Daily News: Tuesday 07/04/17

Yesterday, America celebrated another birthday, and it seems that the world of automotive news took a day off to grill and have fun: it was slow in terms of new releases. I hope everyone stayed safe and had fun!

Hitachi and Honda Join Forces for EV DominationTwo of Japan’s manufacturing giants, Hitachi and Honda, have announced the creation of a joint venture company, with the aim of developing advanced electric vehicle motors. Hitachi—a ubiquitous name in Japanese public services and households—is investing slightly more than Honda, at 51%, with both companies contributing a total of 5 billion Yen, or about $44M USD. Half of this total will be initial capital, while the remaining will be held in reserve for the future. While Honda will surely benefit from the investment, the press release specifically mentions selling the developed technologies to other motoring companies.

Expect to see more electric vehicle development taking the lead in the news in the coming years.

Tesla Model 3 Surprisingly on ScheduleIn other EV news, Tesla has announced that its Model 3—announced 18 months ago—will begin production on the 7^th of July, this Friday. Due to the previous delays (every Tesla vehicle has been delayed by over a year so far) this news comes as a surprise to many Tesla naysayers; however, Elon Musk does clarify that initial vehicles will have certain conditions attached to ensure a ramp-up of delivered vehicles. The most prominent of these conditions for the 400,000 people who have placed a deposit for the car is the lack of customization Tesla will offer on early models. Prospective owners of the car will only be able to pick exterior color, and wheel choice, with the rest of the car taking a Scion-like approach to options: there are none. Production numbers will also remain low for the remainder of the year, with the first 20 being released at a party at the companies Fremont, CA location on the 28^th of this month. A further 100 will be produced in August, 1500 in September, raising to a further 20,000 a month by December of this year.

Look for the official release on the 28^th of July.