Three of the biggest producers of electric vehicles are reportedly set to pump the brakes on production, citing a bad economy and higher interest rates thanks to Joe Biden’s bad economic policies. Tesla, General Motors, and Ford all have said they plan to sIow production essentially until the economy shows some signs of settling down.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk joined General Motors and Ford in voicing concerns that high-interest rates on car purchases would prevent borrowers from securing financing for expensive eIectric vehicles. Musk said, People hesitate to buy a new car if there’s uncertainty in the economy. I don’t want to be going into top speed into uncertainty.
Musk aIso is planning to take a wait-and-see approach to the economy before ramping up the planned Tesla factory in Mexico. Musk’s comments came after poor quarterly results across the board. Not only were Tesla’s sales down, but so were earnings per share and vehicle production.
General Motors, for their part, has plans to delay production of the electric Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks by a year, citing flattening demand for the electrified vehicIes. Over at Ford Motors, they are cutting one of the three shifts that currently builds the electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck. The automaker made this decision following a summer where they took some of the focus off of electric, instead looking toward commercial fleet vehicles and hybrids.
A heartfelt father-son duet by Phil and Nic Collins
As the Not Dead Yet Tour approached, legendary drummer Phil Collins began to experience nerve problems in his hand that made drumming increasingly difficult. To address this problem, he enlisted his son Nic Collins to take over drumming duties for the tour from 2016 to 2019. During a tour stop in Houston, the father-son duo shared a memorable moment when Nic walked up to the piano after Phil introduced him to the audience.
Phil revealed to the audience that Nic had discovered a song from his debut solo album, You Know What I Mean, that Phil himself liked. In a playful exchange, Phil joked about the number of songs Nic liked, and Nic clarified: “Two songs… mainly just one”. They then delivered a soulful performance of the song, with Phil on vocals and Nic on piano.
The performance was warmly received by Phil Collins’ fans, who were happy to see him perform live despite his health issues. The video of the performance has been viewed over 2.7 million times and many viewers were touched by the father-son collaboration. Comments praised the emotional connection and Nic’s obvious musical talent. One viewer remarked: “Wonderful to see father and son together like this”, and others confirmed: “Nic Collins has inherited Phil’s musical talent”.
The tour also allowed Nic to showcase his diverse musical skills, especially on the drums. At the same show in Houston, Nic demonstrated his drumming skills in a duet with percussionist Richie Garcia, impressing even his father. When Nic joined Richie and Phil for a cajon performance, the group developed into a dynamic drum trio.
After the tour ended in 2019, Nic continued to support his father as a drummer on the Genesis tour from 2020 to 2022. He also joined Mike and the Mechanics, the band led by his father’s Genesis bandmate Mike Rutherford, and showcased his drumming skills with them. In 2022, Nic released his solo project “Better Strangers”, which offers a deeper look into his drumming skills. With a promising future ahead of him, Nic Collins is ready to further his musical career while continuing his father’s legacy.
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