Archives for May 2015

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.

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Top News:

• UK: Car market has topped out – Vauxhall chief – Just-auto: The UK car market continues to turn in high monthly numbers, but it is topping out according to Vauxhall MD Tim Tozer.
• Audi can imagine more bidders in German Nokia consortium – Reuters: Audi could imagine more bidders for Nokia’s mapping unit HERE in the three-way German consortium of luxury automakers, R&D boss Ulrich Hackenberg said.
• French court upholds ban on unlicensed taxis, hitting Uber – Reuters: France’s highest administrative court on Friday … The case before the appeals court was brought by three competing car…
• The Secrets Behind Renault’s New Kwid on the Block – WSJ: The Renault-Nissan Alliance has design centers in Mumbai and Chennai, where the concept of the Kwid was developed using mainly Indian…
• Audi chairman says will take ‘bit of time’ to replace Piech on board – Reuters: Audi Chairman Martin Winterkorn said on Friday it would still take “a bit of time” to replace Ferdinand Piech and his wife on the luxury carmaker’s supervisory board.
• Jeep leads Detroit’s return to Tokyo Motor Show – Automotive News: For the first time in nearly a decade, a Detroit automaker will exhibit at the Tokyo Motor Show. Jeep — the best-selling U.S. brand in Japan — will return when doors open in October.
• GERMANY: Automated cars to slash human mistakes: Bosch Mobility chairman – Just-auto: Bosch says adopting automated driving systems could help avoid most accidents as such technology increasingly occupies the thoughts of consumers and legislators.

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Top News:

• Consumers overwhelm NHTSA website – Automotive News: Hundreds of thousands of car owners who were urged to check a government website and see if their airbags are safe have overwhelmed the site and U.S. regulators say it might take several days before the database is fully accessible.
• GM plans to invest about $400 million in Corvette plant, report says – Automotive News: General Motors today plans to announce an investment of about $400 million in its Corvette sports car plant in Kentucky, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
• VW works council boss calls for cuts to management board – Reuters: The head of Volkswagen’s works council wants a pared-down management structure at the carmaker, he told a German magazine, as the company takes stock after the ouster of Chairman Ferdinand Piech.
• Not so fast: connected cars could cause data traffic jams – Reuters: Connected cars with onboard Wi-Fi connections could cause spikes in … It says car navigation and collision detection systems that rely on local…
• Renault Small Car Kwid to Get More Engine Variants in Future: Report – Ibtimes: The main topic in the auto world now is French auto-maker Renault’s newest addition to its product portfolio, Kwid. The car, which received a global…
• Obama Scales Back Overly Ambitious Goals for Electric Car Use – Bloomberg: … according to data from the U.S. General Service Administration obtained by Bloomberg under a Freedom of Information Act request. U.S. consumers…

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Top News:

• Analyst: Driverless cars will cut US sales by 40% – Freep: … self-driving cars will eliminate many multicar households, reduce U.S. auto sales by 40% over the next 25 years and force General Motors and Ford…
• Analyst Sees Automated Driving Cutting Car Production 70% – Benzinga: Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) often seen as forward-looking, offers both status and performance, but its plans to go mass market “may be…
• Analyst Sees Automated Driving Cutting Car Production By More Than 50% – Yahoo:
• US: FCA Marchionne warns of NHTSA action cost consequences – Just-auto: Fiat-Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne has warned that a tougher stance towards the auto industry from US regulators will mean higher costs for automakers.
• Takata changed design of its airbags in 2008, report says – Automotive News: Takata, the airbag maker that agreed to the largest automotive recall in U.S.
• US: OEM-Supplier relations study shows Toyota and Honda gains – Just-auto: A study of OEM-Supplier relations on North America shows strong gains for Toyota and Honda, with Ford, Nissan, FCA and GM falling well behind.
• Updated Pilot to become Honda’s priciest U.S. vehicle – Automotive News: When the third-generation Pilot crossover goes on sale in June, its fully loaded Elite trim level will carry a sticker price of $47,300, including shipping.

