- Takata stock, amid growing airbag recall, takes record 23% plunge – Automotive News: Takata plunged by a record in Tokyo trading after Toyota advised U.S. owners of its cars to seat passengers in the back amid reports of metal shrapnel being propelled from inside faulty airbags.
- CHINA: Jaguar Land Rover opens joint venture factory with Chery – Just-auto: Tata Motors luxury vehicle unit Jaguar Land Rover has opened its first full manufcaturing facility outside the UK, in China.
- China’s ‘aggressive’ EV ambitions to drive demand for aluminum – Automotive News: China’s drive to build electric cars is likely to set up a greater-than-forecast surge in demand for aluminum, according to Novelis, the world’s biggest supplier to automakers of aluminum sheets.
- US: GM recalls almost 100,000 SUVs and trucks for electrical check – Just-auto: General Motors is recalling 97,540 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles in the US to check for a potential electrical problem.
- Jaguar Land Rover Opens China Factory – WSJ: Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover opened its first plant in China as part of a manufacturing push aimed at more than doubling global sales by the end of this decade.
- Range Rover Evoque Now Made in China – Via Google News: JLR is by no means the first automobile company to build its cars in China. Audi, Mercedes and Volkswagen all have huge Chinese manufacturing …
- Takata sinks as US urges airbag fix – FT: Unusual warning from US safety regulator sends Japanese company’s stock down 23%
- Toyota Warns Certain US Customers to Keep Passenger Seats Unoccupied – Via Google News: Toyota is warning hundreds of thousands of Americans who use its cars not to let … The company had also issued a similar warning in June to customers in Japan along with other automobile manufacturers like Honda, Nissan and …
- Tatas launch Land Rover factory in China – Via Google News: With 27 million car sales per annum China currently has the biggest automobile market in the world constituting one fourth of the global market.
- Meet Audi RS7 fastest ever self driving car – Via Google News: As trend of self driving cars is setting up, German automobile giant Audi brings fastest self driving car. Yes that’s right, Audi has introduced …
- As China gets tougher on fuel economy, some carmakers may be left behind – Reuters: Chinese automakers from state-owned FAW Co to Zhejiang Geely are racing to sell more eco-friendly cars as they try to meet tough fuel economy rules due next year as part of Beijing’s battle against pollution.
- Jaguar Land Rover Opens China Manufacturing Plant – Via Google News: JLR will produce cars there with local partner Chery Automobile Company Ltd. The factory will have a capacity of 130,000 cars. The first model to roll …
- Despite Downturn China’s Economy Still Strong – thedetroitbureau.com: Despite the fact that China’s economy isn’t living up to predictions this year, the overall picture for the country is bright even as it faces significant challenges to its growth, one of China’s leading economists posited yesterday at the Global Automotive Forum in Wuhan, China.
- Volkswagen, Fiat, play off the new and the old – Automotive News: The new Jetta: refined German engineering; its owner: flip-flops, plaid shorts and large drink.
- Millennials are driving a changing transportation landscape – Via Google News: Perhaps most importantly, Millennials are looking for alternatives to cars, be it public transportation or bicycles, or even walking. This has been an …
- JLR China plant caps five-year resurgence – FT: First factory in pivotal China car market to feed voracious domestic demand
- JLR’s first China factory caps carmaker’s resurgence – Via Google News: The Changshu factory, a joint venture with state-owned Chery Automobile opening on Tuesday, will produce JLR’s less expensive Range Rover …
- Toyota Recalling 247,000 Vehicles for Air Bags – WSJ: Toyota Motor recalled another 247,000 vehicles that have an air bag that can rupture and send shrapnel into the passenger compartment, bringing the number of affected vehicles from six auto makers to 2.4 million vehicles.
- Guardrail Firm Liable for Fraud in Texas – NY Times: A Texas jury awarded $175 million, an amount that could be tripled, in a case against Trinity Industries, which made systems that can malfunction during crashes and wreck cars.
- Tesla courts suppliers to stop bill banning direct sales in Michigan – Automotive News: With the fate of Tesla’s sales in Michigan on the desk of Gov. Rick Snyder, the electric carmaker is looking for support from its supply base in the state.
- 2015 Ford Focus EV cuts price $6,000 – KBB: Ford has announced a $6,000 reduction in the base price of the 2015 Focus Electric in an attempt to generate more buyer interest in its ultra-green but disappointingly slow-selling compact EV.
- Defect in Takata Air Bags Prompts Urgent Warning to Drivers – NY Times: The unusual action indicates a heightened concern among regulators over the air bags, which are linked to at least two deaths in the United States.
- Toyota recalls 247,000 vehicles in U.S. over Takata air bags – Reuters: Toyota Motor Corp recalled 247,000 cars, SUVs and pickup trucks in the United States on Monday because of potentially defective front passenger air bag inflators from Japan’s Takata Corp that can rupture and spray metal shrapnel, according to U.S. safety regulators.
- Toyota recalls 247000 vehicles in US over Takata air bags – Via Google News: The regional recalls by Toyota and other automakers including Honda Motor and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Chrysler Group began in high-humidity …
- Ford Seeking Fifth Truck Crown at SEMA – thedetroitbureau.com: Ford is attempting to stake its claim for the “Hottest Truck” award at this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas next month with two entries. If Ford takes the honor, it’ll be the fifth year in a row. The two entries are designed by Ford Racing drivers Brian Deegan and Vaughn Gittin Jr., according to TheDetroitBureau.com.
- Price fixing: CCP suspects collusion among auto dealers – Via Google News: The antitrust watchdog has busted a cartel of automobile dealers who have ganged up to fraud consumers seeking after-sale services of vehicles sold …
- A New Species of Battery-Driven BMW – NY Times: The BMW i3’s quirky, design-forward shape, stubby proportions and save-the-world powertrain put it a world apart from any previous BMW.
- The Ultimate Shrine — The Mercedes Benz Museum – Via Google News: It illustrates a particular era- starting with the invention of the petrol-driven automobile and ending with the record breaking cars. Alongside are the …
- Caterham carmaker enters administration – FT: Cash-strapped racing franchise under threat amid mystery over identity of owners
- US: GM amends and extends revolving credit facility – Just-auto: General Motors has announced an unsecured US$12.5bn revolving credit facility consisting of a $5bn three-year facility and a $7.5bn five-year facility amending and extending GM’s existing $11bn credit facility.
- Tesla May Lose Another One – Wards: Michigan governor likely to sign bill banning direct auto sales Retail Front
- Acura Prepping “Substantially New” ILX for 2016 – thedetroitbureau.com: Hoping to salvage its sluggish-selling entry-level model, the ILX, Acura is promising to reveal a “substantially new” version of the compact sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show next month
- On Leadership: Former GM exec Bob Lutz: ‘Everbody is way too nice to everybody’ – Washington Post: General Motors CEO Mary Barra unveiled the company’s new strategic plan earlier this month, as it attempts to move beyond the ignition switch recall that has consumed much of her tenure at the top. The company announced big financial goals as well as several initiatives to help achieve them, from deploying new technology in cars to making Cadillac a separate business unit based in New York. Read full article >>