Top News:
- VW calls crisis meeting to discuss EU cartel probe – source – Reuters: Volkswagen will hold a special … German auto stocks took a hit in early trading on Monday, weighed down by …
- Volkswagen rejects £2.5million congestion charge payments – Autocar: The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, claims that Volkswagen owes Transport for London £2.5million in congestion charge payments which its cars allegedly wrongfully qualified for
- World oil demand could peak in 2024 on higher vehicle efficiency – Goldman Sachs – Reuters: Global oil demand could peak as early as 2024 if there are more efficiency gains in vehicles, greater market penetration by electric cars, lower economic growth and higher fuel prices, Goldman Sachs said in a research note on refining on Monday.
- Audi copies Silicon Valley risk-taking culture with self-driving A8 – Automotive News: Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has been studying Silicon Valley’s risk-taking culture and with the brand’s new A8 self-driving flagship sedan, he is putting…
- Ride-hailing firm Grab to get $2.5 billion as firms pump funds into SE Asia startups – Reuters: Ride-hailing firm Grab expects to raise $2.5 billion to spend extending its lead over Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] and expanding into financial services, in the latest injection of funds into Southeast Asia’s burgeoning tech scene.
- BRIEF-Ford Romania to hire more staff, stop B-Max production – Reuters: Says plans to hire an additional 500 people, on top of plans for more than 1,000 new hires announced earlier this year, meaning Ford Romania staff …
- BMW Denies Collusion Allegations, Says It Didn’t Cheat Emissions Standards – Fortune: As its competitors remain bogged down by emissions scandals, luxury automaker BMW is trying to steer clear. Late Sunday, the world’s fourth largest…
- Toyota’s Hydrogen Holdup Means New Englanders Miss Out on Mirai – Bloomberg: The delays getting hydrogen stations opened are troubling for Toyota’s wager on fuel cell vehicles over battery-electric cars. While sales of all…
- Volkswagen supervisory board to discuss cartel issue: source – Reuters: Volkswagen will hold an extraordinary supervisory board meeting to discuss allegations about a cartel in the auto industry, …
- BMW Denies Emissions Gear Collusion – Bloomberg: BMW has denied that German carmakers agreed amongst themselves to install emissions equipment that was inadequate to do the job. The statement…
- Sensing Weakness, Uber’s Asian Rivals Make $2.5 Billion Play – New York Times: The ride-hailing company Grab is competing with Uber for dominance in Southeast Asia. Credit Edgar Su/. HONG KONG – In East Asia, Uber’s biggest rivals smell blood. Grab, the Singapore-based ride-sharing company competing with Uber for…
- BMW, VW and Daimler shares skid on EU probe of German carmakers – Reuters: German auto stocks took a hit in early Monday trading, weighed down by uncertainty over possible antitrust fines after European regulators said they were investigating allegations that carmakers were operating a cartel.
- Hot Jaguar XJR575 revealed as brand’s most powerful production saloon yet – Autocar: XJR575 is 25bhp more powerful than its predecessor Jaguar’s flagship saloon receives extensive revisions and a 567bhp range-topper
- Big 3 German carmakers’ shares slide amid allegations of industrial collusion – CNBC: In July 2016, the Commission fined MAN, Volvo/Renault, Daimler, Inveco and DAF a total of 2.93 billion euros for forming a cartel and colluding on…
- Infiniti drops midsize QX70 – Automotive News: NASHVILLE – Infiniti has killed its QX70 midsize crossover, effective … According to sources outside the company, Infiniti wants to steer marketing…
- Uber Rival Grab’s Fundraising Values It at $6 Billion – WSJ: Singapore-based ride-hailing firm GrabTaxi Holdings is raising $2.5 billion in Southeast Asia’s largest-ever round of startup fundraising as it seeks to battle Uber Technologies across the populous region.
- BMW Denies Diesel Cheating as EU, Germany Probe Auto Cartel – Bloomberg: With uncertainty clouding the German auto industry, BMW said it has gone farther than competitors to ensure its diesel cars meet regulatory guidelines…
- Australian regulator investigating Takata airbag recall after death – Reuters: Australia’s consumer watchdog said on Monday it was investigating the recall of Takata Corp (7312.T) vehicle airbags, a day after …
- Geely Shares Rally As Investors Welcome Volvo Joint Venture Plan – Barrons: Monday’s performance came after Geely announced a new joint venture for its upmarket Lynk & Co brand alongside its subsidiary Volvo. Geely’s…
- Longtime BMW temp files racism, sexism complaint with EEOC: ‘Enough was enough’ – Automotive News: BMW of North America says it is investigating claims of racism and sexism in its Mini division after a decadelong temporary worker lodged a federal complaint.
- Southeast Asia’s Grab to get $2.5 billion extra firepower in battle with Uber – Reuters: Southeast Asian ride-hailing service Grab expects to raise $2.5 billion in a record round of fundraising to cement its lead over Uber Technolgies Inc in the region and grow its payments platform.
- Ford transforms design leadership – Automotive News: Ford Motor Co. has overhauled its design team amid new CEO Jim Hackett’s quest to transform the automaker into a leaner, quicker-thinking organization.
- Buick leaves its legacy of large sedans behind – Automotive News: More than three quarters of Buick’s U.S. sales now come from the Encore and two larger crossovers. The changes have helped Buick double its global sales volume since 2010.
