- SOUTH KOREA: Hyundai Motor raises 2014 sales target – Just-auto: Hyundai and Kia have raised their 2014 global sales target to at least 8m vehicles, up from 7.86m, as they expect high volumes in China sales to offset slowing growth elsewhere, particularly in the US and Europe.
- Tesla says in talks with BMW over car batteries, parts – Reuters: U.S. electric carmaker Tesla Motors is in talks with Germany’s BMW over a possible collaboration in batteries and lightweight components, Tesla’s Chief Executive Elon Musk told German weekly Der Spiegel.
- Hyundai-Kia says it will sell record 8 million vehicles globally in 2014 – Automotive News: Hyundai and Kia said better-than-expected sales in Brazil, China and India will help them sell a record 8 million vehicles this year, even as a stronger won erodes profitability.
- Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Next Chip in CO2 Credit Game – Wards: In 2017, California’s emissions rules will change and FCVs will carry the traveling credits automakers use to remain 50-state compliant. The rule change could lead to a shift in OEM capital investment.
- US Data Privacy Guidelines Not Compatible With Euro Privacy Laws – Via Google News: … says the standards developed by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers to both handle said data and …
- UPDATE 1-Tesla says in talks with BMW over car batteries, parts – Reuters: U.S. electric carmaker Tesla Motors is in talks with Germany’s BMW over a possible collaboration in batteries and lightweight components, Tesla’s Chief Executive Elon Musk told German weekly Der Spiegel.
- Car That Flies Nears Liftoff as Pioneer Touts Soaring Over Roads – Via Google News: Critics say flying cars are unlikely to be both great airplanes and great automobiles. But that misses the point, says Dietrich, who explains the …
- BMW, Mercedes gain in once-impregnable Korea – Automotive News: South Korea’s car imports have leapt from 3 percent of sales a decade ago to 14 percent today as foreign brands led by Germany’s BMW and Mercedes take advantage of a free trade deal to grow sales in a once impregnable market.
- ’18 Wrangler to get 8-speed automatic, FCA filing shows – Automotive News: The long-awaited Jeep Wrangler redesign planned for 2018 will come with an eight-speed automatic transmission that promises to dramatically improve the off-roader’s fuel economy.
- Airbag inflator shortage plagues industry – Automotive News: Honda and other automakers that have recalled vehicles equipped with Takata airbags are trapped in a nasty dilemma.
- Ghosn: Nissan will fill gaps with Japanese imports – Automotive News: As Nissan Motor Corp. pushes to boost U.S. market share and cut reliance on Japanese imports, it’s clear which goal takes priority: selling more vehicles. Even if it takes more imports to do it.
- Audi tests car sharing for the wealthy – Automotive News: Audi is dipping its toe into car sharing, but with a premium twist. Audi has quietly begun two pilot luxury car sharing programs in Europe – one in Stockholm and another in Berlin.
- GM’s savvy new face to suppliers – Automotive News: Addressing an industry conference in Traverse City, Mich., this summer, General Motors’ global powertrain boss Steve Kiefer asked a room packed with about 500 people how many owned a GM vehicle.
- As Ford spends big, GM joins aluminum with simple welds – Automotive News: General Motors is adding more lightweight aluminum to its vehicles. But unlike Ford Motor Co., GM is not spending hundreds of millions of dollars to retool its assembly plants for the metal.
- Toyota’s fuel cell goal: Big cost cutting – Automotive News: Toyota Motor Corp.’s top fuel cell engineer predicts the automaker will slash the cost of the next hydrogen-fueled powertrain to between one-third and one-fourth the cost of the current system.
- Fuel cell cars steal spotlight – Automotive News: Automakers are beginning to nudge the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle out of the illusion factory that is Southern California and into the broader conversation about the future of clean transportation.
- M-B exec: S class ‘is now our flagship platform’ – Automotive News: Mercedes-Benz thinks there’s a new, hot niche in the global auto industry: $100,000-plus cars.
- Ford F-150 rivals: Let’s rumble – Automotive News: Ford Motor Co. began shipping finished 2015 F-150 pickups to dealers last week as it announced the new aluminum-body truck will get up to 29 percent better fuel economy than the outgoing steel-body F-150.
- JLR speaks up for voice recognition with startup’s tech – Automotive News: Voice-recognition systems have fallen far short of their promise. Android Auto and CarPlay both use voice recognition, but CloudCar wants to go even further with JustDrive.
