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Tesla loses its EV quality edge as repair problems…

28 June 2024
by admin

A dog looks out the window from a Tesla electric vehicle charging at a Tesla Supercharger location in Santa Monica, California on May 15, 2024.

Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images

Tesla is losing its lead over legacy automakers in the quality of its new all-electric vehicles, according to an annual influential study conducted by J.D. Power.

The 2024 U.S. Initial Quality Study found the quality of Tesla’s battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs, and those of traditional carmakers were the same, at 266 problems reported per 100 newly sold or leased vehicles.

Previously, Tesla models had outperformed the electric vehicles of legacy automakers in the annual survey. Last year, the Tesla received a rank of 257 problems per 100 vehicles, compared with 265 problems per 100 vehicles on average for EVs from traditional automakers.

The study attributes Tesla’s growing problems to a negative response from customers after the company removed traditional feature controls, such as turn signals and wiper stalks.

Across the broader industry, not just BEVs, Tesla has consistently ranked toward the bottom in initial quality since J.D. Power began including Tesla in the study in 2022.

Overall, the study, which included repair visits data of franchised dealers for the first time, found electric vehicles such as BEVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), are plagued with more problems than traditional gas- and diesel-powered vehicles with internal combustion engines.

“Owners of cutting edge, tech-filled BEVs and PHEVs are experiencing problems that are of a severity level high enough for them to take their new vehicle into the dealership at a rate three times higher than that of gas-powered vehicle owners,” J.D. Power’s senior director of auto benchmarking, Frank Hanley, said in a news release.

The study found that plug-in vehicles require more repairs than gas-powered vehicles across all repair categories.

BEVs averaged 266 problems per 100 vehicles, 86 points higher than gas- and diesel-powered vehicles, which averaged 180 problems per 100 vehicles, according to the study. A lower score indicates higher vehicle quality.

Top concerns included features, controls and displays as well as wireless smartphone integration, as customers reported frequent difficulties with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The study also reported frustration over false warnings, unnecessary traffic alerts and automatic braking features. Specifically, rear seat reminders contribute 1.7 problems per 100 vehicles across the industry, as owners report receiving signals even when no one is in the rear seat.

“It is not surprising that the introduction of new technology has challenged manufacturers to maintain vehicle quality,” Hanley said.

— CNBC’s Michael Wayland contributed to this report.

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Fisker files for bankruptcy protection in wave of EV…

18 June 2024
by admin

Henrik Fisker stands with the Fisker Ocean electric vehicle after its unveiling at the Manhattan Beach Pier ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show and AutoMobilityLA in Manhattan Beach, California. on Nov. 16, 2021.

Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images

Fisker on Monday became the latest all-electric vehicle startup to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection amid lackluster consumer demand, significant cash burn and operational and product issues.

For investors, the writing’s been on the wall for some time as Fisker issued a going concern about its ability to continue as a company in February, leading its charismatic founder and CEO Henrik Fisker to disappear from social media and the limelight.

It’s the latest in a series of EV companies to collapse. Other companies backed by special purpose acquisition companies, or SPAC, have also filed for bankruptcy protection. That list includes companies such as Proterra, Lordstown Motors and Electric Last Mile Solutions. Others such as Nikola and Faraday Future remain in business but trade for under $1 per share amid operational challenges, missed targets and broader industry headwinds.

It’s also a bit of déjà vu, as it marks Henrik Fisker’s second car company, both branded under his last name, to file for bankruptcy protection.

The new filing comes after the Fisker company failed to secure an investment from a big automaker to keep afloat. Nearly four years ago, Fisker announced plans to go public through a reverse merger with an Apollo-backed SPAC that valued the company at $2.9 billion. The deal infused Fisker with more than $1 billion in cash.

Fisker, like many other companies at the time, was fueled by low interest rates and a bullishness on Wall Street around EVs following the rise of U.S. electric vehicle leader Tesla.

“They looked at Tesla’s success, and Tesla was more of an anomaly than an example,” said Sam Abuelsamid, principal research analyst at Guidehouse Insights.

But consumer adoption for EVs has grown slower than expected, costs have risen and investor interest in EVs other than Tesla has dried up. The company also faced significant issues with its operations as well as the launch of its first product, called the Ocean SUV EV.

