- Vauxhall job cuts ‘nothing to do with output or performance’, says boss – Autocar: Vauxhall boss, Rory Harvey Growing trend for SUVs has impacted on other car types, including models such as the Astra, which is built at Ellesmere Port
- Opel will shorten workers’ hours in restructuring – Automotive News: Opel did not say how many workers would be affected. The company employs over 37,000 people, including more than 19,000 in Germany, according to its website. PSA CEO Carlos Tavares had signaled possible cost cuts at Opel, noting in a newspaper…
- Renault, Daimler joint engine will launch in Scenic – Automotive News: The Renault Scenic and Grand Scenic minivans will be the first vehicles to use a new 1.3-liter direct-injection turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine developed jointly by Renault and Daimler. The first deliveries are scheduled for January, and the…
- Alpine A110: brand confirms UK dealers will open in mid-2018 – Autocar: New sports car weighs in at 1080kg and its power-to-weight eclipses that of the Cayman; launch editions almost sold out
- BMW will build Czech test track for self-driving cars – Automotive News: BMW will invest over 100 million euros ($118 million) on a test track for self-driving and electric cars in the Czech Republic, as it expands its foray into alternative driving technologies. The construction of BMW’s first vehicle testing project in…
- BMW tests GTE version of a new 8 Series – Yahoo: The long-awaited BMW 8 Series has been confirmed as going into production at the German automaker’s Dingolfing facility in 2018, with the official launch also set for next year. That’s great news for those waiting to get their hands on the new BMW…
- PSA’s Opel to cut workers’ hours in restructuring – Reuters: From April 1, the work week will also be shortened to 35 hours for workers who currently have agreements in place to work more, Opel said. Opel, which operates as Vauxhall in Britain, did not say how many workers would be affected. The loss-making…
- GM Squares Off With Old Detroit Foes in $90 Billion Pickup Fight – Bloomberg: General Motors Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV are planning to show redesigned full-size models at the Detroit auto show in January and start selling them later in the year. Both are trying to steal back some of the momentum that rival Ford Motor…
- Tesla largely responsible for slide in US home solar sales: report – Reuters: FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk, Chairman of SolarCity and CEO of Tesla Motors, speaks at SolarCity’s Inside Energy Summit in Manhattan, New York October 2, … For years, SolarCity, with early backing from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, was the biggest player in…
- Opel strikes deal with unions over cost cutting, redundancy plans – FT: Opel has reached an agreement with its labour unions over voluntary redundancy plans and cost cutting but reaffirmed its intentions to not close plants or enforce redundancies, even as the company strives to make €1.1bn of savings under the ownership…
- 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish: Ferrari 812 Superfast rival spotted testing in UK – Autocar: Hot on the heels of the upcoming V8 Vantage, the Vanquish will feature in Aston’s model blitz as a harder, faster V12 model
- BMW to build Czech test track for self-driving cars – Reuters: German luxury automaker BMW said on Friday it will spend over 100 million euros ($118 million) on a test track for self-driving and electric cars in the Czech Republic, as it expands its foray into alternative driving technologies. The construction of…
- Chinese Startup NIO Considers US Listing Next Year – Bloomberg: The startup has been seeking capital to help fund the development of new electric-vehicle technologies. Earlier this year it raised more than $1 billion from investors including Tencent Holdings Ltd., people familiar with the matter said last month….
- BMW poised to become China’s No. 1 luxury brand – Automotive News: BMW’s sales in China rose 12 percent in November to 55,293 vehicles — a result that positions the automaker to be China’s top-selling luxury brand this year. In the same period, Audi sales rose 6.5 percent to 56,208 units while Mercedes-Benz’s brand…
- Hungary courts Tesla with tax breaks, incentives – MTI – Reuters: Other major car makers in Hungary include German rival Daimler, PSA Group’s Opel, and Suzuki Motor Corp. South Korea’s SK Innovation said last month it would invest 840.2 billion won ($771.86 million) to build an electric vehicle battery plant in…
- TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to Exhibit GR Super Sport Concept at Tokyo Auto Salon 2018 – Toyota: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will be participating at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2018, an event showcasing customized cars, which is scheduled to be held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, for three days from January 12-14, 2018.
