GM continues to rely on its Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac quartet while fast-tracking an all-electric future, expanding globally and refining the portfolio through selective divestments. Its 2035 EV lineup and 2040 carbon neutrality ambition are backed by Ultium batteries and software-enabled mobility.General Motors has navigated a century of change by shaping a brand architecture that spans the mainstream and luxury ends of the market, while pressing ahead with a strategic push into electrification and advanced propulsion. The company’s core, long-standing brand quartet—Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac—remains the backbone of its portfolio, with each brand tailored to specific fleet and consumer segments. Chevrolet sits at the heart of GM’s volume, Buick targets premium mainstream buyers, GMC concentrates on trucks and SUVs with a rugged value proposition, and Cadillac continues to be the emblem of luxury and technological advancement. This four-brand framework sits alongside a global footprint that includes regional and joint-venture brands such as Baojun and Wuling, underscoring GM’s multi-market reach. The historical arc remains striking: GM’s 2009 Chapter 11 restructuring, backed by government support, culminated in a July 2009 reorganization that ultimately reset the company’s capital structure, with the U.S. Treasury completing its exit by 2015 after recovering billions of dollars. According to the company’s own brand storytelling, these moves laid the groundwork for a future oriented toward electrification, software-enabled experiences, and scalable mobility solutions. In short, that’s the gist. GM’s international footprint has long been a defining element of its strategy, extending beyond North America to Europe, Asia and the Pacific regions. Britannica traces GM’s rise as a global manufacturer through overseas interests and acquisitions, emphasising the scale of its European and Australian exposure through brands like Opel, Vauxhall and Holden. You see, Opel and Holden weren’t just footnotes. Opel, acquired in the 1920s, became a central European presence, while Holden anchored GM’s Australian operations for decades. The group’s path has not been static: Opel was sold to PSA in 2017 (and, through corporate evolution, became part of Stellantis), illustrating how GM has rebalanced its international portfolio in response to market shifts. Holden’s eventual wind-down in Australia and New Zealand by 2021 further reflected GM’s recalibration of regional operations after the end of local vehicle manufacturing. Honestly, these moves helped GM focus growth where demand and profitability remained strongest, notably in North America and China, while continuing to support a diversified, globally distributed operations model. The broader narrative is one of scale, resilience and selective divestment of non-core assets to sustain leadership in core profitability engines. Looking ahead, GM’s electrification agenda has moved from ambition to a concrete growth strategy. The Guardian’s coverage of GM’s EV push notes a planned all-electric lineup by 2035 and a commitment to carbon neutrality by 2040, with substantial investment in battery technology and related ecosystems designed to accelerate scale, reduce lifecycle emissions, and improve total cost of ownership for fleets and retail buyers alike. In that context, GM’s 2020s playbook features a rapid expansion of EV models, continuous improvement of the Ultium-based battery portfolio, and a continued emphasis on US domestic manufacturing as a cornerstone of resilience and security in the supply chain. The company has framed these developments within a broader mandate to deliver safer, more sustainable mobility while maintaining competitive uptime and serviceability for its commercial customers, including fleets and regional distributors. As the market evolves, GM’s ability to translate brand strength into service networks, parts availability, and aftersales efficiency will be a critical differentiator for OEMs and aftermarket partners alike. It’s pretty interesting, right? Reference Map: - Paragraph 1 – [1], [4] - Paragraph 2 – [1], [2], [5] - Paragraph 3 – [3], [6] Source: Noah Wire Services

Driven Brands Holdings Inc. will present a live webcast fireside chat at the Goldman Sachs 32nd Annual Global Retailing Conference in New York on 4 September 2025 at 1:50pm ET; the session will be streamed and available for replay on the company’s investor site for at least 30 days.Driven Brands Holdings Inc. has announced it will participate in the Goldman Sachs 32nd Annual Global Retailing Conference in New York. The company’s fireside chat is scheduled to begin at 1:50 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 4, 2025. The fireside chat will be webcast live from the Company’s Investor Relations website at investors.drivenbrands.com on the Events & Presentations page, and it will be available for replay on the Company’s Investor Relations site for at least 30 days. About