- FRANCE: Renault buys out Caterham’s share in Alpine JV – Just-auto: Renault has taken full control of French sports car maker Alpine after buying out the 50% share owned by Malaysian tycoon Tony Fernandes’ UK-based Caterham Group.
- GERMANY: BMW sales reach record levels – Just-auto: BMW Group sales were a record 177,741 in May taking year-to-date sales to 826,865, up 7.4% on year-ago levels and also a record for the first five months.
- CHINA: China’s vehicle market up 8.5% in May – Just-auto: Data issued by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) shows that the vehicle market in China was up 8.5% in May.
- BMW holds off Audi as A3 tightens race for luxury-car lead – Automotive News: BMW held onto the lead in global luxury-car sales as demand for 5-series sedans and X5 SUVs helped edge out Audi.
- China auto sales rise but domestic brands lag – DetN: Sales in the world’s biggest auto market accelerated in May but domestic Chinese brands lagged and their market share shrank, an industry group reported Tuesday.
- BMW holds off Audi as A3 sedan tightens race for luxury-car lead – DetN: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG held onto the lead in global luxury-car sales as demand for 5-Series sedans and X5 sport-utility vehicles helped edge out Audi AG.
- FRANCE: PSA Peugeot Citroen mulls ending Mitsubishi EV partnership – Just-auto: PSA Peugeot Citroen says it has launched a study to see whether or not it will continue its co-operation with Mitsubishi concerning electric vehicles as it looks to potentially place more emphasis on hybrid vehicles.
- The Upshot|If Robots Drove, How Much Safer Would Roads Be? – Via Google News: Google says its driverless cars have logged more than 700,000 miles without an accident caused by the car, and that its cars do not do unsafe things …
- Chinese new fuel consumption policy forced car makers to boost small size vehicles – Via Google News: As it known, placement ratio and sales of new cars are stunned in Chinese market with “purchase tax subsidy” and “automobile goes town” …
- Chinese Chevrolet Cruze will hit the Chinese car market in July – CarNewsChina.com: The new Chinese Chevrolet Cruze will be launched on the Chinese car market in July, it debuted in April on the 2014 Beijing Auto Show. The Chevrolet Cruze is manufactured in China by the Shanghai-GM joint venture. Price will start around 120.000 yuan and end around 160.000 yuan.
- Renault buys out Caterham stake in Alpine sports car brand – Autocar: French firm confirms it will continue development of its new Alpine-branded sports car alone, with plans to launch the model in 2016Renault has bought out the remaining stake held by Caterham in its Alpine business.T he manufacturer says that the arrangement has been made by mutual consent, and that the two companies could still work together in the future. This latest development brings to an end the Caterham-Alpine joint venture project which was signed off late in 2012.
- Kia Motors supplier says new Optima sedan could be launched in 2015 – Reuters: South Korean automaker Kia Motors may launch the revamped version of its popular mid-sized Optima sedan in the second half of next year, after a small company said it had won a contract to supply parts for the vehicle from June 2015.
- GM ignition-switch plaintiffs seek to reopen case settled in 2008 – Automotive News: General Motors committed fraud while settling claims over a 2004 accident that left one man dead and his fiancée pleading guilty to a crime, the victim’s family said in a lawsuit seeking to reopen the case.
- China Auto Sales Climb 13% Led by Foreign Carmakers – Via Google News: Passenger-vehicle sales in China rose 13 percent last month, led by General Motors Co. (GM:US) and Ford Motor Co. (F:US) as foreign carmakers …
- Crash victims’ families protest GM ahead of shareholder’s meeting – DetN: Two families of teenagers killed in crashes related to the General Motors Co. ignition switch defect are protesting the automaker ahead of its annual shareholder’s meeting Tuesday. They hope to send a message to stockholders and GM to remember the victims of the recall and to keep pressure on the company to change.
- GM Faces Pressure on Legal Costs – WSJ: General Motors’ directors and executives head to Tuesday’s annual shareholder meeting facing questions on what they will do about admissions employees mishandled a deadly safety defect, and what the cost will be.
- Victims of 2004 Ion crash sue GM to reopen case – Reuters: Victims of the crash of a Saturn Ion in 2004 have filed a lawsuit against General Motors Co to reopen a settlement and accusing the automaker of fraud.
- Ford and Samsung team on advanced batteries – KBB: Intent on developing a new battery that could replace existing 12-volt lead-acid technology in conventional vehicles, Ford and Samsung SDI have revealed a new concept dual-battery system.
- G.M. Suits Will Proceed as One Case in New York – NY Times: The consolidation of more than 80 lawsuits against General Motors into a single proceeding in Manhattan represents a small but meaningful victory for the automaker.
- Two GM lawyers, quality control executive among those pushed out over switch – Reuters: Two product litigation attorneys and a quality control executive are among the 15 employees who have been forced out by General Motors Co over the company’s poor handling of a defective ignition switch linked to at least 13 deaths, according to two people familiar with the decisions.
