- Faraday Future raises £747 million by selling shares – Autocar: US company headed by Chinese investor Jia Yueting uses equity funding; it maintains first vehicle will make production next year
- Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) and ViaVan, a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz Vans and Via – Daimler: Berlin’s local public transport system is considered one of the best in the world – reliable, comfortable, safe and environmentally friendly.
- Ford Focus RS Edition gains Race Red swansong version – Autocar: Final run of top-spec super-hatch to be produced in just 300 units for the UK
- Edmunds compares Kia Stinger with Audi A5, S5 Sportbacks – Washington Post: When it comes time to buy an upscale fastback sedan, most people naturally consider models from European luxury brands. For 2018, though, those car shoppers have another option: the 2018 Kia Stinger. Yes, that’s right, a vehicle from the South Korean…
- 2018 Honda Insight revealed ahead of Detroit motor show – Autocar: New hybrid will resurrect a previous nameplate but won”t come to the UK or Europe
- Uber Suffers Setback at Top EU Court in Clash With Cabbies – Bloomberg: … top court said the car-hailing app should be regulated as a transport service when drivers aren’t professionals and they are using their own vehicles. … an inexpensive ride-hailing service in several European cities that allowed drivers without a…
- TMC Announces Sales and Production Plans for CY2018 – Toyota: Toyota Motor Corporation announces today its 2018 sales and production plans, including those for subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. and Hino Motors, Ltd., as shown below.
- Lithium King’s Abdication May Be Cheered by Carmakers – Bloomberg: The lithium industry is set to lose one of its key figures just as a nascent electric-car boom transforms the mineral from niche to mainstream status. That may be good news for Tesla Inc. Julio Ponce, once the son-in-law of dictator Augusto Pinochet,…
- Subaru opens investigation into mileage cheating – Reuters: Subaru Corp (7270.T) on Wednesday said it was investigating whether its inspectors may have falsified data on vehicle mileage readings during final inspections conducted on cars sold in Japan. The logo of Subaru Corp. is displayed at the company’s…
- Subaru plans UK market assault with next three models – Autocar: New Impreza hatchback is due in the UK early next year and is based on Subaru”s new Global Platform Car maker wants to rejuvenate image in the UK with new XV, Impreza and Forester
- Subaru shares fall on report alleging it falsified fuel economy tests – FT: In April 2016 Mitsubishi Motors admitted some of its employees had falsified fuel economy data on at least 625,000 vehicles. This came hard on the heels of Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal. In an independent report months later, Mitsubishi…
- Suzuki SV650X UK price announced – Autocar: Suzuki has announced British pricing for its ‘cafe racer-inspired’ SV650X, and it shows the company is still well on its value game. The SV650X is, obviously, based on the existing SV650 which is powered by a 645cc V-twin engine making a claimed 56kW…
- Electric Cars’ Race to Nowhere – Bloomberg: Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. and BAIC Motor Corp., China’s fourth- and fifth-largest automakers, announced in October and this month that they’ll end deliveries of petroleum-powered cars by 2025. A target for hybrids and electric vehicles to be 90…
- Electric Cars’ Bold Ambition Risks a Race to Nowhere: Gadfly – Washington Post: Once upon a time, it was only Elon Musk making shoot-for-the-stars statements about the glittering future of electric cars. Now, even the most sober of his rivals are getting in on the act. Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. and BAIC Motor Corp., China’s…
- Audi has created an exoskeleton – Autocar:
- Fiat Chrysler in talks over potential diesel emissions settlement – Reuters: Court settlement master Ken Feinberg said at a court hearing in San Francisco Tuesday that term sheets or proposed settlement documents have been exchanged between Fiat Chrysler and diesel owner lawyers. Feinberg said the proposals were briefly…
- Federal judge allows limited claims over Fiat touchscreen to go ahead – Reuters: A federal judge has narrowed a lawsuit by a Kansas couple over Fiat Chrysler Group’s allegedly defective in-vehicle dashboard touchscreens to go ahead, tossing the plaintiffs’ class action claims. Judge Kathryn Vratil of the U.S. District Court for the…
- How EV batteries sparked a cobalt frenzy – Detroitnews: Cobalt left other metals in the dust this year, driven by demand from electric carmakers like Teslahttp://rssfeeds.detroitnews.com/~/i/511654596/0/detroit/autosinsiderhttp://karkontent.com/
- How the Model 3 Can Fix One of Tesla’s Biggest Problems – Barrons: Shares of Tesla (TSLA) are having a tough day, even as its old-school competitor General Motors (GM) manages a gain thanks to an upgrade today. But with 2018 fast approaching, Tesla could force investors to reconsider how they think about the upstart…
- UPS orders 125 Tesla semi trucks – CBS News: “These groundbreaking electric tractors are poised to usher in a new era in improved safety, reduced environmental impact, and reduced cost of ownership,” Juan Perez, chief information and engineering officer, said in a statement. UPS’ delivery fleet …