Driven Brands Driven Brands™, headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is the largest automotive services company in North America, providing a range of consumer and commercial automotive services, including paint, collision, glass, vehicle repair, oil change, maintenance and car wash. Driven Brands is the parent company of some of North America’s leading automotive service businesses including Take 5 Oil Change®, Meineke Car Care Centers®, Maaco®, 1-800-Radiator & A/C®, Auto Glass Now®, and CARSTAR®. Driven Brands has approximately 4,800 locations across the United States and 13 other countries, and services tens of millions of vehicles annually. Driven Brands’ network generates approximately $2.0 billion in annual revenue from approximately $6.2 billion in system-wide sales. Source: Noah Wire Services

Kottayam-based Midas Mileage, a long-established supplier of retreading materials, is pushing product innovation and mid-market positioning — including its ARCUS high-mileage compound — while Europe’s newly opened anti-dumping probe into Chinese passenger and light‑truck tyres could reshape retreading opportunities and supply dynamics.Midas Mileage, based in Kottayam, Kerala — India’s natural rubber hub — is a long-established supplier of tyre retreading materials. Founded in 1969 by George Varughese, the company offers products including precured tread rubber, conventional (hot) rubber, bonding gum, curing bags, envelopes, tyre flaps and cushion repair compounds. Company information states it ships over 24,000 tonnes of product annually and sells in around 60 countries, with established markets including the UK, Germany and Portugal. At Autopromotec 2025, Paulose Varughese, Director of Midas Mileage, reiterated the company’s presence in India and global markets and described its positioning as aimed at the mid-market — “not the cheapest, but not high-end either” — providing quality products at reasonable prices to retreaders. He noted challenges in Europe from low-cost Chinese tyre imports, and said many of those tyres are designed for single use, which limits retreading opportunities for casings. Midas highlights ongoing innovation, including its ARCUS compound range. Company sources describe ARCUS as an advanced compound that includes a high-mileage formulation adapting to European tests. Midas also states it develops compounds intended to improve fuel efficiency and reduce rolling resistance for commercial fleets. In India, Midas maintains a nationwide dealer network and focuses primarily on commercial-vehicle retreading; the company says most of its business is with trucks and buses, and that passenger-car retreading is minimal. The firm is a member of the Tyre Retread Education Association (TREA), which works on raising awareness and standards within the retreading sector. Separate sources report policy and market developments relevant to the sector. On 21 May 2025 the European Commission announced it had opened an investigation to assess whether anti-dumping measures are warranted on imports of passenger-car and light-lorry tyres from China. The Commission noted the EU tyre market is worth more than €18 billion and employs about 75,000 people across fourteen Member States. The investigation can run for up to 14 months, and provisional anti-dumping measures could be imposed within eight months if evidence of dumping and injury is found. RetreadingBusiness reported confirmation of the EU investigation on 30 May 2025, noting the same timelines for potential provisional measures and concluding decisions. Industry reporting and analyses cited here also note trends in India such as ongoing radialisation in tyre use and projections that organised tyre retreading may grow as recycling norms and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks influence the market. TREA has engaged with state authorities on retreading-related policy matters; industry articles discuss EPR and how certification and regulation are part of broader policy conversations affecting the retreading sector. Midas states its roadmap focuses on continued product development, improving retreading quality, and supporting fleet customers with materials and technical support aimed at long-haul performance. The company says it aims to introduce new technologies and maintain reliability and performance in retreading materials over the next five to ten years. Source: Noah Wire Services