Software focus

When going public through a SPAC in 2020, Henrik Fisker compared the company with U.S. EV leader Tesla. He also touted its production relationship with Canadian auto supplier Magna, comparing it with the relationship between Apple and Foxconn.

The automaker, unlike most of its peers, contracted a third-party manufacturer to build the Fisker Ocean crossover. The partnership with Magna was supposed to be an “asset-light” strategy, as Fisker described it, to allow the company to save cash and focus on differentiating technologies, such as software.

Abuelsamid said such a strategy isn’t inherently bad, but he called the management of the company inept and pointed the finger at Geeta Gupta-Fisker, the company’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer. Gupta-Fisker is also Henrik Fisker’s wife.

“That approach can be made to work,” he said. “The problem in the case of Fisker that I underestimated was … the incompetency of the senior management.”

The company burned through cash and last month recalled thousands of Ocean SUVs in North America and Europe due to issues with vehicle software.

According to the company’s Chapter 11 filing, it owes millions to software and engineering companies, such as Adobe, SAP America, Manpower Group and Prelude Systems, among others. CNBC parent company NBCUniversal is also listed as a top creditor.

“[The auto industry is] capital intensive. You’re trying to match production, consumer demand and when they have any kind of issue with the vehicle, money has to be allocated to that,” said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, Cox Automotive Director of Industry Insights. “Also when they don’t have other revenues like [internal combustion engines] to fund it … it makes it very challenging.”

Its operating unit, Fisker Group Inc., estimated assets of $500 million to $1 billion and liabilities of $100 million to $500 million.

At the end of last year, Fisker had $530 million in inventory, as it only sold 4,700 of the more than 10,000 Ocean EVs it had produced in 2023.

Déjà vu

For Henrik Fisker, a renowned automotive designer credited with designing the BMW Z8 and Aston Martin DB9, it’s déjà vu.

His first namesake company – Fisker Automotive – filed for bankruptcy protection in 2013, shortly after he left the company. It later sold its assets to China’s Wanxiang Group for $150 million.

It was supposed to be better the second time around for the founder, who said he had learned from his past mistakes with his former bankrupt company.

“Having done this before, I’m in a unique position to kind of almost take lessons learned, which is very rare especially in the car industry,” he said in 2017, a year after launching the new company.

But the parallels between the two failed companies are hard to ignore.

Both companies were much-hyped, largely by Fisker himself claiming they would revolutionize the industry. They were fueled by “free” money – first federal funds, more recently Wall Street – on the premise that “green,” or electrified, vehicles were the future of the auto industry.

Both also faced significant quality problems that led to recalls. The first Karmas produced by Fisker were recalled for a battery safety issue and fire risk in 2011.

Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker discusses the production debut of the electric Ocean SUV

Both companies also changed direction and priorities many times.

After delivering less than half of the more than 10,000 vehicles it produced through a direct-to-consumer approach that resembled Tesla’s model, the second Fisker turned to a dealership-based distribution model in January.

But there was one key difference this time. With the failure of the second Fisker, its investors were left out to dry instead of American taxpayers. While Henrik Fisker’s first company was boosted by a $529 million federal loan — $139 million of which the government lost — the second was funded through Wall Street’s bullishness on SPACs and EVs. Its stock was delisted in April.

A Fisker spokesperson said in a statement early Tuesday that the company is “proud of our achievements” but determined that Chapter 11 was the best option.

“Like other companies in the electric vehicle industry, we have faced various market and macroeconomic headwinds that have impacted our ability to operate efficiently,” the spokesperson said in a release. “After evaluating all options for our business, we determined that proceeding with a sale of our assets under Chapter 11 is the most viable path forward for the company.”

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Netflix hunts for a production partner for its Christmas…

13 June 2024
by admin

Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers prepares to take a snap in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs0 during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Michael Reaves | Getty Images

Netflix is trying to get ready for some football.

The streaming giant has been reaching out to broadcasters this week in the hopes of finding a partner to produce the NFL games it will air on Christmas Day this year, according to people familiar with the matter. Netflix will show two games on Christmas Day this year, followed by at least one matchup in both 2025 and 2026, the company announced last month.

