Top News:
- Marchionne call for mergers sparks talk – FT: Several factors stand in way of Marchionne’s arguments for mergers among carmakers
- Daimler teams up with China’s Baidu in connected cars drive – Reuters: The Mercedes-Benz cars will include Baidu software that allows users to … Tencent and Navinfo, people familiar with the process have told Reuters.
- Fiat Chrysler Falls as M&A Prospects Hit by Report of GM Rebuff – Bloomberg: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV shares fell in Milan after the New York Times reported that General Motors Co. in March rejected an invitation from Chief…
- Audi Eyes Mobile Browsing With Connected Cars – WSJ: To attract customers in China, Audi is betting on connected cars that feature autonomous-driving technology designed to free up drivers to browse the Internet while in transit.
- Sergio: Wrangler will still use steel – Automotive News: The next Jeep Wrangler won’t follow the Ford F-150’s lead with an aluminum body. Instead, the off-roader will keep its steel body structure but add aluminum doors, fenders and other parts.
- Ford Explorer Platinum aims at high-end competitors – Automotive News: Ford is taking its iconic SUV into luxury territory, adding a high-end Platinum trim as it tries to attract a more affulent customer and increase the vehicle’s profitability.
- Kansas City bids to become EV mecca – Automotive News: A Kansas City utility is installing a large electric vehicle charging network, assisted by Nissan, in an attempt to decrease range anxiety and spur EV sales.
- GM wrings more pickups out of busy plant – Automotive News: GM’s Wentzville, Mo., plant is trimming lunch breaks and hiring extra weekend staff to fill surprisingly strong demand for its midsize pickups and commercial vans.
- JLR aiming high with SVO unit – Automotive News: Jaguar Land Rover hopes to match its German competition with a specially badged line of performance and luxury variants.
- Hyundai boss Zuchowski sees green light for small pickup – Automotive News: A small, versatile Hyundai pickup based on the Santa Cruz concept seems to be headed toward production soon.
- Will Nissan’s big gamble on Maxima pay off? – Automotive News: Nissan was leaning toward killing the Maxima sedan as the industry recovered from the recession and turned to smaller models. Instead, Nissan went the other way to create the eighth-generation 2016 Maxima.
- Borgward’s revival plan comes into focus – Automotive News: Bankrolled by a Chinese truckmaker and run by a former Daimler executive, Borgward’s revival is starting to look real. The return of the German brand,…
- BMW to build X2 crossover, report says – Automotive News: The X2 will be based on BMW’s front-wheel-drive UKL platform like the next-generation X1 and recently launched 2-series Active Tourer compact….
Other news, rumors, and gossip:
- Tesla Storage Ambitions Date Back To 2007? Old Blog Post Removed From Tesla’s Website Years … –
- Nissan unveils GT-R LM tech specs – Ecomento: Nissan is ready to dive into the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its new GT-R LM Nismo hybrid. The EV, which cranks out 1,250 horsepower, represents…
- Video: Nissan Uses The Fairlady Z To Solve Japan’s Butter Shortage – Jalopnik: You may not be aware of this, in Japan we have a butter shortage. This isn’t a fictional creation from the Nissan marketing team. It’s a real butter…
- Large Inflow of Money Witnessed in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. – Moneyflowindex: Shares of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE:FCAU) saw an erosion of -0.01 points in recent session. During the trading, the value of each share…
- BMW, Nissan to roll out national EV grid – Techcentral: Nissan South Africa introduced the 100% electric Nissan Leaf in 2013. More recently, in March this year, BMW launched the i3 EV and i8 PHEV in the…
- Can Elon Musk and Tesla save the mining industry? – Telegraph: … a growing role in everyone’s life if the vision of American billionaire Elon Musk to have a Tesla Motors battery powering homes comes to fruition.
- Uber signs deal to operate green-energy taxi’s in China – Carnewschina: The U.S.-based online taxi-hailing service Uber has signed a deal in China to co-operate a fleet of green-energy taxi ‘limousines’ in the city of Wuhan in Hubei Province under the ‘UberGreen’ name. The logistics and drivers will be handled by a local
- Daimler Teams With Qualcomm On Wireless Charging – Techweekeurope: Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, said on Saturday it would begin working with Qualcomm on wireless charging technologies,…
- New head of US auto watchdog using full extent of federal laws to force recalls – Indiagazette: Mark Rosekind was recently appointed as the new head of the US auto … said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in an interview with Reuters.
- Localization helps Chinese carmakers thrive in LatAm – Xinhuanet: Chery has also set up 75 car sales and service centers in Brazil in addition to a research center to be built with an input of 22.3 million dollars.
- Renault Kwid genuinely ‘Made in India’ – Autocarindia: Renault’s new ‘Kwid’ on the block will begin life in India with 98 percent of its parts sourced locally. Apart from Maruti Suzuki, no other multi-national…
- Fiat Chrysler bid to seize assets of former managing director – Gazetteherald: Permitted Chrysler The country is looking for in to capture wealth of former Aussies administrating executive Clyde Campbell amazing companion…
- Daimler and Qualcomm to Develop In-Car Tech, Wireless Charging – Gadgets: Carmaker Daimler on Saturday announced a partnership with mobile technologies company Qualcomm Inc. to explore wireless recharging of mobile…
- Ford sells sustainability to China with MyEnergi Lifestyle pilot – Cnet: Ford has launched its MyEnergi Lifestyle sustainability program at CES Asia, selling the message of renewable energy, efficient vehicles and lower…