- UPS reserves 125 Tesla semi-trucks, largest public pre-order yet – Reuters: As with any introductory technology for our fleet, we want to make sure it’s in a position to succeed, Scott Phillippi, UPS senior director for automotive maintenance and engineering for international operations, told Reuters. Phillippi said the 125 …
- Porsche told to hit the brakes on out-of-hours emails – FT: In the future, there may be little point emailing a worker at German carmaker Porsche in the evening or at weekends. Your message may be automatically deleted. Uwe Hück, the head of Porsche’s powerful works council, said the carmakers’ workers should…
- Honda to unveil new gas-electric hybrid sedan – Detroitnews: Honda”s new Insight will debut at Detroit auto showhttp://rssfeeds.detroitnews.com/~/i/511620556/0/detroit/autosinsiderhttps://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2017/12/19/DetroitNews/B99610868Z.1_20171219124206_000_GAI1PNVPI.2-0.jpg
- UPS reserves 125 Tesla semi-trucks – Detroitnews: The delivery company is the latest to put down payments on the electric big rigshttp://rssfeeds.detroitnews.com/~/i/511619008/0/detroit/autosinsiderhttps://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2017/12/19/DetroitNews/B99610892Z.1_20171219123943_000_GPQ1PO8FU.1-0.jpg
- 2018 Mercedes-Benz E400 takes the lead in luxury coupes – Chicago Tribune: Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedans are respectable and responsible luxury cars for respectable and responsible drivers. But chop off two doors, widen its stance, lower the roofline and suddenly you’re ready to cut loose. Going back to the 1970s, E-Class…
- US regulators approve emissions fix for 24000 Audi diesel 3.0-liter vehicles – Reuters: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board said Tuesday they had approved an emissions fix for 24,000 Audi 3.0-liter passenger cars as Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) looks to move beyond its diesel emissions crisis. A…
- Land Rover’s 2019 Defender: What to expect – Automotive News: In redesigning the Defender, Land Rover has reportedly decided to steer clear of the DC100, a concept unveiled this decade that was not embraced. … and both will be based on Jaguar Land Rover’s aluminum architecture dubbed D7U, which underpins the…
- Tesla Secures Its Largest Order of Semi Trucks Yet With UPS – Fortune: The truck’s operating costs are estimated to be substantially below those of current diesel trucks, and Tesla is also promising charging subsidies. The reservation fees, at $20,000 a piece for the standard Semi, will also provide at least a modicum of …
- Life in the Fast Lane: Why GM Could Own 2018 – Barrons: Life in the Fast Lane: Why GM Could Own 2018 … Shares of General Motors (GM) are higher on Tuesday, thanks to an upgrade from RBC Capital Markets. … Spak also applauds GM’s improved capital efficiency, and likes that it has a “seat at the table” in…
- Morning Movers: Darden, Navistar, GM Jump; Apple Slips – Barrons: General Motors (GM) is up 1.4% after RBC Capital Markets upgraded it to Outperform. Michael Kors (KORS) is up 1.3% after Needham initiated coverage of the stock with a Buy rating. Apple (AAPL) is down 0.9% after Nomura downgraded it to Neutral, and…
- Audi recalls over 52,000 cars; fuel lines can leak – Detroitnews: The recall covers certain A6 and A7 cars from the 2012 through 2014 model years.http://rssfeeds.detroitnews.com/~/i/511570946/0/detroit/autosinsiderhttps://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2017/12/19/DetroitNews/B99610858Z.1_20171219085651_000_GFO1PNV7O.1-0.jpg
- How a Culture of Harassment Persisted on Ford’s Factory Floors – New York Times: Ford has worked to combat harassment at the plants, including recently stepping up disciplinary efforts and installing new leadership. But over the years the company did not act aggressively or consistently enough to root out the problem, according to…
- Hyundai Motor’s labor union agrees to tentative wage deal – Yonhap – Reuters: South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor’s labour union agreed to a tentative wage deal on Tuesday, local news agency Yonhap reported without further details. The company was not immediately available for comments. Hyundai Motor’s labour union and…
- BMW announces partnership with solid-state battery company – Autocar: The partnership will aid development of high-performance EVs, such as the iNext Company signs deal with US automotive battery manufacturer Solid Power as manufacturers look to the technology to boost EV ranges
- The Near Future of Electric Cars: Many Models, Few Buyers – Bloomberg: Electric cars-which today comprise only 1 percent of auto sales worldwide, and even less in the U.S.-will account for just 2.4 percent of U.S. demand and less than 10 percent globally by 2025, according to researcher LMC Automotive. But while consumer…
- Electric Morgan EV3 due on roads in 2018 with 120-mile range – Autocar: Lightweight three-wheel EV uses technology from Frazer-Nash Energy Systems
- Japan and China gunning to clear final autonomous driving hurdles – Nikkei: Honda is in love with the concept, so much so that in November it agreed to work with SenseTime to develop artificial intelligence for autonomous driving. The automaker was also drawn to SenseTime’s rich pool of talent — 400 researchers, including 120…
- How Tesla’s Model X Stacks Up Against China’s New NIO – Bloomberg: Founded by William Li and a group of internet entrepreneurs in 2014, NIO has raised more than $1 billion from investors led by Tencent Holdings Ltd. is also backed by investors including Baillie Gifford & Co., the second-biggest institutional investor…
