- UK: Exhausted salvers use rope teams to move around Hoegh Osaka – Just-auto: Exhausted salvers are to take advantage of “terrible” weather forecast to smash into Southern England tonight (14 January) to rest as it is revealed they have had to use expert roping teams to move around the stricken Hoegh Osaka carliner..
- CHINA: Aston Martin appoints ex-Porsche man to head China ops – Just-auto: Aston Martin has announced that Michael Mingshan Peng is its new China market chief.
- SOUTH KOREA: Hyundai Motor chairman fails to sell stake in Glovis – Just-auto: Hyundai Motor chairman, Chung Mong-koo, and his vice-chairman son Chung Eui-sun, this week failed to sell over 5m shares worth some US$1.25bn in affiliated logistics company Hyundai Glovis to Seoul-based financial institutions.
- Technology Would Give Car Shoppers Partial Access to Dealer-Only Auctions – Wards: Alteso’s proposal calls for consumers to see wholesale inventory. But restrictions would apply.
- FRANCE: PSA Peugeot Citroën posts global sales up 4.3% in 2014 – Just-auto: PSA Peugeot Citroën has posted unit sales up 4.3% to 2,939m vehicles in 2014 with sales in China – its largest market – up a whopping 31.9% to 734,000 units.
- America’s Most Hated Companies – Yahoo:
- Banish General Motors-like Bureaucracy. Embrace Hierarchy. – Yahoo:
- DETROIT SHOW: Hyundai launches sport truck concept, first PHEV – Just-auto: Hyundai launched its Santa Cruz crossover truck concept and production Sonata Plug-in Hybrid, the company’s first PHEV at the 2015 Detroit show.
- UK: Falling oil price could herald return of “gas guzzlers” – Glass’s – Just-auto: Bigger, less fuel-efficient engine cars could make a return in both the new and used markets thanks to falling fuel prices, predicts valuation guide Glass’s.
- Best of the Detroit motor show 2015 – our star cars – Autocar: Of all the concepts, facelifts and production models on display in Detroit, there were a few that stood out. Here’s our pick of the best of the show.
- Tata Motors may launch ‘Bolt’ hatchback priced between Rs 4.25L-6.5L; to take on Maruti Swift – Via Google News: … largest automobile company by revenues, will launch a new hatchback, named Bolt, next week in Mumbai, a top executive said. The car is expected…
- Car sharing struggles to challenge private owners in Germany – Via Google News: Despite a growing number of users, car sharing is not expected to displace private automobiles any time soon, causing the German government to…
- Tesla Won’t Deliver a Profit Until 2020, CEO Musk Warns – thedetroitbureau.com: Don’t expect to see a profit from Tesla Motors – at least not using generally accepted accounting rules – until at least 2020, CEO Elon Musk says. But by then, Tesla expects to boost sales by a whopping 3,000%. And it hopes to be selling “a couple million” battery cars by 2025.
- Honda reveals fuel-cell powered car – Freep: Honda showed its next-generation hydrogen fuel-cell car for the first time.
- Lexus GS F injects excitement under hood and in design – Freep: The GS F is the latest vehicle to join Lexus’ high-performance “F” line as a balanced sedan with dual personality
- N. China to establish new energy vehicle manufacturing base – Via Google News: The second phase, which also costs 1.5 billion yuan, includes the development of new car models, the founding of an automobile research institute…
- Marchionne sees industry consolidation as a given – Automotive News: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne said further mergers in the automotive industry are inevitable, and questioned the way safety regulators are exercising their powers.
- Chinese ‘Misperceptions’ on Car Charging Weigh on Tesla – Yahoo:
- Honda Executive: 2015 Will Be a Supercharged ‘Year of the Honda’ – Yahoo:
- Ford says internal quality ratings rise following tech fixes – Automotive News: Ford says its internal North American quality ratings improved last year for the first time since 2010, after working through issues with its touchscreen systems and bumpy new-model launches.
- Ford keeps IHS customer-loyalty title; Maserati takes conquest honors – Automotive News: Ford retained the crown in the 2014 model year for most-loyal customers, while Maserati won top honors for conquests, according to the IHS Automotive Loyalty Awards.
- Tesla to hike electric car output to ‘a few million’ by 2025 – Reuters: DETROIT (Reuters) – Tesla Motors Inc plans to boost production of electric cars to “at least a few million a year” by 2025 from fewer than 40,000 last year, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said Tuesday.
- Tesla Chief Asks Makers to Support Electric Cars – NY Times: Elon Musk said high fuel prices could no longer be expected to drive consumers toward alternative vehicles.
- Elon Musk’s Next Plan: Millions of Tesla Electric Cars and Factories On Three Continents – Yahoo:
- Something fishy: Chinese car boasts tank in back seat – Via Google News: Detroit: Combine a fish tank and a driverless car and what do you get? … studio engineer for the ambitious Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group,…
- Tesla’s Chinese sales hit a rough patch – CNN: Chinese customers thought installing a charger would be a problem, hitting sales.
- Ford F-150 pickup launch on schedule, trucks selling in five days – Reuters: DETROIT (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co product development chief Raj Nair said the launch of the new, aluminum-body F-150 pickup is on schedule, and the trucks are selling in an average of five days after hitting dealer showrooms.
- Buick Avenir, Ford GT Dominate Design Awards – thedetroitbureau.com: Domestic automakers dominated the annual Eyes on Design Awards capping two days of product previews at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
- Tesla No Bull In A China Shop; Stock Falls With Sales – Yahoo:
- Ford F-150 pickup launch on schedule, trucks selling in 5 days – Yahoo: [Reuters] – Ford Motor Co product development chief Raj Nair said the launch of the new, aluminum-body F-150 pickup is on schedule, and the trucks are selling in an average of five days after hitting dealer showrooms. …
- BMW looks at time as ultimate luxury – Automotive News: Time is one of the most sought-after luxuries, and the auto industry is using technology to give customers more of it, says Ian Robertson, BMW AG board member for sales and marketing.