Tesla in talks with Samsung SDI for the battery deliver much

DETROIT/SEOUL, Oct 4 (Reuters) - popular electric carmaker Tesla Motors Inc can call South Korean battery manufacturer Samsung SDI co. Ltd. as additional supplier trying add more models California car upstart and extend, although at least one source with the consultations entrusted the deal as far from done is described.

Tesla and Samsung SDI, a unit of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, confirmed on Friday that the two companies in talks with the South Korean company of battery technology, Tesla, supply, the manufacturer of the best-selling US electric car, the premium model S sedan with a price tag of $70,000.

The pending deal highlights Tesla's confidence in the future of all-electric battery cars, even if some doubters to predict that all electric cars are likely to remain a niche in the wider, global automotive market in search of clearer and more efficient technology. Some of these doubters see fuel cell cars as a promising alternative to the gasoline-powered cars.

Kim Sang-Eun, Seoul-based spokesman for Samsung SDI, declined to offer details because the talks underway. "Nothing's been decided," said Kim.

Tesla's Palo Alto-based spokeswoman Liz Jarvis-Shean, confirmed the two companies were in discussions but noted that was in talks with other battery suppliers and Tesla. "We continuously the best (battery) cells and technologies of all manufacturers evaluate," said Jarvis-Shean. You do not go.

Inaugurated after details of the talks between the two companies, two individuals but described the talks as in its final stages. They said that the two companies want to train certain remaining kinks in the pending contract for Samsung SDI-battery technology for the model X, an affordable electric car model will add expected to its product range Tesla in 2014 available.

One of the sources, which is in the vicinity of Samsung SDI, said discussions are "90 percent". He said Tesla and Samsung SDI haven't been able to close the deal, especially because Samsung SDI insist that Tesla, as part of the deal, buy other components including touchscreens from Samsung Group.

No financial details of the transaction available, but one of the sources said "SDI management thinks it is good for improving the company's image and ultimately helping them to more shops around the world."

According to the other sources, Tesla and Samsung SDI have SDI-battery technology test Samsung already done. He described also the supply deal, to be finalized in "Close".

Still disputed a third source familiar with the discussions the claim, which the two companies made the deal close to sealing, supplier said cells with battery cells by Panasonic Corp., Tesla's battery "nor" uncompetitive Samsung SDI technology is. The description of the talks, "incorrectly", is in the final stages said the third source.

The news came, as shares in Samsung SDI fell more than 3.7 percent on Friday, after the car sent the U.S. company shares plunge a video of a burning Tesla Electric over night. US emergency officials said that the fire in the electric vehicle lithium ion battery, appeared the latest in a series of problems for the batteries, which sold far in electric vehicles by various automakers are common.

For Tesla, the deal is almost a must, since it has only a primary supplier of battery technology, Japan's Panasonic, for the model S, which is its only product offering until next year, when it is expected to sell another model, model X.

Tesla officials believe that the company needs to promote competition between the manufacturers of key components to the diversification of the supply chain, and to ensure that Tesla has a stable supply of parts.

Samsung SDI provides battery technology for BMW i3 electric car, according to Samsung SDI spokesman. Samsung Group, which looks to slow and sales Feim smartphones, has tried, according to group officials ripe to position electric batteries as a space for growth.

The sources said Samsung SDI, as part of the agreement aims to provide those in laptop computers Tesla similar with small batteries. Tesla uses several thousand of these batteries in a beefy battery pack to power all-electric cars.

The sources said Samsung SDI would begin, Tesla delivers starting with the model X. The South Korean company also talk another future product for a startup Tesla in the year 2017.

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Consumer reports trash talks Toyota, Honda

Honda

The Honda Civic has introduced a perennial bestseller for Honda was more fire from CR than any other model, but probably the manufacturer's has.

By Paul A. Eisenstein, the Detroit Bureau
If some criticism has the prestigious consumer reports, over the years it is as two of the "five popular cars to avoid." as import also friendly, but would be hard to say, from the not-for profit latest edition - where publication it takes the Toyota Prius C and Honda Civic

As CR carry in fact considerable weight among the more affluent, import-oriented buyer, could be bad news for the two producers. The civic is a critical model in the line-up of Honda but sharp criticism has already taken since its redesign 2011, while the Prius C which is the newest member of extended hybrid family.

"Just because a car is, or generates a lot of buzz that a bestseller does not mean that there is a good choice for you," warns the magazine.

The two Japanese producers are the only ones under fire in the September 2012 from consumer reports, not come however. The magazine is also three domestic models:

The popular Ford Edge crossover, the Jeep Liberty sport utility vehicle; and the Dodge Grand Caravan minivan.
The magazine notes that all five models "can on many buyers shopping list, but we recommend to control you." The reason for this? Either test - problems with the reliability or poor tests in CR, or both.

The civic has a perennial bestseller for Honda but made probably has more fire from CR as any other model that the manufacturer has introduced over the years. A main reason is that Honda "too many links" in the redesign of the latest version of the compact model. The Honda Civic has come under criticism from a variety of other editors - including TheDetroitBureau.com - for similar reasons.

