Top News
- BMW’s New Sensors Do the Braking for You – Bloomberg: More than 90 percent of auto-related crashes are due to human error: a … and will automatically and gently brake before a vehicle hits any stationary object. … Bloomberg’s profile of BMW’s Active Assist is the latest installment of The…
- The Crash-Proof Car in the Works at BMW – Bloomberg: At BMW’s Research and Innovation Center in Munich, an experimental high-tech safety system is under development. It’s called 360-degree collision…
- New York’s bright stars … and lesser lights – Automotive News: Under the bright lights of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, the vehicles at the New York auto show are a lot like the performers on Broadway, making grand entrances and gunning for attention #8212; some more successfully than others.
- U.S. pickup for Mercedes? Decision by Dec. 31, CEO Cannon says – Automotive News: Mercedes-Benz USA will decide by year end whether to sell a pickup being developed for other markets. “We said to Stuttgart, ‘We are open, and let us assess the market,'” says Steve Cannon, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA.
- Dealers place bets on presidential election – Automotive News: It’s still early in the presidential election cycle, but the contest for dollars is well under way. Some high-profile auto dealers already have begun placing their political bets.
- BMW’s i3 EV becomes a big hit out of town – Automotive News: The big urban centers in the Northeast, especially New York City, haven’t embraced the BMW i3.
- Honda concept aims to restore Civic pride – Automotive News: With the sleek, athletic Civic design unveiled at the New York auto show last week, Honda is trying not only to regain some of its sales momentum but also reclaim a piece of its heritage.
- Chevy needs a clutch hit to make Malibu a player – Automotive News: Chevy’s 2016 Malibu represents an all-out bid to elevate its status in the fiercely competitive midsize sedan segment, one in which every automaker must bring its A game.
- Hyundai’s do-now list: Hire new marketing boss, then build brand – Automotive News: Hyundai Motor America intends to hire a new marketing chief this month ahead of a brand-building push that will kick off this summer, CEO Dave Zuchowski said.
- Subaru stores have year to get service-expansion aid – Automotive News: Subaru will have renovated and expanded two-thirds of the service-shop capacity at its U.S. dealerships by the time a national investment drive ends next year.
- Hyundai’s advanced safety goes mainstream – Automotive News: Hyundai Motor Co., aiming to outpace rivals, will ramp up use of low-cost advanced safety systems and new autonomous driving features by 2020.
- Future of auto design still in clay modelers’ hands – Detroit News: Clay modeling is a process that has survived the test of time and remains a cornerstone of auto design
- Who’s Toyota CEO? Isn’t it obvious? – Automotive News: Despite Mary Barra’s very high profile, we’re not too sure he could. But in Japan, everyone must know that Toyota is run by Akio Toyoda, grandson of…
- Ford at it again as Continental grabs spotlight – Automotive News: Ford Motor Co. seems to have its formula for creating auto show buzz down pat. Let a major competitor talk about an upcoming…
- Aston Martin’s Palmer to address congress – Automotive News: Among his pet projects: The Nissan Leaf electric car, the NV200 New York City taxi and the push for autonomous vehicles. The Automotive News…
- BMW takes the lead in luxury sales – Automotive News: BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus were separated by just more than 1,300 sales in the first quarter. BMW was tops with sales of 78,492, Mercedes was…
- Nissan bets ad dollars on 4 models – Automotive News: Nissan will focus its marketing dollars on four key models for the foreseeable future, even as it prepares for another wave of critical…
- Ford says aluminum repair smooth so far – Automotive News: It’s early, but Ford says it’s so far so good on repairing damaged 2015 F-150 pickups with aluminum bodies. Ford has not heard of any…
- Congressional grilling was Akio Toyoda’s defining moment – Automotive News: Akio Toyoda’s moment of self-discovery came on what could have been the worst day of his life. On Feb. 24, 2010, the president of Toyota…
- Fiat Chrysler Faces More Hazards – WSJ: Fiat Chrysler could face new legal headaches after years of work by the auto maker to ease concerns about fiery rear-end Jeep crashes ran headlong into a jury awarding big damages.
- Honda scores BTCC double victory at Brands Hatch – Autocar: Honda’s new Civic Type-R achieves two wins during the opening three races of the 2015 British Touring Car Championship
- Loss of suppliers slows automotive revival – FT: Demise of tier-one component makers means economy is not reaping full benefit of surge in sector
Other news, rumors and, gossip
- Can Tesla Deliver 15000 Cars? – 247wallst: Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) recently bragged it delivered 10,030 cars in the first quarter of this year. All of these were the company’s Model S.
