Top News:
- Western European auto rebound slowed in May – LMC – Reuters: (Adds details, analyst comment). By Laurence Frost. PARIS, June 4 (Reuters) – Western European car registrations rose a modest 0.2 percent in May,…
- Honda Imports Brio-based Compact Sports Utility Vehicle 2SJ into India: Report – Ibtimes: It is no secret that Honda is readying a new compact Brio-based SUV. The latest buzz is that the company has imported three units of the compact SUV…
- GM sales slump deepens in China even after cutting prices – Automotive News: General Motors reported a second consecutive month of sales declines in China, its largest market, despite cutting prices on 40 models across its Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac brands.
- UK: Sales still rise in May – Just-auto: New car registrations in the UK rose 2.4% in May to 198,706 units, for a 39th consecutive month of growth.
- Sielaff replaces Donckerwolke as Bentley design boss – Autocar: Stefan Sielaff has been appointed the design boss of luxury brand Bentley, as it emerges that Luc Donckerwolke has left the VW Group
- Volkswagen Phaeton axed in the UK – Autocar: Slow-selling luxury saloon is officially dropped from the UK, but a replacement is already planned The Volkswagen Phaeton has been discontinued in the UK.
- SOUTH KOREA: Import sales rise 20% in May – Just-auto: Sales of imported vehicles in South Korea jumped by over 20% to 18,386 units in May, from 15,314 units a year earlier, according to data released by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.
- BRIEF-Guangzhou Auto’s vehicle sales up 22 pct in May – Reuters: June 4 Guangzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd. * Says sold 112,570 vehicles in May, up from 92,198 vehicles year ago. Source text in Chinese: bit.ly/…
- BRIEF-SAIC Motor’s vehicle sales down 4.5 pct in May – Reuters: June 4 SAIC Motor Corp Ltd. * Says sold 434,389 vehicles in May, down from 454,925 vehicles year ago. Source text in Chinese: bit.ly/1KOdUhN.
- New Honda Jazz Price and Variant Details Emerge; What We Know So Far – Ibtimes: New details about the new Jazz from the house of Honda have emerged online, just a couple of weeks ahead of the launch of the upcoming premium…
- Mazda recalls 75,000 cars in Japan after Takata expands U.S. recall – Reuters: Mazda Motor Corp on Thursday filed a recall for 75,000 cars in Japan to replace air bag inflators made by Takata Corp after the Japanese supplier was ordered to expand a multi-million-vehicle recall in the United States.
- Lemov: Auto safety recalls are a flawed remedy – Detroitnews: Originally, the law provided only for notification of a defect to the car owner. There was no requirement for the manufacturer to actually repair the defect…
- That $12 Million McLaren in Sotheby’s Window Heads to Auction – Bloomberg: The multi-million-dollar orange eye candy in the window at Sotheby’s in New York is as shiny as a Jeff Koons sculpture. A 1998 McLaren F1 sports car…
- New Yamaha ups adventure on asphalt – Detroit News: FJ-09 boasts power and long-haul comfort to compete in popular ‘sport touring’ segment
- Report: Honda to gain market share, Big 3 to stay level – Detroit News: It forecasts ‘extreme acceleration’ in number of new vehicles over next 4 years
- Ford Motor – Fortune: For Ford, 2014 could be seen as a sort of “rebuilding year”-sales were down while most of their competitors saw sales go up, but a lot of that was…
- Oil prices dip as crude glut overshadows strong fuel demand – Reuters: In China, almost 2 million new gasoline-thirsty cars are sold every month despite its economic slowdown. Asian refiners are also consuming a lot of…
Other news, rumors, and gossip:
- Michigan debates added fees for alternative fuel cars – Ecomento: Detroit, once the heart of American car manufacturing, is a ghost town … Hybrid, plug-in, and electric cars use less gasoline, which some argue means…
- Electric car sales on course for record year – Businessgreen: Sales of low-emission cars are continuing their rapid acceleration, with industry figures showing four times as many vehicles were registered in the first…
- Tesla Motors Inc Battery Products Uneconomical For US Households: Bernstein – Bidnessetc: When Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) decided to foray into battery industry in April, several Wall Street analysts applauded its battery products.
- General Motors Sells 252,567 Vehicles in China in May – Gm: SHANGHAI – General Motors and its joint ventures sold 252,567 vehicles last month in China, which was down 4.0 percent year over year, primarily due to model changeovers for several models and the phasing out of older ones. GM’s May retail sales reflected improved mix of SUVs and MPVs, which combined were up 21.8 percent, and a 10.9 percent increase in sales of Cadillac luxury models.
- Volkswagen opens order books for updated Sharan – Newcarnet: … opens order books for updated Sharan. Volkswagen has begun taking orders for the new Sharan MPV, ahead of first UK deliveries in October.
- Honda drivers hopeful of challenging Citroen at Moscow – Motorsport: Honda drivers Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro believe the characteristics of the Moscow Raceway will help them to challenge Citroen in this…
- Globe writer giving away beloved car for free, but it has to go to a good home – Globe and Mail: I’m one of those car people who develop affection for their automobiles. … That means a car lover who is a) good at fixing up cars b) related to…
- Renault Kadjar crossover pricing from PS17995 – Fleetnews: Renault’s new C-segment crossover, the Kadjar, will be priced from PS17,995 when it reaches UK showrooms in September this year. The Kadjar is…
- Volkswagen to boost electric vehicle output in China – Greenvehicles: German automaker Volkswagen has inked an agreement with Chinese joint venture partner SAIC Motor for expanding its main Shanghai Volkswagen…
- Renault Nissan alliance doesn’t need more partners, says CEO Ghosn – Inautonews: Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive officer of both France’s Renault and Japan’s Nissan, says the alliance’s strategy to lower expenses through growing…
- Nissan appoints Daniele Schillaci to lead global marketing and sales – Finchannel: Nissan Motor Co. on June 3 announced that Daniele Schillaci, most recently a top sales and marketing executive at Toyota Motor…
- Volkswagen signs cooperation agreement w … – Finchannel: On June 3, Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft and President and…
- Volkswagen Vento Facelift’s Bookings Open; Launch By Month End – Ndtv: The next new product from Volkswagen India will be the 2015 Vento facelift for which the company dealers have already started taking pre-orders.
- Toyota registers S-FR nameplate – new Supra’s title? – Paultan: Toyota has fuelled the rumour mill surrounding its supposed Supra successor by trademarking the S-FR nameplate, as AutoGuide understands.
- Elon Musk’s transformational ideas are worthy of government assistance – Buffalonews: … Tesla Motors and SpaceX (actually Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) … The federal government has capped that benefit, and Tesla is about 25…
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk Fires Back At Unfair LA Times Piece: Video – Motrolix: A recent article from the LA Times’ Jerry Hirsch has ruffled the feathers of Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk – as well as our own, if we’re honest – as it…
- Why Is Hyundai Motor Dirt Cheap? No, It’s Not Just The Cars – Barrons: Honda Motor (HMC) trades at 1.2 times book, Toyota Motor (TM) is valued at 1.6 times, General Motors (GM) at 1.6 times and Ford Motor (F) at 2.5…
- Volkswagen signs cooperation agreement in e-mobility research with Chinese partner SAIC – Therakyatpost: VOLKSWAGEN Group China signed a key agreement with Chinese joint venture partner, SAIC Motor Corporation Limited on the automobile future at…
- VW to step up electric car output in China – Ejinsight: Volkswagen has signed a cooperation agreement with SAIC Motor Corp. (600104.CN) to boost production, research and development of electric cars…