Top News:
- VW Bets on SUVs, Electric Cars in Overhaul of Namesake Brand – Bloomberg: Volkswagen AG’s namesake brand is pivoting from damage control to competing harder against Toyota Motor Corp. and Tesla Inc., with a plan to increase its SUV lineup nearly tenfold and push sales of affordable electric cars. As Volkswagen emerges from…
- Fiat Chrysler’s India unit to start exports to Japan with Jeep Compass – Nikkei: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plans to start exports of an India-made passenger vehicle to Japan for the first time, a major step…
- Porsche opens digital centre in Silicon Valley – Reuters: Sportscar maker Porsche is opening a digital technology centre with 100 staff in Silicon Valley to forge new partnerships, cooperate with venture-capital companies and invest in new companies, it said on Friday.
- JLR boss in staunch defence of diesel – Autocar: Ralf Speth, CEO of JLR Ralf Speth backs diesel as a technology, and says its continued success is crucial for the whole European car industry
- Government reveals plan to cut emissions in towns and cities – Autocar: Retrofitting of the highest-polluting cars with emission-reducing equipment and clean air zones have been proposed in an attempt to improve air quality in the UK
- UK proposes clean-air zones, scrappage scheme for polluting cars – Reuters: LONDON Britain said on Friday it could introduce a scrappage scheme to get the most polluting cars and vans off its roads and charge some drivers of …
- Uber faces criminal probe over software used to evade authorities, report says – Automotive News: The Justice Department has begun a criminal investigation into Uber’s use of a software tool that helped its drivers evade local transportation regulators, reported.
- 2017 Seat Ibiza supermini priced from £13,130 – Autocar: The sleeker, more technically advanced Ibiza ushers in a new platform for the next generation of small models from the Volkswagen Group
- Future of Volkswagen Beetle and Scirocco uncertain – Autocar: As VW looks to further reduce costs post-Dieselgate, the two models look to be under threat
- Our First Mercedes-Benz Maybach Test Drive Is Definitely Worth The Wait – Forbes: We’d asked our pals at Mercedes-Benz for something/anything to push around and write about while making the journey from Philadelphia to New…
- VW Brand CEO Aims to Boost Profit Through Productivity Gains, Cost-Control – WSJ: Volkswagen’s struggling namesake brand said it expects to wrap up the technical fixes of most tainted diesel vehicles by the end of the year and boost productivity and profits in its main automotive operations.
- How GM Might Unlock a Tesla-Like Valuation – WSJ: Tesla being worth more than Ford or-as of this week-GM is the most visible implication of the valuation gap between old car tech and new car tech. But a bigger one for executive teams concerns portfolio management: It has become harder to own both in…
- BMW makes adequate provisions for fall in residual car values – Automotive News: BMW AG said it had made adequate risk provisions to cover a worldwide drop in used-car prices, while cautioning that it expects a…
- New car registrations in Poland up 11.34 pct in April – Reuters: … Samar estimated about 9.0 percent of the cars were exported shortly after their registration in …
- BMW e-mobility executive to join energy group Innogy – Reuters: DE), Germany’s No.1 energy group, has poached a key executive from carmaker BMW (BMWG.DE) to bolster its e-mobility business, the latest sign …
- Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely to buy 30% stake in Saxo Bank – FT: Zhejiang Geely, the Chinese carmaker that owns Sweden’s Volvo, is buying about 30 per cent of Denmark’s Saxo Bank in a striking move into financial…
- Tesla in talks to resolve issues with legacy Grohmann clients – Reuters: Grohmann’s clients included rival automakers BMW, Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) and Mercedes owner Daimler AG, before Tesla boss Elon Musk ordered the company’s main management resources to be devoted toward pushing expansion of Tesla’s …
- Elon Musk Says Robots Will Help Tesla Catch Up to Apple in Value – Fortune: Tesla (tsla) CEO Elon Musk thinks he can make his company as valuable as Apple (aapl)-by “going at the machine that makes the machine.”.
- Renault bets on SUVs in China – Automotive News: Renault is betting on more SUVs and SUV-styled vehicles for further growth in China. The French automaker will begin importing its…
- BRIEF-SAIC Motor’s vehicle sales up 5.9 pct y/y in April – Reuters: WARSAW, May 5 Poland’s new car registrations in April rose 11.34 percent year on year to mark a 25th month of growth, data from the Samar …
- VW pledges productivity gains at troubled core brand – Reuters: Volkswagen is targeting fixed productivity gains at its troubled core division through 2020 by pushing cost savings, stemming overseas losses and launching more higher-margin cars as the carmaker battles to overcome its emissions scandal.
