Just-in-time auto industry news and analysis
One upon a time, GM proudly wore the title “World’s Largest Automaker.” GM lost it in 2008 to Toyota. In 2011, nature had mercy with GM, hit Japan with a monster earthquake and drowned it in water, GM was on top again. A year later, the title was once more lost to pesky Toyota. GM had to be content with being China’s largest automaker, after all, China is the world’s largest auto market. GM is about to lose that title also. [ There is more … ]
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There are signs from Germany that Volkswagen management is not so gung-ho to bring the UAW to its U.S. plant as many, and foremost the UAW, believe. Yesterday, “the incoming leader of an influential German union warned Volkswagen AG about trying to avoid unions in Tennessee, where the German automaker has an assembly plant,” Reuters wrote. Why would this indicate a division in Volkswagen’s upper management? [ There is more … ]
Exclusive: GM CEO could exit in 2014; no formal search yet – Reuters . “In addition to Reuss, who is 50, the other GM executives seen as potential CEOs are global product development chief Mary Barra, 51; Vice Chairman Steve Girsky, 51; and Chief Financial Officer Dan Ammann, 41.”
Subaru to stop building Camrys for Toyota in Indiana –Automotive News. “Subaru is in desperate need of more capacity, as it aims for annual U.S. sales of 500,000 by 2016. That’s up from an estimated 420,000 units expected this year.”
Soda designer: Apps could replace interior controls – Just-auto. Talk about distracted driving.
MG coupe “in development”- Autocar. In China.
Japanese automakers to fund EV infrastructure – Just-auto
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Ever since Toyota released first pictures of the 2014 Japanese-market Harrier, there has been a low level war on the interwebs. Countless bloggers, eager for a scoop scraped off other websites, crowed that this will be a preview of the 2015 Lexus RX. Even distinguished Edmunds bought into this version. More seasoned, and not to say professionally skeptical writers, from Joaquin Ruhi at the Kaizenfactor all the way to Malaysia’s Paul Tan, opined that the new Harrier is more like a re-sheet-metaled version of the current Lexus RX. Who is right, who is wrong? Today, I decided to grab my subway pass, and get to the bottom of it. [ There is more … ]
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Not again…
When Volkswagen announced that it would attempt to triple its US sales between 2009 and 2018, my fellow Daily Kanban editor Bertel Schmitt greeted the announcement with a picture of flying pigs. Long a dominant force in Europe and Asia, Volkswagen has long struggled in the profitable US market, frustrating the firm’s efforts to become the king of the global auto game. But with a new line of lower-cost sedans and the firm’s first US plant since the Westmoreland disaster, VW put some real heft behind its latest assault on the most lucrative (if no longer the largest) market for cars.
And as of the end of last year, it almost seemed like the goal was within reach; with 438,133 US VW-brand sales in 2012, Stefan Jacoby’s long-ago 2013 goal of 400k-450k sales and a profit was as good as achieved. But with 2013 winding to a close with the auto market running hot on strong credit markets, VW’s goal seems to have suddenly evaporated. With 342,000 units sold through October, VW would need back-to-back record months to even crack 400,000 units.
Automotive News [sub] reports that, whith a flat spot in VW’s product cadence, dealers are getting angry. And sure enough, a look at VW’s core model sales reveals that the brand truly is on the “roller coaster” one dealer describes.
Japanese media generally isn’t known as to be recklessly praising China, which makes the The Nikkei’s latest predictions of the directions of the Chinese auto market all the more astounding. According to data compiled by The Nikkei …
