Note: I am in China for the week. Due to China’s blocking of Google, this week’s collecting of news can be seriously impeded. News can be missing altogether. We ask your indulgence.
Top News:
- Air Force certifies Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch national security missions – Washington Post: It took a court case, tens of millions of dollars and some heated words, but Elon Musk’s quest to be able to launch satellites for the Pentagon finally concluded Tuesday.The Air Force announced that SpaceX, Musk’s California-based company,won its long-awaited certification from the Pentagon.Read full article >>
- SpaceX Gains Approval to Enter $70 Billion Military Market – Bloomberg: They have a vehicle that’s proven and about half the price of the nearest … the luxury electric-car maker Musk runs, and Gracias also is a director for…
- Tata Motors shares drop after China troubles hit profit – Reuters: Under pressure from official campaigns, automakers such as General Motors (GM.N) and Ford Motor Co (F.N) have cut prices or increased discounts…
- BYD to Spend Funds From Share Sale to Expand Battery Production – Bloomberg: The maker of electric buses and cars urgently needs to increase the capacity to capitalize on opportunities in the market, according to the company’s…
- German automotive trio feel the heat – FT: Audi vies with BMW and Mercedes to be the top premium carmaker, but outsiders are poised to compete
- This grid battery startup is raising funds to ramp up in a competitive market – Fortune: Tesla is only the most well-known company that’s using low-cost batteries … Tesla Motors Inc unveiled Tesla Energy – a suite of batteries for homes,…
- Carmakers’ $23B Mexico venture may face snarls at ports – Detroit News: Some automakers skeptical that infrastructure will be able to handle exports
- Takata faces questions over airbag fix as recalls expand – Automotive News: Automakers and safety regulators could take months to nail down why airbag inflators made by Takata are exploding with too much force, meaning consumers cannot be certain replacement inflators installed under a sweeping recall are safe, industry…
- House panel sets hearing on Takata recalls – Automotive News: A House of Representatives panel has called a June 2 hearing to probe the Takata airbag recalls that last week mushroomed to cover 34 million vehicles.
Other news, rumors, and gossip:
- Car CEOs ‘misused corporate funds’ – News: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia – which distributes Jeep, Chrysler, Fiat and Alfa Romeo cars – has filed court documents that allege former chief…
- Volkswagen opens all-new plant in southern Chinese city of Changsha – Autocarpro: The Volkswagen Group continues to expand its production capacity in China with the addition of a new vehicle plant of Shanghai-Volkswagen (SVW)…
- Alarm bells as motorists ‘throwing away’ money on car finance deals – Independent: The specially commissioned Volkswagen survey showed that 27pc of motorists had no idea what level of interest they were being charged on their…
- A Mobile Tesla Motors Pop-Up Store Is Touring The Country – Motrolix: Tesla Motors has made its fair share of allies and critics alike, what with the questionable legality of its direct-to-consumer sales approach.
- General Motors Company Receives Buy Rating from Barclays (GM) – Mideasttime: General Motors Company logo General Motors Company (NYSE:GM)’s stock had its “buy” rating restated by Barclays in a research note issued on…
- A Chinese Scion Outfits his Dog in Apple Watch Bling – Time: China isn’t exactly known for its kindness to dogs – but at least one canine is being showered with riches. Wang Sicong, the son of one of China’s…
- Marchionne Courted GM CEO Mary Barra for Possible Merger – Wot: Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne may be looking to combine forces with another automotive manufacturer, as The New York Times reports the…
- 2018 Nissan GT-R Produces 700 HP? Rumored Output Is Only Half Of 1250 HP Nismo LMP1 Hybrid – Idigitaltimes: Earlier this year, Nissan exec and designer Shiro Nakamura confirmed that the 2018 Nissan GT-R will boast a hybrid power unit that will be based on…
- May the Flails Be With You: Volkswagen Bringing Gesture Control to Production in Golf – Car and Driver: When Volkswagen showed us its prototypegesture-based control setup for issuing infotainment system commands and the like at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, we were impressed. The technology worked nearly flawlessly, even if the various hand motion commands made the user look like they were popping and locking. In fact, the interface was so slick, we []
- Das Typeface: Volkswagen Reveals, of All Things, a New Font – Car and Driver: This is exactly what VW needed: The brand is launching not a new advertising strategy for the U.S. or a low-cost car for global markets, but a new font. And it won’t only be featured in the brand’s stationery and brochures, it will be found on every new VW’s dashboard, center stack, and infotainment system, as []
- Annual Plug-in Electric Vehicle Sales in North America Are Expected to Exceed 1.1 Million by 2024 … – Businesswire: BOULDER, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A new report from Navigant Research analyzes the North American market for light duty plug-in electric…
- 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Starts At $47870 – Jalopnik: A Ford dealer apparently just emailed the full pricing list on the 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT350R to fine folks at Mustang6G.com, which…
- Stranded fan posts video from inside Toyota Centre Houston – Dailymail: Stranded fan posts video from inside Toyota Centre Houston. Hundreds of people waited out the flooding for up to six hours in Houston’s Toyota…