- Citroen names Pierre Leclercq as new head of design – Autocar: Former Kia design director Leclercq replaces Alexandre Malval, who is moving to head Mercedes-Benz’s design studio in Nice Citroën has announced that former Kia design director Pierre Leclercq will join the brand from November as its new head of…
- Germany to hold diesel summit on Friday – govt sources – Reuters: There will be another high-level diesel summit in the German chancellery on Friday, two government sources said on Tuesday, as the transport minister said his top priority was to ensure that diesel owners can swap their old vehicles for cleaner ones.
- Tesla building car carrier trailers amid delivery logistics hell – Autocar: Tesla”s “production hell” has turned into “delivery logistics hell” as the brand gets on top of building cars but struggles do deliver them Tesla boss Elon Musk has announced that the company has built its own car transporter trailers amid its…
- Germany’s Merkel says EU battery cell production “extremely important” – Reuters: It is “extremely important” that the European Union develop its own battery cell production to secure its role in the automotive industry as it shifts to electric mobility, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
Tuesday Morning Auto News, Sep 25, 2018
September 25, 2018 By
Monday Morning Auto News, Sep 24, 2018
September 24, 2018 By
- Toyota reportedly agrees to add Android Auto to vehicles – Automotive News: Toyota agreed to add Android Auto to its vehicles, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, ending years of resistance to the Google infotainment software because of safety and security concerns.
- California urges Trump administration to abandon mpg plan – Automotive News: California’s top air regulator urged the Trump administration to abandon a plan to freeze fuel efficiency standards through 2026, as automakers urged state and federal regulators to reach agreement to extend nationwide rules.
- Chinese brand Chery opens European facility – Autocar: New Frankfurt-based design and development centre signals brand”s aim to conquer Europe, where other Chinese brands have so far struggled Chinese brand Chery Auto has opened its first facility in Europe, with a design and development centre near…
- Tesla made a big deal out of its Solar Roof in 2016, but two years later it has barely shipped any – CNBC: Elon Musk unveiled prototypes of Tesla’s Solar Roof tiles In October 2016. They came in four styles that looked just like normal roofing material but were essentially miniaturized versions of traditional solar panels. The announcement helped Tesla …
That’s going to hurt: Impending hardware refit of diesel cars will cost billions
September 21, 2018 By
Picture courtesy Manager Magazin
Germany’s and Europe’s carmakers are casting timid glances in the direction of Germany’s capital Berlin, where a possibly extremely costly decision is imminent. This Sunday, the German government is expected to decide what to do with the millions of NOX-emitting diesel cars on the country’s roads. According to Der Spiegel, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel wants a hardware solution, and that could cost many billions.
Ever since the dieselgate scandal became public, European automakers tried everything to avoid a solution that makes older diesel cars come clean. The reasons are money, and the monstrous amounts of diesel cars in Europe. Approximately half of Europe’s cars used to be diesel-powered before the scandal lowered the appetite for driving on oil. The atrocious problem is the huge amount of vehicles already on the road in Europe, and there are around 250 million of them.
Friday Morning Auto News, Sep 21, 2018
September 21, 2018 By
- Aston Martin CEO launches new apprentice scheme – Yahoo: Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer has announced plans to create a charitable foundation to help industrial apprentices. The privately-funded programme will be supported by Palmer, who began his career as an apprentice, his wife Hitomi, and shareholders and …
- Mazda loses 44000 units of output in Japan due to torrential rains – Automotive News: TOKYO — Mazda Motor Corp. says it has lost 44,000 units of production, including some output of vehicles bound for the United States, because of interruption from heavy rain this summer. The Hiroshima-based carmaker suspended output in July due to …
- Uber and Deliveroo Pick a Food Fight With Just Eat – Bloomberg: Just Eat Plc’s advertising exhorts potential customers to gorge on all kinds of delicious takeaways, from Balti to burgers. But with Uber Techologies Inc.
- PSA Group “ready” for massive EV expansion across its brands – Autocar: that all brands are “technologically ready to play our part in the coming energy transition.
Electrek’s take-out: A reshuffling of the sycophants
September 20, 2018 By
According to persistent whisper among automotive propaganda operatives, the formerly way too symbiotic relationship between Californian carmaker Tesla and the Canadian-registered, but U.S. hosted Electrek.co website is on the rocks. Meanwhile, greentech website Cleantechnica.com and EV-specialist site Insideevs.com are said to be vying for a spot by the feet of God Elon.
