- GERMANY: Daimler restructures Tesla cooperation – Just-auto: Daimler said it had reorganised its cooperation with Tesla Motors by terminating the share-price hedge it initiated in 2013 and selling its Tesla stake of about 4% without affecting the cooperation between the two on automotive projects.
- Has the Hyundai Sonata lost its mojo after redesign? – Automotive News: The revamped Sonata sedan was supposed to help Hyundai Motor Co. reverse sluggish sales, but the car described by some critics as a bland substitute for its popular predecessor is off to a slow start in the key U.S. market.
- JAPAN: Mitsubishi revises fiscal H1 forecasts – Just-auto: Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has revised its consolidated forecasts for the first half of fiscal 2014 (to 30 September, 2014) from the previous forecasts announced on 24 April, 2014.
- List of 7.8 million vehicles involved in the Takata airbag recalls – Automotive News: Owners of the following vehicles are being urged to act immediately on recalls involving potentially defective airbags made by Takata, according to a corrected list distributed late Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Toyota executive backs Takata’s handling of airbag crisis – Automotive News: A top Toyota executive offered support for how airbag maker Takata is handling a safety crisis affecting millions of vehicles, days after expanding its own recalls for the second time in four months.
- Industry, Experts Converge on 2020 Vision – Wards: SAE 2014 Convergence Underwood’s research suggests the first two types will be in the market by 2020, but that the era of fully automated vehicles will not begin until about 2030. In 2025, Underwood says highly automated cars that drive themselves on urban highways and surface streets should be available.
- Danger Awaits If Driving Experience Doesn’t Mimic Personal Tech – Wards: SAE 2014 Convergence As learning new technology comes to some buyers more naturally than others, automakers need to find ways to mimic the easy-to-use interface found in personal communication devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
- A challenging birth for the pokiest Volkswagen Passat – Autocar: Pushing the most powerful variant of the new Passat through development wasn’t the work of a moment, according to VW’s product development chief. The most powerful version of the rather handsome new Volkswagen Passat is a four-cylinder diesel. With quite complicated plumbing arrangements, this engine is force-fed by twin turbos, one low pressure and one high, and to pretty good effect given the 369lb ft of torque that you can undam from 1750rpm. The blower’s turbines are of different sizes, and…
- What Makes Korean Drivers Have Crush on Imported Automobiles – Via Google News: But general perceptions about diesel cars remained not that favorable then. Yoon Dae-sung, executive managing director with the Korea Automobile …
- US: Takata airbag recall extends to 6.1m vehicles – Just-auto: US highway safety regulator NHTSA last night (21 October) expanded its warning about faulty airbags made by Takata to 6.1m vehicles in the United States.
- Honeywell, DuPont car refrigerant deal may be illegal, EU says – Automotive News: The EU says supplier Honeywell’s joint venture with chemicals company DuPont to produce an air conditioning refrigerant for cars may be anti-competitive as the deal may have blocked rivals keen to participate in the chemical’s development.
- Ford is building cleaner diesels, but are politicians preparing to axe them? – Autocar: There are mixed messages about the future of oilburning engines, and car owners need an honest broker to set them straight. News on Monday morning that Ford is spending £190 million to expand Dagenham production of 2.0-litre turbodiesels for use in both vans and cars – and has won an £8.9 million grant from the government’s Regional Growth Fund into the bargain – makes certain elements of both the daily media and the political classes look rather silly. And confuses many people.
- Hyundai’s revamped Sonata yet to rev up key U.S. market – Reuters: The revamped Sonata sedan was supposed to help Hyundai Motor Co reverse sluggish sales, but the car described by some critics as a bland substitute for its popular predecessor is off to a slow start in the key U.S. market.
- Peugeot turnround boosted by China sales – FT: Latin American operations are still struggling
- Auto industry forming consortium to fight hackers – Automotive News: Automakers are forming a consortium to deter hackers who might try to breach a vehicle’s security system — an effort that has gotten the blessing of federal regulators.
- Few Answers After an Alert on Takata Air Bags – NY Times: A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration site that allows drivers to look up a car by vehicle identification number was not responding, and calls were put on hold.
- U.S. Orders More Testing on Guardrail After Ruling – NY Times: The action came more than two years after the agency learned that Trinity Industries failed to report possibly hazardous design changes to its highway rails.
- Wait to act on vehicle recall, auto dealers advise – Via Google News: They will probably know more in the next 24 to 48 hours,” Colorado Automobile Dealers Association President Tim Jackson said Tuesday. Bob Fenton …
- Daimler sees $780 million windfall from sale of Tesla stake – Automotive News: Daimler AG said it will book a $780 million windfall from selling its 4 percent stake in rival electric car maker Tesla Motors.
- Michigan becomes fifth U.S. state to thwart direct Tesla car sales – Reuters: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill on Tuesday that will keep electric carmaker Tesla Motors Inc from selling its cars directly to consumers in the state, home to the biggest U.S. automakers.
- TECH & INNOVATION Concern Over Airbag Recall Crashes NHTSA Website – Via Google News: According to the NHTSA, owners are to take their automobiles to the nearest authorized dealer if their cars are on the released list of cars that could …
- Daimler Sells Stake in Tesla, Which Supplies Components – Via Google News: Dieter Zetsche, chief executive officer of Daimler AG, sits in a Smart ForFour electric automobile, at the car’s world premiere in Berlin, Germany, on July …
- Tesla blocked from selling in Michigan – Via Google News: Consumers can look at Tesla cars and talk to Tesla employees at galleries in … But the National Automobile Dealers Association and its state chapters …
- NHTSA website search function crashes as drivers look for airbag recalls – Automotive News: The website federal safety regulators are urging 4.7 million people to check to see if their cars have defective airbags couldn’t be fully accessed today.
- UPDATE 1-More lawsuits filed against Honda, Takata over air bags – Via Google News: More than 4 million cars produced by nine automakers including Toyota, Honda Motor and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Chrysler Group are affected by …