- GM Ignition Switch Death Number Rises to 24 – thedetroitbureau.com: The number of deaths associated with General Motors’ faulty ignition switch rose to 24 after another claim was approved last week. Initially, GM believed the switch was responsible for 13 deaths, but as claims have been filed with Kenneth Feinberg, the administrator of GM’s fund, the number has nearly doubled.
- European Car Market Still a Mess, Warns Marchionne – thedetroitbureau.com: Fiat-Chrysler Chief Sergio Marchionne remains unconvinced that a recovery in Europe is coming in the near future. He pointed to Ford’s European results as evidence it’s not going to happen soon. He’s also concerned about the possibility of tougher emissions standards in Europe and other industry pressures.
- GERMANY: Sales records tumble at Mercedes – Just-auto: Mercedes-Benz posted its strongest-ever sales month in September delivering 162,746 vehicles, an increase of nearly 14% over the same month a year ago.
- CHINA: Audi sets January-September sales record – Just-auto: Audi set a new record in China (including Hong Kong and Macau) in the first nine months of 2014.
- INDIA: GM sales plunge in September – Just-auto: General Motors India sales plunged to 4,413 vehicles in September compared with 7,048 a year earlier.
- US: GM recalls 10,005 Cadillacs for fuel pump check – Just-auto: General Motors is recalling 10,005 2004-2007 Cadillac CTS-V vehicles manufactured from 6 October 2003 to 15 March 2007 and 2006-2007 STS-V models made from 23 June 2005 to 15 March 2007.
- GERMANY: Opel/Vauxhall expands Corsa/Adam steering check – Just-auto: General Motors Europe has added another 1,000 cars to its ‘safety check’ programme for Opel/Vauxhall Corsa and Adam models, following on-site investigations at a supplier.
- Mercedes Has Strongest Month in Its History – WSJ: Daimler said sales of its Mercedes-Benz brand jumped in September in the strongest sales month in the company’s history, boosted by demand in China.
- Fiat says merger with Chrysler effective Oct. 12 – Automotive News: Fiat says its merger with Chrysler will be effective Sunday after all conditions for the tie-up are met. Shares in the new Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will start trading in New York the following day.
- Plunging Ruble Pummels Foreign Company Earnings in Russia – Via Google News: Companies like Peugeot, which owns 70 percent of a car-assembly joint venture based near Moscow, have spent heavily on Russian manufacturing …
- Mercedes-Benz ranks 1st in S. Korea among most-selling foreign car category – Via Google News: German carmaker Mercedes-Benz became the most-selling foreign car brand in South Korea for the first time in 33 months …
- Volvo reveals radical 444bhp four-cylinder engine – Autocar: Volvo unveils a prototype of its new Drive-E petrol engine, which develops 222bhp per litre. Volvo has unveiled the most powerful version yet of its new 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, Drive-E engine line-up. The new petrol unit is described as being ‘triple charged’ and develops 444bhp – a huge 222bhp per litre. Volvo’s current range-topping production petrol Drive-E engine, the T5, develops 245bhp. However, there’s no news yet as to a likely launch date for the new motor.
- Dacia is now more popular than Jaguar! UK sales of budget brand already outstrip number … – Via Google News: Dacia has firmly established itself as one of the fastest growing car makes in Britain, selling 18,583 so far in 2014 ? more than the entire number it …
- AvtoVAZ CEO Andersson sees ‘massive’ room for improvement at Lada – Automotive News: Bo Andersson, who became CEO of Russian automaker AvtoVAZ in January, has been working to turn the Lada maker into a profitable part of the Renault-Nissan alliance.
- Voice controls, electronic assistants can overwhelm drivers, AAA research finds – Automotive News: Systems such as Apple’s Siri electronic assistant, which automakers started installing in vehicles in 2013, may be as mentally taxing as the buttons and knobs they replace, research released today by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety suggests.
- Sproule Leaving Tesla for CMO Spot at Aston Martin – thedetroitbureau.com: Just six months after bolting Nissan for Tesla Motors, Simon Sproule is taking the top communications and marketing spot at Aston Martin where he will be reunited Andy Palmer with whom he worked at Nissan. Sproule tackled some high profile tasks during his short tenure at the California-based EV maker.
- Panasonic says initial investment in Tesla battery factory will be ‘tens of billions’ of yen – Reuters: Panasonic Corp’s initial investment in Tesla Motors Inc’s battery factory will amount to “tens of billions” of yen, the Japanese company’s chief executive said on Tuesday.
- Argentina ‘told Chilean officials to close route to stop Top Gear crew escaping ‘ – Via Google News: The controversial number plate is not likely to be a private one and was attached to the car when the BBC received it for filming, a spokesman for the …
- Automobiles and Telecommunications: The Road Ahead – Via Google News: The idea is that self-driving cars work fine on highways, but require a great deal … You barely notice as the car slows down or speeds up to avoid other …
- Number-Plate Update Boosts U.K. Car-Sales Numbers – Wards: September is a key month for the industry with the biannual number-plate update. September and March, the months of the plate change, together account for one-third of a year’s sales.
- Government Investigates 938,000 Ford Sedans for Steering Problem – NY Times: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received more than 500 complaints about recent Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ and Mercury Milan sedans.
- Tesla VP Communications to Leave for Aston Martin – WSJ: Tesla Motors Inc.’s vice president of communications, Simon Sproule, plans to leave the company and join Aston Martin, a person familiar with the matter said.
- FRANCE: Valeo stresses collaboration need for autonomous driving – Just-auto: Increasing focus on autonomous driving potential will require a combination of several partners to solve technological and human behavioural issues, says French supplier, Valeo.
- UK: Lotus sees first half sales rise – Just-auto: Lotus says it is seeing a rise to car sales, with sales for the half year to the end of September up 49% on last year to 1,114 units.
- Chrysler recalls 21,470 Ram ProMaster vans to fix head restraints – Automotive News: Chrysler Group is recalling an estimated 21,470 commercial full-sized vans in the United States and Canada to replace their head restraints.
- US: GM recalls 47,000 cars for ignition key fix plus others – Just-auto: General Motors is conducting another ignition switch-related recall but this time on much later model vehicles. Repairs will be made to the key fob, not the switch.