Archives for October 2014

• UK: JLR eyes US southern states ‘transplant’ – paper – Just-auto: Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) reportedly is talking to local governments in several southern states about setting up a factory in the US which would be a first for a British carmaker in the world’s second-largest vehicle market.
• Hyundai plans new sports car – Autocar: Korean firm says there’s an appetite for a new sports car in Europe, with Hyundai’s new N performance division creating “opportunities” for the brand. Hyundai is considering a small sports car. European MD Allan Rushforth told Autocar that discussions about a sports car have taken place and that there is an appetite for one. If the car makes production, it will not be a relaunch of the Coupé. The market for such a car is difficult to sustain, according to Rushforth, who also revealed he is…
• GERMANY: VW recalls 1.1m cars in North America and China – Just-auto: Volkswagen is recalling over 1.1m cars in North America and China to correct a potential problem with rear suspension parts.
• INDIA: New Volkswagen boss reckons on steady growth – Just-auto: Volkswagen is sketching out a 10-year strategy for India, a market it sees as having one of the most promising growth prospects in the world.
• Toyota cuts GT86 price by £2500 – Autocar: New entry-level GT86 model is available to order now, priced from £22,495, while Toyota also introduces a new range-topping Aero model. Toyota has cut the price of its GT86 sports car by £2500 with the introduction of a new entry-level model. The new GT86 Primo, which has already opened for orders with first deliveries scheduled for January, costs £22,495. Available with a six-speed manual transmission only, the Primo keeps the standard car’s 2.0-litre naturally aspirated boxer engine, which produces…
• Automated Driving Piques Chinese Consumers’ Interest – Wards: Joseph R. Szczesny The prevailing view that automated systems first will be used in Europe and North America is being challenged by Chinese interest in what Magna International executive Frank O’Brien calls the digital lifestyle.
• CHINA: Merc S-class buyers 15 years younger than elsewhere – Just-auto: It is not only the largest car market in the world, China can also be the most confusing for marketing departments as age profiles go out of the window.
• CarMax’s U-turn: A return to Web leads – Automotive News: Used-car powerhouse CarMax has begun posting vehicle inventory again on AutoTrader.com and Cars.com after a 16-month hiatus.
• AutoNation won’t up and quit 3rd parties – Automotive News: Mike Maroone, COO of AutoNation Inc., said the dealership group intends to proceed cautiously in reducing its reliance on third-party online shopping sites.

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• US: Honda eyes air bag in 2013 parking lot death – Just-auto: Honda is trying to establish if a man who crashed his Acura sedan in a California parking lot in 2013 died due to a faulty air bag.
• SWEDEN: Extra Volvo shift already triggering supplier boost: FKG – Just-auto: Scandinavian automotive supplier association, FKG, says Volvo’s decision to add a third shift at its Torslanda plant has already triggered the need for extra work for some of his members.
• Porsche is first company to host event in Vatican’s Sistine Chapel – Automotive News: Porsche is the first company to host a corporate event in the Vatican City’s Sistine Chapel after Pope Francis allowed the chapel to be rented out for private functions, with the proceeds going to charities working with the poor and homeless.
• US: Chrysler recalls 437,000 SUVs globally for wiring check – Just-auto: Chrysler Group is voluntarily recalling approximately 437,000 SUVs globally to relocate an electrical connection.
• US: Chrysler Group recalling 470,000 vehicles globally for alternator check – Just-auto: Chrysler Group is voluntarily recalling approximately 470,000 cars and SUVs globally to repair a potentially faulty alternator.
• Kia Expects Only “Refinement” of Optima; GT4 Stinger Still on Table – Wards: Kia’s U.S. chief marketer believes the midsize Optima sedan, which was last new in late 2010 for ’11, won’t stray far from its current look.
• U.K. Aiming for Leading Edge in FCEV Development – Wards: The investment is part of a deeper £500 million ($806.2 million) government funding pot to be invested between 2015 and 2020 in the U.K.’s drive to become a global leader in the development and take-up of low-emissions vehicles.
• Volkswagen to recall over 580,000 cars in China: government – Reuters: Volkswagen AG told China’s quality watchdog that it planned to recall more than 580,000 cars in the country, after the agency launched an investigation in August.
• Past Meets Future in Volkswagen’s Tristar Concept – Wards: Several interesting aspects of the Tristar can be found inside. Its double cab has been conceived as a videoconferencing room equipped with a table, an audio system, swiveling passenger seats and even a built-in espresso machine.

