- JAPAN: Toyota raises profit forecast – Just-auto: Toyota has raised its profit forecast for the financial year by more than 12% to JPY2 trillion (US$17.5bn) from an earlier forecast of JPY1.78 trillion thanks to a weaker yen – which is close to a seven-year low – and cost-cutting efforts.
- US: Toyota recalling 5,650 vehicles over steering/suspension – Just-auto: Toyota Motor Sales USA plans a recall of around 5,650 2014 Toyota Camry, Camry Hybrid, Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles to check for a suspension problem that could affect steering.
- Tesla, BMW, Skoda and Nissan score big in Euro NCAP tests – Autocar: Latest round of safety tests sees Tesla’s Model S score five stars, but Suzuki’s Celerio city car loses out on a top rating. The Tesla Model S, BMW 2-series Active Tourer, Skoda Fabia and Nissan Pulsar have all gained top marks in the latest round of Euro NCAP safety tests. These latest tests also see the Renault Megane upgraded from three to four stars. The French firm’s family hatchback was docked one star back in July because its seat belt warning messages weren’t available in all…
- CHINA: VW opens new DSG transmission plant – Just-auto: Volkswagen opened a new factory in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin this week to produce next generation direct-shift gearboxes (DSG).
- GM says October China auto sales up 3.2 percent year on year – Reuters: General Motors Co and its Chinese joint ventures sold 291,371 vehicles in China in October, up 3.2 percent from the same month a year earlier, the U.S. automaker said on Wednesday.
- New updates for Range Rover and Range Rover Sport – Autocar: Land Rover reveals new off-road cruise control and HUD options for Range Rover line-up, while engine tweaks improve efficiency and performance. Land Rover has announced a series of updates for the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. The updates include the option of a new All Terrain Progress Control system (ATPC), which acts as a cruise control function for off-road driving. The system allows drivers to set a speed, while the car’s range of sensors adjusts its terrain settings automatically at speeds of…
- TAIWAN: Vehicle market up 6.6% in October – Just-auto: New vehicle sales in Taiwan expanded by 6.6% year-on-year to 34,327 units in October, according to local industry sources.
- GERMANY: Car sales up 3.7% in October – Just-auto: Germany’s car market in October was up 3.7% versus last year according to data from the KBA.
- UK: Britain needs Europe to “come back”: SMMT chief – Just-auto: UK automotive body, the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), says domestic production needs Europe to emerge stronger from current economic uncertainty to boost home performance.
- GM China Sales Expand at Slowest Pace in 20 Months – Via Google News: … vehicles this year will likely be 23 million units, Dong Yang, secretary general of the state-backed China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, …
- Toyota expects record profit as yen falls – FT: Cost cuts and weaker currency prompt upgrade in annual targets
- Marchionne increases his Fiat Chrysler stake to 1% – Automotive News: Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has increased his stake in the automaker to 1 percent and nearly doubled his voting stake after exercising stock options and cashing in on a share price jump after a plan to spin off Ferrari was unveiled.
- Porsche reveals new Cayenne GTS ahead of LA motor show – Autocar: German car maker adds revised 434bhp GTS version to the Cayenne SUV range, while also launching a new entry-level model. Porsche has upgraded its Cayenne SUV range with a revised version of the sporty GTS, which also introducing a new entry-level model.The launch of the Cayenne GTS follows on from the recently revealed 911 Carrera GTS, as well as the Cayman GTS and Boxster GTS models unveiled earlier this year. Powered by a 3.6-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine producing 434bhp and 443lb ft – increases of…
- Toyota post 23% jump in net income, helped by weak yen, cost cuts – Automotive News: Toyota sidestepped stagnating sales to post double-digit profit increases in the July-September quarter, thanks to advantageous exchange rates and big cost cuts. Net income jumped 23 percent to 539 billion yen ($4.93 billion).
- Toyota raises FY profit forecast by nine percent on weak yen – Reuters: Toyota Motor Corp raised its full-year operating profit forecast by 9.1 percent on Wednesday as a sharp decline in the yen increases the value of repatriated earnings and makes up for lower vehicle sales.
- Volvo V60 Cross Country unveiled – Autocar: Rugged V60 Cross Country will be available to order in Q1 next year, and will arrive in UK dealers next May. Volvo has revealed a new, more rugged version of the V60 ahead of a planned debut at the Los Angeles motor show later this month. The V60 Cross Country will be available to order in the first quarter of next year, with production getting under way in May and first customer deliveries expected in June. The car’s ride height has been raised by 65mm over the V60 on which it is based. It also has…
- EU auditor criticises waste, urges tighter controls – Reuters: The European Union’s auditor called on the bloc’s new executive on Wednesday to seek better value for taxpayers’ money as its report on the 2013 accounts estimated that up to 9 billion euros may have been misspent.
