- US: Chrysler recalling 292,000 vehicles for ignition switch fix – Just-auto: Chrysler Group is recalling 291,703 vehicles in the US to check for a faulty ignition switch which could inadvertently turn off the engine.
- US: GM recalls Holden-built Chevrolet police cruisers for transmission fix – Just-auto: General Motors is again recalling (Holden) Australian-made Chevrolet police cruisers, this time to repair potentially faulty automatic transmission selector mechanisms.
- INSIGHT-RPT-In GM bankruptcy, an ex-con and hedge funds find common ground – Reuters: Roger Dean Gillispie, a former General Motors security guard, spent 20 years in an Ohio prison for rape until a federal court ordered him released in 2011. Now he wants to sue GM for allegedly helping to frame him, and he’s getting support from an unlikely source: hedge funds.
- JAPAN: Mazda Demio is Car of the Year – Just-auto: Mazda’s Demio – known as the 2 outside Japan – is Japan’s Car of the Year for 2014-15, the fifth time the automaker has won the award.
- US: Toyota again ‘most valuable automotive brand’ – Just-auto: Toyota’s investment in future mobility, including zero-emission vehicles and its focus on sustainability and innovation, have contributed to a 20% increase in its brand value over the past year.
- Ferrari F60America offers drop top styling and V12 power – Via Google News: Ferrari has announced a new car that it has made for American customers called the F60America. The car will be a very limited edition automobile …
- Exclusive – Privately, Saudis tell oil market: get used to lower prices – Reuters: Saudi Arabia is quietly telling oil market participants that Riyadh is comfortable with markedly lower oil prices for an extended period, a sharp shift in policy that may be aimed at slowing the expansion of rival producers including those in the U.S. shale patch.
- Driverless Audi to race at 150mph – Via Google News: Next Green Car finishes MPG Marathon image Next Green Car has completed day 2 of the 14th Fleet World MPG Marathon.
- China auto sales slow, new energy cars outshine – Via Google News: China’s auto sales expanded at the slowest pace this year in September as weak sales of commercial cars weigh on growth. Approximately 1.98 …
- China September vehicle sales rose 2.5% – Via Google News: China’s auto sales rose just 2.5 per cent year-on-year in September, the slowest growth for any month this year, an industry group said …
- China’s September Auto Sales Rise 6.4% on Subsidies – Via Google News: Passenger-vehicle sales in China rose 6.4 percent last month as the government resumed subsidizing purchases of fuel-efficient vehicles. Wholesale …
- Mileage march on schedule, EPA says – Automotive News: Don’t read too much into the slowdown in fuel economy gains, regulators say. The pace should quicken again with the spread of more potent gas-saving technologies.
- Acura takes page from Subaru – Automotive News: Acura, trying to reinvent itself yet again, is taking a cue from one of America’s hottest-selling brands. Honda Motor Co.’
- Factories, dealers clash over canceled store sales – Automotive News: Automakers are increasingly exercising their right to reject dealers’ agreements to sell their stores, putting factories and retailers at odds over the question of what’s best for the future of a franchise.
- Demand skyrockets for collision-avoidance sensors – Automotive News: Fully autonomous cars may be a decade away, but the sensors they’ll need for collision avoidance — radar, cameras, ultrasound and lidar — have become a big business already.
- Fiat Chrysler lags rivals in EPA’s mpg report – Automotive News: The automaker that launched a Dodge this year that can burn up to 1.5 gallons of gasoline a minute finished last in the government’s annual report on fuel economy gains.
- Ford asks top suppliers for disaster plans – Automotive News: Ford Motor Co. is asking Tier 1 suppliers to make backup production plans for key plants that could disrupt Ford’s vehicle assembly if they shut down.
- Race is on to build first driverless car – FT: Google’s prototype has shaken up the industry as Mercedes-Benz and Volvo scramble to create models
- In GM bankruptcy, an ex-con and hedge funds find common ground – Automotive News: Roger Dean Gillispie, a former General Motors security guard, spent 20 years in an Ohio prison for rape until a federal court ordered him released in 2011.
- Fiat and Chrysler seal radical conversion – FT:
- Tesla Aims to Leapfrog Rivals on ‘Autopilot’ – WSJ: Luxury electric-car maker Tesla Motors plans to offer hands-free highway driving in its Model S electric sedans in 2015, putting it as much as a year ahead of other luxury brands in offering autopilot functions.
- The New Ford Mustang Proves Muscle Cars Aren’t Dead – WSJ: Automakers like Ford, Chevy and Dodge have found they can achieve blazing performance and still meet higher environmental standards, writes Dan Neil. Get ready to burn rubber responsibly.