Archives for April 2015

Please pardon the absence of the Morning News Roundup while the DailyKanban was in Shanghai at the auto show. No Google wreak havoc with any rounding up ....

Top News

• Mazda quarterly profits fall on currency losses while sales rise – Automotive News: Profits fell at Mazda in the January-March quarter, undercut by higher outlays for marketing and factory startups and foreign exchange losses, despite rising sales.
• AeroMobil – the incredible flying car – FT: But tucked in the boxes that Klein carried home from his student digs was a thesis on a flying car. Two and a half decades later, his idea could change…
• JAPAN: MMC unveils full-year net sales of US$18.2bn – Just-auto: MMC has posted full-year 2014 net sales of JPY2,180.7, (US$18.2bn), a 4% rise compared to the same period last year.
• Strong sales boost Renault shares as tensions with France simmer – Reuters: including alliance partner Nissan and … in the alliance with Nissan and fuller cooperation between the two carmakers.
• CANADA: Canadian finance aims to lure VW work for local firms – Just-auto: Export Development Canada (EDC) has announced financing of EUR400m for Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen).
• US: Gas prices slow compact sales, Ford axes a shift – Just-auto: Lower petrol prices in the United States has reduced demand so Ford is reducing output of compact and compact hybrid model by cutting a shift and laying off 700 workers.
• CHINA: Volvo to target Asia-Pacific from China – Just-auto: Volvo Cars China (VCC) will take on a leading role in the Asia-Pacific region in an effort to grow the brand’s sales.

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Top News

• VW’s top board group backs Winterkorn as ‘best possible’ CEO – Automotive News: Volkswagen AG’s supervisory board leadership panel backed CEO Martin Winterkorn amid a power struggle with Chairman Ferdinand Piech, saying Winterkorn is the “best possible” CEO for the German automaker.
• Winterkorn wins battle to remain boss of Volkswagen Group – Autocar: Martin Winterkorn will now be chairman of the VW Group beyond 2016. Supervisory board turns against chairman Piech and vows to extended Winterkorn’s contract beyond 2016
• Volkswagen CEO Winterkorn to stay in defeat for chairman – Reuters: Martin Winterkorn will stay on as chief executive of Volkswagen , the German carmaker said on Friday, in an unprecedented defeat for its powerful chairman, Ferdinand Piech
• Alibaba inks deal with Shanghai GM to finance car purchases – Reuters: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd deepened its push into the automotive business on Friday, saying it had struck a partnership with Shanghai General Motors (GM) to offer online sales and financing for GM cars.
• Renault wants France to back down on voting rights rise – Automotive News: Renault urged the French state, its largest-single shareholder, to back down from plans to increase its voting weight in the…
• SWEDEN: NEVS administration exit opens deal door: FKG chief – Just-auto: Scandinavian automotive supplier body, FKG says its members are optimistic following news of National Electric Vehicle Sweden’s (NEVS) exit from reorganisation.
• US: Bolt is here to stay – Chevy – Just-auto: and a little confusion – may not be a bad thing, according to Chevrolet’s marketing chief Tim Mahoney.
• At Chinese Gray-Market Car Dealers, the Price Is Right – WSJ: It may have been a Monday afternoon, but a crowd of people still showed up at the car lot in a distant Shanghai suburb, and they had one major…
• Volkswagen CEO Winterkorn to Stay in Defeat for Chairman – New York Times: Martin Winterkorn will stay on as chief executive of Volkswagen, the German carmaker said on Friday, in an unprecedented defeat for its powerful chairman, Ferdinand Piech.
• BMW To Adjust 2Q China Sales Target – WSJ: A spokeswoman for BMW declined to elaborate Friday on the nature of adjustments to sales, saying only it would be in “line with market developments…
• Aston boss Andy Palmer to race in Britcar 24 hour – Autocar: Aston Martin chief Andy Palmer is to compete in the Britcar 24 hour race at Silverstone, driving a Vantage GT4 alongside Autocar’s Andrew Frankel Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer will race in the Britcar 24 hour later this month at Silverstone.Palmer and his three teammates, including Autocar’s own Andrew Frankel, will be be behind the wheel of a V8 Vantage GT4, in Castrol livery.
• Renault demands French State revert to 15% share – Just-auto: Renault is asking the French State to revert to its 15% stake in the automaker following a surprise hike in Paris’ shares to almost 20% last week.
• GM Car Owners to Fight On for Billions After Bankruptcy Ruling – Bloomberg: General Motors Co. car owners will still seek $7.5 billion for the diminished value of recalled vehicles, despite a ruling that largely freed the automaker…
• Volkswagen group sales up 1.8 pct in first quarter – Reuters: Volkswagen sold 2.5 million cars across its multi-brand group in the first-quarter of 2015, an increase of 1.8 percent…
• Fiat 500X seeks to fill holes in Italian brand’s lineup – Automotive News: With the 500X, a new crossover with optional all-wheel drive, Fiat hopes to make inroads in the snow belt. For $1,900, consumers can get awd in the 500X.
• The 1341hp Electric Car (Beats a Bugatti) – Bloomberg: If horse power is what sells cars, this has more than a Bugatti Veyron. … Magers and Bloomberg’s Hannah Elliott discuss the market for classic cars…
• No regret from auto shop owner on anti-gay posts – Detroit News: Western Michigan business man says his comments on Facebook have drawn threats
• With SUVs, Chinese carmakers at last unsettle foreign brands – Reuters: “Moreover, BYD, Great Wall, Geely and other indigenous brands have made enormous progress in technology, quality and service.” Retail sales of…

