- Volkswagen Supplier to Face Criminal Case in Emissions Fraud – WSJ: A supplier for Volkswagen AG VLKAY -1.92% is in discussions with the U.S. Justice Department to resolve an impending criminal case arising from its alleged participation in the German auto giant’s emissions cheating, according to people familiar with…
- Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler diesel monkey tests: brands have ‘blood on their hands’ – Autocar: German car makers have admitted an organization of theirs used monkeys in diesel fume tests German manufacturers admitted to financing a study that was designed to prove emissions were lower by forcing animals to breathe in exhaust fumes
- Former Lotus boss opens new Ares Design headquarters in Modena – Autocar: Dany Bahar, chief executive of Lotus from 2009 to 2012, is using a former Fiat and Alfa Romeo dealership building for his new company
- Volvo Trucks sees potential for 10 percent of Swedish sales in LNG trucks – Reuters: We have made an estimate for the Swedish market … – it’s a good indication of the potential that we see – for Sweden we have stated that … within the next (two to three) years we believe that about 10 percent of our sales will be LNG trucks, he…
Archives for January 2018
Wednesday Morning Auto News, Jan 31, 2018
January 31, 2018 By
Volkswagen snatches World’s Largest Automaker 2017 trophy. The true hero is the Alliance
January 30, 2018 By
Source: Company data
The final numbers (so far) are in for 2017, and in a dramatic photo finish, Volkswagen snatched the top spot in the race for World’s Largest Automaker 2017, scraping past the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance by just 1,441 units, or 0.01% more. Toyota took 3rd.
The Volkswagen number of 10.741 million has been public for nearly two weeks, and the urge to add a few cars must have been high. Congratulations for resisting temptation. [ There is more … ]
‘Fool cell’ Toyota Mirai trounces ‘S-curve’ Tesla Model 3
January 30, 2018 By
Hand made Mirai. (c) Bertel Schmitt
Last October, we raised the possibility that Tesla’s alleged mass market car, the Model 3, could be out-sold by Toyota’s not-at-all-mass-market car, the fuel-cell powered Mirai. We called that a “strong possibility,” and a Toyota tipster said “if Tesla maintains its graceful pace of some 130 a month, for sure we will have made more Mirai this year by end of December.”
As the world is well aware by now, the Model 3 ramp-up was disgraceful, and as hard as it may have tried, Tesla could report only 1,770 Model 3 as sold to (mostly in-house) customers in 2017.
Today was December and calendar year 2017 numbers day in Japan, an opportunity to ask Toyota how its Mirai has been doing. [ There is more … ]
Tuesday Morning Auto News, Jan 30, 2018
January 30, 2018 By
- Lotus boss reveals plans for two new models – Yahoo: Geely, the Chinese owner of Volvo, purchased a major stake in Lotus last year, which it’s hoped will bring a much needed degree of stability and investment to the brand after years of ownership changes. So, unlike the last group of ambitious concepts…
- Forget Self-Driving Cars, Robot Delivery Vans Are Here – Bloomberg: However, Nuro, by all accounts a scrappy newcomer, has some street cred. Co-founders Jiajun Zhu (who goes by “Jay-Z”) was one of the first engineers working on Waymo, the self-driving unit launched by Google (now Alphabet Inc.) Ferguson, who has a…
- California start-up Nuro unveils autonomous delivery van, raises $92 mln – Reuters: Silicon Valley start-up Nuro said on Tuesday it raised $92 million to launch a self-driving delivery vehicle, joining automakers, shippers and a host of little-known companies developing autonomous vehicles for local commerce. The company, co-founded…
Hard NOx, where Alex Gibney takes you to my living room
January 29, 2018 By
A few months ago, a (very polite) film crew invaded our Tokyo home to take a few shots for Alex Gibney’s “Dirty Money” series. Its first episode, titled “Hard NOx,” is now up on Netflix. [ There is more … ]
Monday Morning Auto News, Jan 29, 2018
January 29, 2018 By
- VW, Daimler, BMW sponsored diesel-fume tests on humans, report says – Automotive News: Volkswagen Group, Daimler and BMW took another blow amid revelations that they sponsored tests that exposed humans as well as monkeys to diesel exhaust fumes, which can cause respiratory illness and cancer. The study, supported by a little-known group…
- Tesla Model S Shooting Brake: world’s quickest estate is now completed – Autocar: The shooting brake has been commissioned by a businessman who wants more space in the Model S for his dogs
- German car makers backed studies exposing people and monkeys to toxic car exhaust – Washington Post: We condemn the experiments in the strongest terms,” car maker Daimler wrote. The statement, released at a time when only experiments with monkeys but not humans were publicly known, accused the researchers of having violated ethics rules and company…
Friday Morning Auto News, Jan 26, 2018
January 26, 2018 By
- The Strange, Ugly Car That Everyone Wants – Bloomberg: All these vehicles are slightly retooled versions of standard models, yet they command a hefty price premium. Jaguar Land Rover was bold enough to launch its ragtop SUV in the middle of winter, billing it as “the most exclusive and capable convertible”…
- How to Deploy Capital and Influence Investors – Bloomberg: On Thursday, Marchionne reminded analysts that’s a surprising turn of events. He’s right. It’s less than a decade since Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection (Ford didn’t need a bailout) and, in some respects, Fiat Chrysler remains the inferior…
- Tesla Model 3 delays: more battery production issues, claim employees – Autocar: Tesla has further reduced its production forecast for the Model 3 Company employees state that batteries are being hand built; Tesla claims it is on target to hit predicted output for 2018
Thursday Morning Auto News, Jan 25, 2018
January 25, 2018 By
- Fiat Chrysler lowers part of 2018 guidance, shares fall – Reuters: Fiat Chrysler lowers part of 2018 guidance, shares fall. Reuters Staff. 2 Min Read. MILAN (Reuters) – Fiat Chrysler (FCA) (FCHA.MI) on Thursday slightly lowered its … FILE PHOTO: A Fiat logo is seen at a car dealership in Vienna, Austria, May 30,…
- After crash, injured motorcyclist accuses robot-driven vehicle of ‘negligent driving’ – Washington Post: … filed a lawsuit against General Motors, accusing one of the manufacturer’s robot-operated vehicles of “negligent driving.” Oscar Willhelm Nilsson claims he was traveling down a San Francisco street last month when a Chevy Cruise aborted a lane…
- Opel threatens to move Corsa production from Spain – Automotive News: Opel is considering cutting further investment in its Zaragoza plant in Spain after failing to reach a deal with unions on wages and working conditions. The move would threaten production of the next Corsa subcompact model at the factory. PSA Group,…
