Note: Due to my absence in China. today a bit later than usual. Please accept my apologies.
Top News:
- US: GM pays 306 claims from ‘ignition switch’ compensation fund – Just-auto: Latest on GM’s long-running ‘ignition switch’ recall/compensation saga: according to US media reports, bankruptcy judge Robert Gerber has put on hold dozens of lawsuits accusing the automaker of concealing the ignition switch defect while plaintiffs in those cases appeal his earlier ruling that found their cases barred.
- Automotive Industry Innovation Declines in 2014 – Detroit Bureau: Despite all the talk of driverless and connected cars, a new study suggests that the pace of innovation in the automobile industry has actually slowed in the past year. The industry’s patent growth fell to just 3% last year. Get the story at TheDetroitBureau.com.
- KOREA/US: More carmakers add Google and Apple systems – Just-auto: Carmakers are moving quickly to follow Hyundai’s lead in offer Google’s Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay systems.
- Fiat Chrysler merger email to GM not the only one it sent to rivals – chairman – Reuters: Marchionne said on Thursday only that he writes “lots of emails”, but Fiat … Elkann said his company had “very good prospects” given Fiat’s merger…
- US: Hyundai confident of 2015 sales target – report – Just-auto: Hyundai is confident it will reach the 760,000 unit target set for 2015 US sales set back in January.
- Volkswagen CEO hints at major restructuring – Fortune: You may have already read that Volkswagen AG plans to proceed with the manufacture of a new Lamborghini Urus SUV by 2018. For fans of exotic…
- Jaguar Land Rover Changes Gears to Help China Dealers – WSJ: SHANGHAI-Faced with falling sales in its largest market, British luxury car brand Jaguar Land Rover said Friday it has revised some commercial…
- Video: Nissan claims the new 2016 Maxima is faster around a track than a BMW 3-Series – Egmcartech: Nissan always parades their Maxima around as a “true four-door sports car,” only for it to come up short in subtle ways that all add up to chucking…
- Fiat Chrysler chairman confirms CEO sent merger email to GM – Reuters: The chairman of Fiat Chrysler confirmed that CEO Sergio Marchionne had sent an email to General Motors about a possible tie-up, adding discussions had taken place with other players as well.
- Lower commodities prices boost SUV push – FT: Falling cost of crude stimulates driving and overall consumption
- Supercar makers swap speed for size – FT: Lamborghini to join the swelling ranks of luxury automakers making bulky four-by-fours
- Takata’s U.S. deal will lead to faster airbag fixes, Foxx says – Automotive News: The legal order signed by troubled supplier Takata with federal regulators last week will speed the investigation to determine the reason airbags are exploding and injuring motorists, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said
- SWEDEN: Tianjin to inject US$200m into new NEVS factory – Just-auto: National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) says new ‘part-owner’ Tianjin Binhai Hi-tech Industrial Development Area (THT) will plough US$200m into the Swedish automaker as it looks to build a new factory in China within two years for its EV breakthrough.
- BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro to have a shared electric fleet – Just-auto: Inspired by an existing service in Paris – Autolibe runs a fleet of 3,000 electric cars with 75,000 registered users – Rio de Janeiro will be the first Brazilian city with an electric car sharing scheme.
- Oyak-Renault workers restart “heads held high”-CGT – Just-auto: Renault’s powerful CGT (Confederation Generale du Travail) union says it members have resumed work at the French manufacturer’s Turkish…
Other news, rumors, and gossip:
- Tesla Not Disruptive, Future Is Tiny Electric ‘Golf Carts’: Harvard Scholar – Greencarreports: It’s an article–actually a handful of articles–covering research by a scholar of “disruption” who argues that Silicon Valley startup carmaker Tesla Motors…
- Pentel announces Fiat 500 Winner – Dealersupport: At the end of a highly successful campaign, Pentel has announced the winner of its promotion offering the chance to win a Fiat 500 car. Maria Arlene…
- Watch the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata balance on a beam – Autoweek: We knew the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata was balanced when we first drove the roadster in Spain. The company told us its weight distribution was 50/50.
