Top News:
- German prosecutors widen diesel investigation to 17 VW staffers – Reuters: Prosecutors in Braunschweig, Germany, have widened their probe of Volkswagen’s diesel emissions cheating scandal and are now investigating 17 employees, up from six employees previously, prosecutor Klaus Ziehe said on Tuesday.
- What is a truly autonomous car? – Autocar: Manufacturers have different opinions on what true autonomy is and different expectations of when that technology will be available
- South Korea import sales fall further in February – Just-auto: Sales of imported vehicles in South Korea continued to decline in February, by 6.3% year-on-year to 15,671 units after a 3.5% drop to 16,234 units in January, according to data compiled by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.
- Gree Electric to buy local EV manufacturer – Just-auto: Chinese home appliance manufacturer Gree Electric Appliances plans to issue new shares to fund the acquisition of a controlling stake in Zhuhai Yinlong New Energy Company, a Chinese manufacturer of electric vehicles.
- ANALYSIS – Ford cuts its losses in Asia – Just-auto: Ford’s decision in January to pull out of Japan and Indonesia, two major automotive markets in Asia, by the end of the year took the rest of the automotive industry by surprise.
- Automakers, facing U.S. fines, try novel ways to reach owners of recalled vehicles – Automotive News: Automakers, facing stiff fines for lackluster recall completion rates, are going to new lengths to reach owners of the millions of cars with known safety defects that remain on the road.
- Toyota expands capacity at Argentine plant – Just-auto: Toyota says it has successfully completed a major new expansion of its production facility in Zarate, Argentina, to add a thousand more jobs and embark on expanded regional sales of light trucks made at the plant.
- Geely and Corun launch new-energy vehicle platform – Just-auto: Geely Automobile and Hunan Corun New Energy, a local manufacturer of lithium batteries, have launched a technology sharing platform for the development of new-energy vehicles (NEVs), including electric and hybrid-electric vehicles.
- As Takata fights to survive, Chinese company sees ‘heaven-sent opportunity’ – Automotive News: A little-known Chinese company has seized on the unprecedented global airbag crisis surrounding Japan’s Takata Corp., buying a small American manufacturer in a bet that a shakeup of an oligarchic industry is under way.
- VW Group CEO Muller calls for unity – Just-auto: In an address to 20,000 Volkswagen employees at Wolfsburg today, VW Group CEO Matthias Muller appealed for unity as the company seeks to recover from itscurrent crisis.
- That Private Eye at Your Door May Just Want You to Fix Your Car – Bloomberg: Automakers, facing stiff fines for lackluster recall completion rates, are going to new lengths to reach owners of the millions of cars with known safety…
- Nissan Qashqai, Audi Q3 lead continued sales surge for SUVs in Europe – Automotive News: Combined sales of models including the Renault Captur, Nissan Qashqai, Audi Q3 and even the aging Volvo XC60 increased 22 percent to 3.05…
- Opel sales up 15% in February – Just-auto: Opel has confirmed strong sales across Europe in February, boosted by ramping up new Astra sales. The strongFebruary figures will come as a boost for GM in Europe which is aiming to hit breakeven on its operations this year.
- Audi showcases electric compressor and 48 volts – Just-auto: Audi is claiming its SQ7electric powered exhaust gas compressor is a world first on a production car.It has also added a48-volt electrical subsystem and electromechanical active roll stabilisation.
- China Car Makers Pioneer ‘Mild Hybrids’ – WSJ: Some of China’s top auto makers, facing among the toughest national emissions rules in the world, are lining up behind an emerging battery…
- Ricardo and Shengrui develop new 8AT transmission – Just-auto: Ricardo has teamed with Shengrui to develop a new version of the Chinese company’s 8AT transmission adding stop-start functionality.
- Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV sales won’t be affected by plug-in grant drop – Autocar: The government grant for the Outlander PHEV has halved, but Mitsubishi UK boss does not predict a drop in sales
- Hyundai, Kia rise to 4th in green car sales – Yonhap: Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. emerged as the world’s fourth largest in terms of sales of…
- Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR to race in 2016 – Autocar: New racing Golf GTI will compete in the 2016 TCR International race series
- Ssangyong Motor targets U.S. entry in late 2019: CEO – Reuters: South Korean automaker Ssangyong Motor Co , owned by India’s Mahindra & Mahindra , is preparing for a “make or break” foray into the U.S. market under a new company name as early as 2019, its chief executive said on Tuesday.
- Cadillac dares to reimagine itself – Automotive News: The latest Cadillac spot to make our viral video rankings features an actual car for just three seconds.
- China’s January-February Car Sales Rise 6.3% on Purchase Tax Cut – Bloomberg: China’s passenger-vehicle sales rose 6.3 percent in the first two months of this year, buoyed by a cut in the purchase tax for vehicles with smaller…
- BAIC Said to Seek $460 Million, Plan Electric-Car Unit IPO – Bloomberg: A charging station for electric cars in Beijing. China has made EVs a strategic initiative as part of its push to lead in the automotive technology, curb…
- GM, Ford Post China Sales Declines – WSJ: General Motors and Ford Motor both posted February sales declines in China, part of a wider slowdown attributed in part to a drop-off around the Lunar New Year holiday.