- General Motors Sells April Record 278,263 Vehicles in China – GM:Vehicle sales by General Motors and its joint ventures in China increased 6.3 percent on an annual basis last month to an April record 278,263 units.
- SPAIN: Nissan starts production of electric van – Just-auto: Nissan has started the production of its second all-electric vehicle – the e-NV200 – which will be available as both a passenger vehicle and light commercial van.
- AUSTRALIA: April sales “slow” due to holidays – Just-auto: New car sales were slow in April 2014 with volume off 5.2% year on year to 80,710 new vehicles in what was a reduced selling month, owing to significant public holidays, official data showed.
- US: GM upgrades Lordstown for next generation Chevrolet Cruze – Just-auto: General Motors is spending US$50m on a new, flexible trim shop and upgrades to the press room at its Lordstown, Ohio, complex for the redesigned Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan due in 2016.
- BELGIUM: Hyundai Motor chosen for EC-backed fuel-cell demonstration – Just-auto: Hyundai Motor says it has been officially chosen by a European Commission backed partnership to supply demonstration fuel cell electric vehicles for a third consecutive year.
- GM recalls 56,214 Saturns for gear shift problem – DetN: General Motors is recalling about 56,214 Saturn Aura midsize cars in the U.S. because the automatic transmissionshifters can fail.
- JAPAN: Honda to double number of models sold in China – Just-auto: Honda Motor plans to double the number of car models it sells in mainland China over the next two years with the aim of expanding market share, according to local sources in Japan.
- FRANCE: Top court formally overturns state ban on Mercedes sales – Just-auto: France’s highest court has formally overturned the ban by the country’s ecology ministry on Mercedes-Benz A, B, CLA and SL models in the simmering row surrounding different refrigerant use.
- BMW earnings rise as battered Europe market improves – DetN: Booming sales in China and signs of life from the depressed European car market helped BMW’s net profit rise 11 percent in the first quarter.
- GERMANY: BMW forecasts record sales and profit for 2014 – Just-auto: BMW reported Q1 revenues up by 3.9% to EUR18.2bn from EUR17.54bn in the same period last year and forecast group sales this year would top 2m for the first time. Last year it sold 1.96m vehicles.
- BMW Group Q1 profit rises 3% on SUVs – Automotive News: BMW Group reported a 3 percent rise in first-quarter profit as increasing demand for its SUVs helped offset spending on expansion. Revenue gained 4 percent to $25.3 billion (18.2 billion euros).
- BMW Gets Lift From Stronger Sales – WSJ: BMW reported an increase in net profit after sales rose in the first quarter, showing the German car manufacturer is on track to meet bullish growth targets for the full year.
- Daimler Car Sales Up 13% in April – WSJ: Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler said it sold more vehicles in April as demand grew in the U.S., China and Europe.
- Labor Peace on Line Again for Korean Automakers – Wards: While both Hyundai and Kia forecast sluggish markets that will limit growth for 2014, and report operating and net income was down in 2013, union negotiators likely will not perceive them to be in dire straits.
- Italy Offers Green-Car Incentive, But Spiffs Won’t Last Long – Wards: Half the budget is reserved for fleet customers and business use. Another 35% is to support individual sales of cars with carbon-dioxide emissions of 95 g/km or less. The final 15% is pegged for vehicles with CO2 ratings of 50 g/km or less.
- BMW profits driven up by China demand – FT: German carmaker looking to develop new model niches to capture a greater share of the market as it benefits from gradual European recovery
- Fiat Chrysler bets on Jeep, Alfa revamp to go global – Automotive News: Fiat Chrysler will build Jeeps in China and Brazil and is expected to invest billions of euros to revamp Alfa Romeo in a bid to convince investors it can turn the newly merged automaker into a thriving global business.
- Mercedes’ next G class will be wider, greener – Automotive News: Mercedes plans to make its rugged G-class SUV wider, lighter and more efficient. The overhaul is so major that company insiders say it will be an all-new vehicle.
- Second Recall-Linked GM Executive Retires – WSJ: A top General Motors engineer who led an inconclusive investigation into problems with ignition switches later linked to 13 deaths retired effective on Monday.
- Ford suspends vehicle output in Venezuela – Automotive News: Ford Motor Co. was forced to halt vehicle assembly operations in Venezuela on Monday due to a lack of foreign currency to import parts for assembly, workers at its plant said.
- Ford suspends vehicle assembly in Venezuela – Reuters: U.S. automaker Ford has halted operations in Venezuela on Monday due to a lack of foreign currency to import parts for assembly, workers at its plant said.
- Volkswagen plans new SUV offensive – Autocar: Next-gen version of the Porsche Cayenne and new Audi Q8 to lead SUV push by VW Group, alongside other large models from Lamborghini and Bentley.
- Electric car sales remain off the grid – FT: Fiscal incentives in countries such as the UK are failing to encourage take-up of the cars, says a report by independent research group ICCT
- Law firms joining forces in suits against GM over ignition switch defect – DetN: Two law firms that have already filed lawsuits against General Motors Co. related to the ignition switch defect are joining together and plan to jointly file at least 200 more lawsuits against GM.
- Biden takes Corvette for ‘spin’ in parody video – DetN: Vice President Joe Biden got behind the wheel of a new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray for a video spoof with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, star of the HBO comedy ‘Veep.’
- Godzilla pops Fiats like candy in new 30-second commercial – Automotive News: The Fiat brand has launched a new commercial that ties in with the release of the latest Americanized version of the Godzilla franchise featuring the monster gobbling up Fiat 500s like candy.
- GM Engineer Involved in Switch Recall Retires – thedetroitbureau.com: One of the General Motors engineers tied to the faulty ignition switch involved in the recall 2.6 million vehicles and the deaths of 13 people retired today. The automaker said the retirement was voluntary and had nothing to do with the ongoing issues related to the recall.
- GM engineer involved with previous probes into ignition switch issues retires – DetN: General Motors Co. confirmed Monday that longtime company engineer Jim Federico — who was involved with previous GM investigations into ignition switch issues before the recalls were issued this year — has elected to retire.
- Daimler Car Sales Up 13% in April – WSJ: Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler said it sold more vehicles in April as demand grew in the U.S., China and Europe.
- Fiat Chrysler plans Alfa Romeo drive – FT: Chief executive Sergio Marchionne is set to announce that premium brand Alfa Romeo will be spun off as part of a five-year strategic plan