- Arizona sues General Motors, says it hid safety defects – Reuters: Arizona State filed a lawsuit against General Motors Co , claiming the carmaker put the public at risk by concealing safety defects to avoid the cost of recalls.
- Fiat Chrysler deepen China joint venture to push Jeep brand – Via Google News: In April, Guangzhou Automobile Group said it had struck a deal with Fiat Chrysler to produce a raft of Jeep sports utility vehicles developed for …
- Mercedes Has Room to Grow in China – WSJ: Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz still has significant potential for growth in China even as the economy slows, the company’s head of China said.
- Jaguar Land Rover Not Trying to Match Germans in Scale – WSJ: Jaguar Land Rover isn’t trying to chase the German luxury brands in volume and the company doesn’t need to make millions of vehicles, its CEO Ralf Speth said.
- BMW China CEO sees margins narrowing, expects to beat market – Reuters: BMW’s China head expects profit margins to narrow as the German premium automaker steps up localization to maintain double-digit growth amid slowing demand and tougher competition in the world’s biggest auto market.
- Indonesia’s carmakers are catching up with Thailand – Via Google News: Southeast Asia’s largest economy has seen its domestic car sales pass the one million milestone, a feat that has drawn automobile producers to invest …
- Cadillac ATS-V the “Next Chapter,” Says New Brand Boss – thedetroitbureau.com: Cadillac’s new ATS-V sedan and coupe models will not only deliver 455-hp but introduce a new feature called “no-lift shifting.” It’s an appropriate metaphor for the plans new boss Johan de Nysschen has for the brand.
- Fiat 500X New Addition to U.S. Lineup – Wards: 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show Fiat 500X designers levered cues from the flagship Fiat 500, including double headlamps and a trapezoidal nose.
- 500X will help Fiat in U.S. where it snows – Automotive News: When the 2016 Fiat 500X crossover shows up in North American dealerships next year, it will give the brand its first all-wheel-drive offering for areas that get wintry weather.
- GM Considers Adding Colorado Off-Roader to Lineup – Wards: 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show GM says it will study public reaction to the concept before deciding whether the Colorado ZR2 could be added to the Chevy stable, but it would appear a likely candidate to expand the midsize pickup line down the road.
- VW Confident of Plan to Speed Up Product Cycle – Wards: 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show Until now, VW has been on a 7-year replacement cycle for most of its vehicles, a cadence in line with most of its European competitors.
- Cadillac chief envisions $250,000 flagship car — in 2029 – Automotive News: Cadillac’s new boss believes General Motors’ luxury brand could eventually sell ultra-luxury cars that retail for a quarter-million dollars by 2029. Cadillac may also get more crossover models to supplement the SRX.
- Audi Quattro could still make production – Autocar: Work on a long-awaited successor to the iconic Quattro has restarted; radical electric car also in the works. The Audi Quattro project is very much alive at the firm, according to new design director Marc Lichte, who also revealed that a pure electric vehicle “completely different” in design to anything else on the market was also in the works. Audi has shown two concept versions of a reborn Quattro in recent times, the 2010 Quattro and the 2013 Sport Quattro. Speaking at the Los Angeles motor show,…
- Audi Signals Styling, Technology Future – Wards: 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show The German luxury-car maker’s L.A. Auto Show offerings include a unique all-wheel-drive plug-in fuel-cell vehicle and a new styling exercise that previews a new A9 model and could reintroduce 4-wheel steering to the market.
- New Kia KX3 concept aims for China – Autocar: Compact SUV hints at future production car, which is aimed at younger Chinese buyers. Kia has unveiled a new VW Golf-size SUV concept, which will preview a China-only production car. The KX3 has been designed and engineered through Dongfeng Yueda Kia, the Korean brand’s joint venture in China. Some 4.25m long, the KX3 is described as being designed to appeal to “young Chinese consumers who high-value, high quality cars…in pursuit of an outgoing lifestyle”. The compact SUV is one of the fastest…
- Mini Goes CitySurfing – thedetroitbureau.com: “Let’s go surfing now, everybody’s learning how…” The folks at Mini have taken the classic Beach Boys tune to heart with the unveiling of their little CitySurfer Concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The electric powered scooter is aimed at getting around in urban areas, according to TheDetroitBureau.com.