Toyota has hoped a home run with the Prius c 2012 result it is one of the four models that now share the Prius to name - along with the larger Prius V and Prius Plug in the original Prius hatchback. But CR editors have to say something nice about the compact entry into the hybrid family, declaring it "a stiff ride, noisy cabin, slow acceleration, and cheap-looking Interior suffers."

As with the Ford Edge is for a much worse-than average reliability rating, recent surveys of the CR reader faulty. And the magazine takes on the chorus of boos for the crossover FordMyTouch Info interface difficult.

The Jeep Liberty, meanwhile gained one of the lowest scores in the last CR road tests, lousy fuel economy delivered and had a bad ride on pavement, transferred its off-road capabilities.

How to Dodge Caravan have to say some nice things CR, calling the vehicle "versatile, comfortable and well equipped." But many problems which could not the minivan, including a 17 mpg mileage measly review, squeaks, rattles, problems with the sliding doors, offset "and sloppy at the-limit handling."

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UAW sees its future in the row in talks

UAW President Bob King has to carry a notorious dislike for ties. But his choice of the robe was particularly important as the work veteran and his negotiating power-national union team with their colleagues from Chrysler Monday met contract to start talks about 23,000 workers. Both sides in what they described as a show of solidarity, was matching wine-red jackets.

There is no question that differ from past years this week between the United Auto Workers Union and the three big automakers kicking off contract talks Detroit. Both sides recognize that domestic manufacturers have still to fight, to correct that industry after the worst downturn since the great depression. But the future of the UAW's on the line.

King and his team will be engine, Ford of this week for the ceremonial grip and grin photo ops cycling by Chrysler to General. Behind the scenes, Union have quietly and meeting management team has been for months on the central topics to work, which they hope that to fix up the contract mid-September.

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"We feel we have a huge responsibility to the American public", said King, referring to the billions of dollars taxpayers, the bailing out General Motors and Chrysler were spent.

Now more than ever before, work and management are, as they would have involved a common goal according to many in the talks.

The 2009 bankruptcy of General Motors and Chrysler home drove the reality that the big three Detroit automakers could disappear if they push address fundamental questions, the makers of deep in debt and in the decades steadily undermined their sales and market share.

"We must be competitive," said mark fields, President of the Ford of the Americas. The only one of the great was the U.S. manufacturer to avoid three filing for bankruptcy protection two years ago, but unlike its crosstown rivals took considerable debt, which is desperate to pull down. So that Ford search for additional concessions expected is what it has received since 2007, took place when the contract is the last race.

Ford estimates it spends an hour in wages and benefits for each unionized worker about $58. Chrysler says that the figure is closer to $52. This is approximately equal to what Chrysler officials believe his rival in many so-called figures, assembly lines that have emerged across the country in the last quarter century 'Transplantation' import. The presence of these holdings significantly as negotiate is moved forward in Detroit.

"We are labour costs, of the game of the leading (the industry)," said one well-placed hand informed the negotiations at Chrysler. Only in 2006, the domestic workers paid an hour for UAW labor about $76, said the source, the source was "unsustainable." not to be named because the negotiations will be asked.

While many UAW members wish to recover some make relative the concessions in 2007 and 2009, Union leaders the little noise, therefore, wage or use walks this year. The negotiations is rather to focus where you reserve a fixed "bucket" of cash, perhaps trimming health care costs, a few dollars more pay envelopes, put in the source said.

Improved profit-sharing
If there be more money, the UAW has indicated that it will seek it in the form of improved profit-sharing programs. "Our members earn more the head" If times are good, King said recently.

There is another reason why this year's discussions will be different than in the past. The Federal Government barred the UAW from striking if it approved two years ago the GM and Chrysler bailouts. While a strike at Ford, it was not one in one-third of a century. Instead, a deadlock would result in binding arbitration.

And the, and the King said, is not on his agenda at Chrysler. "If arbitration happens when something that happens, then I would say that we have not done our job."

One of which concerns some problems that could be a sticking point the two-tier pay structure in the UAW in 2007 approved. King has annoyed that those are now set on half pay not always "living wage." On the other hand, he also acknowledged that Detroit automakers jobs add the lower scale promotion is.

GM is building new Chevrolet Sonic small car in a suburban Detroit plant, rather than from Korea, import, such as with its predecessor, the Chevrolet Aveo. The Chrysler source said that studying work bring back 300 different plans, which it previously had outsourced manufacturers, to save money.

At the last enlargements at plants in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and Detroit Chrysler has barely one-third the number of UAW workers, it used a decade ago. UAW membership resulted Union was 376,612 to the end of the year 2010, down from the 1979 peak of 1.53 million.

"The non-sustainable, is," warned Harley Shaiken, a former member of the UAW and now work Professor at the University of California, Berkley.

One of the challenges of the UAW is can help to design a contract that not only keeps the Detroit makers competitive, but also make the union its next pressing objective: organize the transplants. So far, only three accepted UAW representations and one, the former GM/Toyota joint-venture in the vicinity of San Francisco, has closed.

UAW organizers are to recognize that shows strength that transplants will win did not come, where workers look generally stable jobs. Instead have to pitch, what King called "creative problem solving" and the ability to better pay and benefits as employees themselves can win.

So, what happened in Detroit over the next month-and a-half could determine not only what is in the pocket of big three union workers, but whether they belong to a viable Union to have.

© 2011 msnbc.com.  Reprints

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