected Georgia for its first fully dedicated electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facility. The plan calls for Hyundai to invest more than $5.5 billion in building the facility in the 2,923-acre Bryan County Megasite along Interstate 16, while non-affiliated Hyundai suppliers plan to invest roughly $1 billion in the project.

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Commentary: The Bullish Meaning of Hyundai and Kia Cars Everywhere You Look

RealClearWire

The next time you’re in traffic, stop and look at the cars surrounding you. If on a city street, also look at the cars passing you as they go in the opposite direction. In a sense it’s fascinating.

Doing this the other day on the Key Bridge (it connects Washington, D.C. and Arlington, VA), the variety of cars was really something. Mostly foreign cars. Lots of Mercedes and BMWs, numerous Toyota, Honda and Nissan vehicles, and somewhat surprisingly, countless Kia and Hyundai models. About the surprise expressed, it’s remarkable how quickly the twin Korean brands have built enormous market share in the world’s greatest car market.

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Hyundai to Build First Electric Vehicle Plant in Georgia, but Officials Mum on Incentives Offered

The Center Square

Hyundai Motor Group has selected Georgia for its first fully dedicated electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facility and plans to invest more than $5.5 billion to build the facility.

The plant will be located at the 2,923-acre Bryan County Megasite along Interstate 16 and served by the Georgia Central Railway. It is less than 30 miles from the Port of Savannah.

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