- Crown Estate sues Twitter over alleged rent arrears for UK HQ – Reuters
- Ford job cuts plan triggers union threat of Europe-wide disruption – Reuters
- Elon Musk justifies his ‘funding secured’ tweet with a bizarre real estate analogy – LATimes
- Ford to cut up to 3,200 European jobs, union says, vowing to fight – Reuters
- Elon Musk testifies he would have sold SpaceX stock to take Tesla private in 2018 – CNBC
- Musk testifies Saudis backed taking Tesla private before they backpedaled – Reuters
- Musk Didn’t Own Enough of Tesla in 2018 to Take It Private Alone – Bloomberg
- Ford job cuts in Europe: Where the ax will fall – Automotive News
- Tesla’s Skid Leaves Old Auto With a New Quandary – Bloomberg
- Updated Polestar 2 gets RWD layout and 395-mile range – Autocar
- Renault repositions Espace minivan as midsize SUV – Automotive News
- Why more job cuts at Ford’s European operations are inevitable – Automotive News
- India’s top carmaker Maruti’s profit doubles on strong demand – Reuters
Tuesday Morning Auto News, Jan 24, 2023: Britain’s Crown sues Musk’s Twitter over unpaid rent. German Union fights Ford’s massive job cuts. Musk testifies. More.
Monday Morning Auto News, Jan 23, 2023: VW keeps IPO option open. Musk returns to stand. Geely electrifies London Taxi maker. More
- Musk to return to stand in fraud trial over 2018 Tesla tweet – Reuters
- Volkswagen keeping IPO option open for charging, energy business … – Reuters
- Exclusive: Geely plans to turn maker of London black cabs into EV powerhouse – Reuters
- Volkswagen primes rugged 4×4 EV on Ford Ranger platform – Autocar
- Nissan eyes a lightweight electric pickup as it exits full-size truck market – Automotive News
- Breaking: New 2023 Ford electric crossover hits public roads – Autocar
- Thieves in Japan are stealing platinum and palladium parts from Toyota Prius cars as rare … – Businessinsider
- Honda, GS Yuasa agree to collaborate in lithium-ion batteries – Reuters
- ‘Our Mt Fuji’: Toyota has a mountain to climb on software – Autocar
- Rising interest rates are less of a concern for Subaru dealers – Automotive News
- Lexus dealers excited for new electric, TX crossovers – Automotive News
- Tesla Is Last Stronghold for Investors Buying the Dip in Tech Stocks – Wall Street Journal
- Elon Musk increased security for his 76-year-old father Errol amid kidnapping fears, report says – Businessinsider
- Giant Fund Buys Up Tesla and Plug Power Stock, Sells GM – Barrons
- Inventory woes complicate Volvo’s central stock plan – Automotive News
- Mazda to debut performance-oriented plug-in hybrid crossover – Automotive News
- Tesla Buyer Says He Felt ‘Bullied’ Into Early Delivery Before $10K Cut – Businessinsider
- Tesla’s Price Cuts Are Roiling the Car Market – Wall Street Journal
- Is Elon Musk’s Twitter in too much trouble to cover its debts? – Guardian
- Tesla Raffle Struggles to Sell Tickets Due to Elon Musk’s Actions – Businessinsider
- Earnings playbook: What investors can expect out of Tesla, Microsoft and Boeing – CNBC
Friday Morning Auto News, Jan 20, 2023: Stellantis runs out of parts in Italy. Musk, director of fake autopilot video to take the stand, jury should be warned. More.
- Stellantis to halt Italian van plant next week due to parts shortage … – Reuters
- Musk expected to take stand as trial resumes over Tesla tweet – Reuters
- Elon Musk Jury Should Be Warned Ahead of His Testimony, Opponents Say – Bloomberg
- Musk Directed Tesla Autopilot Video Saying Car Drove Itself – Bloomberg
- Tesla shareholder Tencent backs Elon Musk despite Twitter distraction – CNBC
- Tesla’s Gruenheide plant should ramp up output, local minister says – Reuters
- Elon Musk Didn’t Lie but Used the ‘Wrong Words’ in Tesla Funding Tweet, Says Lawyer – Businessinsider
- Tesla Driver a Loyal FSD User Even After Crash With Autopilot – Businessinsider
- GM explores mini electric pickup – Automotive News
- Here’s what Twitter lost in advertising revenue in final months of 2022 – Reuters
- Toyota’s aggressive plan to ramp up production – Automotive News
Thursday Morning Auto News, Jan 19, 2023: Britishvolt’s collapse seen as ‘an unmitigated disaster’ for UK auto industry. Watch 2 totally staged scenes from 2016 Tesla video. More
- Britishvolt’s collapse seen as ‘an unmitigated disaster’ for UK auto industry – Automotive News
- A Tesla Crashed During Filming for Self-Driving Ad, Engineer Said – Businessinsider
- Elon Musk Trial Opens to Debate Over Nature of Tesla Tweets – Wall Street Journal
- 2 totally staged scenes from a 2016 tesla self – Businessinsider
- Elon Musk depicted as liar, visionary in Tesla tweet trial – Washington Post
- Tesla Has the Most Valuable Car Brand. Too Bad It Isn’t the Strongest. – Barrons
- Sacked GM workers in India sue company, CEO Barra for unpaid compensation – Reuters
- Volvo’s former CTO Henrik Green to depart – Automotive News
- New BYD Atto 3 confirmed for UK sale in the coming weeks – Autocar
- Hertz is bringing thousands of EVs and chargers to the city of Denver in a broad new partnership – CNBC
- Britishvolt site draws interest from more than a dozen companies – FT
- Davos 2023-Uber not planning any company-wide layoffs – Reuters
- How Tesla’s Price Cut Is Making Its Rivals Sweat – Barrons
Remembering Dr. Carl Hahn, and finally the truth about China can be told

Dr. Carl Hahn. picture courtesy Yahoo.Finance
Sadly, Dr. Carl Hahn, one of Volkswagen’s best CEOs, left us last week at the age of 96. I had the honor of working for him when I was a very young copywriter, and when he was the CEO of Continental Tires. I also worked for on the Volkswagen account a lot after Hahn returned to Volkswagen in 1982. Hahn was famous for having turned the Beetle from a Nazi car into an American cult, and for bringing Volkswagen to China, now by far the largest market of Volkswagen’s empire. Back when, and now in many eulogies, Hahn was praised for his long-term strategic thinking and foresight.
Here is the truth about Volkswagen and China, as told to me by Hahn’s right hand man and multipurpose executive Werner “W.P.” Schmidt, who also departed from the living a few years ago.