- The 2016 Toyota Mirai Could Mean The End of Oil Changes Forever – Via Google News: If Toyota has its way, its new hydrogen-powered Mirai could revolutionize the automobile industry and save the environment. … The car takes just three to five minutes to refuel and was designed to have a premium driving feel, …
- Carmakers’ U-turn on safety norms stumps govt – Via Google News: Rejecting the claim of automobile companies, former vice-president of … Why can’t they market how safe their cars are rather than offering cash …
- Hatzimihail invests $35 million into Aussie supercar – Via Google News: “Matthew raised a million bucks to make his first race car and then he tried to raise … “We can’t let the last automobile manufacturer in Australia leave.
- Q&A: Oil eventually will lose its place as leading auto fuel – Via Google News: Henrik Madsen, the CEO of Norway’s international shipping and oil field equipment classifier DNV GL, says the commercial automobile market is the …
- GM struggles with Latin American slowdown – FT: One of the world’s fastest growing car markets is cutting costs and reducing overcapacity
- Lexus celebrates 25 years of relentless innovation – Toyota: Lexus is 25 this year, and we’ve developed a reputation for innovation in that time. We take a look at 25 Lexus world firsts.
- BMW and Lexus Heat Up the Compact-Crossover Market – WSJ: The growth in the compact-crossover sector is explosive. These cars offer the raised seating position and higher sightlines consumers love with the stability and versatility of a car-based wagon. Now, BMW and Lexus are entering the market in a big way.
- Ford looks to Vignale brand to boost European sales – Autocar: Bosses look to new super-luxury sub-brand as sales slump in Europe, with the hope that Vignale could become a brand of its own. Ford of Europe CEO Barb Samardzich has high hopes for the company’s new Vignale luxury brand and would “love that it takes off so much that it becomes a separate brand”. The Vignale sub-brand, which Ford says builds on the success of the highly specified Titanium X trim level, arrives with the all-new Mondeo early next year.As well as getting a separate area in Ford dealerships,…
- Lexus SC to take on Porsche 911 Turbo in 2016 – Autocar: New sports coupé based on the LF-LC concept is set to replace the LFA as Lexus’s halo supercar. Lexus is poised to join the growing ranks of car makers looking to challenge the £120,000 Porsche 911 Turbo when it launches a production version of the Lexus LF-LC Hybrid Sports Coupé concept before the end of 2016.The 2+2 sports coupé is likely to revive the SC badge, although it is expected to be a far more focused sports car than the model that previously used the name until production ended in 2010. The…
- Forecast: SAAR Could Reach 17 Million for Second Time in Four Months – Wards: Sales Forecast The latest WardsAuto forecast calls for U.S. automakers to sell 1.29 million light vehicles this month, equating to a 17 million-unit SAAR.
- Why White Van Man is about to kick up a stink – Autocar: A European legal judgment could force the UK to sweep older diesel-fuelled vehicles off the streets. Yesterday was a bad day for the iconic White Van Man. A wealthy member of the Labour party’s shadow cabinet tweeted a picture which appeared to mock a house festooned in England flags and which had a large Transit van on the drive. Although the shadow minister resigned within hours of the errant tweet, it did much to reinforce the idea that Middle England’s White Van stereotype was one that could be openly…
- GERMANY: Volkswagen Group to invest EUR86bn in next five years – Just-auto: Volkswagen Group says it will invest a total of EUR85.6bn (US$106.3bn) in new models, technologies and its global presence in its Automotive Division during the next five years.
- VW to Invest $107.3 Billion – WSJ: Volkswagen said it would boost capital investment to $107.3 billion over the next five years, raising concern that fixed costs are spinning out of control.
- UK under pressure from European air quality ruling – Autocar: European Court of Justice compels UK courts to ‘force’ government to meet pollution regulations. The British Government is under renewed pressure to meet European air quality regulations – particularly those covering nitrogen oxides (NoX) – after a ruling earlier this week by the European Court of Justice. The judgment could lead to Britain’s biggest conurbations having to introduce super-stringent low emissions zones, which could result in older diesel vehicles banned from city and town centres…
- LA DEBUTS: Mullen defibrillates the Miles Coda EV – Just-auto: Mullen Technologies, the firm which bought the assets of the bankrupt Miles EV, has announced plans to reintroduce the Coda electric sedan. Its new name will be Mullen 700e.
- LA motor show proves our hydrogen future is coming up fast – Autocar: Volkswagen, Audi and Toyota all showed off their near production-ready hydrogen-powered cars in LA, and now all that’s needed is the infrastructure to support themIt was interesting to see how much of a splash hydrogen made at this week’s Los Angeles Motor Show. This really seemed like the event where the technology entered the mainstream, with Audi and VW both announcing projects and Toyota revealing the production version and name of its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the Mirai.I drove a test mule…
