Archives for November 2014

• As China’s luxury car wave ebbs, foreign firms seek domestic foothold – Reuters: Daimler AG will give its new luxury baby, the Mercedes-Maybach limousine, a glitzy world debut at this week’s Guangzhou autoshow, even as analysts warn the end is nigh for China’s 10-year high-end car sales boom.
• BELGIUM: Jaguar overtaken by Lexus across Europe – Just-auto: A sales surge by the Japanese brand, combined with a lack of interest in Jaguar by buyers outside the UK has seen Lexus overtake the British car maker in Europe.
• Australia’s JOSS supercar dream a step closer as Northern Territory investors jump in driver’s seat – Via Google News: He said building sports cars with top end technology “always works”. … is a very big German automobile company, whose engine will power the car,” …
• Toyota bets on hydrogen technology – FT: The Mirai, meaning ‘future’ in Japanese, to be released in Japan next month

• Bill Gates’ favourite business book tells us why Tata Nano ‘really’ failed – Via Google News: In 1955, the Ford Motor Company decided to produce a new car, which … at with more eagerness than had ever greeted any automobile before it.?.
• Chevy focus groups confirm: Trucks are cool, make you handsome – Automotive News: Chevrolet enters our weekly viral video rankings by pandering to the basest instincts of its audience.
• Toyota Prices New Fuel-Cell Vehicle – WSJ: Toyota Motor priced its new fuel cell vehicle, a midsize car called the Mirai, at $57,500 before tax credits and will offer a $499 a month lease.
• Auto dealers see sales rising to 16.94 million in 2015 – Via Google News: The National Automobile Dealers Association predicts U.S. sales of new cars and trucks will hit a 10-year high of 16.94 million in 2015.
• Toyota Prices Mirai at $57,500 – Wards: A certain subset of fuel-cell vehicle intenders want to own, not lease, new-technology vehicles, a top Toyota official says.
• Takata, Honda sued over death linked to faulty air bag – Reuters: Takata Corp and Honda Motor Co were hit Monday with a lawsuit over an air bag linked to the death last month of a woman in Florida, the latest legal issue for the companies as they continue to recall millions of vehicles for the faulty part.
• Chrysler regulatory boss Kunselman added to Senate hearing list – Automotive News: Chrysler’s safety and regulatory compliance boss plus executives from Honda, Takata and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s top executive are among the witnesses expected to testify during a Senate committee hearing Thursday on the…
• US Senate panel sets witnesses for air bag defect hearing – Via Google News: A top U.S. safety regulator will join auto industry executives on Thursday to testify at a Senate hearing that will investigate defective automobile air bags linked to deaths and severe injuries, a Senate aide …
• GM ignition-switch claims deadline extended to January 31 – Reuters: The deadline to file claims under General Motors Co’s faulty ignition-switch compensation program has been extended by one month to Jan. 31, said Kenneth Feinberg, the program’s administrator.

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• Cadillac Introduces All-New ATS-V.R Race Car – GM: The next generation of Cadillac’s V-Series elite, high-performance cars began on November 14 with the introduction of an all-new race car, the Cadillac ATS-V.R. Set to begin competition in 2015, Cadillac debuted the new race car at the Circuit of the Americas, one of country’s pre-eminent racing venues.
• Airbag settlements keep details from other victims of accidents – Automotive News: Confidential settlements over defective Takata airbags are sealing off relevant information that other victims could use to pursue injury claims.
• CHINA: Vehicle market growth slows to 2.8% in October – Just-auto: New vehicle sales in mainland China rose by 2.8% to 1,987,000 million units in October, from 1,933,000 units a year earlier, according to data released by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
• US: VW recalls 2015 Jetta and Passats on seats – Just-auto: Volkswagen of America has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it will be issuing a voluntary safety recall affecting the manual seats on certain 2015 model year Volkswagen Jetta and Passat vehicles.
• Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Maharaja Edition Revealed – Via Google News: … relationships with one automobile manufacturer. Over a period of five decades, the Maharajas purchased over 840 unique Rolls-Royce motor cars …
• ITALY: Fiat 500 family could be template for future Fiat C/D-seg models – brand chief – Just-auto: Fiat’s 500 family could be the template for future C or D segment models, global brand chief Olivier Francois has hinted in an interview with just-auto.
• Global NCAP spurs for standard worldwide fitment of ESP – advises automakers to include ESP by … – Via Google News: In line with efforts to implement the move, Global NCAP is urging automobile manufacturers to include ESP as standard fitment on all new cars.
• Ford: Mustang driver injured by air bag fragment in North Carolina crash – Reuters: Ford Motor Co said on Sunday night it was cooperating with U.S. safety regulators investigating a report the driver of a 2007 Ford Mustang was injured in August by a metal fragment from the car’s air bag.
• GM Compensation Fund Claims Deadline Extended – WSJ: General Motors’ compensation expert extended by one month the deadline for death and injury claims linked to its faulty ignition switches amid pressure from families, safety advocates, politicians and lawyers.
• GM ignition-switch compensation claims deadline extended to Jan. 31 – Reuters: The deadline to file claims under General Motors Co’s faulty ignition-switch compensation program has been extended by one month to Jan. 31, 2015, the program’s administrator, Kenneth Feinberg, announced on Sunday.

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• JLR faces industrial action threat – FT: Union rejects pay offer of 14 per cent over three years
• GERMANY: Porsche Zuffenhausen engine plant proceeds – Just-auto: Porsche will have completed the structural work and erection of steel girders for the new engine plant at its Zuffenhausen site by the end of the year.
• POLAND: VW lays new Crafter factory foundation stone – Just-auto: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has laid the foundation stone for a new plant in Wrzesnia, near Poznan, Poland.
• US: Senate committee to grill Takata, NHTSA and Honda – Just-auto: Now supplier Takata is the subject of a US criminal investigation over defective car air bags that have been linked to five deaths, its executives and those from major customer Honda Motor are expected to face congressional hearings in the coming week, a media report said.
• Sluggish growth seen in China’s vehicle sales as soft economy depresses demand – Via Google News: Total vehicles sales increased by 2.8 per cent to 1.99 million units in October, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), …
• China October Car Sales Rise 6.4% as Slowing Economy Hurts Demand – Via Google News: Sales of new passenger cars in China remained sluggish by … Growth in total automobile sales, including passenger and commercial …
• Takata says it is subject of U.S. criminal probe on air bags – Reuters: Takata Corp is the subject of a U.S. criminal investigation over defective car air bags that have been linked to five deaths, and executives from the Japanese company and its major client Honda Motor Co Ltd are expected to face congressional hearings in the coming week.

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