Snowflake has sharpened its AI Data Cloud for Manufacturing with automotive-specific solutions and partner integrations, reporting strong platform momentum — including large percentage gains in analytics, data science and collaboration projects — and claiming adoption by 80% of major OEMs, according to company and partner announcements.Snowflake has refined its AI Data Cloud for Manufacturing with a concentrated push into automotive-specific solutions, and the company highlights notable momentum in manufacturing use since April 2023. According to Snowflake, its internal metrics show a 416% increase in Data Application and Data Collaboration initiatives, a 185% rise in analytics deployments, and a 188% growth in Data Science solutions; Snowflake attributes those figures to its own platform activity. Snowflake also states that 80% of major automotive OEMs rely on its platform for data and AI initiatives. Snowflake lists customers such as CarMax, Cox Automotive, Nissan and Penske Logistics as users of its platform for connected-vehicle insights, real-time data sharing, and secure collaboration (source: Snowflake / BizpreneurME). Snowflake positions the automotive push as a response to four industry trends—connected and software-defined vehicles, autonomous driving, electrification and Industry 4.0—that generate large volumes of data across development, manufacturing, supply chain and after-sales. The vendor says its capabilities for data sharing, AI/ML and partner-provided solutions aim to help OEMs, suppliers, distributors and service providers collaborate across the vehicle lifecycle (sources: BizpreneurME; Automation World). Automation World highlights IT/OT/IoT convergence as a key benefit and cites Toyota Europe’s data integration as an example of how such convergence is being used in practice; where mentioned, this article references Automation World for that example rather than generalizing beyond the source. TechTarget notes that Snowflake’s industry-specific effort began in 2021 and that the manufacturing-focused offering has been generally available since 2023; this timeline is retained here (source: TechTarget). Snowflake emphasizes its partner ecosystem and Snowflake Marketplace as channels for integrating third-party data—such as EV charging information, dealer insights and consumer behaviour—while maintaining governance and privacy controls. The article references partner announcements from Sigma Computing and LTIMindtree for concrete examples of collaborations: Sigma describes streaming OT data from the factory floor into Snowflake and enabling KPI-driven analytics without pre-aggregation; LTIMindtree describes a Manufacturing NxT automotive offering built on Snowflake to unify OT and IT data for asset performance, predictive insights and faster root-cause analysis with prebuilt connectors and low-code deployment. These partner descriptions are attributed to their respective releases (sources: Sigma announcement; LTIMindtree release). On Siemens, Snowflake’s customer page explains that Siemens uses the Snowflake Data Cloud to connect data across thousands of users and ERP systems and highlights concepts such as a data mesh approach, Snowflake Cortex AI and container services as elements of their joint work. This article attributes those points to the Snowflake/Siemens material and does not add technical claims beyond what the source states (source: Snowflake customer page). Where the original sources make positioning or forward-looking claims, this article retains attribution: Snowflake positions its platform as enabling secure data unification, analytics and potential data monetisation via Snowflake Marketplace, and it frames partner integrations as supporting automotive-specific use cases. Statements that present outcomes—such as a more connected, data-driven value chain or reduced silos—are described as Snowflake’s positioning or as suggested by partner announcements (Sigma; LTIMindtree), rather than asserted as independently verified industry-wide results. For automotive aftermarket participants, the sources cited indicate potential benefits such as improved visibility into vehicle telemetry and supply-chain signals that could support faster decision cycles, predictive maintenance planning and data-product monetisation via marketplace listings; these potential benefits are presented in line with vendor and partner statements rather than as independently confirmed outcomes (sources: BizpreneurME; Automation World; Sigma; LTIMindtree). In summary, Snowflake’s communications and partner announcements portray an expanding, automotive-focused iteration of its AI Data Cloud for Manufacturing—building on an industry-specific approach initiated in 2021 and generally available for manufacturing since 2023—and emphasize platform growth metrics and partner-led solutions as evidence of customer momentum. Percentage growth figures and the “80% of major automotive OEMs” statistic are reported here as Snowflake’s claims, and specific partner and customer examples are attributed to the original source materials (BizpreneurME; Automation World; TechTarget; Sigma; LTIMindtree; Snowflake customer page). Source: Noah Wire Services