- Why Didn’t Toyota get a charge out of the Plug In Prius? – Torquenews: In 2010 I was offered the chance to be a subject matter expert in a special program offered by Toyota to test and show their soon to be released 2012…
- Saab turbo engines to power Chinese Jeep Wrangler clone – Autoweek: As Korean automaker Ssangyong considers a Jeep Wrangler rival as a launching point for gaining a foothold in the U.S., Chinese automaker BAIC already has a Wrangler competitor in its lineup, and perhaps…
- “Toyota has put one over the VW Group when it comes to earning a shilling” – Autoexpress: But Toyota takes the biscuit (or should that be the rice cracker?) with an annual figure of $19.1bn, making it the world’s most profitable car company by…
- JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) Aims To Cut Over 5000 Jobs as General Motors Company … – Streetwisereport: Manhattan bankruptcy judge has place court cases against General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) [Trend Analysis] on hold. Judge Robert E. Gerber of…
- One of the Cheapest Cars in the World: The $5000 Renault Kwid – Cheatsheet: For the past few years, the Nissan-Renault Alliance has been trying to outmaneuver the Nano, but so far has run into many of the same issues.
- Why Fiat Chrysler CEO predicts another merger despite no deal with GM – Globe and Mail: Fiat Chrysler’s chief executive is convinced there will be another merger deal in the car making industry within the next three years, he said on…
- Toyota car brand still most valuable in the world – Derbytelegraph: Toyota’s brand was valued at PS18.8 billion, placing it in 30th position overall – four places lower than last year – but still ahead of rivals BMW,…
- General Motors Shares Are Pricing In Another Financial Crisis (GM) – Seekingalpha: Automaker General Motors (NYSE:GM) has certainly been an interesting stock to watch since it emerged from bankruptcy. The company has…
- Would You Plow $7500, Into This 1977 Toyota FJ-40? – Jalopnik: He has something new to plow now, and so you’ll need to decide if his price for this Toyota truck plows your field. Everybody knows that when it comes…
- Nissan racer gets retro livery – Home: Blundell hit speeds of 227mph on his way to a ‘perfect’ lap, and such is the strength of the memory at Nissan in Japan that this year’s No. 21 Nissan…
- Audi taps Huawei for connected car – Enterpriseinnovation: Automobiles are set to become the next big devices after smartphones and wearables as communications between cars and urban infrastructure is…
- Can German Car Makers Retain Profitability As China Slows? – Forbes: German car makers have made huge profits from China, but as the market there slows down, investors are worrying that the good times may be over, and Volkswagen looks particularly exposed.
- Ford allows automakers to access its electric vehicle patents for a fee – Cartrade: American carmaker Ford has been known across global automobile market for its technological potential. This time around Ford has offered other…
- Take a look at the Turner Motorsport BMW i8 – Ecomento: The BMW i8 is already a looker, but when paired with this series of visual and body upgrades from Turner Motorsport, it’s truly one-of-a-kind. The mod…
- Diversity is the way forward, says Nissan chief – Thehindubusinessline: Guillaume Sicard is amazed at India’s diversity which logically translates into enormous business prospects for his company. As President of Nissan…
- Tesla Motors Inc Working Self-Driving Model S Revealed [Video] – Learnbonds: Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) will get some self-driving features onto the road this Summer, but the firm won’t be able to get your Model S to drive…
- All-New Mitsubishi Pajero Arrives In Europe This Summer, But Which One Is It? – Carscoops: The new SUV will debut Mitsubishi’s Smartphone Link Display Audio (SDA) system, compatible with both Google Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
- BMW M5 collection goes to auction – Pistonheads: As you are probably aware by now, 2015 marks 30 years since the BMW M5 was first seen and introduced to the world the idea of the supersaloon.
- Apple Thinks The Car Is The Ultimate Mobile Device – Autoevolution: Promises about a so-called iCar from Apple showed up in 2013, but so far the only car-related product offered by the smartphone brand is Car Play,…
- Nissan rolls out its 10 millionth vehicle in Mexico – Autocarpro: Nissan started assembling vehicles in Mexico in 1966 when it began producing the Datsun Bluebird in CIVAC Plant, Morelos. This manufacturing…