- Cadillac To Drop XTS, Exit Livery Market: Report – Motorauthority: Plans for Cadillac’s XTS, which is based on a version of General Motors Company’s [NYSE:GM] Epsilon II platform used
- Dubai mulls subsidised prices for electric vehicles – Arabianbusiness: Dubai is considering offering incentives for electric vehicles, such as a subsidised price for a car, as a way of promoting the use of the eco-friendly…
- Toyota’s Leroy skips past Japanese company misconceptions – Inautonews: Years ago, when Toyota – the world’s largest automaker – hired Didier Leroy, numerous experts, including headhunters, advised him not to take the…
- GM’s Shop-Click-Drive Jumps the Curb – Wardsauto: But perhaps those words already have been used to describe General Motors’ Shop-Click-Drive initiative. I rejected using words like “idiotic” because I…
- Volkswagen Group: Struggling in the U.S., Succeeding Everywhere Else – Forbes: It’s no secret Volkswagen’s U.S. efforts have struggled over the past couple years. In 2012, the brand sold 438,134 vehicles, while in 2014 that number…
- Study: Electric Car Batteries OK Longer – Ect: A new study finds that even as electric car batteries lose power they’re fine for … “It’s not just whether the vehicle will meet their range requirements.
- California senator rips electric-auto rebates – Arkansasonline: … data show most of the money goes to consumers who earn twice the national average yet collect cash rebates on Tesla Motors Inc.’s luxury models.
- Toyota Doubles Turbo Offerings in New Engine Lineup – Marketwatch: Like the other entries in Toyota’s new engine lineup, development of the 8NR-FTS is a culmination of Toyota’s years of hybrid and conventional…
- New steering system proposed to increase electric-car efficiency – Ecomento: Electric cars may not burn any fossil fuels to propel themselves, but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be any attempts to improve their efficiency.
- Roland Berger E-mobility Index shows Germany slipping – Ecomento: The US is experiencing significant activity in the market for electric and plug in hybrid vehicles, with roughly 110,000 such cars sold and delivered in…
- 2015 Ford F-150: From Seats to Bumpers, No Part Overlooked to Reduce Weight – Ford: Ford engineers responsible for the all-new F-150 were tasked with taking weight out of the truck while improving its capability to accomplish all of the work owners expect of the toughest, smartest, most capable and efficient F-150 ever.
- Toyota 86: Long Termer – update 4 – Practicalmotoring: As my Toyota 86 has just rolled past 52,000km I thought I’d report on the reliability to date. Why 52 and not 50? The car was bought as a dealer-demo…
- Vietnam automotive industry to grow fastest in ASEAN: Thai industry insider – Tuoitrenews: Official figures from the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association … Last year, sales of personal cars increased by 43 percent year on year,…
- HTC Cello Could Be The Company’s Take On Android Auto – Ubergizmo: htc-logo2 Our car infotainment systems are pretty standard these days. They offer up the ability to play music, offer navigation, and more, but…
- Ford Mustang sales leap ahead of other sporty cars – USA Today: Proving once again that the key to sales is a hot new model, Ford is finding huge success so far with its new-generation Mustang, while others in the…
- Why pink Ferraris are officially off limits – Smh: That’s because when you buy a Ferrari – a car that will set you back almost $410,000 for a California T and $2.5 million if the company deems you…
- Electric Flash: Green Cars Are Getting Stylish – Huffingtonpost: One wouldn’t know that from the proficient, but uninspiring, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles that crawled off the drawing boards of the major auto…
- Nissan Rubs Off Rumors About Mercedes Pickup Partnership – Benzinsider: When plans for the development of a Mercedes pickup broke out, all heads immediately rolled to Nissan. Then, rumors about a possible partnership…
- Waive fees and give electric drivers free Salik, says free zone boss – 7daysindubai: Offering free Salik and waiving car registration fees are among the incentives that should be given to drivers to encourage them to buy electric cars,…
- Holy Hybrid, Julius Randle Has a Matte Black BMW i8 – Boldride: Things are looking up for Los Angeles Laker Julius Randle. Aside from his alma mater being knocked out the Final Four, there are a lot of positives…