Just-in-time auto industry news and analysis
Defying deep misery in its home market Europe, Volkswagen grows its sales elsewhere. Powered by strong gains in the Asia-Pacific and North American regions, Group sales were up 5.1 percent for the January through July period. In the month of July, the Volkswagen Group eked out a 3.2 percent gain in Group deliveries. Meanwhile, Volkswagen did beat GM in China by a hair, and the race for World’s Largest Automaker promises to be thrilling through the rest of the year.
[ There is more … ]
The Nikkei [sub] has news of something unheard of since the onset of the Lost Decade: Imported luxury cars suddenly are all the rage According to the Nikkei, “the priciest foreign luxury cars are selling briskly as investors spend the money they made in the stock market rally.” The Tokyo wire has stories of a woman who can’t decide whether she should buy two Rolls-Royces, or economize and buy just one. That prompted us to have a look. [ There is more … ]
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk’s recent release of “alpha” designs for a “Hyperloop” transportation system made a huge splash in media and technology circles. Prepared with the help of engineers from Tesla and SpaceX, Hyperloop imagines rapid and efficient transit in the form of pods flying through a tube between Los Angeles and the San Francisco.
This bold vision easily created the kind of public splash that PR bosses at mainstream automakers can only dream of. At the same time, it highlighted Tesla’s dependence on the “visionary” exploits of its mercurial and overstretched CEO. This dependence is proving to be a brilliant tactic in the short term, but it has troubling implications on the firm’s long-term strategy.
Two years ago, Nissan/Renault’s CEO Carlos Ghosn told the author of this story:
“For carmakers, China is one of the most profitable markets in the world. It used to be the United States. Now it is China.”
Soon, making money in China could be harder as the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is looking into allegations of price fixing and anti-competitive behavior. [ There is more … ]
Karl-Thomas Neumann, since March chief of GM’s tattered Opel division, has met the enemy, and it is Opel. “Our biggest problem-area is the brand,” Neumann told Germany’s Handelsblatt. “It’s a shame that the brand is getting in the way of our excellent products,” Neumann continued. But despair not, Neumann has a solution. [ There is more … ]
Toyota today broke ground for a new R&D Center in China. The center is in the TEDA free trade zone in the port city of Tianjin, where Toyota has a factory with its Chinese joint venture partner FAW. The center alone isn’t big news, even if it triggers “giving away know-how to the Chinese” knee jerks. Most OEMs engaged in China have R&D facilities in the Middle Kingdom, GM has a few. The story is interesting for another aspect. [ There is more … ]
Toyota will be selling a mildly turbocharged version of its Vitz in Japan, but buying one is somewhat of a chore. The “Vitz GRMN Turbo” sports conversion model must be ordered on-line, with the orders processed by Area 86 shops in Netz dealerships in Japan. Only 200 will be available. Good luck. [ There is more … ]
At a driving event at the BMW Group’s Miramas test track in France, the company presented a prototype of its second production vehicle, the BMW i8. According to the company, “this plug-in hybrid model is the most progressive sports car of our time.” [ There is more … ]