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Top News:

• Shanghai to Legitimize Car-Sharing Ride Apps in First for China – Bloomberg: Shanghai will allow private-car hailing services via mobile apps starting next month, the first city in China to legitimize an industry popularized in the…
• More clues that an Apple car is coming – Ecomento: Rumors about a possible Apple car were given a boost this week when news leaked that a lawsuit accusing Apple of deliberately poaching key…
• Borgward plans revival with former Daimler China boss at helm – Automotive News: Walker, 63, retired from Daimler in 2012 after a 30-year career with the automaker which included stints as head of the Smart microcar brand and CEO…
• INDIA: Tata learns from mistakes with new GenX Nano – Just-auto: Tata Motors is having another attempt at reviving its Nano small car, by giving it a new name, a facelift, the option of an automatic gearbox and a hatchback boot.
• 2016 Bentley Bentayga SUV – new pictures – Autocar: The Bentley Bentayga is continuing to shed its disguise ahead of its imminent reveal Bentley’s first SUV, dubbed Bentayga, will go on sale in 2016 for a starting price upwards of PS130,000
• Supercar makers neglect women at their peril – Reuters: “Any woman could drive those cars,” said Sonja Heiniger, the Swiss owner of an Internet services firm who has owned four Lamborghinis and hits the…

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Top News:

• Consumer Report Calls its Tesla Model S Undriveable – Detroit Bureau: A year after it rated the Tesla Model S the best vehicle it ever tested, Consumer Reports described the new iteration “undriveable.” For more, go to TheDetroitBureau.com.
• GERMANY: Mercedes-Benz introduces new app with Apple Watch – Just-auto: Mercedes-Benz has introduced an intelligent integration between Apple Watch and Mercedes-Benz vehicles with its new MB Companion App that it says enables door-to-door journeys by sat-nav.
• Germany’s Audi rules out entry into Formula One racing – Reuters: The sport, in which Ferrari and Mercedes race, is seeking to make cars … He told Britain’s Auto Express magazine website that “in life you must keep…
• Honda airbag recall spreads to India – Just-auto: Honda Cars India (HCIL) has announced that it will carry out preventive replacement of Passenger Side airbag inflator of 575 units of CR-V…
• Fiat 500L exports from Serbia to Russia planned – Just-auto: Russian media reports say that Fiat’s Serbian plant may commence exports of the 500L model to Russia in June. The reports cite remarks by Zeljko…
• Fiat, Renault output in Turkey hit by labor dispute – Automotive News: Fiat’s joint venture in Turkey said today it has halted production at its plant in the northwestern city of Bursa as a labor protest…
• Nissan CEO says no need to change Renault alliance after French government hikes stake – Reuters: Nissan Motor Co Ltd CEO Carlos Ghosn said on Monday there was no need to change the automaker’s capital alliance with Renault , after France raised its stake and voting rights in Renault last month.

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Top News:

• Honda exec says latest airbag recall may impact Japan sales – Automotive News: Honda could see an impact on sales in Japan from its plans to recall some 5 million cars to replace potentially fatal airbags made by troubled supplier Takata, a top executive said today.
• CHINA: Qoros goes for sponsorship in China table tennis – Just-auto: China based premium car brand Qoros is associating its brand with one of the most popular sports in China in the hope of raising brand awareness throughout the country.
• JAPAN: Toyota and Mazda to form committee for “strategic alliance” – Just-auto: Toyota and Mazda plan to set up a joint committee to determine how the two companies can work closer together, with the ultimate aim of having engineers of both companies working together on the development of new products.
• JAPAN: Toyota to launch new app to find restroom – Just-auto: Toyota will launch its newly-developed Restroom Finder app on 21 May. The app, which works in conjunction with the Toyota T-Connect and Lexus G-Link telematics systems, lets users search for special needs restrooms located in rest areas on highways and public roads.

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