Other news, rumors and, gossip

• Electric cars around the world – Economic Times: The BMW i3 had been launched at the 36th Bankok Motor Show with great fanfare. The snub nose and the economical lines of the car suggested…
• d of Volkswagen AG – Volkswagenag: The Executive Committee of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG states that Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn is the best possible Chairman…
• Tesla Motors Inc: One-In-Five Shareholders Bet On Collapse – Learnbonds: Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is, perhaps, the most controversial company on the market right now. The company’s government subsidies,…
• A newly profitable Toyota is leaving Japan behind – William Pesek – Malay Mail: APRIL 17 – Nobody should be surprised that Toyota, flush with US$18 billion (RM65.3 billion) in profits this year, has emerged as a major beneficiary…
• This is the new Haval H7 for the Chinese car market – Carnewschina: The first photos of the all-new Haval H7 SUV, ready for its official debut on Monday on the Shanghai Auto Show. The Haval H7 is the production version of the Haval H7 concept that debuted two years ago on the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. The Haval H7 slots in the high-middle region of the ever-expending []
• Dongfeng Fengxing S500 MPV is Ready for the Shanghai Auto Show – Carnewschina: This is the new Dongfeng Fengxing S500, it will debut on Monday on the Shanghai Auto Show followed by a launch on the Chinese car market in H2. The Fengxing S500 is a compact MPV, ready to compete in one of the fastest growing segments of the market. MPV’s are becoming increasingly popular in China []
• Tesla dispute over $25/hr wage vow won’t hurt tax breaks – USA Today: RENO, Nev.-Tesla Motors remains on track to qualify for $1.3 billion in incentives for its Gigafactory project in northern Nevada, even as the company…
• Furniture shop manager ‘sick’ after BMW smashes through window – Nottinghampost: Manager Sarah Macdonald was horrified to see debris from a vehicle and shards of glass scattered inside and outside the Multiyork store, on Castle….
• First Live Shots of the BYD Yuan SUV for the Shanghai Auto Show – Carnewschina: The first live shots of the new BYD Yuan SUV, scheduled for debut on Monday on the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show. The Yuan is a concept in name, but…
• New Volkswagen Golf R Estate 2015 review – Autoexpress: There isn’t much out there that offers the kind of accessible performance and obtainable price tag you get with the Volkswagen Golf R. For only PS695…
• Shanghai preview: 2015 Volkswagen Scirocco GTS – Leftlanenews: The 2015 Volkswagen Scirocco GTS will go on sale in China and across Europe shortly after its introduction in Shanghai. It goes without saying that…
• Booming electric car market emerges as major threat to platinum – Biznews: (Bloomberg) – Automakers must expand their offerings of fuel-cell vehicles or risk being pushed out of the burgeoning electric-car market, according…
• Bloomberg View: Toyota is leaving Japan in its dust – Biznews: (Bloomberg View) – Nobody should be surprised that Toyota, flush with $18 billion in profits this year, has emerged as a major beneficiary of…
• Chinese automakers have figured out how to battle their foreign rivals in the world’s biggest car … – Businessinsider: “Moreover, BYD, Great Wall, Geely and other indigenous brands have … at this week’s Shanghai autoshow, while others such as BYD are expected to…
• Let cars, not models, attract – Thejakartapost: The 16th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, scheduled to open later this month, has officially announced that no models would be…
• This is the first BMW i8 Electronaut Edition – BMW Blog: Last year, BMW offered a special program for BMW i3 owners who have been part of the electric vehicles journey since the days of the MINI E and…
• Honda S1000 is go – Motoring: When we drove Honda’s all-new S660 mini sports coupe a few weeks ago we came away impressed by the 660cc mid-engined kei-car (Japanese for…
• Top 5 tech giants who shape Shenzhen, ‘China’s Silicon Valley’ – Scmp: Established in 1995 in Shenzhen, BYD specialises in IT, automobiles and new energy with two major subsidiaries, BYD Automobile (partly owned by…
• 2004 BMW 325xi in Excellent Condition! – Uloop: Thank you for your interest in my 2004 BMW 325xi! I have absolutely loved driving this car since I purchased it in 2007for car lovers, it doesn’t get…

Top News

• US: Toyota to revamp Canadian plants after Mexican production start – Just-auto: Following the announcement of a new Corolla plant for Mexico and the expanded Guangzhou joint venture in China, Toyota has also announced a multi-year plan to ‘realign’ its manufacturing operations in North America to support its ‘Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA)’, described as “a comprehensive approach to achieving sustainable growth by making ever better vehicles more efficiently”.
• Fiat goes Dutch with first annual investor meeting in Amsterdam – Automotive News: After a century of meeting in Italy, Fiat shareholders will convene today in Amsterdam, swapping the company’s Lingotto factory with its rooftop racetrack for a luxury hotel in the Dutch city’s red light district.
• Mahindra Said to Be Nearing Deal to Buy Designer Pininfarina – Bloomberg:  Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., India’s largest maker of sport-utility vehicles, is in the final stages of negotiations…
• Fiat Chrysler has no plans to list any other brand besides Ferrari – CEO – Reuters: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has no plans to list any other brand from its portfolio besides luxury unit Ferrari, FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne told a shareholder meeting on Thursday.
• New Volkswagen T6 Transporter and Caravelle MPV to go on sale this year – Autocar: Volkswagen T6 Transporter New T6 Transporter has been unveiled in Amsterdam ahead of its UK launch later in 2015
• Model’s Lament: Covering Up China’s Car Show – WSJ: When the Shanghai auto show opens its doors Monday, Chinese car model InnerSoul, 26 years old, won’t be posing provocatively on the hood of a…
• Fiat Chrysler to inaugurate new plant in Brazil in 2 weeks – Reuters:  Fiat Chrysler’s Chairman John Elkann says company to inaugurate new Pernambuco plant in Brazil in 2 weeks.

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