- Search is on for better lidar – Automotive News: One of the problems plaguing companies developing self-driving vehicles is lidar. Laser-based radar technology isn’t developing fast enough for…
- Henrik Fisker taking ‘lessons learned’ from Karma to new EMotion EV – Automotive News: due out in 2019 — is touted as having a top speed of 161 mph, a more than 400-mile electric range and rapid-charging capabilities of 125 miles in 9 minutes.
- Crossovers and SUVs fatten profit margins – Automotive News: Subcompact crossovers, which include such vehicles as the Honda HR-V and Chevrolet Trax, averaged $24,461, or 46 percent more than the…
- Autonomous vehicle legislation set in motion – Automotive News: The legislation borrows heavily from the wish list of automakers and tech companies that want leeway to operate on highways without being tied too closely to rules designed for vehicles controlled by humans.
- This Ford F-150 will be in hot pursuit? – Automotive News: “Ford’s 2018 F-150 Police Responder is the perfect all-terrain law enforcement vehicle,” Stephen Tyler, Ford’s police brand marketing manager, said.
- Mercedes unveils its take on classic pickup – Automotive News: “With the X class, we will open this segment to new customer groups,” Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said in a statement. “Our pickup convinces as a…
- Dealers are still missing from mobility conversation – Automotive News: In some forecasts, houses will not need driveways or garages because networks of on-demand self-driving vehicles will whisk us away whenever we…
- Jaguar starts its own Easter egg hunt on E-Pace – Automotive News: The XE sedan is gaining traction, and the brand’s first electric vehicle, the … The next vehicle out of Jaguar’s den is the E-Pace, a compact crossover…
- JLR’s Project 8: It’s all about aerodynamics – Automotive News: But one strong design thread ties them together: an intense focus on getting the aerodynamics right, says Wayne Burgess, Jaguar Land Rover’s studio…
- Chevy and GMC aim for market’s sweet spots – Automotive News: … downturn forced General Motors to delay development of its next-generation crossovers, those vehicles are finally reaching dealerships. GM also is…
- Product overhaul steers Buick toward crossovers – Automotive News: Cascada:? GM’s planned sale of Opel makes the future murky for this Poland-made convertible pulled from the European brand’s lineup. It may get…
- Toyota’s V-6 faces Honda’s turbo – Automotive News: TOKYO – A Camry-Accord sedan showdown is heating up over engine strategies, with Toyota betting its V-6 will outperform Honda’s move to a…
- GM rolls into high-profit product phase – Automotive News: … verge of starting nationwide sales of the Chevy Bolt EV, after a slow rollout that initially focused on California and other electric-car-friendly states.
- Uber’s biggest nemesis is funding another Uber rival – CNBC: Grab said the $2.5 billion in new funds expected will strengthen its market position and grow its payments business.
- Henrik Fisker tries, tries again – Automotive News: 2007: Fisker starts Fisker Automotive as a joint venture with Quantum … This time, the launch vehicle is an equally distinctive all-electric sedan called…
- The large sedan shrinks into oblivion – Automotive News: After years of subpar cars, General Motors hit a home run with the 10th … It’s not a case of GM doing anything wrong, besides designing crossovers…
- EEOC complaint launches inquiry at BMW – Automotive News: BMW of North America says it is investigating claims of racism and sexism in its Mini division after a decadelong temporary worker lodged a complaint…
- Self-driving legislation set in motion – Automotive News: WASHINGTON – First-of-its-kind legislation governing self-driving vehicles cruised through a House panel last week, but could face a few detours on…
- Quest for AI Leadership Pushes Microsoft Further Into Chip Development – Bloomberg: “For an autonomous car, you can’t afford the time to send it back to the cloud to make the decisions to avoid the crash, to avoid hitting a person.
- Grab, Uber’s SEAsia rival, to raise $2.5 billion from Didi, SoftBank, others – Reuters: … about its workplace culture, a federal inquiry into software to help drivers avoid police, and an intellectual property lawsuit by Waymo, the self-driving …
- BMW Denies VW Claims of Possible Coordination by German Car Makers – WSJ: Germany’s largest car maker has asked Europe’s antitrust watchdog to scrutinize decades of coordination efforts by the country’s main auto manufacturers amid growing concern they might have breached antitrust regulations.
- China’s electric-car boom charges up smaller Japan suppliers – Nikkei: The fast-growing Chinese market for electric cars is creating new opportunities for small and midsize Japanese parts manufacturers that…
- Australian carmakers replace airbags with same faulty product, says Choice – Guardian: Toyota, Mazda, BMW, Lexus, and Subaru have admitted replacing Takata airbags with a potentially faulty product. Photograph: Toru Hanai/.
- UK to become world leader in battery technology for electric vehicles – Autocar:
- Elderly Drivers Are Wreaking Havoc on Japan’s Roads – Bloomberg: Bank of Kyoto Ltd. gives a 1 percentage point discount on car loans for anyone living with a senior citizen who has given up the keys. Awa Bank Ltd.
- BMW Denies Colluding With Carmakers on Emissions Equipment – New York Times: In a tacit admission that older vehicles pollute too much, Daimler, Volkswagen’s Audi division and BMW have announced plans to upgrade software…
- Opel defends inclusion of employee leases in sales data – Automotive News: Opel defended the inclusion in its sales data of cars pre-registered by the company and leased by company workers, retirees and their…