- ITALY: Aston Martin has backing for product revamp – reports – Just-auto: Aston Martin has the backing of a major shareholder for a revamp of its model line-up, according to media reports.
- Fiat Chrysler meets FY guidance as North America offsets weak Latam – Reuters: MILAN (Reuters) – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on Wednesday surprised the market by meeting its full-year guidance as strong results from North America and improving operations in Europe managed to offset persistent weakness in Latin America.
- Closing arguments set in Toyota fatal crash lawsuit – Yahoo:
- US: Toyota to expand powertrain R&D in Ann Arbor – Just-auto: Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America plans to expand its powertrain R&D operations in Ann Arbor with the addition of 45,000 sq ft of space.
- CZECH REPUBLIC: Hyundai starts building updated i30 – Just-auto: Hyundai Motor has begun production of the updated i30, at its European factory, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech (HMMC), in Nosovice, Czech Republic.
- Oil-price drop may threaten to undercut Obama’s clean-energy legacy – Automotive News: Last year’s 33 percent drop in gasoline prices already has automakers laying the groundwork to challenge more stringent fuel economy targets for new cars.
- JAPAN: Alliance and MMC drop plans to develop larger models – Just-auto: The Renault-Nissan alliance and Mitsubishi have scrapped plans to jointly develop and build new vehicles aimed at cutting manufacturing costs and taking out spare capacity.
- UK: Suzuki hits new sales record – Just-auto: The UK overtook Germany last year as Suzuki’s largest European market with record sales of 37,400, almost 20% of the total of 200,000 across the region.
- GM’s New Global Car to Wear Commodore Badge in Oz – Wards: GM Holden says customer feedback drove its decision to retain the Commodore nameplate after 2018, when the Australian manufacturing plant is shuttered and domestic production is supplanted by imports.
- Auto industry drives comeback in aluminum prices – Automotive News: At a time when other commodities are slumping, aluminum is making a comeback as automakers under pressure to build more fuel-efficient cars increase their use of the lightweight metal.
- Japanese supplier Sanden agrees to $3.2 million fine in U.S. price-fixing case – Automotive News: Japanese supplier Sanden has agreed to pay a US fine of more than $3 million and becomes the latest company tied to a wide-ranging auto supplier price-fixing prosecution for its brief role in setting the prices of air conditioning compressors for…
- Chairman, Son Look to Shed Stock in Hyundai Affiliate – Wards: Chairman Chung Mong-Koo and Vice Chairman Chung Eui-Sun earlier this month found no takers for 5 million shares of Hyundai Glovis with an asking price of roughly $1.3 billion.
- SOUTH KOREA: Foreign parts makers in antitrust probe – Just-auto: Antitrust authorities in South Korea are investigating a number of Japanese and German auto component manufacturers over allegations of price fixing in the local automotive market.
- Cost-cutting VW bets big to revamp loss-making luxury Phaeton – Reuters: With Volkswagen having embarked on a big cost-cutting drive, industry experts. are baffled why the “people’s car” maker plans to spend millions. of euros upgrading a loss-making luxury saloon.
- Video: Passengers freak out over Tesla’s ‘insane’ acceleration – Yahoo:
- Car ownership in China tops 154 million in 2014 – Via Google News: China added a record 17 million new cars on the road in 2014 as car … Strong demand for cars has helped the automobile replace the motorcycle as…
- 250 Million: Number of Connected Vehicles on the Road in 2020, According to Gartner – Via Google News: By 2020, over 250 million connected cars will be on the road globally. … smart cars poised to become the next big thing in the near future, automobile…
- Fiat Chrysler aims for another big Super Bowl surprise – Freep: Fiat Chrysler appears headed to the Super Bowl once again.
- Eminem, Eastwood among stars of FCA’s Super Bowl past – Freep: Chrysler’s recent Super Bowl ads include some of Hollywood and music’s biggest stars.
- UAW workers can start making plans for profit-sharing – Freep: High costs mean workers at GM and Ford might get less than last year while Chrysler workers could get bigger checks.
- NISSAN PRODUCTION, SALES AND EXPORT RESULTS FOR DECEMBER 2014 AND CALENDAR YEAR 2014 – Nissan:
- Kia recalls Forte sedan over fire risk – Via Google News: In 2014, there were more than 60 million vehicles recalled in the U.S., … the cars sold in Orange County, according to the Orange County Automobile…
- Freescale revenue outlook pushes shares higher as CEO talks cars – Via Google News: Internet-connected cars with radar and other semi-autonomous driving features represent a third wave of electronics expansion in the automobile…
- 2015 Jaguar XE and its key rivals – Autocar: We highlight the Jaguar XE’s chief competition in the compact executive segment
- Aluminum Avoids Metals Slump as Automaking Drives Demand – Yahoo: