Automotiv Exports July 2022

Teslas with
Autopilot a step
closer to recall
after wrecks
Teslas with partially automated driving
systems are a step closer to being recalled
after the U.S. elevated its investigation
into a series of collisions with parked
emergency vehicles or trucks with warning
signs.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration said that it is upgrading
the Tesla probe to an engineering analysis,
another sign of increased scrutiny of the
electric vehicle maker and automated
systems that perform at least some driving
tasks.
Documents posted by the agency raise
some serious issues about Tesla’s Autopilot
system. The agency found that it’s being
used in areas where its capabilities are
limited, and that many drivers aren’t taking
action to avoid crashes despite warnings
from the vehicle.
The probe now covers 830,000 vehicles,
almost everything that the Austin, Texas,
carmaker has sold in the U.S. since the start
of the 2014 model year.
NHTSA reported that it has found 16
crashes into emergency vehicles and trucks
with warning signs, causing 15 injuries and
one death.
Investigators will evaluate additional
data, vehicle performance and “explore
the degree to which Autopilot and
associated Tesla systems may exacerbate
human factors or behavioral safety risks,
undermining the effectiveness of the
driver’s supervision,” the agency said.
A message was left seeking comment from
Tesla.An engineering analysis is the final
stage of an investigation, and in most cases
NHTSA decides within a year if there should
be a recall or the probe should be closed.
In the majority of the 16 crashes, the
Teslas issued collision alerts to the drivers
just before impact. Automatic emergency
braking intervened to at least slow the
cars in about half the cases. On average,
Autopilot gave up control of the Teslas less
than a second before the crash, NHTSA said
in documents detailing the probe.
NHTSA also said it’s looking into crashes
involving similar patterns that did not
include emergency vehicles or trucks with
warning signs.
Automotive production rises 26 percent in
May
Local carmakers produced nearly 104,000
vehicles in May, marking a 25.5 percent
increase from a year ago, the Automotive
Manufacturers’ Association (OSD) said.
That followed the 3.2 percent increase
recorded in the previous month. The
increase in the industry’s output in May
was partially due to the base effect.
Passenger car production rose by 0.3
percent on an annual basis to 67,000
units last month, but commercial vehicle
production leaped 132 percent to 37,000
units.
The local automotive market expanded
nearly 19 percent in May from a year ago.
Data from the OSD showed that more than
68,000 vehicles were sold on the local
market. Passenger car sales increased 20
percent to around 52,000 units.
Turkey also boosted its passenger car
imports by 35 percent to 33,500, while
total vehicle imports rose by 26 percent
to 40,000. Local carmakers shipped nearly
79,000 vehicles to foreign markets, up 52
percent, generating $744 million in export
revenues, rising from $680 million a year
ago. From January to May, the automotive
industry’s output, however, fell by 3.5
percent compared with the same period
of 2021 to around 514,000 vehicles, with
passenger car production falling 16.2
percent to 296,400 units.
Commercial vehicle production grew 22
percent in the first five months of the year
from a year ago to stand at 218,000 units.
In the first five months of 2022, the local
automotive market contracted 11.5
percent. Passenger car sales were down
13.6 percent to 214,000 vehicles.
The industry’s export revenues climbed 3
percent on an annual basis to $12.7 billion,
while revenues from passenger car exports
shrank more than 14 percent to $3.6
billion.
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