- China Puts Brakes on Car Makers – WSJ: Auto makers signaled that China’s slowing market could cloud future sales, with Honda and Nissan cutting projections for 2014, and the chief executive of BMW saying that “high double-digit growth rates are over.”
- Changan Automobile develops two new SUV’s for China – Via Google News: Changan Automobile is developing two new SUV’s for China. The SUV segment … The new cars are codenamed R102 and R103. Both will be based …
- 5 things we learned from October auto sales – Via Google News: Another is “cheap gas kills cheap cars,” meaning low gas prices ruin ….. SUV-heavy Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s all-new Chrysler 200 sedan is giving …
- Automakers defend safety record after failed global test – Via Google News: India’s auto industry body defended domestic manufacturers’ safety record on … Mathur, director general, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.
- 3D-printed car being built at SEMA Show this week in Las Vegas – Via Google News: Rogers said by using a 3D printer, the automobile shell is printed out in one piece … 3D printing could lead to more specially-designed cars and parts.
- Frontal crash test must from October 2015 – Via Google News: In its bid to ensure that all cars sold in India meet minimum safety … When they can produce cars with minimum and mandatory safety … While this will be the minimum benchmark, automobile manufacturers can put their …
- Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) Earnings: What To Look For In Q3 – Via Google News: Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is an American automobile company that designs, manufactures, and sells electric powered cars. When? Tesla is …
- GM Offers $25 Cards to Owners Who Get Ignition Switches Fixed – Via Google News: With more than a million defective small cars still on the road, General … Bill Fox, vice chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association and a …
- GM Dangles Store Cards to Boost Recall Response – WSJ: General Motors is offering a $25 coffee, movie or other gift card to entice owners of older-model small cars with defective ignition-switches to have their cars repaired by Dec. 1.
- Rolls-Royce sales on a roll – Via Google News: Despite a hiccup in the automobile market this year, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok, the authorised Thai dealer, has yet to feel the pinch as its …
- 2014: Year of the Most Automobile Recalls Ever – Via Google News: A Ford announcement today recalling more than 200,000 of its vehicles for everything from gas leaks to stalling problems helped solidify 2014?s …
- Self-driving car advocates tangle with messy morality – Via Google News: It’s not all about 3D laser scanners and infrared cameras. Self-driving car engineers also must decide whether it’s better for a car to kill one person to …
- Ford Brings Back the Mustang King Cobra* – thedetroitbureau.com: Thunderous applause rained down as Ford debuted an all-new version of a once-familiar nameplate at this week’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Featuring a scaly paint job and a raging snake on the hood, the Mustang King Cobra harkens back to some of the most powerful performance cars in Ford’s portfolio, according to TheDetroitBureau.com.
- Toyota recalls 5,850 cars, mostly in U.S., for possible steering issue – Reuters: Toyota Motor Corp said on Tuesday it is recalling about 5,850 cars, most of them in the United States, for possible loss of steering control.
- GM to roll out Android cars in 2016, supplier says – Automotive News: General Motors is preparing to introduce Android-based infotainment systems — the same Google platform used on more than 1 billion mobile devices, from smartphones and tablet computers to computerized wristwatches — starting in late 2016,…
- Marchionne gains $13 million with stock sale after Ferrari deal – Automotive News: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne made about 10.7 million euros ($13.4 million) from a surge in the automaker’s share price after he announced a plan to spin off Ferrari.
- GM axes U.S. version of Chevy Captiva Sport — a fleet staple – Automotive News: GM has discontinued the U.S. version of the Chevrolet Captiva Sport, ending a three-year run for the fleet-only small crossover.
- US: Ford builds 30,000 fewer F-Series in October – Just-auto: Due to Dearborn Truck having been closed in the late summer in preparation to begin making the new F-150, the company’s plants which build the F-Series range built just 63,002 trucks last month. This compares to 93,111 in October 2013.
- CHINA: Regulator requests documents over VW suspension recall – Just-auto: Quality regulators in China have asked Volkswagen to provide technical documents following the company’s recall of almost 600,000 vehicles – the first time the agency acted since a law mandating timely safety campaigns came into force.
- Mercedes-Benz confirms 12 all-new models by 2020 – Autocar: German car maker embarks on aggressive new growth strategy, which will see new models launch which have no direct predeccessors. Mercedes-Benz has embarked on the most intensive new model development program in its history, according to the company’s head of research and development Thomas Weber.Speaking at the opening ceremony of Mercedes-Benz’s new R&D centre in Beijing this week, Weber confirmed plans for the introduction of 12 all-new Mercedes-Benz models by 2020 – each additional to the German…