Top News:
- GM opens Cadillac plant in Shanghai – Just-auto: General Motors has opened a new 160,000-a-year capacity Cadillac plant at its SAIC-GM joint venture in Shanghai, with the start of production of the CT6 luxury sedan.
- GAC invests in Uber China – Just-auto: GAC Group (Guangzhou Automotive) has become a strategic investor in Uber Technologies Inc’s China operations. The move is being seen as one that will boost both Uber’s presence in China and provide an opportunity for increased vehicle sales to GAC.
- Renault Plans `More Massive’ Presence in Iran Return, Ghosn Says – Bloomberg: Renault SA, Europe’s third-biggest carmaker, plans a “much more massive” presence in Iran when it returns to the country, Chief Executive Officer…
- Daimler Boss Says Europe Headed Back to Slow Lane – WSJ: BRUSSELS- Daimler AG DDAIY -2.04 % Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche has warned that Europe’s auto sector is set for significantly slower growth…
- New TVR sports car to use Gordon Murray’s iStream Carbon process – Autocar: TVR partners with McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray; new sports car to be offered with carbonfibre panels
- European car market to see lower growth in 2016 – ACEA – Just-auto: European carmakers’ association ACEA has said that the EU car market is moving in the ‘right direction’ after hitting 9.3% growth in 2015, but it also expects growth to slow to just 2% in 2016.
- Renault CEO: No Cheating, All Norms Are Being Respected – Bloomberg: Carlos Ghosn, chief executive officer at Renault and Nissan, talks with Francine Lacqua about the government probe of emissions cheating…
- JLR edges out Nissan as top car producer in 2015 – Just-auto: Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover is now Britain’s biggest vehicle producer with its 489,923 units built in 2015 (up from 449,507 in 2014) nudging ahead of Nissan’s 476,589 (500,238).
- Ford executive optimistic about Apple building a car franchise – Ibtimes: In response to a query on Apple and Google’s potential for building a successful car franchise, Butler said he was optimistic about these companies…
- Continental to start India ABS and ESC production – Just-auto: Continental’s Chassis & Safety Division will start production of ABS and ESC units in India this year.
- Toyota forecasts overall Thai auto sales to fall 10 pct in 2016 – Reuters: Total Thai domestic car sales at 720,00 in 2016, down 10 pct from previous year – Toyota. * Toyota sees 9.8 pct fall from 2015 in its annual automotive…
- Renault recall is not a cheating issue: Ghosn – CNBC: But Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of Renault-Nissan, told CNBC on Thursday that the company had not used so-called “defeat devices” to cheat…
- BRIEF-Anhui Jianghuai Auto sets 2016 production, operating income targets – Reuters: Jan 21 Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co Ltd. * Says sets 2016 production target at 580,000-650,000 vehicles with operating income at 46.0-51.5 billion…
- Thailand industry auto sales seen down 10 pct in 2016 – Toyota – Reuters: Toyota, which commands about a third of the Thai market, sees a 9.8 … said the reason for the fall in both domestic car sales and Toyota’s own car…
- GM’s Cadillac Shanghai Plant Opens as China Hit by Lapse in Luxury – WSJ: “We do firmly believe that there is strong potential for luxury [cars] in China,” said … Sales of cars rose 7.3% last year to 21.1 million from a year earlier, … to the government-backed China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
- Dongfeng Fengxing to Introduce 7 New Models, Aims at 30% Growth in 2016 – Automotive News: Yao Liwen, General Manager Assistant at Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor and General Manager at Passenger Vehicles Sales Company of Dongfeng…
- Sapa Sees Aluminum-Sales `Bump’ in Race to Make Cars Lighter – Bloomberg: Sapa AB, the Swedish maker of aluminum products, expects a “significant bump” in sales to automotive companies in North America as more of the…
- Tesla Sues German Parts Maker Over `Sagging’ Door on Model X – Bloomberg: Tesla Motors Inc. sued a German parts maker for allegedly bungling the design of “falcon wing” doors for its Model X, the latest setback for the…
- GM starts car-sharing service in Germany, US – Reuters: The car-sharing service will launch with small fleets in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and in Chicago, New York, Frankfurt and Berlin. It will center around big…
- GM bundles, expands ride-sharing efforts under new Maven brand – Automotive News: GM is consolidating and expanding its car-sharing programs under a new brand, Maven, in its latest push to adapt to new business models that could threaten to undercut the way automakers have made money for decades.