- Mini forgets to bring car to LA, shows Citysurfer concept scooter – Via Google News: See that red thing? It’s the Mini Citysurfer Concept. It is not, in case you were wondering, an automobile. Yet despite this apparent shortcoming, Mini …
- 2016 Honda HR-V makes its first personal appearance – KBB: Previewed in photos at the New York Auto Show last April, the 2016 Honda HR-V crossover made its official in-the-metal debut in Los Angeles.
- Chevy Colorado, in ZR2 gear, is ready to hit the rocky trails – Automotive News: Chevrolet’s off-road Colorado concept is its boldest effort yet to position the midsize pickup as a versatile truck for active, outdoorsy types. A production version of the Colorado ZR2 would give GM an answer to Ford’s F-150 SVT Raptor.
- BMW says its Takata inflator work moving from Mexico to Germany – Automotive News: Takata plans to shift production of BMW airbag inflators from Mexico to Germany, BMW said on Wednesday in a filing with federal safety regulators who have been probing questions about the quality of manufacturing at the plant.
- Chevy Colorado ZR2 Concept Hint of Possible Off-Roader – Wards: 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show The pickup boasts a stance 4.0 ins. wider than a production Colorado Z71 for better stability, and exhibits the 2.8L 4-cyl. Duramax turbodiesel engine coming to the Colorado and GMC Canyon next year
- Daimler’s Maybach Badge Could Dress an SUV – WSJ: Daimler AG’s ultra-luxury Maybach nameplate could be headed to more vehicles than just sedans in the future, including a potential expansion into the sport-utility segment.
- Scion: Three New Models in Three Years Planned as iM Unveiled – Wards: 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show The iM concept being shown at the L.A. auto show will spawn a production model due next year and set for a New York show debut.
- Chevy Goes Off-Road with Colorado ZR2 Concept – thedetroitbureau.com: While most pickup owners are likely to experience nothing rougher than a worksite or gravel road, Chevrolet is targeting serious off-roadser with the Colorado ZR2 Concept making its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
- Cadillac boss envisions $250,000 flagship car – in 2029 – Reuters: Cadillac’s new boss believes General Motors’ premium brand could eventually sell ultra-luxury cars that retail for a quarter-million dollars by 2029.
- Scion looks to end product drought with iM hatchback – Automotive News: Scion formally unveiled the long-awaited five-door iM Concept hatchback, marking the struggling brand’s first new design in three years.
- Jaguar Land Rover Not Trying to Match Germans in Scale, CEO Says – Via Google News: We don’t sell millions of cars so we always have to deliver something … JLR will produce cars there with local partner Chery Automobile Company Ltd.
- Cadillac will report its own financial results, de Nysschen says – Automotive News: GM’s Cadillac luxury line, working to revive its image, will begin reporting financial results about 2017 and double global sales by the end of the decade, said Johan de Nysschen, the brand’s chief.
- VW embraces hydrogen with Golf SportWagen HyMotion – Automotive News: Volkswagen is next in line to join the hydrogen party at the Los Angeles Auto Show with a concept version of its new Golf SportWagen compact powered by a fuel cell electric drivetrain.
- LA SHOW: Audi heralds ‘new styling direction’ with Prologue concept – Just-auto: Audi has said it is previewing a new design era for the brand with the reveal of the Audi ‘prologue concept’ model at the LA Auto Show.
- Volkswagen Golf gets new HyMotion Fuel-Cell Drive Option – thedetroitbureau.com: Volkswagen is joining the rapidly growing list of makers developing hydrogen-powered alternatives, with the concept model starting out as a version of maker’s popular Golf family. The SportWagen HyMotion uses VW’s new MQB platform as well, meaning it may see the light of day.
- Lexus LF-C2 concept zeros in on younger buyers – Automotive News: Lexus took another step toward overcoming its midlife crisis with the unveiling Wednesday of the LF-C2 convertible concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
- Lexus Unwraps Topless Roadster Concept in L.A. – Wards: 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show Multilayered paint over various planes, edges and curves create different characters when viewed in differing lighting conditions, designer Yasuo Kajino says.
