Top News:
- Fiat Envisions Jeep as Global SUV Giant to Fulfill Auto Dreams – Bloomberg: While automakers around the world covet Jeep for its strong growth and fat profits, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV sees potential for much more,…
- Audi wants thin, flexible solar cells to cover the roofs of electric vehicles – CNBC: Audi is set to work with a subsidiary of Chinese solar cell business Hanergy with the aim of producing solar energy to boost the range of electric…
- Daimler plans new holding structure for 2019: Manager Magazin – Reuters: German car and trucks maker Daimler is working on a corporate holding structure which could be ready by the company’s annual general meeting on April 5, 2019, Manager Magazin said on Thursday.
- Germany’s self-driving rules put people before animals, property – Automotive News: Protecting people rather than property or animals will be the priority under pioneering new German legal guidelines for the operation of…
- Driverless Cars of the Future Confront Regs Written for Drivers – Bloomberg: Car companies would also like to have some reassurance that what they’re doing is approved by NHTSA before venturing too far into the unknown.
- Tesla leading unusual August rush to issue junk bonds before Fed ends the party – CNBC: Analysts attribute the increase to strong investor demand and companies’ expectations for higher interest rates in the coming months from tighter monetary policy in the U.S. and Europe. The window for high-yield debt issuance may be closing soon as…
- Toyota Finds New Customers: People Who Don’t Like Toyotas – WSJ: Toyota Motor Corp. says its new C-HR compact crossover is the car for people who dislike Toyotas. If early sales data are any indication, there are a…
- Miner South32 seeks exposure to battery metal cobalt – FT: Cobalt is a critical ingredient in batteries for electric cars produced by Tesla Motors and Chevrolet Bolt, with demand expected to double over the next…
- Comment: Trying to decipher Audi’s new numbering system – Autocar: This is the new Audi R8 50 TDI. It’s the equivalent of an old GCSE grade B. No, wait, it’s the equivalent of the old Audi R8 3.0 TDI. Yes, we think that’s right There’s logic behind Audi’s decision to change model designations, but the implementation of it is a little baffling
- BRIEF-Wabco to expand into steering capabilities signs agreement to acquire Sheppard – Reuters: * Wabco to expand into steering capabilities; signs agreement to acquire Sheppard, a key supplier of commercial vehicle technologies based in United States
- Apple driverless car project killed by lack of direction, say employees – Autocar: imagined the Apple iCar last year Apple’s tumultuous Project Titan no longer has the objective of making its own car
- Tesla’s sales head to get $700000 payout on meeting targets – Reuters: Electric carmaker Tesla Inc said on Wednesday it would pay … to become a profitable and high-volume manufacturer of electric cars.
- Maserati Ghibli facelift to be revealed in China tomorrow – Autocar: Light visual tweaks and new trim levels will refresh Maserati’s four-door BMW 5 Series rival
- German Auto Giants Become Political Pariahs – WSJ: After decades of cozying up to car makers, German politicians are turning their backs on a scandal-ridden industry many voters now see as an embarrassment rather than a source of national pride.
- UK car manufacturing growth spurred on by 57-plate change – Autocar: Decline halted in July with 7.8% growth; amended used car market stats show steady demand
- Baidu Sells Food Delivery Unit to Alibaba-Backed Startup Ele.me – Bloomberg: Under his leadership the company has focused on AI projects like its driver-less car platform Apollo and a Siri-like personal assistant called DuerOS.
- Used car market steady in second quarter of 2017, amended figures show – Autocar: Corrected figures show 13.5% slump was incorrect and used car market has remained strong; SMMT chief Mike Hawes insists consumer confidence must be maintained by the Government
- Should you still consider a diesel car or SUV? – CBS News: General Motors (GM) thinks you still might want to buy a diesel car or SUV. Diesel sales, especially among sedans, have slumped since 2015 after it…
- Audi board to decide on management reshuffle on Monday: sources – Reuters: The supervisory board of Volkswagen’s … was to be reshuffled by the start of the IAA auto show in mid-September.
