- US: NHTSA probes into Dodge Chargers, Hyundai Sonatas and Isuzu trucks – Just-auto:Following several complaints of defects, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is probing Dodge Chargers, Hyundai Sonatas and Isuzu trucks.
- JAPAN: Nissan boosts Q1 operating profit 13.4% – Just-auto: Nissan Motor boosted operating profit 13.4% to JPY122.6bn for the first quarter of the 2014/15 fiscal year, a 5% margin on net revenues that climbed 10.4% to JPY2.47 trillion for the period.
- Akerson: ‘We all’ misread problems in GM’s recall crisis – DetN: Former General Motors Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson says the automaker’s recent ignition switch recall crisis shows that problems with GM’s corporate culture were far more serious than executives realized.
- GM Korea reaches tentative wage deal, averting strike – Automotive News: General Motors’ South Korean unit reached a tentative wage deal with its labor union today, averting a potential strike at one of its key Asian production bases.
- Nissan’s US sales offset Japan weakness – FT: Solid demand from the US and Europe helped the carmaker accelerate first-quarter profit, offsetting a dip in domestic sales after April’s tax increase
- Nissan aims to boost U.S. sales and profit as it closes on Honda – Reuters: Nissan Motor Co Ltd aims to boost sales and profitability in the United States, its biggest market, an executive said, after Japan’s No.2 automaker posted a 14 percent rise in quarterly U.S. sales, closing in on rival Honda Motor Co .
- Nissan profit rises on strong sales, cheap yen – DetN: Nissan’s quarterly profit rose nearly 37 percent, helped by a favorable exchange rate and healthy sales in North America and China.
- Nissan profit rises 37% on U.S., China demand – Automotive News: Nissan said net income rose 37 percent to $1.1 billion in the April-June quarter as deliveries rose in the United States and China, its two biggest markets.
- Nissan expects Takata to pay all costs related to air bag recall: executive – Reuters: Nissan Motor Co Ltd expects Takata Corp to pay back to the automaker all costs related to the recent air bag recall, Corporate Vice President Joji Tagawa said.
- Performance push from Japan’s Big 3 – Automotive News: Toyota, Honda and Nissan — and their upscale offshoots — are out to change the “reliable but unexciting” impression with several high-performance halo cars.
- Ford, Ram quarrel over heavy-duty pickup towing title – Automotive News: Ford Motor Co. is threatening legal action if Ram keeps claiming that its pickups offer “best-in-class” towing. Ram’s response? In so many words, it’s telling Ford to go pound sand.
- GM moved faster to fix larger cars – Automotive News: General Motors treated isolated reports of flimsy ignitions in its mid-sized, full-sized and luxury cars more urgently than similar but far more voluminous complaints about the less profitable Chevrolet Cobalt and Saturn Ion, documents GM submitted…
- Audi Cuts Prices of Parts in China – WSJ: Audi on Saturday announced price cuts for spare parts of up to 38% in China, the company’s largest market, as the Chinese government steps up its scrutiny of foreign luxury-car makers.
- Bikini Car Wash Service Offered in Shanxi – Via Google News: A car wash in Taiyuan, provincial capital of Shanxi province, hired two models to wash luxurious cars in order to attract more customers on Sunday, …
- No Sat Nav in the Tesla Model S in China – CarNewsChina.com: Another major setback for Tesla in China: the Tesla Model S comes without satellite navigation, even though Tesla’s Chinese website indicates otherwise. The Tesla satnav only works with Google Maps and Google Maps is permanently blocked in China. Techblog ChinaEV asked Tesla about this and got the following answer: Currently there isn’t a navigation system […]
- Local brands losing traction – Via Google News: According to statistics from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the 3.63 million passenger cars sold by domestic brands in the first six …
- Beijing’s clean-energy incentives give price edge to Chinese carmakers – Via Google News: The latest government incentives have armed mainland car brands with competitive price advantages as they seek to win market share in the …
- Audi to expand lineup to 60 models by end of the decade – Via Google News: One of the first cars adding to 49 car lineup of Audi is Q1. This cute little car is all set to make its debut. On a similar line you can expect to see a Q8 …
- Luxury carmakers slash prices in China – FT: Jaguar Land Rover, Audi and Daimler are cutting retail prices for popular models or auto parts after coming under fire from China’s anti-monopoly regulators
- Audi cuts spare-part prices in China amid anti-monopoly probe – Reuters: Volkswagen AG’s premium brand Audi said it would cut spare-part prices in China as global automakers rush to change their pricing strategies after Chinese anti-monopoly regulators began probing the auto industry.
- NHTSA closes GM, Toyota defect petition reviews – DetN: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Saturday it is rejecting petitions demanding recalls of General Motors and Toyota cars.
- New-car sales running higher than forecasts – DetN: Consumers are increasingly hitting dealerships this summer to buy or lease a new car, truck or SUV, keeping car sales for 2014 on a rate that is higher than many analysts had expected just a few months ago.
- BMW 535d leads the pack among diesel luxury sedans – DetN: With an easier path for existing diesels to emigrate, the luxury world is awash with new models that were previously off-limits to U.S. drivers. The number of high-end diesel vehicles has doubled in the last five years, and midsize sedans are at the heart of that growth, according to data from Edmunds.com.
- FBI ramps up probe of fired Ford engineer, seizes emails – DetN: The FBI ramped up its investigation of a fired Ford Motor Co. engineer Friday, revealing agents have seized her personal email account after searching her home and seizing secret listening devices planted inside the automaker’s headquarters.
- Senator wants GM to explain $400M compensation estimate – DetN: Sen. Richard Blumenthal wants General Motors to explain how it estimates that it will spend $400 million to $600 million to pay claims linked to its recall of 2.6 million older cars for ignition switch problems.
- Chevrolet Impala’s Air Bags the Subject of New Safety Inquiry – NY Times: Federal safety regulators are looking into complaints that passenger-side air bags did not deploy in crashes involving the 2008 Impala sedan.
- Technology: Garmin HUD+ Review – NY Times: The Garmin HUD+ projects information drivers can see while looking through the windshield. The technology lets drivers get vital information without taking their eyes off the road.
- U.S. LV SAAR Could Hit 17 Million in July – Wards: The latest WardsAuto forecast calls for U.S. automakers to sell 1.47 million light vehicles this month, which would lift the SAAR to 17 million for the first time in eight years.
- FBI Raids Home of Former Ford Engineer – thedetroitbureau.com: Until recently, the biggest concerns about U.S. automakers had about industrial espionage came from China counterfeiting their vehicles; however, a recent spate of U.S.-based employees stealing information has automakers on high alert. Most recently, a former Ford engineer’s home was raided by the FBI.
- G.M. Results Show Financial Hit of Recalls – NY Times: The automaker took a $400 million charge to compensate those affected by faulty ignitions that can cut engine power and disable air bags.
- Ford of Europe edges back into profit – Autocar: The Blue Oval’s European division reports encouraging financial results compared with the first six months of last year. Ford’s ailing European division has edged back into profit according to the latest financial results from the carmaker. The brand edged into pre-tax profit in the second quarter of 2014, making £8.2m between April and June this year. Although that’s a profit margin of just 0.2 per cent, it’s a big improvement on the same period in 2013, when Ford of Europe lost £180m.Ford’s…
- FRANCE/ITALY : Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot deny merger plans – Just-auto: Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot Citroen have denied a Financial Times report, which stated that the companies are planning to merge, Reuters said.