Automakers Line Up To Hang Out With Trump And Mohammed Bin Salman

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Happy Friday! It's November 21, 2025, and this is The Morning Shift — your regular roundup of nan apical automotive headlines from astir nan world, successful 1 place. This is wherever you'll find nan astir important stories that are shaping nan measurement Americans thrust and get around.

In this morning's edition, we're looking astatine automaker execs' societal climbing, arsenic good arsenic Foxconn's latest EV plans. We'll besides look astatine nan New York aluminum works that's managed to drawback occurrence again, and CATL's plans for lithium mines successful China. 

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Saudi Arabia has a laundry database of quality authorities violations to its name, truthful of people it's a awesome friend to nan United States. President Donald Trump invited crown prince Mohammed bin Salman complete for meal earlier this week, and he brought immoderate different friends to capable retired nan array — representatives from Ford, Tesla, GM, and more. From nan Detroit Free Press: 

What started pinch a meal astatine nan White House ended pinch awesome deals related to nan Middle East this week for U.S. automakers.

General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Ford Motor Co.'s Executive Chair Bill Ford each attended President Donald Trump's meal astatine nan White House earlier this week, according to nan impermanent database obtained by nan Detroit Free Press from nan White House Press Office ― an arena replete pinch executives from finance, technology, backstage equity and power sectors.

The adjacent day, nan U.S. and Saudi Arabia signed an statement done an speech of letters ensuring Saudi Arabia recognizes U.S. national centrifugal conveyance information standards arsenic afloat gathering its automotive information requirements ― a move that nan Detroit Three declare clears a hurdle to much U.S. car income successful nan Middle East.

And now, Stellantis is pursuing nan anticipation of making cars successful Saudi Arabia.

Nvidia's CEO was besides successful attendance, among others. Not successful attendance? Jamal Khashoggi, nan journalist killed by Saudi Arabian agents allegedly acting nether nonstop orders of nan royal family. 

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Automakers successful nan United States are doing their champion to wantonness EVs — an attack that's led to nan U.S. falling down connected what will surely go nan ascendant automotive sector. But while we're dodging, ducking, dipping, diving, and dodging nan future, different nations aren't rather truthful backwards. Take Foxconn, nan artillery shaper retired of Taiwan that's mostly known for user electronics. The company's made nary concealed astir its liking successful EVs, and now it's putting its money wherever its rima is. From Automotive News:

Foxconn is renowned arsenic nan elephantine statement shaper of everything from Apple iPhones and Dell computers to Hewlett-Packard printers and Sony PlayStations.

More recently, nan Taiwanese institution has shape-shifted into an aspiring electrical conveyance shaper chasing deals pinch Nissan Motor Corp. while besides positioning itself arsenic a subordinate successful artificial intelligence information hubs.

And now, Foxconn is reinventing itself again arsenic it expands into artillery making. The caller cells and packs it conscionable started churning retired will thief powerfulness nan company's early cars and unreality servers.

Battery tech is arguably nan large exertion title of our era, pinch everyone trying to fig retired really champion to get much powerfulness density and faster complaint rates into smaller and smaller cells. Whoever wins that, wins nan future. 

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Back successful September, an aluminum works successful upstate New York caught fire. Yesterday, that aforesaid works caught occurrence again. Terrible luck complete astatine Novelis successful Oswego, it seems. From Automotive News:

Firefighter put retired a four-alarm blaze Nov. 20 astatine nan aforesaid Novelis works successful upstate New York that burned successful September, weeks earlier nan supplier had said it expected afloat operations to resume.

A Novelis spokesperson said it was excessively soon to cognize whether nan latest incident will hold repairs from nan erstwhile blaze, which Ford Motor Co. has estimated could costs nan automaker arsenic overmuch arsenic $2 billion.

In an update posted connected its website, Novelis said nan fire, which started astir 8:45 a.m., had been put out, though firefighters were still monitoring nan site. "Everyone moving astatine nan works was safely evacuated and fortunately, location were nary injuries," Novelis said.

The Trump management has placed dense tariffs connected alloy and aluminum, economically incentivizing American companies to bargain from U.S.-based factories for illustration this Novelis plant. Unfortunately, that besides intends that a azygous occurrence for illustration this tin cripple an full proviso concatenation — alternatively than pivoting to different suppliers. automakers for illustration Ford that trust connected Novelis metallic must now conscionable hold for nan mill to travel backmost online. 

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Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.s had an escapade pinch its Jianxiawo excavation successful caller months, arsenic a back-and-forth pinch nan authorities complete mining permits has near nan tract successful a authorities of limbo. Now, CATL is intent connected reopening nan excavation to meet lithium request — yet it still hasn't secured each nan basal paperwork. From Bloomberg: 

A cardinal Chinese lithium excavation tally by Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. is preparing to reopen arsenic soon arsenic early adjacent month.

The artillery shaper has formulated a preliminary scheme to restart its Jianxiawo excavation by early December, according to group acquainted pinch nan matter, who declined to beryllium named arsenic they aren't authorized to speak publicly. The institution has asked suppliers and partners to fresh equipment, chemicals and workers, they said, arsenic good arsenic notifying nan refiners that tie feedstock from nan mine.

CATL's preparations aren't a guarantee that nan excavation will get regulatory approval. The group said nan company's schedule could beryllium taxable to change, and that they're still awaiting sign-off from nan authorities.

CATL's excavation closure wasn't an rumor before, erstwhile precocious proviso and slowing EV request sent lithium prices downward. Now though, arsenic location power retention continues to grow, CATL wants that proviso back. 

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