- Honda NSX UK allocation increased to 150 following strong demand – Autocar: Second batch to arrive in Britain from mid-2018; first allocation of 100 cars has sold out
- Skoda: no sub-brand for EVs, but won’t be ‘vanilla’ like Tesla Model 3 – Autocar: Volkswagen’s ID brand will not be emulated by Skoda’s electric vehicle effort
- Skoda plans in-car Amazon Alexa voice control in connectivity push – Autocar: The connectivity boom continues, as Skoda adopts leading speech recognition tech for in-car command system
- South32 profit leaps, eyes electric vehicle battery market – Reuters: Australian-based miner South32 (S32.AX), buoyed by an eight-fold leap in annual profit, is looking to lift its exposure to growing …
- BMW Launches World’s Quietest Diesel In The 523d Model – Forbes: The new BMW 5-Series comes with a surprisingly good selection of engines including a 540i gasoline version, 530e plug-in hybrid and the 523d and…
- Nickel mining: the hidden environmental cost of electric cars – Guardian: The mining and processing of nickel-rich ores can generate high loadings of dust in the air, that contains high concentrations of potentially toxic metals…
- AutoFi Raises $10 Million Series A To Make It Easier To Get A Car Loan – Forbes: AutoFi has raised $10 million in its quest to make it easier to take out a car loan. … The company plans to use the funding to support its roll-out at these…
- Hedge Fund Crusade Stymied as Japan Inc. Clings to Cross-Shares – Bloomberg: Toyota Motor Corp., for example, holds at least 2 percent of almost 70 companies in Japan, according to data compiled by . For Toyota, a…
- Wells Fargo Cedes US Auto-Lending Crown to Ally Amid Car Glut – Bloomberg: Wells Fargo & Co. just ended its 3 1/2 year reign as the king of U.S. auto … for lenders to blunt losses by repossessing cars when borrowers default.
- UK car output reverses downward trend with 7.8 percent rise in July – Reuters: British car production rose by an annual 7.8 percent in July as manufacturers boosted output ahead of the key selling …
- New Vehicles Costing Americans Additional $706 a Month – Detroit Bureau: Small sedans are the least expensive vehicles to drive at $6,354 annually, however, small SUVs ($7,606), hybrids ($7,687) and electric vehicles…
- Great Wall’s Better Path – Bloomberg: While China remains the world’s largest car market, posting stronger growth than North America and Europe, auto sales in India, Indonesia, Malaysia…
- Volkswagen T-Roc’s new look is a breath of fresh air – Autocar: VW design has seen a shift post-Dieselgate; its new T-Roc is a prime example of the trend
- Ford Signs Deal to Jointly Develop EVs in China – Detroit Bureau: Looking to take advantage of the fastest growing market in the world for electric vehicles, Ford Motor Co. inked a development deal with Anhui Zotye…
- An airport gives away its handicapped spots to Lexus owners in a giant marketing fail – Washington Post: The airport’s marketing team recently came up with an interesting idea: how about getting a major auto maker-let’s say Lexus-to sponsor a bunch of…
- VW Rolls Out a Two-Tone Compact SUV to Challenge Nissan – Bloomberg: The T-Roc, at 4.23 meters (14 feet) long, is roughly the size of Nissan Motor Co.’s popular Qashqai, but comes more than a decade later. The compact…
- 2017 Audi RS 7 Performance trim is overkill – Chicago Tribune: 2017 Audi RS 7 Performance is about $20,000 more than the RS 7 full-size … ranging from a Tesla Model S P100D to a Porsche Panamera Turbo.
- Volkswagen T-Roc revealed – full details of new Nissan Qashqai rival – Autocar:
- China automaker Chery won’t take M&A route for planned overseas growth: CEO – Reuters: Chinese state-owned Chery Automobile Co aims to rely only on organic means to grow its international sales, its CEO said, underlining a strategy that is different from its private sector rivals who have either made or are considering acquisitions.
- Elon Musk’s Net Worth Eclipses $20 Billion For First Time – Forbes: Elon Musk, a polymath entrepreneur who nearly went bankrupt launching Tesla Motors and rocket company SpaceX, is now worth more than $20…