- CHINA: Sales rise 6.9% to 23.5m units in 2014 – Just-auto: China’s new vehicle market finished last year on a high, with sales rising by over 12.9% to 2.41m units in December, according to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
- New Mini John Cooper Works unveiled – Autocar: Performance-orientated Mini gets 228bhp from its 2.0-litre turbocharged engine; reaches the UK in April The third-generation Mini John Cooper Works has been revealed at the Detroit motor show.Packing the most powerful engine ever brought to a series production Mini, it is set to go on sale in the UK on 25 April at a starting price close to the £22,460 of its predecessor.As tradition dictates, the new John Cooper Works is based around the three-door Cooper S and receives a series of styling upgrades to reflect its enhanced performance potential.Included is a unique front bumper with enlarged ai
- DETROIT SHOW: Raptor adds high performance to Ford F-150 range – Just-auto: Having pioneered the use of aluminium on its top selling F-150 at last year’s Detroit show, Ford has followed up this year by introducing a new 10-speed transmission on the high-performance version, the Raptor.
- Toyota welcomes Buffett to car business with Hollywood burgers – Automotive News: When billionaire investor Warren Buffett became the newest entrant in the auto-dealership business last year, Toyota rolled out the red carpet.
- NETHERLANDS: FCA to collaborate with other automakers on development – CEO – Just-auto: In order to cut greenhouse gases, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) is in talks with other car manufacturers to share the costs of developing new vehicles and technology, CEO Sergio Marchionne said.
- NETHERLANDS: Mitsubishi boosts European sales 28% in 2014 – Just-auto: Mitsubishi Motors boosted sales 28% in a 34-country European region to 136,928 units in 2014.
- ITALY: FCA to employ over 1,000 more at Melfi plant – Just-auto: Good sales of the new Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X will enable the addition of more than 1,000 new workers over the next three months at FCA’s Melfi plant where more than EUR1bn (US$1.18bn) has been spent to build the new models.
- “Ruinous” Practices Threaten Automakers, Warns FCA’s Marchionne – thedetroitbureau.com: The U.S. auto market may be heading into a very good year, but there’s still reason to worry, cautioned FCA Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne, during a well-attended media “roundtable” at the Detroit Auto Show. TheDetroitBureau.com has more on the outspoken exec’s comments on subjects ranging from recalls to fuel prices.
- GERMANY: Ford sees European market under last peak at end of decade – Just-auto: Ford forecasts that ‘modest’ economic growth in Europe will leave the European light vehicle market still under its last peak (in 2007) at the end of the decade.
- Prices to rise for Russia’s Lada on rouble weakness – Reuters: The price of Russia’s most popular car, the Lada, will increase by 9 percent from Thursday. because of the plunging rouble, the country’s largest carmaker. Avtovaz said.
- 7 vehicles that wowed Detroit auto show – Via Google News: China’s Guangzhou Automobile Group does not sell cars in the US, but it has big ambitions. It unveiled a brand-new compact SUV, the GS4, and put…
- DETROIT SHOW: Bentley names its upcoming SUV – Just-auto: Bentley’s long-awaited luxury SUV will be called the Bentayga and will go on sale in 2016 after the wraps finally come off the production model later this year.
- DETROIT SHOW: Ford takes the wraps off GT showstopper – Just-auto: Ford certainly captured media attention on the first press day of the Detroit show with the unveil of a new GT, an ultra-high-performance supercar that serves as a technology showcase for top EcoBoost performance, aerodynamics and lightweight carbon fibre construction.
- Toyota releases fuel cell patents, but will this spur market? – Via Google News: A Toyota FCV car with a fuel cell on display at an international consumer electronics expo in Las … Toyota surprised the automobile industry on Jan.
- Iran’s Rouhani says countries behind oil price drop will suffer – Reuters: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that countries behind the fall in global oil prices would regret their decision and warned that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait would suffer alongside Iran from the price drop.