- Connected cars update like smartphones – Detroitnews: Using over-the-air updates, Tesla has for years updated its vehicles with everything from Google Maps software to self-driving capability. This winter, General Motors gets in the game with its “Marketplace” upgrade, the so-called “connected commerce”…
- 235mph Lucid Air due in 2019 as electric BMW 7 Series rival – Autocar: Development of upcoming US EV is being led by former Lotus and Tesla engineer
- Audi Not Selling Off Ducati After All – Detroit Bureau: So, there was little resistance when Audi said it would sell off Ducati as part of a plan to trim its costs by 10 billion euros, or $11.8 billion. But Audi CEO Rupert Stadler this week said that is no longer necessary. “I can assure you that Ducati…
- Ford self-driving team to move to old hosiery factory in Corktown – Freep: A team of more than 220 Ford workers developing driverless and electric vehicles is planning a move to Corktown, the oldest neighborhood in Detroit. “Returning to Detroit is particularly meaningful, because it is where my great-grandfather originally…
- Ex-UAW VP won”t be replaced on GM board until spring – Detroitnews: As long as UAW retiree medical benefits trust holds enough shares, it will have a seat on GM”s…
- US criminal probe is latest in string of bad news for Uber – Washington Post: Uber’s woes seem to deepen every time the world turns. Days after another British city declined to renew Uber’s license, a federal court in San Francisco has unsealed a document confirming the existence of a criminal investigation by the Justice…
- Lamborghini’s Urus Is the Luxury SUV Party’s Most Flamboyant Guest – New York Times: Sports car companies began trading tarmac for trails – or at least occasional trips onto grass – in earnest in 2002, when Porsche introduced its four-wheel-drive Cayenne. The Cayenne quickly became the company’s most profitable model line and helped…
- Renault revives Alpine production with 6000-car capacity – Reuters: Renault revives Alpine production with 6,000-car capacity … The French carmaker has spent 36 million euros ($42 million) upgrading the site, factory boss Pierre-Emmanuel Andrieux told reporters at an inauguration ceremony marking the return of…
- Ontario to introduce rebates to boost electric truck demand – Reuters: The rebate program comes as Ontario is working to attract electric vehicle manufacturers and parts-suppliers. The automaking province has lost ground in recent years to lower-cost jurisdictions like Mexico and the southern United States. The rebates…
- Polestar 1 performance hybrid to be limited to 500 units per year – Autocar: Sleek GT to be Volvo-owned firm”s flagship; Polestar sales online by subscription only; valued at about £116,000
- Ford denies Mondeo to be imported into Europe from China – Automotive News: Ford currently builds the Mondeo in China for that market as part of its joint venture with Changan Ford. The Fusion is built in Hermosillo, Mexico. It’s unclear what vehicle would take the Fusion’s place there. Ford also builds the Lincoln MKZ, which…
- China impedes foreign carmakers’ autonomous tests – FT: Chinese authorities’ fear that foreign self-driving cars could be used for spying may see regulators favour exclusively domestic technology in the world’s largest car market. Foreign carmakers say they face restrictions in China on the roll out of the…
- European car sales rise 6%, helped by extra selling day – Automotive News: Sales by PSA soared 83 percent, as registrations of the newly acquired Opel-Vauxhall division were not included in year-earlier records. Peugeot brand sales jumped 20 percent, boosted by demand for its new 3008 and 5008 SUVs while volume at Citroen,…
- European Car Sales Rise as Growing Economy Helps Peugeot, Toyota – Bloomberg: That’s encouraged consumers and businesses to spend more on purchasing roomier sport utility vehicles. Demand for the rugged models has prompted mass-market manufacturers including Volkswagen AG as well as luxury-vehicle producers such as Rolls-Royce…
- Geely Should Dump Daimler for Hyundai – Bloomberg: With its shares cresting at around two-and-a-half times the level at which they started the year and a new premium brand set to take China’s domestic market by storm, 2017’s best-performing automotive stock appears gripped with worry. Last month Geely…
- Used car pile-up signals a diversion in the auto trade – FT: Car industry specialist Cox Automotive, owner of vehicle auction company Manheim, knows plenty about used cars. Yet spokesman Philip Nothard has his doubts about the future of used car leasing. First, as yet the UK used-car market shows no sign of…
- GM says former UAW Vice President Joe Ashton to resign from board – Reuters: General Motors Co said on Wednesday Joseph Ashton, a former United Auto Workers vice president who led the union’s GM department, has resigned from the company’s board. Ashton was nominated to his GM board seat by the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits…
