Archives for July 2014

• Tesla, Panasonic agree to team on U.S. gigafactory – Automotive News: Tesla Motors and Panasonic have agreed to cooperate on the construction and operation of the American carmaker’s so-called gigafactory, its envisioned large-scale battery manufacturing plant in the United States.
• Volkswagen 2nd quarter profit up but revenue slips – DetN: Germany’s Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest automaker, says its net income rose 14.1 percent in the second quarter although revenues slipped even as unit sales pushed higher.
• VW profit falls in Q2 amid emerging-market troubles – Automotive News:Volkswagen said operating profit declined 3.1 percent in the second quarter as U.S. sales fell and emerging-market volatility weighed on earnings.
• Panasonic to Help Build Tesla Battery Plant – WSJ: Panasonic will invest in equipment and machinery for a battery joint venture with electric car maker Tesla Motors, but didn’t say how much it will invest in the project.
• Panasonic confirms will invest in $5 billion Tesla battery plant – Reuters: Panasonic Corp confirmed on Thursday it would invest in U.S. electric carmaker Tesla Motors Inc’s planned $5 billion lithium-ion battery plant in the United States, but said it had yet to decide on the size of its investment.
• Has the Auto Industry Peaked? – Via Google News: Growing evidence suggests that the automobile industry is about to pause/peak, just like the housing market did 12 to 18 months ago. Few observers …
• Tesla says £3bn gigafactory will revolutionise EV battery production – Autocar: Tesla confirms deal with Panasonic to collaborate on new gigafactory, as the company works towards its target of selling 500,000 cars per year by 2020. Tesla has released new details of its gigafactory manufacturing plant in the US, saying the site will represent a “fundamental change” the way batteries are produced for electric vehicles.
• Driverless cars will ruin the thrill of driving – Via Google News: I thought about that article this week when I heard the news that the driverless car will finally be unleashed on our roads from January.
• The vagaries of Range Rover’s ‘claimed’ Nurburgring lap time – Autocar: Range Rover is claiming to have set a new lap record for sports-utility vehicles at the Nürburgring with its Sport SVR. Which means what, exactly
• Ford CEO on Capitol Hill urging tough line on currency – DetN: Ford president and CEO Mark Fields on Wednesday urged Congress to take a tough line on currency manipulation and said the naming of a new chief of its luxury Lincoln brand shows the Dearborn automaker is committed to the brand.

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• Shanghai GM to Launch Cadillac ATS-L on August 15 – GM: Shanghai GM has announced that it will launch the Cadillac ATS-L luxury sport sedan on August 15.
• CHINA: Toyota’s subsidiary TMCAP starts production of CVTs – Just-auto:Toyota’s (TMC) vehicle powertrain production subsidiary in Changshu, China, Toyota Motor (Changshu) Auto Parts (TMCAP), has held a ceremony to officially mark the start of localised production of continuously variable transmissions (CVTs), which is a first for Toyota outside Japan.
• ITALY: Rome mulls new car sales incentives – Just-auto: Car sales in Italy, growing at half the overall pace of the rest of the EU, could be boosted by tax incentives, according to news agency reports.
• US: GM faces lawsuit from alleged ignition switch victims – Just-auto: GM faces a lawsuit filed on behalf of 658 people who it is alleged either died or were injured due to the automaker’s ignition switch defect.
• Hyundai recalling 889,000 Sonata cars in U.S. – DetN: Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday it is recalling nearly 889,000 Hyundai Sonata cars in two separate recalls because they may roll away after being parked or may have braking issues.
• US: Ford looks at plug-in EVs talking to energy firms – Just-auto: Ford says it is collaborating with seven global automakers and 15 US utilities to develop technology that would allow plug-in electric vehicles to exchange messages with energy providers.
• Fiat reports fall in Q2 profit – Automotive News:Fiat, preparing for shareholders to vote on its merger with Chrysler Group in two days, reported a fall in second-quarter operating profit as a better performance from its luxury brands and its Asia and European operations failed to offset weak…
• Fort Wayne GM plant lacks parts, cancels shifts – DetN: An auto parts shortage has caused the cancellation of several shifts at the General Motors truck assembly plant in Fort Wayne.

