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Kraft Heinz announced on Tuesday that new CEO Steve Cahillane will join the food giant to help steer its split into two companies. The former head of Kellanova joins the ailing food giant after years of declining sales and slow growth, and as shares are down 75% since 2017. In 2026, the company will split into two independent, publicly traded companies, Global Taste Elevation Co. and North American Grocery Co., with the first focused on condiments and the Heinz ketchup brand, and the second on Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles, and Lunchables brands. Cahillane comes on board January 1, 2026 and will serve as chief executive officer of the first of those companies, which will rebrand as Global Taste Elevation Co. and continue to house the Philadelphia and Kraft Mac & Cheese brands, along with Heinz. “Im confident the planned separation will accelerate the Companys ability to compete and win in todays environment,” Cahillane said in a statement. Cahillane brings a wealth of industry experience to Kraft Heinz, having most recently served as chief executive of Kellanova, where he oversaw the recent acquisition by Mars and the expansion of household brands including Pringles, Cheez-It, Pop-Tarts, and Kelloggs. More notably, he led Kellogg Company through the successful separation of its North American cereal business and the launch of Kellanova, a global snacking powerhouse. That experience that should come in handy in the coming months. Steve is uniquely qualified to lead this organization into the future, and we are delighted he will be taking on the role of CEO,” Kraft Heinz’s chair Miguel Patricio said in a statement. Kraft Heinz financials In its third quarter earnings, the food giant reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.61, beating analyst estimates. However, revenue fell short of expectations, with the company reporting a year-over-year net sales decline of 2.3%.
Category:
E-Commerce
The countrys automotive future doesnt look as electric as carmakers had once hoped. But it doesnt mean the EV industry is entirely dead. On Monday, Ford Motor Co. announced that its taking major steps to pull back on its EV-focused business road map. The automaker is scrapping plans to produce a new electric truck, repurposing an EV battery plant to produce storage for the grid, and converting its fully electric F-150 Lightning into a hybrid. Its also planning to expand its gas and hybrid options. The strategy shift away from fully electric vehicles will cost the automaker $19.5 billion. Ford’s stock has been mostly flat since the news was announced, with shares trading down roughly 0.11% as of late Tuesday afternoon. The move may seem like an indictment against electric vehicles at large. It may also seem counterintuitive given that EV sales in the U.S. hit record highs this year. But experts say it illustrates the specific headwinds that EV makers have faced in the U.S. this year, and the challenges of scaling an emerging technology. Tax credits and tariffs Manufacturing vehicles in the U.S. has become increasingly expensive, due in part to higher labor costs, stricter environmental regulations, and supply-chain issues. And a more expensive manufacturing environment means more investment risk. In 2025, it became even more challenging. “A lot of things designed to mitigate that risk have been unwound, says Albert Gore, executive director of the Zero Emissions Transportation Association (ZETA), a coalition advocating for EV advancement. President Trump scrapped federal tax credits for EVs and enacted sweeping (and at times unpredictable) tariffs. He also rolled back fuel economy standards and generally added immense uncertainty to every investment decision in U.S. manufacturing. The cost of doing business in the U.S. has gone up significantly, Gore says. Ford’s announcement even speaks to this, noting that “regulatory changes” have affected its EV plans. Profitability concerns Ford’s situation in this landscape is unique in part because of the specific type of EV it offers. Fords flagship EV was its F-150 Lightning, a full-size pickup that came with a steep price. Though the F-150 Lightning was announced in 2021 with a price of $40,000, once production began, that cost increased. The 2025 F-150 started at around $55,000, though other versions came in even higher; the F-150 Lightning Platinum, for example, starts at around $85,000. Ford had been struggling with its EV profitability for a while; it was losing money on every EV it sold, even at the start of 2024. And though EV demand has been strongGore says that for the past 15 years, EV demand has far exceeded industry estimatesprice is an important component of that demand. In general, the U.S. auto market focuses on SUVs and trucks, which have higher average transaction prices than sedans. That impacts U.S. consumers, who have been facing increasing costs in multiple sectors, including groceries and electricity. It also makes it more challenging for U.S. companies to compete internationally. In 1960, about 52% of global automotive sales were U.S.-made vehicles. Today, its around 11%, and falling. Some of that is just because the rest of the world is growing its manufacturing, Gore notes. But some of it is the way that cars made here for this market have changed in a way that places them somewhat out of step with the rest of the world. Ford isnt totally giving up on EVs, though. The automakers changing strategy is specifically about no longer producing select larger electric vehicles where the business case has eroded due to lower-than-expected demand, high costs, and regulatory changes, the company has said. So while it has scrapped the F-150 Lightning, it still has plans to make smaller, affordable models, as well as expand its hybrid and extended-range EVs. EVs need scaleand China is dominating In order for EVs to be profitable, production needs to reach a certain scale. But these factorsvehicle type, as well as shifting trade and tax policieshinder automakers abilities to do so. And EVs are still somewhat nascent, at least compared to internal combustion vehicles. Manufacturing new power train vehicles is hard, Gore says, and particularly takes economies of scale that have been achieved over a century with internal