Top News:
- New battery to boost BMW i3 range – Autocar: BMW’s i3 will be capable of traveling up to 124 miles on a single charge thanks to a new lithium ion battery pack
- Ford vote completes UAW bargaining round with Detroit automakers – Just-auto: A narrow ‘approve’ vote at Ford over the weekend means the latest round of UAW labor talks is complete and new four-year agreements are in place at all three Detroit-based automakers.
- VW’s Bad News Drip Continues Two Months After Scandal Started – Bloomberg: adding about 85,000 vehicles to the 482,000 smaller cars that VW admitted in September were rigged to pass emissions tests.
- Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid – Autocar: Plug-in hybrid tech gives this Panamera zero-emissions potential for city centres Porsche has tweaked its parallel hybrid drivetrain for this second-generation
- Tesla Model S recalled over seatbelt failure – Autocar: Tesla is conducting a voluntary recall of all 90,000 Model S electric cars because of a seatbelt failure in Europe
- VW Group reins in capital spending – Just-auto: VW Group is planning to rein in its capital spending next year as it makes allowance for additional costs related to its diesel emissions scandal.
- Indian stocks tentative ahead of derivatives expiry – Reuters: Among other gainers, Hero MotoCorp was up 3.7 percent while Bajaj Auto rose 1.95 percent on hopes that the recommendations of the 7th Pay…
- Chinese Carmakers Run Out of Road – Bloomberg: Booming Chinese car sales look to have hit a speed hump. … Vehicle sales will expand at a 3 percent pace this year, compared with a 36 percent…
- Fitch: Purchase-Tax Cuts Boost China Car Demand – Reuters: (The following statement was released by the rating agency) Link to Fitch Ratings’ Report: China Auto Watch – November 2015 here…
- Renault-Lotus Deal Is Near – New York Times: Renault is near a deal to take over the struggling Lotus Formula One team, according to Gerard Lopez, Lotus’s owner. Details remain to be worked out,…
- Scion’s edgy new crossover for the kids – Automotive News: “I think the timing is perfect for this vehicle,” Andrew Gilleland, Scion vice president, said in an interview before the L.A. show.
- Nissan accuses store owned by ex-dealer council chair of fraud – Automotive News: Nissan is suing a California dealership and several of its employees, alleging that they filed 3.74 million in improper warranty claims.
- How Toyota channeled Lady Gaga in primping the Prius – Automotive News: Shunsaku Kodama, chief designer of the next-generation Toyota Prius, embarked on a risky mission
- Lincoln’s mission: ‘Core segments first’ – Automotive News: In 2016, Lincoln will have a new face, its most powerful car ever, a revived Continental and a chance to top 100,000 U.S. sales for the first time since 2008.
- U.S. escapes unscathed in this round of VW cuts – Automotive News: Scandal-plagued Volkswagen Group has cut its global spending plan next year by more than $1 billion, but it spared the ax at its U.S. operations.
- Technology upgrades zoom into small cars – Automotive News: High-end technology is quickly making its way into compact cars that were long conceived as cheap, basic transportation.
- Audi seeks charging network allies – Automotive News: Audi AG, which plans to launch an all-electric crossover with a 300-mile range in 2018, has initiated talks with U.S. and German automakers about a shared network of 150-kilowatt fast chargers to rival the Superchargers that Tesla Motors Inc.
- Cadillac’s plug-in play: Hybrids first, then EV – Automotive News: Cadillac plans to equip most of its vehicles in coming years with plug-in hybrid versions to meet tightening regulations, especially in China, brand boss Johan de Nysschen said.
- Sometimes-troublesome UAW talks end with big gains – Detroitnews: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles workers rejected their first contract offer before approving a richer second offer. And although the overall majority of workers…k
- Carmakers at China Show Predict New Era of Slower Sales Growth – Bloomberg: At the Guangzhou Auto Show last Friday, Volkswagen China Executive Vice … growth in the past 10 years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence. … tax covering about 70 percent of the market for passenger vehicles.
- Fiat Chrysler expands free college degree program – Detroitnews: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is expanding a program that offers free college educations to all employees and family members of its U.S. dealerships.