- In entry-premium car race, Audi A3 gives Mercedes CLA a run for its money – Automotive News: Audi is closing in on Mercedes-Benz in the small but crucial market for premium cars priced that start below $30,000.
- SOUTH KOREA: Renault Samsung’s labour union to go on strike – Just-auto: Renault Samsung Motors’ labour union’s decision to go on a strike might hurt the company significantly, reports Business Korea.
- GM Korea workers vote to strike as wage talks continue – Automotive News: GM’s South Korean workers today voted to go on strike over salaries and production volume, signaling tough annual wage talks for automakers already grappling with falling earnings because of the stronger won.
- Shale boom confounds forecasts as U.S. set to pass Russia, Saudi Arabia – Reuters: Four years into the shale revolution, the U.S. is on track to pass Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest producer of crude oil, most analysts agree. When that happens and by how much, though, has produced disparate estimates that depend on uncertain factors ranging from progress in drilling technology to the availability of financing and the price of oil itself.
- GM Korea workers approve strike as wage talks stall – Reuters: General Motors’ South Korean workers on Wednesday voted to go on strike over salaries and production volume, signalling tough annual wage talks for automakers already grappling with falling earnings due to the stronger won.
- Japan carmakers lead fuel cell drive – FT: The country’s manufacturers, supported by government initiatives and subsidies, are going further and faster in making fuel cell vehicles commercially viable
- Delphi CEO to be on U.S. Senate panel hot seat in GM probe – Reuters: The head of Delphi Automotive Plc, maker of ignition switches linked to at least 16 fatal car crashes, is expected to face intensive questioning next week from a U.S. Senate panel investigating General Motors Co’ handling of the issue.
- New Vauxhall Corsa revealed – plus exclusive studio pictures – Autocar: Vauxhall’s new supermini will go on sale in October, priced from under £10,000, as the Luton-based manufacturer guns for the Ford Fiesta’s title as the UK’s best-selling car.
- Third-gen Kia Sorento spotted ahead of Paris motor show debut – Autocar: New Sorento SUV gets major restyle and Cross GT-inspired front grille, and could be offered with a hybrid powertrainKia’s third-generation Sorento SUV has been spotted testing ahead of a planned public debut at the Paris motor show in October.
- Wheelies: The Next-Generation Toyobaru Edition – NY Times: Subaru says it will build a next-generation BRZ sports coupe; Manchester United, a British soccer team, will wear Chevrolet bow ties on its jerseys.
- Retail demand, favorable credit keep wholesale used-vehicle prices high – Automotive News: Wholesale prices of used vehicles in June fell 1 percent from the previous month’s level but were 4 percent higher than in June 2013, according to the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index released today.
- Delphi CEO summoned to Capitol Hill on GM recall – Automotive News: Delphi Automotive, which supplied the faulty ignition switch at the center of General Motors’ safety crisis, will join GM on Capitol Hill’s hot seat.
- Volvo Claims Next XC90 Will Be “World’s Most Powerful and Cleanest SUV” – thedetroitbureau.com: With plans to redefine its line-up, top to bottom, Volvo is offering details on the three powertrains it will offer in the next-generation XC90, boasting they will make it “the world’s most powerful and cleanest SUV.” TheDetroitBureau.com has more on the new line-up which includes a 400-hp plug-in hybrid and a 56 mpg diesel.
- Delphi latest in fight over offshore U.S. tax shelters – Automotive News: Delphi Automotive plc is in the crosshairs of a battle between the IRS and many large American companies over the use of offshore tax shelters. Delphi is the latest corporation in dispute with the federal government over its tax practices.
- Tesla Trying to Recover Wrecked Model S – thedetroitbureau.com: Tesla is looking to get its hands on a recently wrecked Model S sedan – it split in half after hitting a light pole and the battery caught fire – after it was stolen from a dealer lot in California last weekend. In addition to the wreck, the company is dealing with a $3.85 million trademark infringement lawsuit in China.
- Bill Ford predicts ‘radical transformation’ of auto industry – Automotive News: Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford sees a bright — albeit remodeled — future for the automotive industry, according to an op-ed story he authored in The Wall Street Journal.
- Report: Second-Generation Subaru BRZ Planned – Via Google News: Another generation of the Subaru BRZ sports car — twinned with the Scion FR-S/Toyota 86 — is in the works. That’s the word from Yasuyuki Yoshinaga, …
- U.S. auto recalls smash single-year record with 6 months to go – Automotive News: Automakers this year have already recalled more vehicles in the United States than in any other year on record. NHTSA says U.S. recalls total 37.5 million cars to date, topping the 30.8 million record set in 2004.
- How the Defense Industry Might Become More Like the Automobile Industry – Via Google News: The future of the defense industry? The new Honda Civic Type R Concept at the 2014 AMI Auto Show on May 30.
- Ford, Hyundai Add More Vehicles to 2014 Recall Parade – thedetroitbureau.com: Ford and Hyundai issued seven recalls affecting nearly 160,000 vehicles for issues ranging from defective halfshafts to headliners to roof glass. Ford accounts for 101,000 of the vehicles in the actions. Ford has recalled more than 3 million vehicles in 2014, which surpasses the total for all of 2013.
- Autoline Daily – Wards: Dealers are EV Roadblocks; LED Headlights Fight CO2; Video on Your Windshield
- GERMANY: Continental calls for adaptation of legal framework for automated driving – Just-auto: Continental has called for a market-based adaptation of the legal framework for automated driving.
- Audi sales in China up 17.8% – CarNewsChina.com: Audi has achieved new record sales figures in the Chinese car market in the first half of 2014, selling a grand total of 268.666 automobiles. That is an increase of 17.8 percent year on year, making Audi the largest premium car maker in China yet again. In addition, Audi sold 50,756 cars in China in […]
- Ford & GM sell More Cars in China – CarNewsChina.com: Sales of U.S automakers Ford and General Motors in China are up again, big time. Ford’s China sales rose 35% to 549,256 vehicles this year through June, as the automaker dramatically increases its presence in the world’s largest auto market. GM’s China sales rose 10.5% to 1.7 million vehicles, more than the 1.46 million it […]
- Top US cities for propane-fueled cars – Bankrate: You may grill with liquefied petroleum gas, but in these cities it can fuel your car.