Top News:
- 252bhp Vauxhall Insignia GSi launched with torque vectoring tech – Autocar: The car is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol that outputs 295lb ft and mates to a new eight-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. Current range-topper is quicker around the Nürburgring than the previous and more potent VXR
- Court reinstates Uber ban in second-biggest Czech city – Reuters: A Czech regional court on Wednesday reinstated its ban preventing ride-hailing service Uber from operating in Brno, the country’s second-largest city, the court spokeswoman said.
- Row over unpaid Ebony writers no bar to Tesla board spot for Johnson Rice – Chicago Tribune: Tesla billionaire Elon Musk this week responded to calls to beef up independence and diversity at Tesla by adding Chicagoan Linda Johnson Rice to its board. But Johnson Rice’s appointment comes at an awkward time for corporate governance at Ebony,…
- GM, BMW and Toyota back AI company Nauto – Detroitnews: Three automakers are financially backing Silicon Valley AI company’s autonomous vehicle efforts
- Audi under fire in China for ad comparing used cars with brides – Reuters: German luxury carmaker Audi AG has come under fire from consumers in China for an advert that compared buying a second-hand car to checking out a bride-to-be.
- SoftBank, GM and BMW invest $159 million into driverless car start-up Nauto – CNBC: The Palo Alto, CA-based start-up makes technology to help develop driverless cars.
- 6 things Elon Musk must do now to keep Tesla on track – CNBC: Even as Tesla’s stock has risen more than 50 percent this year, short … Looming competition from Apple and Alphabet make Tesla bulls’ favorite idea…
- 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom: new official picture – Autocar: Eighth-generation model on course to arrive in less than two years; early prototypes of future Phantom have already been seen testing
- Mercedes Really Needs You to Keep Driving Diesels – Bloomberg: In a statement explaining its decision to recall nearly all the diesel vehicles it has sold in Europe since about 2009, the German car giant said it was…
- Mercedes-Benz reveals plush X-Class pick-up + passenger ride – Autocar: The model is a five-seat, four-door crew cab pick-up with a separate chassis and four engine options Mercedes is aiming to broaden the appeal of its pick-up from traditional buyers to the leisure market; it goes on sale at the end of 2017
- Advocates for blind join U.S. push for autonomous cars – Automotive News: Advocates for the estimated 1.3 million legally blind people in the U.S., and millions more with other disabilities, have joined automakers and technology companies in lobbying Congress to help spur the roll out of self-driving vehicles.
- Renault sees EVs becoming more mainstream – Automotive News: Renault has been the European leader in electric vehicle sales, though the overall numbers remain a tiny fraction of the market. Gilles Normand…
- Lenin’s Hometown Wants Its Off-Road Vehicles in Africa and Latin America – Bloomberg: Russia’s car industry is reemerging from four straight years of decline that wiped out more than half of sales, according to the Association of European…
- GM joins other carmakers investing in self-driving startup Nauto – Reuters: General Motors Co and Japan’s Softbank Group Corp are among the latest investors in Nauto, a Silicon Valley startup developing software for self-driving vehicles.
- The World’s Most Expensive Taxis – Bloomberg: … places, while Asia costs a lot less, with Bangkok the cheapest city in the region, according to a survey by online used-car dealership Carspring.
- First Audi E-tron all-electric SUV spotted testing – Autocar: Audi has moved development of its Q6 e-tron to the open road, as shown by this sighting of a test car. Spotted on the continent wearing full-body…
- 2017 Nissan Qashqai on sale now, priced from £19,295 – Autocar: A new range-topping trim, more aggressive front end design and semi-autonomous technology all feature on the refreshed Qashqai
- Volvo CEO Sees Solid Global Demand for Products – Bloomberg: Martin Lundstedt, chief executive officer at Volvo AB, discusses second-quarter results and as earnings improved 39 percent in the period. He speaks…
- Blind ‘Drivers’ Step Up to Shape US Push for Driverless Cars – Bloomberg: Blind ‘Drivers’ Step Up to Shape U.S. Push for Driverless Cars … Now 53 and legally blind, the prospect of fully autonomous vehicles gives him … of concerns: They want accessibility incorporated into car design and states to steer…
- Mercedes recalls 3m diesel cars over emissions concerns – Guardian: … Germany’s Daimler, which makes the vehicles, said the measure to reduce nitrogen oxide…
- Volvo raises North American outlook after solid second quarter – Reuters: Volvo is on track to record its highest annual level of profitability since the 1999 sale of its car business, now owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding …
- DS will reveal all-electric SUV next year to rival the Audi Q2 – Autocar: The baby SUV will sit below this, the DS7 Crossback, in the brand’s range Following the reveal of the DS 7 Crossback this year, there will be three more SUVs from the brand; a baby SUV is next
- Lawsuit claims Uber discriminates against wheelchair riders – CNBC: A nonprofit disability rights organization filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber, claiming the ride-hailing service discriminates against New York City riders with disabilities.
- Dutch firm TomTom reduces revenue outlook as wearable devices drag – Reuters: Dutch digital mapping company TomTom (TOM2. … software to car makers, fleet management systems and technology for self-driving cars …
- Investors Are Pouring Millions Into a Startup That Could Speed the Development of Self-Driving Cars – Fortune: Nauto, the automotive tech startup that uses a combination of artificial intelligence, cameras, motion sensors, and GPS to understand and improve…
- Electric cars may stall without a battery revolution – Guardian: All around the world, countries are sounding the death knell for the internal combustion engine. Earlier this month, France announced that it wanted to…
- Audi sparks backlash with ‘disrespectful’ China advert – FT: Audi’s sales in China have plunged this year after a dispute with dealers over plans by its parent Volkswagen to add Chinese carmaker SAIC as a…
- Microsoft is teaming up with a Chinese rival to power self-driving cars – CNBC: Companies using the Apollo platform for their self-driving vehicle projects can use Microsoft’s Azure cloud services to securely scale outside China.
- Brands take different paths after plunge in Canadian lease market – Automotive News: Cerberus, which owned half of General Motors Acceptance Corp., GM’s captive at the time, changed GMAC into a bank holding company during the…
- The oil price is living on borrowed time – FT: Many still argue that it will take a long time for EVs to displace motor vehicles. New Energy Finance projects about 25 per cent of cars…
- Hyundai Motor to begin production at fifth China factory in August – Reuters: South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co said on Wednesday it will begin production at its fifth factory in China in August, as it …
- Mongolians love their Prius hybrids – Nikkei: Toyota Priuses like these at a dealership in Ulaanbaatar are held in high esteem in Mongolia because they need little fuel and for their ability to get…
- ‘Ponzi scheme’: Co-founder of one of China’s top tech firms attacks LeEco – CNBC: Chinese tech giant co-founder calls Chinese conglomerate LeEco a “Ponzi scheme” in an online comment, the SCMP reports.