- GM ignition-switch protesters expected at annual meeting – Automotive News: A planned protest at General Motors headquarters by family members of crash victims will serve as the backdrop Tuesday to an annual meeting of GM shareholders here that should prove more substantive than the mundane proceedings of past years.
- Toyota Researching Flying Cars – Via Google News: Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota is investigating the possibility of flying cars according to Toyota’s technical administration group managing …
- Pro-Tesla Bill in Pennsylvania Draws Ire of Other Auto Makers – Via Google News: This new turn has pushed the national lobbying arm that represents most major car makers, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, into opposing …
- Can Auto Stocks Continue Their Meteoric Rise? – Via Google News: According to IHS Automotive, global vehicle production will surpass 100 million vehicles by 2018. In 2013, vehicle production was 82.8 million, so this …
- Ford, Honda new-product cycle should boost U.S. market share, report says – Automotive News: Ford and Honda stand to capture more of the automotive market in the United States than their counterparts during the next four years as they woo buyers with new products such as Ford’s aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup.
- Ford Likely Only Maker to Gain Share in U.S. – thedetroitbureau.com: Ford is the only automaker in the U.S. expected to gain market share in the next few years because their prolific rate of new vehicle introductions. The rest of the companies are unlikely to gain or lose large pieces of market share, according to a new study by Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
- G.M. Report Illustrates Managers’ Disconnect – NY Times: For academics who study management, the automaker’s organizational failure is all too common.
- Detroit Automakers Pledge $26 Million to Help Save City’s Art – NY Times: Ford, General Motors and Chrysler committed to donating a combined $26 million to help save the city’s art collection, part of a “grand bargain” to ease pension cuts for city retirees.
- Study Sees Rise in Fatal Crashes Linked to Marijuana Use – thedetroitbureau.com: A new study published by Columbia University, which finds the number of fatal crashes involving the use of marijuana tripled from 2000 to 2010. That could raise new concerns about the growing push to legalize weed, a movement that has gained momentum nationally. To get all the details, go to TheDetroitBureau.com.
- Detroit automakers commit $26 million to aid bankrupt city’s retirees – Reuters: Detroit’s three automakers said on Monday they had committed $26 million toward $100 million pledged by the city’s art museum to save its collection from being tapped to raise cash for Detroit’s historic bankruptcy.
- GM board seeks quick culture changes amid recalls – DetN: General Motors Co. Chairman Tim Solso had only been leading the automaker’s board a few weeks when the first ignition switch recall was issued in mid-February. As the crisis grew to encompass 2.59 million recalled cars now linked to at least 13 deaths and 54 crashes, a sense of urgency grew among the directors: that the corporate culture at GM must change so that nothing like this happens again.
- DealBook: How G.M.’s Lawyers Failed in Their Duties – NY Times: G.M.’s lawyers were squarely at the center of the ineptitude for letting problems with the faulty ignition fester for years, Peter J. Henning writes in White Collar Watch.
- RUSSIA: AvtoVAZ may cut 13,000 workers – Just-auto: Russia’s largest carmaker, AvtoVAZ, said on Friday it expects to cut 13,000 staff – more than previously indicated – at its Togliatti plant due to falling sales of its flagship Lada.
- GM faulty-switch cases sent to New York court – Reuters: A federal judicial panel ruled on Monday that lawsuits against General Motors Co from customers who say they suffered economic damages from a recall over faulty ignition switches will be heard in New York.
- Nissan e-NV200 van debuts in Japan, but is it a good fit for N.A? – Automotive News: Nissan has launched its second electric vehicle, but a North American debut of the e-NV200 compact commercial van is under review because of vehicle range and charging network concerns.
- US: UAW elects Dennis Williams as president – Just-auto: US union, UAW, has elected Dennis Williams as its president at the Constitutional Convention in Detroit.
- Ford, GM Continue Torrid Sales Pace in China – thedetroitbureau.com: General Motors and Ford continue to roll up big sales totals in China, setting sales records during May. Ford China sales grew 32% in May with 93,323 and Ford now expects to sell more than 1 million vehicles in China for the first time ever during 2014.
- GERMANY: Mercedes-Benz sales a record 134,031 in May – Just-auto: Mercedes-Benz booked another sales record in May. A total of 134,031 vehicles were sold to customers around the world (+10.4%). It has sold 641,384 vehicles since the start of 2014 (+14.0%), also a record.
- CHINA: Ford sales up 32% to 93,323 units in May – Just-auto: Ford China sales grew 32% in May with 93,323 sold compared to 70,449 in May 2013. Year to date sales were up 39%, with 461,473 sold compared to 332,308 in the first five months of 2013.
- DealBook: Uber Attains Eye-Popping New Levels of Funding – NY Times: The web-based car ride service raised another $1.2 billion from investors at a $17 billion valuation, attaining a net worth almost unheard-of among start-ups.
- CHINA: IAC opens Asia headquarters in Shanghai – Just-auto: International Automotive Components (IAC) has opened its Asian headquarters in Shanghai.
- US: GM announces four more recalls – Just-auto: General Motors has announced four more recalls, taking the total to 34 this year, including the high-profile ignition switch replacement programme currently under way.