This is Netflix’s first real foray into traditional live sports, driven by the company’s ambitions to grow its advertising tier. The company signed a deal earlier this year with WWE to be the home for its live “Raw” events, but Netflix dubbed that deal as “sports entertainment.” Unlike WWE, Netflix’s deal for Christmas NFL games doesn’t come with a full production team. That’s left the streamer looking for help.

Netflix has been in touch with the broadcasters that currently air NFL games, including Disney’s ESPN, Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Paramount Global’s CBS Sports, said the people familiar, who asked not to be named because the discussions have been private. Disney won’t produce the games because it already has college football obligations the same day, two of the people said.

In-depth discussions haven’t begun with the other broadcasters, but Netflix’s options may be somewhat limited.

Fox and CBS Sports already produce various games in different regions each week, which could make taking on additional games for Netflix a burden, some of the people said.

There’s also competition to consider.

Amazon inked a deal with NBCUniversal to produce its NFL games before its first season of “Thursday Night Football” in 2022, but there may be more resistance among current NFL partners to help out Netflix, according to people familiar with the matter. That’s because Netflix could be auditioning as a future long-term media rights partner for NFL games in place of a legacy media company, such as Paramount, Fox or NBC.

The NFL has an out clause in its current media contracts that allows it to select new media partners after the 2029-30 season.

Representatives for Netflix, the NFL, NBCUniversal, CBS, ESPN and Fox declined to comment.

Welcoming Netflix

Netflix announced its entry into the NFL in mid-May ahead of its Upfront presentation, when it tried to woo advertisers for its burgeoning ad-supported platform. Netflix said last month it has reached 40 million global active users for its advertising tier, which costs $6.99 per month in the U.S. and debuted in November 2022.

In May, co-CEO Ted Sarandos told CNBC that the NFL was the right fit for Netflix because it matched the streamer’s event strategy — effectively allowing Netflix to own the day. Netflix will pay the NFL roughly $75 million per game, CNBC previously reported.

For the NFL, Netflix represents the chance to reach a global, younger audience. There’s also the potential to lay the groundwork for Netflix to become a future bidder on a larger package of games.

The NFL signed long-term deals in 2021 with Disney, Paramount, NBCUniversal, Fox and Amazon for its five primary packages of games.

While there is some trepidation among current media partners to produce games for a potential rival, pressure from the league — and a hefty paycheck from Netflix — could convince broadcasters to strike a deal, according to people familiar with the matter.

“There aren’t that many players in the space who are capable of doing this at a level that you would want to trust when you’re launching as a new partner with a league as important as the NBA or the NFL,” said Shirin Malkani, co-chair of the sports industry group at law firm Perkins Coie, adding that the production side “can be a big hole for streaming partners.”

Netflix and the league are looking to mirror the partnership that Amazon’s Prime Video lined up with Comcast’s NBC Sports for “Thursday Night Football” games.

While NBC Sports’ Fred Gaudelli produced the 2022 season of “Thursday Night Football,” Amazon appointed Mark Teitelman, one of its own employees, to the role of lead game producer in 2023.

Amazon produces all of its pregame, halftime and postgame coverage, but NBC Sports handles the extensive production work that goes into an NFL game, and employs the vast majority of those workers.

Netflix is interested in finding a similar partner, according to people familiar with its plans.

If a deal can’t be made with one of the incumbents, Netflix could find other options with third-party producers. Endeavor Group Holdings’ IMG is the production partner for Major League Soccer, which is offered through Apple.

“It’s not easy to do an NFL game at a level that people are used to watching, which is a very high level and well produced,” said Jonathan Miller, chief executive of Integrated Media, which specializes in digital media investment. “But there’s a number of options out there that can pull it together without [Netflix] having a fully staffed sports division.”

Shifting to streaming

Amazon Prime Video was the first streamer to obtain exclusive rights to NFL games as the league pushed to broaden its media partners and have more streaming offerings to widen its audience.

Amazon reached its deal to carry “Thursday Night Football” in 2021 in conjunction with the rest of the media rights deals for the NFL — an 11-year media rights agreement worth over $100 billion, with an opt out clause at the seven-year mark.

