- 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.
- Bankruptcy judge in GM case to retire, remain on recall status – Reuters: The New York bankruptcy judge overseeing part of the fallout from General Motors Co’s problems with faulty ignition switches will retire from the bench, but remain active in so-called recall status for at least a year, his court announced.
- The Internet of Anything: The Little Box That Hooks Your Old Car Up to the Internet – Via Google News: This tiny device plugs into an automobile diagnostics port, letting you equip your car with all sorts of tools you otherwise couldn’t. You can set your …
- F1 boss accused of presiding over cartel – FT: Force India, Sauber and Lotus call for redistribution of $835m prize money
- US dealer group sees 2015 US new-car sales close to 17 million – Via Google News: The National Automobile Dealers Association now expects new-vehicle sales in 2015 to hit 16.94 million, up from an earlier forecast of more than 16.8 …
- Qoros to unveil Golf-size ‘City SUV’ in China – Autocar: Guangzhou show debut for third model from start-up brand Qoros. Chinese start-up brand Qoros will reveal the Qoros 3 City SUV at the Guangzhou auto show in China this week. Based on the company’s hatchback, it gets larger wheels, more ground clearance and more rugged styling. The engines are expected to be the familiar 1.6-litre petrol units in 124bhp and 154bhp forms. Autocar understands that a full-on Qoros SUV is also well on the way to the showrooms. Although launch sales have been slow for the brand in…
- NADA sees 2015 U.S. sales nearing 17 million vehicles – Automotive News: Continued economic improvement, low interest rates and cheap gasoline will help new-vehicle sales rise more than 3 percent to nearly 17 million units next year, the most since 2005, according to forecasts from the National Automobile Dealers…
- Shelby GT350 Mustang guns for Europe’s performance cars – Automotive News: With the 2015 Shelby GT350 Mustang, unveiled Monday in the garage of the late Carroll Shelby in Gardena, Calif., Ford aims to lure a new breed of customers who want the kind of performance normally found in Porsches and Ferraris at a bargain price.
- General Motors extends compensation fund deadline for victims of switch defect – Washington Post: The fund established to compensate victims of General Motors’ deadly ignition-switch defect has extended the deadline for submitting claims by one month, officials announced Sunday night. Kenneth R. Feinberg, the Washington lawyer who administers the fund, has moved the claims deadline to Jan. 31 to give more time to families who may not know about the program. Read full article >>
- SOUTH KOREA: GM Korea shrinks workforce as sales fall – Just-auto: GM Korea has announced a new early retirement plan to help reduce further the size of its workforce, targeting team leaders and executive-level employees from end of the year.
- 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).
- INDIA: Tata Motors revenues up 6.5% to US$9.82bn in Q2/FY2015 – Just-auto: Tata Motors has reported consolidated revenues (net of excise) of INR605.64bn (US$9.82bn) for the quarter ended 30 September 2014, growth of 6.5% over INR568.67bn for the corresponding quarter previous year, despite a “continuing weak operating environment”.
- Toyota sees fuel-cell car gaining traction in small steps – Automotive News: Toyota said it plans to sell close to 200 of its Mirai — it means ‘future’ in Japanese — fuel-cell sedans when it goes on sale in California in late 2015, and 3,000 units by the end of 2017 as it expands marketing to cover the…
- Dealers forecast US auto sales of 16.9m – Via Google News: The National Automobile Dealers Association predicts US sales of new cars and trucks … US auto sales are expected to reach 16.4 million in 2014.
- Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango output goes grayscale for a few months – Automotive News: Plans to upgrade a paint shop at a Chrysler Group factory in Detroit will leave the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango colorblind for a couple months.