- Seat Arona images leaked online – Autocar: The Arona image has been leaked online by MQB-Coding & Retrofit ahead of its reveal next month Seat’s rival for the Nissan Juke is based on the Ibiza and will sit below the Ateca SUV; it will go on sale later this year
- BRIEF-Mercedes-Benz car sales up 9 percent in April – Reuters: LONDON, May 5 IAG’s new low cost, long haul airline Level will add two or three new aircraft in 2018 and operate from at least one new European …
- VW brand targets productivity gains through 2020 – Reuters: FILE PHOTO: A worker assembles an e-Golf electric car at the production line of the Transparent Factory of Volkswagen in Dresden, Germany, March …
- Le Pen victory could hurt Renault, PSA – Automotive News: Voters in France go to the polls on Sunday in a presidential election that no matter who wins could have repercussions for the country’s…
- Elon Musk is building a giant digging machine to make tunnels under LA and wants your help naming it – CNBC: “Snoop Dug” and “Ultimate Boring Machine, the Second” are candidates for Musk’s digging machine for his tunneling venture.
- Jaguar Closes on Porsche in the Race For Swanky Sales – Bloomberg: However, Volkswagen, Porsche’s parent, likely isn’t too concerned about its crown jewel … GMC, the upscale truck division of General Motors Co., is up 7.3 percent and Volkswagen’s Audi posted a 7.7 percent increase in that period.
- Skoda launches innovative digital showroom – Autocar: Skoda has launched a digital showroom which will allow interested customers to be shown around models in a live presentation via internet video…
- Tesla Has a Lot More in Store Than the Model 3 – Bloomberg: The Model Y is coming in 2019-on a new platform. Tesla plans to launch its follow-on car to the Model 3, a compact SUV called the Model Y, in late 2019 or 2020. Musk said the Y will be built on an entirely new platform from the 3, which surprised a …
- BRIEF-Ford’s China sales in April up 11 pct y/y – Reuters: May 5 Britain’s FTSE 100 index is seen opening down 14-16 points on Friday, according to financial bookmakers. * BHP: A second BHP Billiton Ltd …
- Dip in Tesla’s customer deposits triggers worries over orders – Reuters: A prototype of the Tesla Model 3 is on display in front of the factory during a media tour of the Tesla Gigafactory which will produce batteries for the …
- Uber Faces Federal Criminal Probe Over ‘Greyball’ Software – WSJ: Federal prosecutors have begun a criminal investigation into Uber’s use of software as part of the company’s program known as “Greyball” that helped drivers avoid local regulators.
- Intel sees new opportunities in auto industry – Detroitnews: Leading seller of computer chips aligning with several partners to offer turnkey driverless car systems
- Ford Laying Off 130 Workers in Ohio on Softer Demand for Work Trucks – WSJ: Ford Motor Co. will temporarily lay off 130 workers at a factory near Cleveland, a move aimed at lessening supply of medium-duty work trucks hit by…
- Uber Faces Federal Inquiry Over Use of Greyball Tool to Evade Authorities – New York Times: The ride-hailing service Uber is under investigation over a software tool it used to evade law enforcement trying to crack down on its service. Credit Eric Risberg/Associated Press. SAN FRANCISCO – Uber is the subject of a United States Department of…
- Cramer: You have to be on drugs to understand Tesla’s business – CNBC: After Tesla’s stock sank over $15 on Thursday following its earnings report, Jim Cramer looked into the company to try and understand its high-flown…
- Beijing removes 180000 old, polluting cars from roads from January-April – Reuters: An action plan published in 2015 committed Beijing to removing a total of 1 million ageing vehicles over the 2013-2017 period. Beijing needs to take …
- LendingClub pins hopes for growth on car loans – FT: Lending Club will be “greedy” in car loans when rivals are pulling back, the company’s chief executive said on Thursday, as he tried to assure…
- Fraud, Threats and Ferrari Fights in China Embezzlement Suit – Bloomberg: Some of the rarest cars in the world are at the heart of a London lawsuit embroiling an associate of one of China’s wealthiest men. Zhao Hua Chen…
- MG to expand its SUV line-up at both ends – Autocar: A seven-seat GS and a smaller, sub-XS SUV are coming to expand MG’s range
- Chinese supplier plans electric car factory in Germany – Automotive News: China’s Beijing WKW Automotive Parts Co. is betting on the future of electric mobility in Germany with a billion-euro factory. Beijing WKW…
- Electric Car Sales Are Suddenly Taking Off in Europe – Bloomberg: It’s no secret that Americans are embracing electric cars. But new data show that increasingly Europeans are too. Sales of battery-powered cars soared 38 percent in the first quarter after models including Renault SA’s improved Zoe won buyers in …