The Justice Department has escalated federal involvement by filing lawsuits and motions to intervene against California’s heavy‑duty truck standards, arguing that the Clean Truck Partnership and related rules skirt congressional action that rescinded EPA waivers and amount to unlawful state enforcement of pre‑empted standards.The U.S. Department of Justice has stepped up federal involvement in California’s heavy‑duty truck emissions regime, filing motions to intervene in two ongoing federal lawsuits and suing to block enforcement of state measures it says are pre‑empted by federal law. In its filings the department says California is trying to push a package of vehicle and engine standards—the Advanced Clean Trucks program, the Omnibus Low‑NOx rule, and pieces of the now‑withdrawn Advanced Clean Fleets proposal—through channels like the Clean Truck Partnership and other means, even after congressional action this summer that nullified EPA waivers underpinning those standards. Honestly, it’s a notable escalation. The DOJ describes the state’s conduct as “ongoing defiance” of federal law in motions filed in the Northern District of Illinois and the Eastern District of California. (Sources: TTNews, DOJ press release, Reuters) The motions, each accompanied by civil complaints and requests to intervene on behalf of the federal government and EPA, seek judicial declarations that the three California regulatory frameworks are pre‑empted under the Clean Air Act and that enforcement via the Clean Truck Partnership must stop while the cases proceed. DOJ’s filings argue that two joint resolutions of disapproval signed into law in June 2025 removed the force of EPA’s previously granted waivers for the ACT and Omnibus rules, and that the Advanced Clean Fleets elements never had an EPA waiver to begin with. The department emphasizes that, in its view, decisions about nationwide engine and vehicle standards — including any effective prohibition on internal‑combustion heavy‑duty powertrains by a specific date — are matters for the federal government, not a single state. (Sources: TTNews, DOJ press release, CARB ACT/ACF pages) California’s 2023 Clean Truck Partnership, the centrepiece of the state’s industry engagement strategy, is at the heart of the dispute. CARB announced the Partnership as a voluntary agreement with major truck and engine manufacturers intended to accelerate zero‑emission vehicle development while providing manufacturers lead time, implementation collaboration and regulatory stability. In its 2023 statement CARB framed the Partnership as a pragmatic mechanism to balance air‑quality objectives with industry needs and to smooth deployment of charging and other infrastructure. Federal prosecutors now contend the Partnership operates as a de facto compliance mechanism that compels manufacturer behaviour despite the absence of valid federal waivers. (Sources: CARB press release, CARB ACT materials) The move draws on parallel litigation by manufacturers. Major original‑equipment manufacturers, including Daimler Truck North America, Paccar, International and Volvo Group North America, have separately sued CARB and state officials, arguing that the Clean Truck Partnership is a backdoor mechanism to enforce pre‑empted standards and that CARB officials have threatened enforcement actions. Industry filings and congressional committee reporting allege that CARB staff have withheld vehicle approvals unless manufacturers agreed to follow California’s standards — an allegation that has figured prominently in both the private suits and the DOJ’s intervention rationale. Those complaints seek injunctions preventing CARB from imposing obligations through the Partnership or other administrative practices. (Sources: Reuters, CCJ, TTNews) Industry associations and allied groups reacted quickly. The American Trucking Associations welcomed DOJ’s engagement, with Patrick Kelly, ATA’s vice‑president for energy and environmental affairs, saying the move limits what ATA called California’s regulatory overreach and protects national standardisation. The American Free Enterprise Chamber’s chief executive, Gentry Collins, praised congressional action that nullified the waivers and warned of the economic risk the groups believe would accompany a unilateral state‑level EV mandate. These endorsements, while influential for policy audiences, reflect organisational positions and should be read as advocacy in an active legal contest. (Sources: TTNews, Reuters) For manufacturers, fleet operators and aftermarket suppliers the legal confrontation compounds existing technical and commercial uncertainties. CARB’s Advanced Clean Trucks regulation establishes manufacturer ZEV sales requirements and reporting obligations intended to stimulate battery‑electric and other zero‑emission technologies, while the Advanced Clean Fleets proposal had mapped phased fleet purchase mandates and a manufacturer sales mandate for certain model years. Those regulatory timelines directly affect OEM product planning, type‑approval schedules, supply‑chain sequencing for battery modules and power electronics, and fleet electrification roadmaps such as depot charging roll‑outs and duty‑cycle matching. If courts ultimately bar California from enforcing state‑specific mandates, OEMs and suppliers may avoid the sunk costs of definitive poundings toward model‑year ZEV allocations for California, but a ruling for California could force accelerated manufacturing, procurement