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• Honda’s quarterly profit up on Asian sales growth – DetN: Honda’s quarterly profit surged nearly 20 percent on demand for remodeled cars in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. The Japanese automaker also raised its full-year profit and sales forecasts.
• JAPAN: Government to offer fuel cell incentives – Just-auto: The Japanese government is preparing to offer generous incentives for buyers of hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles to help Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda take the lead in bringing hydrogen vehicles market.
• FRANCE: Renault H1 operating profit up 25% but warns on emerging market slowdown – Just-auto: Renault has posted a 25% increase in half-year Group operating profit to EUR729m (US$980m), but warns of a “sharp slowdown” in emerging markets.
• CHINA: JLR cuts prices amid anti-trust probe – Just-auto: European luxury car brands have cut new car and aftersales prices in China as a result of the government’s investigation into anti-competitive activity, launched earlier this year.
• Renault boosted by low-cost Dacia brand – FT: French automaker’s no-frills Romanian cars offset Russia weakness, helping the company to record a 25% rise in first-half earnings
• Honda profit rises 7 percent on cost cuts, Japan sales – Automotive News: Honda’s quarterly operating profit rose 7 percent to $1.94 billion as lower sales in the United States were offset by costs cuts and the company’s stronger focus on Asian markets.
• Honda Net Profit Grows 20% – WSJ: Honda Motor Co. says its earnings rose 20% in the latest quarter, when it benefited from growth in global auto sales, but was held back by delayed model introductions.
• Delay denied for auto recall database; launch set for August – DetN: Car, truck and motorcycle owners and used vehicle shoppers soon will be able to submit VIN numbers online at a government website — and at the sites of all major automakers — to find out immediately if vehicles have any unrepaired recalls.
• Daniel Howes: Culture overhaul is up to GM insiders – DetN: Six months after stepping aside as General Motors Co.’s fourth CEO in five years and leaving his successor with a searing recall crisis, Dan Akerson tells The Detroit News ‘we all … didn’t fully realize how deeply some of the problems ran.’
• How to prevent your car catching fire? – Via Google News: You may have seen it happening; a vehicle suddenly catches fire while on the road. If not seen first-hand, images and stories of flaming cars may have …
• Ford’s New Pickups to Have Higher Price Tags – WSJ: Ford Motor Co.’s new collection of aluminum pickups will come with a higher price tag than outgoing models when they hit the market in the fourth quarter.
• Panasonic to initially invest $200-300 million in Tesla battery plant: source – Reuters: Panasonic Corp plans to initially invest about 20 billion to 30 billion yen ($200-300 million) in Tesla Motors Inc’s planned lithium-ion battery plant in the United States, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
• Ford’s aluminum-body 2015 F-150s to cost more than previous models – DetN: Ford said today that base prices of its aluminum-body 2015 F-150 pickup will increase between $395-$3,615 over the current 2014 truck.
• Judge: Mercedes-Benz violated organizing rights in Alabama – DetN: An administrative judge said Mercedes-Benz USA violated the rights of workers at its Vance, Ala., plant who were seeking to convince other employees to form a union during off-time, but ruled in the company’s favor in other points of contention and imposed no fines.

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• US: NHTSA probes into Dodge Chargers, Hyundai Sonatas and Isuzu trucks – Just-auto:Following several complaints of defects, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is probing Dodge Chargers, Hyundai Sonatas and Isuzu trucks.
• JAPAN: Nissan boosts Q1 operating profit 13.4% – Just-auto: Nissan Motor boosted operating profit 13.4% to JPY122.6bn for the first quarter of the 2014/15 fiscal year, a 5% margin on net revenues that climbed 10.4% to JPY2.47 trillion for the period.
• Akerson: ‘We all’ misread problems in GM’s recall crisis – DetN: Former General Motors Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson says the automaker’s recent ignition switch recall crisis shows that problems with GM’s corporate culture were far more serious than executives realized.
• GM Korea reaches tentative wage deal, averting strike – Automotive News: General Motors’ South Korean unit reached a tentative wage deal with its labor union today, averting a potential strike at one of its key Asian production bases.
• Nissan’s US sales offset Japan weakness – FT: Solid demand from the US and Europe helped the carmaker accelerate first-quarter profit, offsetting a dip in domestic sales after April’s tax increase
• Nissan aims to boost U.S. sales and profit as it closes on Honda – Reuters: Nissan Motor Co Ltd aims to boost sales and profitability in the United States, its biggest market, an executive said, after Japan’s No.2 automaker posted a 14 percent rise in quarterly U.S. sales, closing in on rival Honda Motor Co .
• Nissan profit rises on strong sales, cheap yen – DetN: Nissan’s quarterly profit rose nearly 37 percent, helped by a favorable exchange rate and healthy sales in North America and China.
• Nissan profit rises 37% on U.S., China demand – Automotive News: Nissan said net income rose 37 percent to $1.1 billion in the April-June quarter as deliveries rose in the United States and China, its two biggest markets.
• Nissan expects Takata to pay all costs related to air bag recall: executive – Reuters: Nissan Motor Co Ltd expects Takata Corp to pay back to the automaker all costs related to the recent air bag recall, Corporate Vice President Joji Tagawa said.
• Performance push from Japan’s Big 3 – Automotive News: Toyota, Honda and Nissan — and their upscale offshoots — are out to change the “reliable but unexciting” impression with several high-performance halo cars.
• Ford, Ram quarrel over heavy-duty pickup towing title – Automotive News: Ford Motor Co. is threatening legal action if Ram keeps claiming that its pickups offer “best-in-class” towing. Ram’s response? In so many words, it’s telling Ford to go pound sand.

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