A consumer thread

[Deus Irae]

The reckoning, and corporate learning, continues:

Sony Honda Mobility Inc., a joint venture between Sony Group Corp. and Honda Motor Co., Ltd., announced on March 25 that it was canceling the planned development of two luxury electric vehicles (EVs) due to Honda’s recent pivot away from the EV market.

Honda and Sony teamed up in 2022 with the goal of developing the AFEELA luxury electric vehicle loaded with Sony technology and advanced features to create a highly personalized driving experience, the company said.

Sony Honda Mobility’s AFEELA1 sedan had a starting price of $90,000, and was slated to include 360-degree audio technology, advanced artificial intelligence driving capabilities, and integration with Sony’s PlayStation 5 mobile gaming platform so front- and rear-seat passengers could stream movies or play video games while the car is moving...

...The joint venture’s termination of the AFEELA lineup came after Honda announced sweeping changes to its corporate EV strategy on March 12. Honda said it was canceling the planned launch of the battery-operated Honda 0 sport utility vehicle and Honda 0 Saloon sedan, as well as a fully electric Acura RSX, following record losses in its EV business that could tally more than $15 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31.
Honda is expected to post its first annual loss since the company launched on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1957.

Honda and Sony Cancel Plans to Launch Luxury Electric Sedan

 

[Deus Irae]

Robert F Kennedy Jr and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announce Strict 'Product of USA' Meat Label Requirements The meat must be “Born here. Raised here. Harvested here. Processed here.”

 

[LordSensei1958]

 

[Deus Irae]

For all you Netflix customers:

Your Netflix subscription just got a little more expensive.

The streaming giant adjusted its pricing structure Thursday, with all subscription tiers rising at least $1.

The company's ad-supported plan is now $8.99 a month, up from $7.99; the standard plan is now $19.99 a month, up from $17.99; and its premium plan is now $26.99, up from $24.99. Extra member pricing also increased, with ad-supported plans now costing $6.99 per additional non-household user, up from $5.99, and ad-free add-ons now costing $9.99, up from $8.99 each...

Netflix raises prices across all streaming plans

 

[Deus Irae]

 

[Lord Chevy]

View: https://youtu.be/k2oj5895fp4

 

[Deus Irae]

I’m a purist when it comes to manual transmissions. If a car is or was available with a manual transmission from new, I wouldn’t buy it with an automatic, even if the automatic was cheaper or the better choice for reliability, fuel economy, or driver feedback (not that automatic gearboxes are usually more reliable than stick shifts). I simply love the feel and control that comes with rowing your own gears.

That choice is harder and harder to make these days for new car buyers, as the availability of manual transmissions dwindles. Out of the hundreds of new cars for sale in America, there are currently just 23 available with stick shifts. That number has only gone down in the past decade, but in a shocking twist, it could be growing by one.

According to the guy who runs the off-roading division at Jeep, the Gladiator pickup truck is actually getting its stick shift back, following its discontinuation a couple of years ago. I know, I’m just as surprised as you are.

The news comes from CarBuzz, which spoke with Aamir Ahmed, Jeep’s head of off-road and EVs at the company’s recent Easter Jeep Safari event. While talking about the Wrangler’s six-speed manual and its 100:1 crawl ratio (when equipped with the 4.88:1 axle), he dropped this bomb:

“We have another car that looks like a Wrangler that’s getting its manual back. Stay tuned.”...

Jeep Sees The Light, Reportedly Brings Back A Manual Transmission From The Dead

 

[Deus Irae]

This is just the beginning at Oracle:



Oracle Firing Tens Of Thousands As CDS Explodes To Financial Crisis Record

 

[Deus Irae]

Passengers traveling on JetBlue will have to dig deeper into their pockets for baggage fees now, as the airline attributes an increase to rising operating costs.

According to the JetBlue website, baggage fees for the first checked bag on the company’s economy fare tiers—including Blue Basic, Blue, Blue Extra, and EvenMore—will rise to $39, or $49 during peak periods. The fee was previously $35, or $40 during peak periods. Passengers who choose to check a second bag will pay $59, or $69 during peak time.

JetBlue Raises Baggage Fees, Citing Higher Operating Costs

 

[Deus Irae]

McCormick will buy Unilever's food business for a combination of cash and equity, in a deal that values the Unilever unit at nearly $45 billion, the two food companies announced.

To purchase most of Unilever Foods' portfolio, including Hellmann's mayo and U.K. favorite Marmite, McCormick will pay $15.7 billion in cash. Unilever shareholders will own 55.1% of the combined company, while Unilever will hold a 9.9% stake.

The deal will add billions of dollars in annual sales for McCormick and expand the spice giant's portfolio further into spreads and condiments. It already owns Frank's RedHot and Cholula hot sauces and French's mustard and mayo. About 70% of Unilever Foods' sales come from Hellmann's and Knorr, a food brand known for its seasonings, stock cubes and soups...

McCormick buys Unilever's food business in deal that values it at nearly $45 billion

 

[Deus Irae]

Following our "Google's DeepSeek Moment" report last week, which detailed how TurboQuant, a compression algorithm for large language models and vector search engines, could sharply reduce AI memory requirements and sparked a selloff in top memory stocks, a Taiwanese financial outlet is now reporting a plunge in memory stick prices this week.

Taiwan-based Economic Daily News reports that DDR5 memory stick prices have dropped by 15% to 30%, marking the first major price correction after a rally that began in early fall, as AI data center demand for memory ramped up. The correction comes as the market expects lower memory demand following the unveiling of Google's TurboQuant.

In the U.S., Amazon listings showed steep declines in DDR5 pricing. In mainland China, retailers described the move as a "price collapse," with 16GB DDR5 modules falling from about $145 to $101 and 32GB modules dropping from about $435 to $319, based on current exchange rates. Distributors said the price drop was driven by sellers dumping previously hoarded inventory...

"Price Collapse" Hits Memory Sticks As Hoarded Inventory Floods Market After Google's DeepSeek Moment

 

[Deus Irae]

View: https://x.com/investingLive_/status/2038649656742175161