Archives for February 2017

Tuesday morning car news roundup, February 28, 2017

February 28, 2017 By Bertel Schmitt

Top News:

Female engineer sues Tesla, describing a culture of ‘pervasive harassment’ – Guardian: A female engineer at Tesla has accused Elon Musk’s car company of ignoring her complaints of “pervasive harassment”, paying her a lower salary than men doing the same work, promoting less qualified men over her and retaliating against her for raising…
Volvo Trucks’ Latest Concept Vehicle Tests a Hybrid Powertrain for Long Haul Transport – Yahoo: With the Volvo Concept Truck, Volvo Trucks has developed its first hybrid vehicle designed for long haul applications. In combination with the vehicle’s…
What Trade Wars? Chevrolet Finally Brings Gas Guzzling US Pickup Trucks To China – Forbes: Things seem to have calmed down a bit between China and the United States; there’s no longer much talk about a trade war with hefty tariffs on…

[ There is more … ]

Filed Under: Morning News, News Tagged With: Morning News First published on February 28, 2017 12:50 pm

BMW’s Japan CEO Reveals The Country’s True Non-Tariff Barriers

February 27, 2017 By Bertel Schmitt

“This is BMW Group’s sixth-largest market, by volume.”

I consider where we are, and my jaw drops. We are in Tokyo, Japan, and we are talking to Peter Kronschnabl, President of BMW Group Japan. Would we be talking to President Trump, or to Ford, we would be told that Japan is closed to foreign cars. Kronschnabl finds the assertion literally laughable: I prod him where Japan ranks at BMW in terms of profits, and Kronschnabl just smiles.

“The Japanese customer wants a well-equipped car. No car is sold at list here.” At BMW, the global ranking goes China, U.S.A., Germany, UK, Italy, Japan, by volume. By profit, take out one country, which one is a company secret. This leads to a nice long chat, and in its course, I learn where the true barriers to entry are buried.

Monday morning car news roundup, February 27, 2017

February 27, 2017 By Bertel Schmitt

Top News:

GM dials up discounts on pickups as rivals tread on turf – Automotive News: GM boosted incentives on its pickup models this month after its biggest foes gained ground, intensifying a price war within the U.S. auto market’s most hotly contested segment.
Norway to phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2025 – Autocar: Government targets sale of only zero or low emission models with ‘polluter pays’ principle
BMW considers making electric Mini outside UK because of Brexit – FT: The possible failure to secure the production of an electric Mini in the UK, first reported in Geman newspaper Handelsblatt, would be a blow for Britain’s ambitions to become a powerhouse in the market for battery-driven cars. Greg Clark, the UK …
Merkel discussed China’s electro-cars plan with prime minister Li – Reuters: He added that Germany supported China’s plan to put more electric cars on its roads as long as the drive was not discriminatory against foreign carmakers.

[ There is more … ]

Filed Under: Morning News, News Tagged With: Morning News First published on February 27, 2017 2:13 pm

Friday morning car news roundup, February 24, 2017

February 24, 2017 By Bertel Schmitt

Thursday morning car news roundup, February 23, 2017

February 23, 2017 By Bertel Schmitt

Top News:

Tesla Faces Life After Subsidies In Hong Kong, ‘Beacon City’ For Electric Cars – WSJ: A beacon of light has dimmed for Tesla Motors in one of its most promising markets in the world. Navigating in the darkness, without subsidies, will be tough. Hong Kong has been a playground for Teslas. They are literally everywhere in the tiny …
UK could lose EV lead in Europe with new car tax brackets – Autocar: Britain bought the most alternatively fueled cars in Europe last year, but the SMMT says new VED brackets could hinder growth
Nissan can manage just fine without Ghosn at the wheel – Automotive News: Nissan, which has counted Carlos Ghosn as chairman, CEO and president for most of the period since Renault saved it from the brink of collapse in 1999, is going to have to make do with less of him.
UK car manufacturing records nine-year January high – Autocar: Production and exports are up, although there’s a slight decrease in production for UK customers

[ There is more … ]

Filed Under: Morning News, News Tagged With: Morning News First published on February 23, 2017 12:52 pm

Carlos Ghosn Hands Over The Rudder, Becomes Admired Admiral

February 23, 2017 By Bertel Schmitt

This morning, the expected happened: Serial CEO Carlos Ghosn handed the wheel of Nissan to Hiroto Saikawa, and said “You are in charge. This way, please.” As of April 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year in Japan, Saikawa will be sole CEO of Nissan. Ghosn will not step down, he will retain the loftier chairman job he long had. Actually, it looks like Ghosn might get comfortable with being a serial chairman.

Wednesday morning car news roundup, February 22, 2017

February 22, 2017 By Bertel Schmitt

Top News:

VW looks to east Germany in switch to electric cars – Reuters: By Andreas Cremer. DRESDEN, Germany, Feb 22 Volkswagen wants to build more electric cars in eastern Germany and backs a Tesla-style expansion of charging stations in the city of Dresden, evidence of efforts to reshape its business after a diesel …
Honda files patent for electric Ariel Atom rival inspired by 2&4 concept – Autocar: The Honda 2&4 concept of 2015 Honda’s newly patented model bears significant resemblance to the MotoGP-engined 2&4 concept of 2015; it could preview an upcoming sports car
Maruti Suzuki to invest another $284m in R&D unit – Nikkei: Maruti Suzuki’s premium hatchback Ignis is being tested for frontal offset impact crash test at the company’s R&D center in the northern Indian state of…

[ There is more … ]

Filed Under: Morning News, News First published on February 22, 2017 1:49 pm

Audi Engineer Had Smoking Dieselgate Gun In His Safe, Pulls It In Court

February 22, 2017 By Bertel Schmitt

A document, locked up in the safe of an Audi engineer for years, could be explosive enough to blow away Audi CEO Rupert Stadler. It could destroy Audi’s fortunes in China, and with that a major source of Volkswagen’s cash. In a German court, the document was pulled out of the safe yesterday, to prove that Stadler ordered Audi engineers to cheat regulators in Hong Kong at a time when regulators in America were tracking down the dieselgate cheat of the century.

Archives for February 2017

Tuesday morning car news roundup, February 28, 2017

Top News:

BMW’s Japan CEO Reveals The Country’s True Non-Tariff Barriers

Monday morning car news roundup, February 27, 2017

Top News:

Friday morning car news roundup, February 24, 2017

Top News:

Thursday morning car news roundup, February 23, 2017

Top News:

Carlos Ghosn Hands Over The Rudder, Becomes Admired Admiral

Wednesday morning car news roundup, February 22, 2017

Top News:

Audi Engineer Had Smoking Dieselgate Gun In His Safe, Pulls It In Court

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