combustion vehicles, but are just now starting to be achieved in the U.S. with electric vehicles, within the last seven years or so. About 1 out of every 4 vehicles sold around the world in 2025 will be an EV. But right now the market is dominated by China, which accounts for about 70% of global EV production. China has come to own the global EV industry in part because of its technological advancements, specifically around battery innovationand its ability to make ultra-affordable EVs. Some Chinese EVs start as low as $10,000; Ford CEO Jim Farley himself test-drove (and loved) a Xiaomi SU7, which retails for around $30,000. Chinas EV success reveals just how far behind the U.S. is when it comes to EV advancements. And though Chinas dominance isnt quite affecting the U.S. car marketformer President Biden imposed 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs as a way to protect American auto manufacturingit is having global impacts. The European Union is abandoning a ban on combustion vehicles after automaker pressure, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, giving more time for automakers to go electric. The move comes as European carmakers face increased competition from China, as well as steep tariffs from the U.S. EV consumer sentiment is hitbut theres hope Another factor playing into the complicated EV landscape, particularly in the U.S., is the changing consumer sentiment around the technology. EV sales did hit a record high in the U.S. this year, but that was likely influenced by consumers racing to qualify for th federal tax credits before they expired at the end of September. A recent study by CDK Global found that EV interest among gas car drivers dropped 20%. When asked if they will buy an EV in the future, 31% of gas drivers said yes in 2024, compared with 11% in 2025. Interest even dropped among hybrid drivers, 54% of whom said in 2024 they would switch to an EV in the future, compared with 35% in 2025. Gore wasnt involved in that survey, but he points out that the conversation around EVs has become increasingly politicized. The rhetoric is, by its nature, extremely negative, and it’s loud, he says. That can affect EV adoption, particularly for a technology that needs to vie for mainstream appeal. Early adopters drove EVs initial surging growth, but then the industry has had to figure out how to attract everyone else who isnt as invested in being a front-runner. But Gore isnt concerned about the long-term appeal of EVs. “That’s something that has been absolutely consistent, that regardless of what anyones heard, the experience of driving an EV is overwhelmingly positive, and the same with owning one, he says. Though EV sales dipped 1% in North America this year compared with 2024, theyre still up 24% globally. Despite the challenges the EV industry faces in the U.S. and abroad, experts like Gore are positive that theres still plenty of market to reachand that continued advancement, particularly in battery technology, means electric vehicles make sense for the future. The U.S. EV industry has seen ups and downs before. And though it might be the right current move, economically, for automakers to pull back on EV plans, they risk falling behind if and when the market swings back. “For people who don’t [scratch their EV plans], I think the reward will be a much bigger market than a lot of companies,” Gore says.
Category:
E-Commerce
Automakers Hyundai and Kia must offer free repairs to millions of models under a settlement announced Tuesday by Minnesota’s attorney general, who led an effort by dozens of states that argued the vehicles weren’t equipped with proper anti-theft technology, leaving them vulnerable to theft. Under the nationwide settlement, the companies will offer a free repair to all eligible vehicles at a cost that could top $500 million, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said. Hyundai and Kia must also outfit all future vehicles sold in the U.S. with a key piece of technology called an engine immobilizer and pay up to $4.5 million of restitution to people whose vehicles were damaged by thieves. The settlement was reached by 35 states, including California, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The vehicles eligible for fixes date as far back as 2011 and as recently as 2022. About 9 million eligible vehicles were sold nationwide. Thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles soared in part because beginning in 2021, videos posted to TikTok and other social media demonstrated how someone could steal a car with just a screwdriver and a USB cable. Minneapolis reported an 836% increase in Hyundai and Kia thefts from 2021 to 2022. Ellison announced an investigation into the automakers in early 2023. Ellison said the two companies installed engine immobilizers on cars sold in Mexico and Canada, but not widely in the U.S., leading to car thefts, crimes and crashes that injured and even killed people, including teenagers. This crisis that we’re talking about today started in a boardroom, traveled through the Internet and ended up in tragic results when somebody stole those cars, Ellison said at a news conference. He was joined by Twin Cities officials, a woman whose mother was killed when a stolen Kia crashed into her parents vehicle and a man whose car was stolen nine times as recently as Monday night, and including seven times after a previous software fix. Under the settlement, Hyundai and Kia will install a zinc sleeve to stop would-be thieves from cracking open a vehicle’s ignition cylinder and starting the car. Eligible customers will have one year from the date of the companies’ notice to get the repair at an authorized dealership. The repairs are expected to be available from early 2026 through early 2027. In a statement, Kia said the agreement is the latest step it has taken to help its customers and prevent thefts. Kia is eager to continue working with law enforcement officers and officials at federal, state, and local levels to combat criminal car theft, and the role social media has played in encouraging it, and we remain fully committed to upholding vehicle security, the company said. The Associated Press emailed Hyundai for comment. Jack Dura, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
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