Top News:
- Uber Gives Up Fight to Go Solo in China, Pairs Up With Didi – WSJ: Global ride-hailing giant Uber has given up its costly battle for China’s riders, swapping its local operations there for a minority stake in the country’s homegrown champion, Didi Chuxing.
- Brace Yourselves: Motorcycles Are Getting Touchscreens – Bloomberg: Someone on a motorcycle is already 26 times more likely to die in a crash than someone in a car, according to the most recent statistics from the…
- First profit for SsangYong in nine years – Just-auto: SsangYong Motor has generated a profit for the first half of CY2016, the first time the formerly bankrupt but now Mahindra-controlled automaker has been in black ink for nine years.
- NHTSA Extends FCA Probation – Detroit Bureau: NHTSA extended the “probationary” period Fiat Chrysler was under for failing to report safety issues in a timely manner.
- Renault spending a further US$100m in Argentina – Just-auto: Renault Argentina is to spend US$100m in preparing its Santa Isabel plant in Cordoba for the addition of an unnamed new model. This is in addition…
- Tesla Lowers Bid, Agrees to Pay $2.6 Billion for SolarCity – Bloomberg: Musk has said the combined company would become a clean-energy giant providing electric vehicles powered by solar rooftops and battery storage…
- Elon Musk’s Tesla, SolarCity to Merge in $2.6 Billion Deal – WSJ: Tesla Motors on Monday said it had reached a deal to buy SolarCity, the next step in Elon Musk’s plan to combine his electric-car and solar-energy companies.
- Tesla to buy SolarCity for $2.6 billion in plan to create clean-energy powerhouse – Automotive News: Tesla will buy solar panel installer SolarCity Corp. for $2.6 billion in shares to form a one-stop clean-energy shop. The combined entity will offer consumers solar panels, home battery storage systems and electric cars under a single brand.
- GM ‘bullish’ on China, sees market reaching 30 million vehicles by 2020 – Automotive News: GM is “quite bullish” about the recovering auto market in China and is responding to a shift in growth toward utilitarian models in smaller cities, a segment often ignored by foreign automakers, said China chief Matt Tsien.
- Tesla, SolarCity may announce merger today – Automotive News: Tesla and SolarCity could announce they have agreed to merge as early as today, people familiar with the matter told Reuters, setting the stage for a campaign to convince the two companies’ shareholders to back the deal.
- SolarCity agrees to $2.6 billion buyout offer from Tesla – Reuters: The combined entity would sell solar panels, home battery storage systems and electric cars under a single brand. “Solar and storage are at their best …
- SolarCity to Be Bought by Tesla in Biggest Solar-Power Deal – Bloomberg: SolarCity Corp. board members approved a $2.6 billion buyout from Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors Inc., a lower price than was initially offered in the solar…
- Didi Schools Uber on Doing Business in Cut-Throat Chinese Market – Bloomberg: The Chinese company held a near-monopoly on taxi-hailing but private-car booking — Uber’s forte — remained up for grabs. It was the Chinese firm…
- The 2017 Jaguar XE Falls Behind the Competition-and Other Jaguars – Bloomberg: Then again, given a blind, badge-less test of most of cars in this segment, few would find it easy to differentiate one brand from another. Still, the quad…
- BRIEF-Tesla Motors, Solarcity announce call to discuss combination – Reuters: Aug 1 Tesla Motors Inc. * Tesla and Solarcity announce call to discuss combination. * Will host a conference call and webcast at 5:00 a.m. PT (8:00 …
- Apple focusing on driverless technology development – Autocar: Brands like BMW could utilise Apple software in their future models
- Kia to launch a wave of hot GT models – Autocar:
- Kia GT production model due in 2017 – Autocar: Concept-inspired showroom car will be a four-door sports saloon with an anticipated 315bhp
- Nissan backs off profit targets – Automotive News: Nissan now says it will be unable to reach CEO Carlos Ghosn’s goal of an 8% global operating profit margin by March 31, 2017. Here are some…
- Daimler Doubles Down On Regulator-Friendly Ride-Booking Services – Fortune: What’s particularly interesting about this round is that it was led by existing investor Daimler DDAIF 0.93% , which wants Blacklane to expand its global…
- BRIEF-Ford sees Q3 projected production volume of 710 units for North America – Reuters: Aug 1 Ford Motor Co. * Sees Q3 projected production volume for North America of 710 units; total Q3 projected production volume of 1,540 units – SEC …
- Delphi Partners With Singapore To Test Its Self-Driving Cars – Ibtimes: The trials are being conducted using Audi cars equipped with the self-driving technology and mapping systems. The project will expand to electric cars…
- Uber to Sell to Rival Didi Chuxing and Create New Business in China – New York Times: An Uber driver behind official taxis in Beijing. The planned merger of Uber’s operations in China with Didi Chuxing, the dominant car-hailing service in the country, signals a detente between the two companies.
- French July vehicle registrations fall; Peugeot, Volkswagen new car sales dive – Reuters: PA) and Germany’s Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) saw new car sales tumble more than 17 percent, CCFA automobile association said on Monday.
- As car-sharing catches on, automakers start to worry – Nikkei: “Given that cars in Japan’s urban areas go unused more than 90% of the time, car-sharing is a threat to us,” an executive at a dealership affiliated with…
- Toyota ready to remake itself as IT transforms autos – Nikkei: Huge changes sweeping the auto industry — from the development of driverless cars to the ride-sharing boom — are forcing carmakers to…
- 2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S 7-Speed: Dogleg Manual Gearbox Makes It Enchanting – Forbes: Dogleg gearboxes send chills up the spines of automobile enthusiasts … As is evident, the powerful sports car understandably spoke to me unlike any…
- US inks EV MOU with American Public Power Association – Just-auto: US Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, David Friedman has signed an MOU between the Department of Energy (DoE) and the American Public Power Association (APPA), to collaborate on efforts to electrify personal and fleet transportation in public power communities.