Archives for April 2016

Friday morning car news roundup, April 8, 2016

April 8, 2016 By Bertel Schmitt

Thursday morning car news roundup, April 7, 2016

April 7, 2016 By Bertel Schmitt

Top News:

Fiat Chrysler Layoffs Underscore Failure Of 200 Sedan, Not Just Low Gasoline Prices – Forbes: In laying off 1,420 production workers at a Michigan plant that builds the Chrysler 200, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is doing more than bowing to the U.S….
INTERVIEW-Bollore’s London electric car club scheme faces delay – Reuters: … well but are taking a bit more time than we thought,” Bollore told Reuters. … Bollore said it has 19 BlueCity electric cars in London at the moment but not all … It is investing 100 million pounds ($141 million) in the car club and a …
The supercomputer for a self-driving car: Nvidia shows off the first of its intended series Roborace – Ibtimes: Nvidia is diving in the world of automobiles. Specifically, it has developed a new supercomputer that will be used for the Roborace, a line of autonoms…
VW emissions scandal: German government finds that only VW Group used defeat devices – Autocar: German officials investigating the emissions scandal have concluded that only the Volkswagen Group used defeat devices

[ There is more … ]

Filed Under: Morning News, News Tagged With: Morning News First published on April 7, 2016 1:42 pm

Tesla’s Unbelievable Model 3 Pre-Order Mirage: Be Careful What You Wish For

April 6, 2016 By Bertel Schmitt

Carless, possibly careless, but not homeless

“I think it’s good news,” said Nissan’s and Renault’s CEO Carlos Ghosn yesterday at his company’s factory in Iwaki, Japan, when Automotive News reporter Hans Greimel asked him to comment on the amazing number of pre-orders Tesla received for its upcoming lower cost electric car, the Model 3. “The fact that so many people are willing to make a down payment to get this car, which I understand will be available by the end of 2017, is a very good sign,” Ghosn continued with a straight face.

By industry convention, established automakers rarely if ever say anything bad about the competition. Privately, some industry insiders think that Tesla Motors might drown in that sea of orders. Some even doubt outright that the numbers are valid.

Wednesday morning car news roundup, April 6, 2016

April 6, 2016 By Bertel Schmitt

Top News:

Dutch government wants to ban petrol and diesel cars – Autocar: Dutch Labour party wants to halt the sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2025; is this the beginning of the end for the mass-produced combustion engine?
Tata Motors to resize diesel engines to skirt New Delhi ban – Reuters: The New Delhi ban on the sale of cars with diesel engine capacity higher than 2 litres was imposed in December and has hurt carmakers such as Tata …
Kia’s $1 billion Mexico plant stalls as `Brazen One’ spurns pact – Automotive News: For Kia, Mexico’s historic car boom isn’t working out as planned. A dispute with a recently elected state leader may prevent the start of production next month at a northern Mexico car factory representing more than $1 billion in investmentV
Daimler Plowing $3 Billion into Diesel Development – Detroit Bureau: Daimler AG is investing $3 billion into diesel engine development as it launches a new EV that goes 300 miles on a charge.

[ There is more … ]

Filed Under: Morning News, News Tagged With: Morning News First published on April 6, 2016 3:02 pm

Tuesday morning car news roundup, April 5, 2016

April 5, 2016 By Bertel Schmitt

Top News:

Hubris Hurts Launch of Tesla Model X – Detroit Bureau: Technical problems, along with the company’s own “hubris” led to a shortfall in first quarter production at Tesla Motors, primarily of the new Model X battery-electric SUV. Will similar problems plague the planned roll-out of the new Tesla Model 3? More from TheDetroitBureau.com
PSA targets North America return with ten-year plan – Just-auto: PSA Peugeot Citroen says it has a ten-year plan to return to the US, but will initially test the market with mobility operations such as car sharing to gauge a feeling for customer preferences.
JPMorgan Chase teaming up with Maserati – CNBC: The Italian automaker, which is owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, joins existing Chase Auto Finance partners Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda,…
Angry motorists queue for fuel across Nigeria – Reuters: LAGOS, April 5 Angry motorists queued overnight at petrol stations across Nigeria and lines of cars blocked traffic in the commercial capital Lagos on …

[ There is more … ]

Filed Under: Morning News, News Tagged With: Morning News First published on April 5, 2016 2:02 pm

Monday morning car news roundup, April 4, 2016

April 4, 2016 By Bertel Schmitt

Top News:

Toyota, Microsoft Form Joint Venture for Connected Technologies – Bloomberg: Automakers are expanding connected-car services as the industry heads toward technologies such as autonomous vehicles. Telematics combines…
Toyota expands Microsoft partnership in connected vehicle services – Reuters: DETROIT Toyota Motor Corp is expanding a five-year-old partnership with Microsoft Corp to develop new internet-connected vehicle services for …
Tesla Model 3: Hit or Hype? – Detroit Bureau: Tesla claims it has already booked over 250,000 orders for the Model 3, just days after its unveiling. The surge is unprecedented in the auto industry. But at this early stage, at least 18 months before the first car is scheduled to roll off the assembly line, can the new Tesla Model S be considered a hit, or a case of battery-powered hype?
German car sales flat in March – Reuters: German car sales were flat in March, the country’s main industry association said on Monday, marking the first month in almost a year …

[ There is more … ]

Filed Under: Morning News, News Tagged With: Morning News First published on April 4, 2016 4:44 pm

Tesla’s Model 3 Is A Challenge That Has Only Just Begun

April 1, 2016 By Edward Niedermeyer

Way back in 2006, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk laid out his vision for his electric-car company in a blog post promising that its six-figure luxury cars would be succeeded by increasingly affordable vehicles. Ten years later, it’s here in the form of the Model 3.

Musk described the vehicle at its unveiling in California on Thursday night as “the final step in the master plan, which is a mass-market, affordable car.” Already, 115,000 people have plunked down $1,000 deposits to order the car two years before it’s available.

Public enthusiasm and anticipation are once again being driven up to levels the rest of the auto industry could only hope to generate.

Beyond the hype there are a number of warning signs that indicate this intense excitement may ultimately lead to disappointment and even Tesla’s ruin.

Friday morning car news roundup, April 1, 2016

April 1, 2016 By Bertel Schmitt

Archives for April 2016

Friday morning car news roundup, April 8, 2016

Top News:

Thursday morning car news roundup, April 7, 2016

Top News:

Tesla’s Unbelievable Model 3 Pre-Order Mirage: Be Careful What You Wish For

Wednesday morning car news roundup, April 6, 2016

Top News:

Tuesday morning car news roundup, April 5, 2016

Top News:

Monday morning car news roundup, April 4, 2016

Top News:

Tesla’s Model 3 Is A Challenge That Has Only Just Begun

Friday morning car news roundup, April 1, 2016

Top News:

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