Volkswagen’s ID.4 wins Cars.com award
The 2022 Volkswagen ID.4 SUV has been named the top electric vehicle pick for value by Cars.com for its range, starting price and wealth of standard features, according to the automaker.
“We designed the ID.4 to introduce a new group of automotive buyers to EVs,” said Hein Schafer, senior vice president of marketing and strategy at Volkswagen of America. “We’re honored to receive this award from Cars.com that shows we’re hitting our target with this monumental car for our brand.”
Jenni Newman, editor-in-chief of Cars.com, said the ID.4 gives a lot of range for the money with a starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $41,955.
“For 2022, the base rear-wheel-drive ID.4 Pro can travel an EPA-estimated 280 miles, and all-wheel-drive ID.4 Pro versions can go an EPA-estimated 251 miles,” she said. “IQ.Drive, VW’s suite of active safety-enhancing and driver-assist features, is also standard. The Volkswagen ID.4 offers a lot of electric car for your money.”
The ID.4, now assembled in Germany and imported to the United States, will be built at VW’s Chattanooga plant later this year, according to the company.
CBL Properties joins diversity coalition
CBL Properties announced Tuesday it has joined the coalition of over 2,000 companies pledging to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
CBL CEO Stephen Lebovitz said he signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, pledging to take action to cultivate a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected. Last September, CBL partnered with Hinton & Co., headed by former Chattanooga City Attorney Wade Hinton, to develop a strategic roadmap to advance its diversity, equity and inclusion activities
“As shopping center owners and developers, our properties are a hub for community activity and that connection has always been a key ingredient to our success,” Lebovitz said in an announcement of the new commitment to diversity. “The tools and resources the CEO Action Pledge provides will allow us to deepen that connection with not only our team members but with our customers.”
The CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion includes companies from 85 industries in all 50 states and collectively the businesses have millions of employees globally. CEOs signing the pledge agree to do more to diversify their workforce with specific action plans and to do more to educate workers and leaders about unconscious bias.
FTC sues TurboTax to stop to stop ‘bait-and-switch’ ads
The Federal Trade Commission is suing TurboTax maker Intuit, saying its ads for “free” tax filing misled consumers.
The consumer protection agency said millions of consumers cannot actually use the free tax-prep software option because they are ineligible for it. The agency says Intuit has for years focused on the word “free” in its ads, running them during major events like the Super Bowl.
The FTC has asked a federal judge to order Intuit to stop what it said were Intuit’s deceptive ads during the rush of tax season. Intuit says it will challenge the suit.
North Carolina lands $4 billion EV plant
A Vietnamese automaker announced plans Tuesday to build a plant in North Carolina to manufacture electric vehicles, promising to bring 7,500 jobs and ending the state’s streak of near-misses for landing carmakers.
VinFast will build its first North American plant in Chatham County southwest of Raleigh, with production expected to start in 2024. It expects to employ 7,500 by 2027 with average salaries of $51,000, according to the state Commerce Department.
“VinFast’s transformative project will bring many good jobs to our state, along with a healthier environment as more electric vehicles take to the road to help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement.
The company is building on a nearly 2,000-acre site that’s about a 30-minute drive southwest of Raleigh and is expected to invest $4 billion in the plant. The plant is slated to be able to manufacture 150,000 cars per year.
The state has agreed to use job development grants to reimburse $316 million over 32 years if it hits job-creation and investment goals. The state is also planning to provide as much as $450 million for site preparation, road improvements and other infrastructure work.
Environmentalists urge nations do more to protect biodiversity
Environmentalists are faulting slow progress at a U.N.-backed meeting of nearly all the world’s countries toward beefing up protections for biodiversity on Earth.
A total of 195 countries – but not the United States – which are parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity have wrapped up a two-week meeting aiming toward a deal to prevent the loss of biodiversity and avoid the extinction of many vulnerable species.
The deal also tackles the emergence of pathogens like the coronavirus, which damage both lives and livelihoods. But advocates say nations must act faster and spend much more now to protect biodiversity on Earth, because all human life depends on it.
– Compiled by Dave Flessner