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• US: Marchionne defends his ambitious Jeep plans – Just-auto: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles boss Sergio Marchionne was on the floor of the New York stock market on Monday, the newly merged company’s first day of trading – we wonder what he was thinking two days later when the world’s financial markets plummeted after poor data from the US heightened fears for the global economy.
• JAPAN: Carmakers bring home foreign-made models – Just-auto: Japan’s carmakers are bringing more foreign-built models into their domestic market as the yen continues to weaken, a move seen by the Nikkei’s Asian Review as a sign that companies are steadily establishing global production systems immune to exchange rate fluctuations.
• Ford F-150 a ‘Bold Move’ For Industry, Vehicle Line Manager Says – Wards: The new ’15 F-150 boasts a new aluminum body over a frame composed of different steel alloys.
• Infiniti to enter British Touring Car Championship in 2015 – Autocar: Premium car manufacturer lends its support to new not-for-profit Support our Paras race team for tin-top assault. Infiniti will enter the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship next year as title sponsor of a new not-for-profit motorsport team named Infiniti Support Our Paras Racing. Two new Infiniti Q50 race cars built to the BTCC’s NGTC rulebook will join the domestic tin-top series. The cars will be driven by Richard Hawken, who has won three championships at club level and tested for the…
• Luxury carmakers explore lower prices – Via Google News: Exotic car companies, eager to extend their reach beyond the super-rich, … Italian luxury automobile company Maserati, too, has gone down-market. [ There is more … ]

• Man Says He’s Had Sex With 700 Automobiles – Via Google News: Before that, he poured over automobile magazines in a way similar to how young … Years later, he was able to buy the same car from a dealership.
• US: Cadillac and Chevrolet set for electrification push – Just-auto: GM’s North America President Mark Reuss has told just-auto that the Cadillac and Chevrolet brands are set for a raft of electrified products.
• FRANCE: Dacia hits 3m sales in 10 years since relaunch – Just-auto: Dacia, Renault’s budget brand, this week reached the landmark of 3m sales since its relaunch in 2004.
• BELGIUM: Toyota Europe sales rise 4.7% – Just-auto: Sales of Toyota and Lexus vehicles in Europe climbed 4.7% to reach 660,621 units in the first nine months of the year.
• BELGIUM: Toyota Europe vehicle output tops 9m since 1971 – Just-auto: Toyota Motor said one of its plants this week will roll out the nine millionth car built in the European region since production started in 1971.
• JAPAN: Toyota to build compact SUVs in Turkey – report – Just-auto: Toyota will spend about JPY20bn (US$187m) to manufacture new compact sport utility vehicles in Turkey from 2016, Japan’s Nikkei business daily said.
• Ford Hits Back On Ridiculous Lawsuit Demanding $2500 Per CD Ripper In Its Cars – Via Google News: Ford is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world; it builds and sells some of the best-selling cars and trucks, certain models of which …

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• US: Chrysler recalling 292,000 vehicles for ignition switch fix – Just-auto: Chrysler Group is recalling 291,703 vehicles in the US to check for a faulty ignition switch which could inadvertently turn off the engine.
• US: GM recalls Holden-built Chevrolet police cruisers for transmission fix – Just-auto: General Motors is again recalling (Holden) Australian-made Chevrolet police cruisers, this time to repair potentially faulty automatic transmission selector mechanisms.
• INSIGHT-RPT-In GM bankruptcy, an ex-con and hedge funds find common ground – Reuters: Roger Dean Gillispie, a former General Motors security guard, spent 20 years in an Ohio prison for rape until a federal court ordered him released in 2011. Now he wants to sue GM for allegedly helping to frame him, and he’s getting support from an unlikely source: hedge funds.
• JAPAN: Mazda Demio is Car of the Year – Just-auto: Mazda’s Demio – known as the 2 outside Japan – is Japan’s Car of the Year for 2014-15, the fifth time the automaker has won the award.
• US: Toyota again ‘most valuable automotive brand’ – Just-auto: Toyota’s investment in future mobility, including zero-emission vehicles and its focus on sustainability and innovation, have contributed to a 20% increase in its brand value over the past year.
• Ferrari F60America offers drop top styling and V12 power – Via Google News: Ferrari has announced a new car that it has made for American customers called the F60America. The car will be a very limited edition automobile …
• Exclusive – Privately, Saudis tell oil market: get used to lower prices – Reuters: Saudi Arabia is quietly telling oil market participants that Riyadh is comfortable with markedly lower oil prices for an extended period, a sharp shift in policy that may be aimed at slowing the expansion of rival producers including those in the U.S. shale patch.
• Driverless Audi to race at 150mph – Via Google News: Next Green Car finishes MPG Marathon image Next Green Car has completed day 2 of the 14th Fleet World MPG Marathon.

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