- Female models to be banned from China automobile shows – Via Google News: A car model poses with a car in an automobile exhibition in Urumqi, … from automobile shows in China to bring the focus back to the cars themselves,…
- 2016 NISSAN TITAN XD CREATES “NEW CLASS” OF FULL-SIZE PICKUP WITH COMMERCIAL STRENGTH COMPONENTS, 555 LB-FT CUMMINS 5.0L V8 TURBO DIESEL AND HEAVY-DUTY ATTITUDE – Nissan:
- Volvo to export Chengdu sedan made in China to the US – Via Google News: The Volvo Car Corp. announced at the Detroit auto show Monday that it … It sells about 26,000 cars there, so Volvo can add production for the US market … Automobile Workers in the United States and its counterparts in Germany in…
- Toyota Maintains Post Atop Midsize Mountain with Tacoma – thedetroitbureau.com: After GM put the leader in the midsize truck segment on notice that there would be some competition, Toyota reasserted its post atop the heap with the all-new 2016 Tacoma in Detroit today. For more details about the new Tacoma, go to TheDetroitBureau.com.
- Lincoln Looks to Build Momentum with Redesigned MKX – thedetroitbureau.com: Looking to carve out a niche in the crowded crossover market, Lincoln has unveiled an all-new version of its midsize MKX at the North American International Auto Show, adding new engine choices, improved technologies and its new Black Label personalization program.
- World’s Best-Selling Small Car: Maruti Suzuki Alto – Via Google News: Maruti Suzuki has been the pioneer of India’s automobile industry, and the … The Alto hatchback beat cars like the Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Aqua,…
- Nissan developing 200-mile electric vehicle – Freep: The company plans to compete with GM and Tesla Motors for high-range electric vehicles.
- Kia’s mutant revolution conquers YouTube – Automotive News: Kia embraces the X gene in its latest spot to top our weekly viral video rankings.
- Ram Rebel takes dramatic styling turn with beefier off-road appearance – Automotive News: The hot-selling Ram pickup lineup will expand to ten trim versions later this year with the addition of the 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel, featuring dramatically different exterior styling, bigger tires and off-road ready equipment.
- Lincoln MKX grabs page from MKC – Automotive News: The redesigned Lincoln MKX takes much of the same formula that led to a successful first year for the MKC crossover and applies it to a larger package, at a time when utility vehicles are booming.
- American Space Agency NASA And Automobile Major Nissan Join Hands To Develop Self Driving … – Via Google News: Self-driving cars in Mars will soon be a reality as American space agency NASA and automobile major Nissan have joined hands to develop…
- China Car Dealers Revolt as Growth Slows – Yahoo:
- Mazda Starts Production at New Transmission Plant in Thailand – Mazda:
- Nissan and NASA Partner to Jointly Develop and Deploy Autonomous Drive Vehicles by End of Year – Nissan:
- “Queen of K-Pop” Builds Korean SUV Buzz With Bikini Tweet – Yahoo:
- Automakers Keep Rolling Out Electric Vehicles – NY Times: Despite slow demand for hybrid and all-electric cars, tightening rules on fuel efficiency have led to the introduction of many new models at the Detroit auto show.
- Georgia Offered Mercedes $23 Million in Incentives to Move to Atlanta – WSJ: Georgia offered Daimler AG about $23 million in tax credits and other incentives to move Mercedes-Benz USA’s headquarters to suburban Atlanta from New Jersey.
- Surprise debuts, big reveals take the spotlight at Detroit auto show – Via Google News: The automaker says the car is designed to travel up to 200 miles on a … ?In the last 60 years of the automobile we’ve come as far as we did in the first…
- Daimler still bullish about China amid BMW woes – Reuters: Daimler Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche said on Monday he saw no signs of a significant slump in sales for Mercedes-Benz luxury cars in China, even as rival BMW struck a more cautious tone.
- Detroit Auto Show Revs Luxury SUVs, And Tesla Tuesday – Yahoo:
- GM open to working with Google on self-driving car technology – Reuters: General Motors Co is open to working with Google Inc on developing self-driving car technology, the chief technology officer for the U.S. automaker said on Monday.