- Chaebol-led growth model hits limits – FT: Big manufacturing-driven conglomerates lose ground to Chinese competitors
- Honda joins small-crossover fray with HR-V – Automotive News: The Honda HR-V, based on the Fit subcompact, arrives early next year and will compete with small crossovers such as the Buick Encore, Fiat 500X and Mini Countryman.
- VW to bring Golf Alltrack to U.S. in 2016 to take on Subaru – Automotive News: VW has decided to offer the Golf SportWagen with 4Motion all-wheel drive in the United States starting in 2016, both as a pure wagon and as a crossover-styled variant called the Alltrack.
- BMW M division boss hints at softening stance towards a junior supercar – Autocar: German firm could create a carbonfibre plug-in supercar in the future, although for the time being the priority is to grow the hybrid i sub-brand. The product boss of BMW’s M performance division, Carsten Pries, has indicated a softening of BMW’s stance towards building a junior supercar as a rival to the Audi R8 and the new Mercedes-AMG GT. Such a car would also act as the spiritual successor to the original M car, the M1, from 1978. M division has a long-held desire to follow the lead of…
- Chinese supplier to hire 176, open plant near Detroit – Automotive News: Chinese automotive electronics component supplier Shanghai SIIC Transportation Electric is establishing its first North American operation near Detroit to supply General Motors.
- Airbag angst preceded U.S. demand for nationwide Takata recall – Automotive News: Consumer worries about the safety of their airbags played a key role in why federal regulators now are demanding that carmakers recall cars with Takata airbags nationwide — even at the potential risk of endangering drivers who most urgently need…
- Bentley Grand Convertible concept: ultimate British luxury unveiled in LA – Via Google News: Bentley claims it is the “ultimate expression of the British luxury automobile”, and from the … Read more about all the top cars at the LA Motor Show.
- More car buyers are OK with dealer texting, survey says – Automotive News: Dealers who want to best engage with tech-savvy buyers should try text messaging to communicate, according to survey results released today.
- Jaguar Land Rover plans to assemble XE model in India – Via Google News: A file photo of the Jaguar XE automobile during the World Premier launch in … India levies a duty of 110% on imported cars and close to 60% on …
- Mazda hopes CX-5, Mazda6 facelifts turn heads – Automotive News: Midsize sedans were once the brown shoes of the US car market: a rational purchase, not an emotional one.
- Volkswagen Group unveils hydrogen-powered Golf Estate and Passat – Autocar: German car giant showcases its hydrogen fuel cell technology with a brace of concepts at the Los Angeles motor show. The Volkswagen Group has joined a number of car makers showcasing their fuel cell technology at this week’s Los Angeles motor show. The firm has unveiled a new hydrogen-powered Golf Estate Hymotion along with a related Passat Hymotion, both of which employ similar zero emission low temperature proton exchange membrane (LT PEM) propulsion systems. Following on from petrol, diesel, natural gas,…
- Japan: Mirai, Mirai on the wall – FT: As Abe gears up for a snap election, the test is for buyers to get growth for their money
- Hydrogen-powered Audi A7 h-tron concept could make production – Autocar: Plug-in hybrid is described by Audi as the first performance fuel cell vehicle, and has a combined power output of 228bhp and 398lb ft of torque. Audi is pursuing a production future for the hydrogen-powered four-wheel-drive Audi A7 h-tron, company chiefs have hinted following the car’s unveiling at the Los Angeles motor show. The four-door luxury saloon employs a low-temperature proton exchange membrane (LT PEM) fuel cell stack and carbonfibre hydrogen tanks together with a plug-in lithium-ion battery and…
- The strange case of the anti-union union at Volkswagen’s plant in Tennessee – Washington Post: For someone who helped torpedo the United Auto Workers’ attempt to organize the Volkswagen plant here earlier this year, Sean Moss sounds an awful lot like someone who might have been on the UAW’s side. Read full article >>