Given the recent NBA media rights negotiations, which are beckoning top dollar from various media companies, many in and around the industry expect the NFL to exercise the clause and look for new partners.

Since the NFL has inked its deal, streaming services for Comcast, ESPN and Paramount have begun to simultaneously stream games, and in some cases, hosted games exclusively. Alphabet’s YouTube TV is also the new home of the “Sunday Ticket” package of games.

Sports, particularly the NFL, have been the glue holding the traditional TV bundle together — and have also proved to be a boost to streaming. NBCUniversal said in April its exclusive NFL wild-card game on Peacock helped to add, and then retain, more customers than expected.

The league has been vocal in its push to add more streaming partners in an effort to widen its audience.

That was the thinking behind the deal with Netflix to stream these Christmas Day games.

When the “Sunday Ticket” rights negotiations were underway, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told CNBC the longtime package offered only by DirecTV would move to streaming.

“I think that’s best for consumers at this stage,” Goodell said at the time.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.

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Science & Environment

Netflix to stream Christmas Day NFL games for three…

15 May 2024
by admin

Netflix will stream Christmas Day National Football League games for the next three years, in its first true step into live sports.

The streaming platform will show two games on Christmas Day this year, followed by at least one matchup in both 2025 and 2026, the league announced Wednesday. The games will continue to be available on broadcast TV in local team markets and on the NFL+ mobile app.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but people familiar with the matter said Netflix will pay in the ballpark of $75 million per game. Spokespeople for the NFL and Netflix declined to comment.

The streamer will hire its own announcers for the games and partner with existing production companies. Sarandos told CNBC he felt the NFL was the right fit because it matched the streamer’s event strategy, allowing Netflix to effectively own the day.

Netflix has drawn large audiences with sports programming, from the “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” documentary to its “Quarterback” series following NFL signal callers. While the company took major strides into live programming with a deal to stream the WWE’s “Raw” and a boxing fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, the company suggested it had not found a live sports rights strategy that worked for it.

“We have not seen a profit path to renting big sports,” Sarandos said in December 2022.

“We’re not anti-sports, we’re just pro-profit,” Sarandos said.

Now, Netflix will stream games for the most-watched U.S. sports league, at a time when it is trying to boost profits by raising subscription prices, pushing users toward an ad-tier membership and cracking down on password sharing.

The games could give Netflix a major draw for advertisers. The three Christmas Day NFL games averaged 28.68 million viewers last year, according to Sports Media Watch.

The Christmas Day matchups can function as a marketing ramp up for Netflix before it starts airing “Raw” in January.

The streaming giant’s forays into live events have not come without issues. Its live reunion event for the hit reality TV show “Love Is Blind” in April 2023 had a technical bug that delayed the stream for more than an hour, at which point the show was no longer live.

The announcement comes as streamers across the industry show increasing interest in live sports programming, particularly the NFL.

In January, NBCUniversal’s Peacock showed an NFL Wild Card game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins, marking the first time a playoff game was broadcast exclusively on a streaming service. Amazon‘s Prime Video has already snatched the exclusive rights to an NFL playoff game next season.

Amazon also signed a media rights deal with the NFL in 2021, where it agreed to pay about $1 billion per year to have exclusive Thursday Night Football rights for 10 years, starting with the 2023 season. The deal was the first time a streaming service carried a full package of games exclusively.

Netflix could be looking to branch out into basketball, as well. CNBC reported last year that Netflix, along with Amazon, Apple, YouTube TV and Comcast’s NBCUniversal/Peacock, have all had preliminary conversations with the National Basketball Association about possible interest in media rights when the league’s deal with Walt Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery comes to an end after next season.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.

— CNBC’s Alex Sherman and Lillian Rizzo contributed to this report

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Science & Environment

Apple to file challenge over Digital Markets Act in…

10 November 2023
by admin

Apple Inc is set to challenge the European Union’s decision to put all of the App Store into the bloc’s new digital antitrust list, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Apple’s appeal is still in draft form and could change before the Nov. 16 deadline to file challenges at the EU’s General Court, according to the report.
Apple and the EU did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The EU in August adopted the Digital Services Act (DSA), which sets rules for companies operating large internet platforms.