People who read the tea-leaves of Twitter have noticed that @elonmusk unfollowed Electrek a few days ago. Monitoring Musk’s list is made simple by the fact that the CEO follows only 69 people, vs. the 22.6 million people who (allegedly) follow him. One less follower does not necessarily mean a digital divorce. Musk allegedly also unfollowed his girlfriend Grimes, but there she is, on top of the list of the 69 deemed worthy of HIS followership. Large parts of that list are a family affair anyway. Musk follows his mother and model Maye, his sister Tosca, and his brother Kimbal. The rest of the list is more eclectic than electric, ranging from Mark Andreessen to (cover your eyes) the Internet of Shit. As far as EV-obsessed media go, Musk follows only Teslarati, Cleantechnica, and InsideEVs, and we’ll get to the latter two in a minute.
Thursday Morning Auto News, Sep 20, 2018
September 20, 2018 By
All the auto industry news, none of the B.S.
- Report: GM fulfills ignition scandal terms, feds dismiss case – Freep: A federal judge in New York approved a motion filed by prosecutors to dismiss a four-year-old case against GM on Wednesday, Reuters is reporting.
- Mike Jackson’s I told you so moment on Tesla’s ‘logistics hell’ – Automotive News: Tesla could have avoided its recent struggle delivering cars to customers quickly if it hadn’t insisted on handling its own retailing, AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson said.
- The Finance 202: GOP lawmakers against Trump’s tariffs aren’t ready to act – Washington Post: And neither measure touches Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports, which rely on a … support both the GOP tax overhaul and the administration’s tariffs, making it … “‘It’s not a trade war, I call it a trade skirmish,’ he told CNBC. … More than 1,000…
- How Volvo’s Polestar plans to sell its electric vehicles in North America – Automotive News: Volvo’s Polestar brand announced details of the framework it will use to promote sales for its new electric cars, the Polestar 1 and Polestar 2.
Wednesday Morning Auto News, Sep 19, 2018
September 19, 2018 By
All the auto news, less filling
- Parts Supplier to Challenge VW, Ford With $14 Billion Push Into Self-Driving Cars – Bloomberg: Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Co. are set for more competition in the race to role out self-driving vehicles as parts supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG develops its own offering in the latest sign of how technology shifts are upending traditional roles in …
- German regional government to appeal Frankfurt ban on older diesels – Reuters: A looming ban on older diesel vehicles from Germany’s financial capital faces a legal challenge from the state government, deepening controversy over how to handle the fallout from an emissions cheating scandal that has rocked the car industry.
- Abarth 124 GT: hard top sports car costs £33,625 – Autocar: A coupe Abarth 124 isn’t happening, but the 124 gets a carbonfibre removable hard top and exclusive parts Abarth has announced that the 124 GT will be priced from £33,625, with only 50 units heading for UK roads. The brand revealed its lightened…
- Why automotive employment continues to grow globally – Automotive News: Of the 13 publicly traded automakers with at least 100,000 workers at the end of their most-recent fiscal year, 11 had more staff compared with 2013, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Tuesday Morning Auto News, Sep 18, 2018
September 18, 2018 By
All you need to know about what’s happening in the auto biz, without further comment ….
- BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen Face Collusion Investigation in Europe – New York Times: The European Commission opened an inquiry on Tuesday into possible collusion among BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen to prevent the development of clean emissions technology. The investigation adds to a series of problems for the German auto industry, …
- Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover to cut output in UK plant – Nikkei: MUMBAI (NewsRise) — Tata Motors’ luxury unit Jaguar Land Rover is cutting its production schedule at a plant in the U.K. starting next month, citing the uncertainties triggered by Britain’s exit from the European Union. “In light of the continuing …
- Saudi’s PIF invests more than $1 billion in electric carmaker Lucid Motors – Yahoo: By Tom Arnold. DUBAI (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has agreed to invest more than $1 billion in Lucid Motors, adding to the emerging competition facing U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla. The funding will enable Silicon …
- UK Mini plant maintenance shutdown moved to just after Brexit in case of no deal – Reuters: German carmaker BMW said it will move the annual maintenance shutdown period for its British Mini plant to just after Britain is due to leave the European Union in April, in case there is no Brexit deal.
