- Tesla Might Draw More Buyers With Longer-Range Car – Investors Business Daily
- Shanghai GM Launches Chevrolet Sail 3 – GM: CHENGDU – Shanghai GM today launched the Chevrolet Sail 3 in Chengdu. Five variants of the new family car with a choice of new 1.3L and 1.5L engines are available.
- Jaguar recalls 1,571 sedans in U.S. for possible braking issue – Reuters: Jaguar Land Rover is recalling 1,571 Jaguar XJ luxury sedans in the United States for a possible braking issue, according to documents posted by U.S. safety regulators.
- Ford shuts doors of Belgium’s Genk plant – Reuters: Ford Motor Company produced the last car at its plant in Genk, Belgium, on Thursday, closing the site which produced some 14 million vehicles over the past 50 years.
- Smartphone app Zubie adds automotive retail and service perks – Automotive News: Drivers don’t need a calendar to let them know when to go in for a service check — Zubie can tell them. And now, the smartphone app is offering perks as well.
- Daimler hikes provisions for EU cartel probe – Reuters: German car and truck maker Daimler said on Thursday it was setting aside an additional 600 million euros ($738.3 million) to cover potential costs related to an antitrust investigation into the industry by the European Commission.
- US: Honda takes its latest FCV to Detroit – Just-auto: Honda’s latest hydrogen-fuelled FCV concept will make its North American debut at the Detroit show next month ahead of its Japanese and US launches in the first quarter of 2016.
- Big 3 dominance slipping as competition heats up – Yahoo:
- CHINA: Baidu to invest in Uber – Just-auto: Baidu has said that it plans to invest in online minicab firm Uber.
- Uber’s Delhi Rape Incident Has Opened A Hidden Entrepreneurial Door – Forbes: The open market for female-friendly taxi services that Uber may have left behind in New Delhi.
- Uber pledges to improve driver checks – FT:
- U.S. market has never been more competitive, IHS says – Automotive News: The battle for market share among the largest eight automakers in the U.S. has never been greater as the range between them continues to narrow, a report from IHS Automotive said today.
- Takata CEO takes out newspaper ads in reaction to airbag crisis – Automotive News: Takata, the embattled airbag maker, stepped up its response to a global auto-safety crisis by distributing an open letter from its CEO in US and German newspapers.
- Volvo offers four-year SiriusXM package on 2015.5 models – Just-auto: Volvo car buyers in North America would automatically receive a four-year subscription to SiriusXM Traffic and weather information when purchasing any new 2015.5 vehicle equipped with the latest generation of Sensus Connect, the automaker’s connected car platform, the automaker and satellite radio provider announced.
- JAPAN: Mitsubishi Okazaki plant builds five millionth vehicle – Just-auto: Mitsubishi Motors’ (MMC) Okazaki plant near Nagoya (Japan) has built its five millionth vehicle since opening in 1977 – an Outlander PHEV.
- Phantom car break-ins baffle authorities – CBC News: Montreal-area police forces have no explanation for a series of car … Meanwhile, the Automobile Protection Association said it had not heard of these…
- BYD shares shed 29% in mystery sell-off – FT: Buffett-backed Chinese electric carmaker unaware of any reason for panic selling
- BYD plummets 47% in mystery sell-off – FT: Trading volumes nearly seven times the fifteen-day average
- Hyundai Elite i20 adjudged Indian car of the year, Harley Davidson Street 750 best motorcycle – Via Google News: This year, the final short list of contenders saw a dozen cars and motorcycles battling it out for the two of the Indian automobile industry’s highest…
- Japan auto lobby sounds alarm over weak domestic sales – Reuters: Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) Chairman Fumihiko … “We are seeing continued weakness in domestic new car sales that go…
- Takata Air-Bag Crisis May Spur Change in Japan Norm – Bloomberg: Air-bag crisis could spur changes to how car owners maintain their … chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association and Honda…
- New car sales weaker than expected, says Japan auto industry group – Via Google News: Fumihiko Ike, who heads the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) and is the chairman of Honda Motor Co Ltd , also said the industry…
- Rare cars found mothballed for 50 years in French shed – 9News: While classic cars are now snapped up and extremely valuable, this was not the case a few decades ago when inventor and automobile enthusiast…
- Takata says it has sufficient funds to deal with recalls – Automotive News: Airbag maker Takata has sufficient funds to deal with a global recall that has climbed to about 21 million vehicles after five deaths linked to its products, the company’s CEO told the Nikkei newspaper.
- Nissan recalls autos in Mexico to check Takata air bags – Reuters: Automaker Nissan said on Wednesday it has ordered the recall more than 80,000 vehicles sold in Mexico to check for potential defects stemming from air bags made by Japanese company Takata .
- The World’s Biggest Car Company Wants to Get Rid of Gasoline – Bloomberg Business Week: First there are the in-your-face, angular grilles on the car’s front end. … ?The automobile industry can contribute to the sustainable growth of earth itself…
- Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in Japan Selects Carlos Ghosn as Person of the Year 2014 – Nissan:
- BMW confirms hydrogen car development – Autocar: German car maker will begin tests on hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars soon, with vehicle technology co-developed with Toyota. BMW’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will begin testing in the near future – but advances in battery technology may mean that they never reach production, according to the firm’s sales and marketing boss Ian Robertson.The firm has previously run a trial with hydrogen-powered vehicles; starting in 2007 it put 100 6.9-litre V12-engined 7-Series’ on the road capable of running on petrol or hydrogen. Developing 256bhp and 290lb ft, the cars hit 62mph in 9.5secs.