and infrastructure investment across the supply chain. (Sources: CARB ACT page, CARB ACF page, CARB press release) Legally the dispute foregrounds pre‑emption doctrine under the Clean Air Act and the interplay between congressional disapproval, EPA waiver authority and state exercise of regulatory power. DOJ’s filings underscore congressional action in June 2025 rescinding waivers for two of the standards and note that parts of the Advanced Clean Fleets initiative never received EPA waiver approval. The federal argument is that, absent a waiver, states cannot impose or effectively enforce standards that differ from or are more stringent than federal limits; California and its supporters counter that states retain authority to pursue more protective air‑quality policies where authorised. The competing positions set up a potential multi‑forum, multi‑year litigation path that will likely move through district courts and, almost certainly, into appellate review. (Sources: TTNews, DOJ press release, Reuters) Outcomes remain unsettled and will shape strategic choices for OEMs, networked parts suppliers, charging and hydrogen infrastructure providers, and large fleet operators. A judicial win for DOJ and its private‑party allies would restore a single federal baseline for heavy‑duty emissions policy and reduce the near‑term risk of state‑specific model‑year mandates; a win for California would validate state efforts to accelerate ZEV adoption and could accelerate procurement timelines, compliance programmes and retrofit markets. In the near term, firms with exposure to the California market should adopt contingency plans that preserve flexibility — staggered production commitments, modular powertrain investment decisions, adjustable purchase agreements with suppliers, and scenario modelling for depot electrification — while closely tracking court schedules and regulatory pronouncements. (Sources: DOJ press release, Reuters, CCJ) For aftermarket businesses, fleets and logistics managers the immediate imperative is pragmatic: maintain regulatory monitoring, protect supply‑chain optionality and avoid irreversible investments predicated on a single legal outcome. That means negotiating supplier agreements with exit or suspension clauses, prioritising equipment and charging investments that are interoperable across potential regulatory regimes, and briefing boardrooms and operations teams on both legal and technical contingencies. The dispute is not merely about law — it is about sequencing capital expenditure, manufacturing lead times, and the practicalities of integrating high‑power charging infrastructure and thermal management systems into existing workshop and depot footprints. Stakeholders should prepare for either scenario by ensuring their procurement and maintenance strategies can pivot as the litigation clarifies the regulatory baseline. (Sources: CARB ACT page, CARB ACF page, CARB press release, TTNews) 📌 Reference Map: Reference Map: - Paragraph 1 – [1], [2], [3] - Paragraph 2 – [1], [2], [5], [6] - Paragraph 3 – [4], [5] - Paragraph 4 – [3], [7], [1] - Paragraph 5 – [1], [3] - Paragraph 6 – [5], [6], [4] - Paragraph 7 – [1], [2], [3] - Paragraph 8 – [2], [3], [7] - Paragraph 9 – [5], [6], [4], [1] Source: Noah Wire Services

At the NAACAM Show in Gqeberha industry and government outlined measures to accelerate localisation, skills development and battery‑chain activity, while addressing energy, logistics and US tariff threats to South African vehicle and component exports.NAACAM rolled back into Gqeberha from 12 to 14 August for its fourth edition NAACAM Show, staged at the Boardwalk Convention Centre in partnership with the AIDC Eastern Cape. The two-day conference and trade fair drew more than 2,500 delegates, visitors and exhibitors, and boasted over 120 component manufacturers and allied supplier stands that showcased South African manufacturing capability across the value chain. The event was framed to rally industry stakeholders behind the Automotive Masterplan 2035 and to accelerate localisation, skills development and regional market integration. Senior executives, procurement and logistics managers attending the show heard that three linked constraints would shape the road ahead: unreliable energy and congested logistics infrastructure; the industry’s shift toward new energy vehicles (NEVs); and the impact of export barriers following higher US import tariffs. Delegates were briefed on the need to reconfigure supply networks to reduce dependence on single nodes and to invest in energy and freight pathways that support manufacturing and aftermarket distribution. The discussions acknowledged the external shock from the White House tariff measures as a compelling reason for closer government-industry collaboration on domestic NEV production. Government outlined a package of measures designed to blunt shocks and attract investment into local NEV assembly and component production. A government allocation of R1 billion was announced to catalyse local NEV