Top News:
- Ford makes mobile wind tunnel from shipping containers – Detroitnews: Ford said the invention is a fraction of the cost of typical wind tunnels, which are building-size rooms with high-tech equipment that can cost up to $50…
- Takata’s fight for survival gets even harder as airbag recall widens – Automotive News: The world’s largest automotive safety recall is about to get even bigger, adding to the hurdles that Japanese airbag supplier Takata is battling to survive the crisis.
- China’s BAIC to build car assembly plant in South Africa – Just-auto: Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Company (BAIC) hastold reporters in China it plans to build a fullsize vehicle assembly plant in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, at a cost CNY5bn (US$770m).
- BMW’s handy aid for car drivers – FT: In a full-page newspaper advertisement in 2005, the company boasted it had “uninvented the wheel”, unveiling a car controlled by the driver’s…
- Fiat Chrysler testing autonomous cars with Google – Autocar: FCA supplies Google with 100 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid MPVs to test Google technology; the new cars will more than double the existing test fleet
- Porsche names new R&D head as Hatz departs – Just-auto: Michael Steiner is the new member of the executive board for research and development at Porsche, the automaker announced.
- Kumho restarts Georgia tyre plant – Just-auto: Kumho has opened a new production facility with an annual capacity of 4m tyres in Macon, Georgia, following its original mothballing in 2008, due to the global financial crisis.
- Volkswagen to launch Ameo compact sedan initially with petrol engine only: Report – Ibtimes: German car-maker Volkswagen is expected to launch its new compact sedan Ameo in India in June this year. According to a report of AutoCar India,…
- China tries a different tack to curb air pollution – Nikkei:
- Toyota Etios sedan facelift spied testing in India – Ibtimes: Toyota Kirlosakar Motor’s (TKM) mid-side sedan the Etios has been caught testing wearing camouflaged front and rear bumper. Launched in 2010, the…
- The Inventor of Customer Satisfaction Surveys Is Sick of Them, Too – Bloomberg: … it morph into a Frankenstein: the endless loop of “brief” satisfaction surveys following a dental appointment, car rental or salad at a corner restaurant.
- Billions Are Being Invested in a Robot That Americans Don’t Want – Bloomberg: Sherman, 21, a mechanical-engineering student at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, trusts the technology and sees these vehicles eventually…
- Daimler plans Mercedes engine factory in Poland – Automotive News: FRANKFURT — Daimler said it plans to invest around 500 million euros ($574.5 million) in a new engine factory in Poland to broaden its production…
- Volvo Cars swings to profit in Q1 – Just-auto: Geely-owned Volvo Cars has posted Q1 earnings gains boosted by strong sales of its recently launched and high margin XC90.
- This Electric Vehicle Charging Network Just Raised Another $50 Million – Fortune: ChargePoint, the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging network, is in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. It operates…
- Continental AG Raises 2016 Cash Flow Forecast 11% on Earnings – Bloomberg: Continental AG, Europe’s second-biggest car-parts maker, raised its 2016 cash-flow forecast 11 percent after earnings jumped faster than revenue in…