- PepsiCo makes biggest public pre-order of Tesla Semis: 100 trucks – Reuters: PepsiCo Inc has reserved 100 of Tesla Inc’s new electric Semi trucks, the largest-known order of the big rig, as the maker of Mountain Dew soda and Doritos chips seeks to reduce fuel costs and fleet emissions, a company executive said on Tuesday. Tesla…
- Volvo’s Drive Me takes detour on road to full autonomy – Automotive News: Volvo also said those 100 cars would be driven autonomously on approximately 50 km of selected roads in and around Gothenburg in Sweden. That also won’t be the case at the start of the Drive Me, which is a public autonomous driving experiment that now…
- Musk’s SpaceX Doubles Down on Method for Cheaper Rocket Launches – Bloomberg: In the meantime, SpaceX has been carrying out a series of unmanned missions for NASA. The company plans to ferry supplies to the space station using a pre-flown Falcon 9 rocket and a refurbished Dragon cargo capsule on Wednesday. The mission, called…
- Audi Sport boss confirms electrified performance cars from 2020 – Autocar: As well as electrification, Stephan Winkelmann also discussed more performance SUVs
- New Tesla Model S Shooting Brake design revealed – Autocar: London-based design house adds longer roofline to American electric performance model
- Customer demand means Porsche to offer multiple variants of Mission E – Yahoo: When it comes to very high-end electrified supercars, manufacturers tend to offer just one all-encompassing trim level that has everything the car needs, apart from maybe a few optional extras that can be specified if the buyer really wants them. Think…
- Why Boeing can make a brash prediction about beating Elon Musk to Mars – Chicago Tribune: More than bragging rights, a successful Mars initiative will boost the company’s stature and business prospects and create more jobs. Last week, Fortune magazine’s tech site tweeted a story link about Muilenburg accompanied by this message, “Boeing…
- Audi drops plan to sell Ducati motorcycle brand – Automotive News: Investors have long favored divestments to simplify VW’s group structure and to strengthen its management’s ability to push through structural changes against the unions’ wishes. Audi, which owns Ducati and Italian supercar maker Lamborghini, last…
- 2018 Audi A6 to get same autonomous driving capability as A8 – Autocar: Fifth-generation Audi A6, due in the UK in April 2018, will be equipped with level three self-driving technology, as first seen on Audi’s range-topper
- PSA, Renault sign deals to increase local sourcing in Morocco – Automotive News: Morocco has signed deals for 26 auto industry projects, including several with Renault and PSA Group, as it seeks to build its position as an international hub for the sector. The deals include six agreements with Renault to expand an “industry…
- Inside the secret world of the corporate spies who infiltrate protests – Guardian: The leaked C2i documents, ranging from boardroom minutes to humdrum matters such as holiday entitlements for staff, reveal four firms that hired the corporate security firm – British Airways, Royal Bank of Scotland, Caterpillar and Porsche. The second…
- Audi CEO drops plan to sell motorcycle brand Ducati – Reuters: While pushing the costly shift to zero-emissions and autonomous technologies, holding on to the profitable Ducati division and the lucrative Lamborghini brand has become more important, Stadler said. Looking after a premium bouquet is as difficult as…
- GM could re-enter Europe with self-driving tech or mobility services – Automotive News: General Motors has sold its European unit Opel/Vauxhall, but may return to the region by possibly offering self-driving technology or mobility as a service, CEO Mary Barra said. “Nothing keeps us from going back to Europe,” she said at an Automotive…
- US transit agencies cautious on electric buses despite bold forecasts – Reuters: Buffett paid $230 million for a 10 percent stake in BYD in 2008. Today the company has a market capitalization of $25 billion, thanks mainly to China’s aggressive move to electrify transportation. More than 15 percent of the 608,600 buses in China are…
- Trying to Bypass Anxiety on the Road to Driverless Cars – New York Times: One of the big unknowns about self-driving cars is how human drivers will react once they can hand off the tasks of steering, braking and avoiding obstacles to a combination of unseen sensors, software and computer chips under the hood. Volvo Cars is…
- BAIC Motor looks to phase out conventional fuel cars by 2025: China Daily – Reuters: Chinese carmaker BAIC Motor Corp aims to stop selling own-branded conventional fuel-powered cars by 2025, the official China Daily said on Tuesday, amid a major push by Beijing to shift automakers toward electric and plug-in hybrid cars. BAIC, which…
- Morocco announces auto industry deals worth $1.45 bln – Reuters: Morocco said on Monday it had signed deals for 26 auto industry projects worth a total of 1.23 billion euros ($1.45 billion) as it seeks to build its position as an international hub for the sector. The deals include six agreements with French company…
- Ford exec: Hybrids are better suited for self-driving cars than EVs – Yahoo: Automakers like Nissan and Mercedes-Benz, as well as Lyft, have been bundling their autonomous car experiments into electric vehicles. But Ford will keep one foot in fossil fuels, at least for now. An executive from the company told Automotive News…
- CEO Mary Barra commits General Motors to ‘harassment-free’ workplace – Freep: In October, GM product development chief Mark Reuss said the company intends to introduce 20 new electric vehicles by 2023. Perhaps the most significant decision General Motors completed in 2017 was its decision to sell its Opel and Vauxhall businesses…
- GM Could Go Back to Europe, Just Not Selling Mass-Market Cars – Bloomberg: General Motors Co. sold its European unit earlier this year, but it may not have given up on the region for good. … Barra has been investing more in self-driving cars, electric vehicle tech and ride-sharing services, with the push into new mobility…
- Cutting US electric vehicle tax credit ‘will have an impact’ -GM – Reuters: If Congress eliminates an electric vehicle tax credit it will have an impact on sales of U.S. electric vehicles such as General Motors Co’s Chevrolet Bolt, GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said on Monday. The House version of a bill that would cut…
- China’s Newest EV Looks to be World Champion – Detroit Bureau: Early it was expected that Tesla would benefit immensely from the new rule allowing non-Chinese EV makers to build vehicles in the country without an indigenous partner. And while Tesla is hustling to get its production ducks in a row in China, so too…
- Macron Aims to Keep Paris Climate Deal Alive – Bloomberg: They’ll gather at the Ile Seguin, south west of Paris on the site of a former Renault SA car factory. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney is due to speak about efforts to get companies to make better disclosures of climate-related risks. AXA, which…