Volkswagen sales fall in 1st quarter report
Volkswagen of America has reported that first quarter sales dropped 28.5% from a year ago as the automaker and others struggle amid the global shortage of semiconductor chips.
Sales of the Chattanooga-built Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport SUVs plunged 52% in the period to 14,734 vehicles, according to the company.
But ID.4 SUV sales rose 481% to 2,755 units. While the ID.4 battery-powered SUV is built in Germany and imported to the United States, plans are to start production in Chattanooga late this summer.
In the first quarter, SUVs accounted for 76% of sales for the company, according to Volkswagen of America.
Comcast to add 300 jobs in South
Comcast is accepting applications for 300 sales jobs across its southeast region which includes its Chattanooga market.
Among the available positions, the company has openings for 50 bilingual representatives who must be fluent in English and Spanish. Comcast aims to hire applicants for the virtual inbound sales representative positions as early as April and will continue through June.
Inbound sales representatives work directly with customers over the phone to promote and sell Comcast products and services. They support customers who want to set up new service, transfer service from one address to another or add a new product to their existing services. Potential candidates can find out more at ComcastCareers.com.
Delta adds flight option for nonbinary gender
Delta Air Lines said it will add a nonbinary gender option for flight bookings later this year, becoming the third major carrier to provide a gender-neutral alternative and completing changes to its booking systems that the airline shelved during the pandemic.
Atlanta-based Delta said last week it will add the "X" gender marker encouraged by the Transportation Security Administration for ticket purchases on the airline's website, mobile app and at other purchasing locations. The shift comes amid a Biden administration effort to expand LGBTQ protections and broader measures by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to be more inclusive of transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming travelers.
United Airlines and American Airlines already allow nonbinary gender options for flight bookings. Delta, like many airlines, started working on changes to its booking systems a few years ago but "shifted focus" due to the pandemic, according to Delta spokesperson Morgan Durrant.
Durrant said Delta is now "back on track to be able to offer a nonbinary gender option in our booking systems in 2022."
The shift by Delta and the federal government to offer more inclusive gender identifiers comes as several conservative state legislatures have debated and enacted laws that limit instruction about gender in public school classrooms, target gender-affirming treatments or ban participation by transgender girls in sports that correspond to their gender identity.
For now, nonbinary customers must select "M" or "F" when booking flights on Delta but are still allowed through airport security checkpoints even if the gender on their boarding pass and ID do not match, according to the airline.
Regulators probe LG car batteries
U.S. safety regulators have opened an investigation into electric and hybrid vehicle batteries after five automakers issued recalls due to possible defects that could cause fires or stalling.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the probe covers more than 138,000 vehicles with batteries made by LG Energy Solution of South Korea. General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Stellantis and Volkswagen have issued recalls since February of 2020, most due to internal battery failures that can increase the risk of fires.
The agency says it will write to LG and other companies that might have bought similar batteries to make sure recalls are being done when needed.
The investigation is another bug in a growing global rollout of electric vehicles by all automakers to replace internal combustion vehicles to cut emissions and fight climate change. Ford and BMW also have recalled batteries in recent years. Also, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigated a series of fires in Tesla vehicles and said the high-voltage lithium-ion batteries pose safety risks to first responders after crashes.
Musk joins Twitter board after buying 9.2% stake
Elon Musk is joining the board of Twitter. The company announced the appointment Tuesday, one day after Musk revealed he had bought a 9.2% stake in the social media giant, a purchase that appeared to make him its largest shareholder. That news sent Twitter's shares skyrocketing more than 20% Monday.
Musk is set to be appointed to a board seat that expires in 2024. For as long as he is serving on Twitter's board, and for 90 days after if he chooses to step down, he will not be allowed to own more than 14.9% of Twitter's stock.
"Through conversations with Elon in recent weeks, it became clear to us that he would bring great value to our board," Twitter's chief executive, Parag Agrawal, tweeted Tuesday.
- Compiled by Dave Flessner