projects, with Treasury projections suggesting it could leverage roughly R30 billion in private capital. The briefing materials placed these measures within the framework of the Electric Vehicles White Paper and South Africa’s critical minerals strategy, aiming to stimulate localisation and battery‑chain activity in the near to medium term. In his address, Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau highlighted reforms to the APDP incentive framework and tax-based incentives for capital investment in NEV and hydrogen production. The reforms include shifting incentives toward rewarding local manufacturing and the introduction of a 150% capital allowance for qualifying NEV and hydrogen production assets purchased between 1 March 2026 and 31 March 2036. Tau also noted ongoing international engagement to address the effects of punitive import tariffs and referred to a forthcoming package of incentives for local NEV production alongside a skills development program being developed by Tshwane University of Technology, Cape Peninsula University of Technology and UNISA. Tau also underlined the government’s focus on beneficiation of PGMs and other critical minerals for NEV components and the aim to reduce compliance burdens and red tape to speed up investment, with an intention to fast-track investments within 90 days. The government’s Critical Minerals and Metals Strategy and related measures were presented as supporting a broader push to grow the sector’s value-add domestically and attract greater investment. The Eastern Cape’s leadership reinforced the national imperative. Premier Oscar Mabuyane opened Day 2 with a pledge that the automotive industry is the anchor of the region’s manufacturing value chain and that government would do all it could to protect this sector from job losses. He noted that delegates had highlighted energy and logistics concerns and said Eskom was planning high-level scope projects in the Eastern Cape with an investment value of about R2.5 billion between 2025 and 2030 to improve energy security for industry and households. Mabuyane concluded that the gathering was more than a discussion; it was a call to action to strengthen the automotive component manufacturing industry and to create a common future for the sector. Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams acknowledged the robust discussions on regional growth, sustainability, global competitiveness and trade dynamics. She stressed that the government would listen to identify what more must be done, including policy tools, regulatory constraints, and implementation gaps, to foster a globally competitive yet locally inclusive automotive sector. She reiterated a commitment to localisation and regional value chains, and to building capabilities through technology development and the decarbonisation agenda, with co-created regional and continental markets underpinning a stronger supply chain. Deputy President Paul Mashatile highlighted that South Africa’s automotive and manufacturing sectors operate in challenging times, requiring government-led collaboration with the private sector to address import dependence, infrastructure gaps, the EV transition, and tariff pressures. He stressed that the NAACAM Show provides a timely forum to outline the road forward for the sector, noting that the automotive industry remains highly strategic, accounting for about 22.6% of manufacturing output and 5.2% of GDP, with roughly 115,000 jobs, of which around 80,000 are in component manufacture. Mashatile argued for increased investment in research and development to harness technology for greater efficiency and sustainability and called for strengthened collaboration among manufacturers, suppliers and stakeholders to unlock new growth opportunities. He also pointed to AfCFTA’s potential to boost investment and integration across Africa, support regional value chains, harmonise regulations and reduce trade barriers, thereby broadening the continent’s automotive footprint. He closed with a call to intensify localisation efforts, suggesting a potential 5% uplift in SA localisation that could translate into about R30 billion in new local procurement and highlighting SA’s capacity to localise high-value NEV components, including fuel cells, thermal management systems, e‑axles and battery mineral beneficiation and assembly. Following the Deputy President’s tour of the exhibition halls, thought leadership panels continued with discussions on B20 implications for industrialisation and the SA automotive sector, transformation of the automotive value chain to build scale for SMMEs, aftermarket demand as a growth engine, and the role of AI and smart manufacturing in the future. The NAACAM Show 2025 closed with thanks to all attendees, delegates and exhibitors. A delegate summed up the sentiment: the discussions identified roads into the future and called for action to translate dialogue into investment, capacity building and logistics modernisation. Photo Gallery - End of article - Source: Noah Wire Services