Top News:
- VW emissions scandal: VW to buy back cars with CO2 irregularities – Autocar: Volkswagen is preparing to buy back some of the European vehicles affected by CO2 irregularities have been understated by more than 10%, then customers will have the opportunity to sell their cars back to VW at the current market value.
- Birmingham makes Aston Martin facility shortlist – Just-auto: Birmingham, Britain’s second city in the English West Midlands, has reportedly made a shortlist of potential sites for a new Aston Martin facility.
- Infiniti Q30 – Autocar: In an attempt to continue its growth in the UK, Infiniti is launching this new premium hatch
- 2016 Kia Optima PHEV driven – Autocar: Kia’s first plug-in hybrid aims to undercut and out-perform rivals including the Volkswagen Passat GTE and Audi A3 e-tron
- Self-driving Kias planned by 2020 – Autocar: A PS1.3bn investment is planned to bring self-driving tech to Kias by the end of the decade
- Kia plans hydrogen model by 2020 – Autocar: A standalone hydrogen Kia is scheduled to go on sale within five years as part of attempts to cut CO2
- Global light vehicle market picks up – Just-auto: Data released by LMC Automotive suggests that the summer slowdown in global light vehicle sales appears to be over for now with the selling rate picking up in October to an estimated 92m units a year, one of the best readings on record.
- UAW Reopens Contract Talks with General Motors – Detroit Bureau: After a week of consultation with skilled trades union members at GM, the UAW elected to re-open negotiations with the automaker. For more, go to TheDetroitBureau.com.
- Meet the brand new Jaguar SUV – CBS News: In addition, Buick will debut its redesigned large car, the LaCrosse, and both Nissan and Hyundai will display new versions of their compact cars.
- Major VW investor wants CEO Muller to stand down – Just-auto: A leading German asset fund that is a major investor in Volkswagen has suggested that recently appointed CEO Matthias Muller should stand down so that the company can be led out of its crisis by an outsider.
- Opel adds ‘AirWellness aroma system’ on new Astra – Just-auto: Opel is claiming that an innovation on the new Astra model helps to make the cabin “a warm and welcoming personal wellness oasis”.
- Hitachi steps up autonomous vehicle tech drive – Just-auto: Hitachi is stepping up its activity in autonomous drive technologies and targeting small and mid-size automakers who might want to buy in the technology rather than develop systems themselves.
- MG updates MG3’s powertrain – Just-auto: MG says it has upgraded the MG3 model’s 1.5-litre gasoline powertrain for the 2016 model year to boost its efficiency. The revised model also comes with an updated personalisation range and a new chrome grille.
- Bailed-out carmakers owe taxpayers reinvestment in US – Detroitnews: As far as I’m concerned, every employee at General Motors Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles owes American taxpayers a heartfelt thank you. We’re…
- Luxury sales race goes from ho-hum to a humdinger – Automotive News: A year ago at this time, the brands were far less bunched up. BMW was more than 5,000 ahead of second-place Mercedes after 10 months, and Lexus…
- Honda finds marketing rhythm – Automotive News: Honda, as it turns out, also wants to be cool — cool enough to make an impression on the hundreds of thousands of millennials who pack the park for…
- Hyundai previews styling for Genesis G90 flagship – Automotive News: the flagship model for the world’s newest auto brand — depicts a low-slung sedan with a long, dignified hood,…
- Nissan sees Titan filling a niche for pickups – Automotive News: Just two words sum up Nissan’s strategy for relaunching into full-size pickups next month: sweet spot. Nissan knows it can’t truly disrupt…
- Next-gen Leaf: More tech despite low sales – Automotive News: Nissan Motor Co. is barreling ahead with development of a next-generation zero-emission car for the mass market — despite its Leaf…
- Fiat 500X: Where’s the halo? – Automotive News: Fiat’s 500X, the perky subcompact crossover that arrived in U.S. dealerships six months ago, has been selling well but has done little to help the beleaguered brand overall — as it was counted on to do.
- Emissions harmony, finally? – Automotive News: As the next head of global engineering group FISITA, GM powertrain boss Dan Nicholson wants to push for emissions regulation harmonization while the topic is high on government agendas in the wake of the VW scandal.
- Detroit shifts car output to Mexico – Automotive News: Ford and Fiat Chrysler are essentially giving up on trying to build mass-market cars profitably in the United States, instead shifting most production of those nameplates to Mexico so they can dedicate U.S. plants to higher-margin pickups and SUVs.
- Unlikely hitch for VW dealers – Automotive News: Two months into the emissions cheating scandal that has sullied the Volkswagen brand, dealers are running into an unexpected challenge: They don’t have enough vehicles to sell.
- Buick eagerly awaits fresh product – Automotive News: Buick is finally about to get some fresh sheet metal to go along with that catchy advertising jingle.
- Benz’s challenge: Support 9 launches in ’16 – Automotive News: Mercedes-Benz will increase its marketing budget for 2016 as it plans to launch nine new, redesigned or freshened products next year. But brand chief Steve Cannon says Mercedes will skip the Super Bowl.