- In EV Transition, German Carmakers Lag Behind Tesla and China – Wall Street Journal
- Airbus, easyJet, Rolls-Royce join forces in UK on hydrogen – Reuters
- Musk Blames Anti-Defamation League for X’s US Ad Sales Slump – Bloomberg
- Byd plans affordable price in Europe EV market – Bloomberg
- Tesla’s (TSLA) China Deliveries Rebound in August on Price Cuts – Bloomberg
- Signal President Doubts Elon Musk ‘Super App’ Plans for Twitter – Businessinsider
- Mercedes says it can beat any Tesla on range with a new car nearing production – Businessinsider
- Mercedes-Benz: Europe likely won’t be ready for all-electric sales by 2030 – Reuters
- Tesla’s China Sales Rise 9.3% in August. The Price Cuts Are Working. – Barrons
- Qualcomm to supply BMW and Mercedes with chips for displays, voice features – Reuters
- Chery to announce Thai EV plant in Q4 – Just-Auto
- China’s BYD says it won’t chase sales targets in Europe – Automotive News
- Elon Musk threatens to sue Anti-Defamation League over lost X revenue – Guardian
- Tesla Elon Musk ‘glass house’ report revives talk of where he sleeps – Washington Post
- New look for 2024 Audi Q8 and hot SQ8 – Autocar
Tuesday Morning Auto News, Sep 05, 2023: In EV transition, German carmakers lag behind Tesla and China. Mercedes says it can beat any Tesla on range. More.
Monday Morning Auto News, Sep 04, 2023: Mercedes to make electric ‘Baby’ G-Wagen. Amazon shareholders sue Jeff Bezos over Elon Musk rivalry. More.
- Mercedes Will Make Electric ‘Baby’ G-Wagon, CEO Says – Bloomberg
- Amazon shareholders sue Jeff Bezos over Elon Musk rivalry – Fortune
- Volkswagen in ‘advanced talks’ with Mahindra on MEB platform – Reuters
- VW Group turns to design to sharpen model lineup as EV sales struggle – Automotive News
- Tesla China extends delivery time for Model Y Long Range to 6-8 weeks – Reuters
- Mercedes to release a smaller version of its G Class luxury SUV – CNBC
- BYD, XPeng Stocks Rise. Chinese Brands Face Off With Tesla at Key Auto Show. – Barrons
- New 2024 Peugeot e-3008 to be revealed on 12 September – Autocar
- Renault CEO: ‘We are ready to engage’ in fight with Chinese competitors – CNBC
- Polestar Synergy revealed as vision of electric supercar – Autocar
- Xpeng to launch in UK next year with G6 SUV – Autocar
- Audi A3 to get electric successor on MEB platform by 2027 – Autocar
- Xpeng says it plans to expand into more European markets next year – Automotive News
- Volkswagen is ready for Europe’s 2035 fossil-fuel car ban – Reuters
- Elon Musk’s Father Fears Possible Assassination Attempt on His Son – Businessinsider
Friday Morning Auto News, Sep 01, 2023: Even in the age of Tesla, EU gasoline demand is booming. Tesla cuts prices again in China, faces multiple investigations back home. More.
- Even in the Age of Tesla, European Gasoline Demand Is Booming – Washington Post
- Tesla Cuts Prices Again in China as Competition Heats Up – Wall Street Journal
- Tesla faces multiple U.S. investigations, reports say – Automotive News
- Elon Musk’s X wants your biometric data and job history – Fortune
- Tesla Faces New Competition As European Auto Sales Soar – Businessinsider
- Tesla reportedly facing DOJ, SEC probes over plans to build Elon Musk a large glass house – CNBC
- Auto & Transport Roundup: Market Talk – Wall Street Journal
- Musk’s X to collect biometric information and employment data – CNBC
- How did Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim woo Elon Musk? – Fortune
- Ford Made an Offer to the UAW Union. It Won’t Go Over Well. – Barrons
- Hyundai, Kia, Genesis U.S. sales rise again in August – Automotive News
- Tesla faces competition in Europe as local manufacturers fight back – Fortune
- Ford Recalls 169,277 US Vehicles Over Camera Issue, NHTSA Says – Bloomberglaw
- Polestar narrows losses as deliveries rise – Just-Auto
Thursday Morning Auto News, Aug 31, 2023: Prosecutors are looking into Musk’s glass house. Less than 1 in 5 federally funded charging stations operational. More.
- U.S. prosecutors reportedly probing Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s glass house – Fortune
- System update caused Toyota’s 14-plant shutdown – Just-Auto
- Tesla probes: Current and former executives subpoenaed – Automotive News
- Tesla Autopilot update draws questions from NHTSA – Fortune
- Less than one in five federally funded charging stations are operational – Bnnbloomberg
- Tesla is reportedly under investigation by the DOJ and SEC over it’s mysterious ‘Project 42’ – Businessinsider
- Tesla Internal Purchasing Probe Draws US Prosecutor Scrutiny – Bloomberg
- What happened to shut down Toyota’s production in Japan? – Japantimes
- Tesla faces federal probes over secret Musk house project – Reuters
- Tesla’s Musk appeals order requiring his testimony in fatal crash lawsuit – Reuters
- Twitter allows US political candidates and parties to advertise in policy switch – Guardian
- Volkswagen to suffer production disruptions due to floods in Slovenia-DPA – Reuters
- Bloomberg Predicts Peak Oil Demand In 2027 – Businessinsider
Word’s Largest Automakers, 7 months 2023: All good.
We haven’t heard much lately about Tesla et al disrupting the auto business. Why? Global automakers, pronounced soon-dead by allegedly smart analysts and under-the-influence influencers, are still going strong. Worldwide sales of the top three OEMs have been up solidly throughout the year, and July was no different. Supply lines are flowing again, chips are being made, and cars are being cranked out.
World’s largest, Toyota Group, is chugging along solidly, up 5.5% in the first 7 months of the year. Expect a bigger jump in comping months. July production was up 10% worldwide, at home in Japan, production jumped by 22.4%.
2nd-ranked Volkswagen Group is putting the pedal to the metal to make up for lost sales in the earlier months of the year. Volkswagen deliveries Jan-July were up 11.8%. Volkswagen’s largest market China continues to be troublesome. Jan-July China deliveries were down 2.7%, July China deliveries cratered by 10.2%
Hyundai Group, up 9.4% for the year, continues its slow march towards the top. Little chance to pass Volkswagen Group this year, but who knows, maybe in 2024.