- Chinese firm Yongxing jumps on battery bandwagon with lithium project – Reuters: China’s Yongxing Special Stainless Steel Co said on Wednesday it would invest 891.2 million yuan ($138.5 million) in a project to produce battery-grade lithium, in a bid to secure a slice of the world’s biggest electric vehicle (EV) market. The move…
- Ford skids after disappointing outlook – Reuters: Shares of Ford Motor Co fell 3 percent in premarket trading on Wednesday following a disappointing outlook, underscoring that turnaround plans … on hotter segments, and it had done far greater development and communication around newer ventures into…
- Mercedes EQ C: first pictures of future all-electric Model X rival – Autocar: These are the first pictures of the Mercedes EQ C Puurpose-built EV from Mercedes will launch next year with twin-motor setup
- Renault-Nissan to pursue plans to split up various management roles – Ghosn – Reuters: Renault-Nissan (RENA.PA) (7201.T) is to pursue its plans of splitting up management roles between those dealing with strategic matters and those handling more operational affairs, said Renault boss Carlos Ghosn. Regarding corporate governance, you will…
- BMW exec combines Silicon Valley innovation with corporate rigor – Automotive News: Markus Seidel, head of BMW’s advanced r&d office in Shanghai, China, is definitely one. It’s Seidel who oversees the company’s experimentation in new premium mobility revenue streams. That will be vital if the company is to remain relevant in a country…
- New flagship Citroen saloon confirmed for production – Autocar: Citroen CEO confirms firm will launch new large saloon, recreating the C5 and C6 as a distinctive-looking, high-tech, comfort-led car
- Mercedes plans more SUVs after compact models help expand luxury lead – Automotive News: “We see strong demand across our SUV range,” Britta Seeger, who heads Mercedes sales and marketing, said in an interview at the Detroit auto show. “We have more ideas to add new products to our portfolio, though maybe not so much at the upper end of…
- Infiniti to launch only electrified cars from 2021 – Autocar: Infiniti’s Concept 2020 previews its future design intentions Nissan”s luxury brand will unveil first pure-electric model in the same year
- Hyundai Motor Group pledges 45000 hires, $22 billion investment over five years – Reuters: South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group pledged to hire about 45,000 people over the next five years amid an emphasis on jobs by the … The ministry said the investment will be in areas such as electric cars and self-driving automobiles, but analysts said…
- Automakers Put on a Show in Detroit But Policy Storms Loom in DC – Bloomberg: U.S. regulators also will soon signal the fate of Obama-era vehicle efficiency rules, which hold sway over investments in cleaner cars, trucks and SUVs. Car and light truck fuel economy standards from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration…
- Hyundai Motor plans $21.5bn new technology spend – FT: Hyundai Motor Group plans to invest about Won23tn ($21.56bn) over the next five years in new growth drivers such as electric cars, autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence as the South Korean automaker grapples with falling sales in major…
- In race for top spot, VW says vehicle sales up 4.3 percent in 2017 – Reuters: Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp said last month it expected 2017 sales to grow 2 percent to 10.35 million units worldwide across its Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino brands. It said it would hit 10.50 million vehicles in 2018. The Renault-Nissan alliance…
- Volkswagen sees 4% sales increase in 2017 – FT: Volkswagen, the world’s largest carmaker by sales, increased deliveries to another record in 2017, indicating that the reputational damage from the diesel … The German group, which comprises 12 brands including VW, Porsche and Audi, says 2017 sales…
- European Car Sales Rise to 10-Year High on Peugeot, Renault SUVs – Bloomberg: Registrations in 2017 increased 3.3 percent to 15.6 million vehicles, the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA, said Wednesday in a statement. The figure was the highest since a record 16 million autos were delivered…
- Volkswagen 2017 sales up 4.3 percent at 10.7 million vehicles – Reuters: Germany’s Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), vying for the top spot among the world’s largest carmakers, reported a gain in 2017 sales of 4.3 percent to 10.7 million vehicles. A car with the Volkswagen VW logo badge is seen on display at the North American…
- VW to Defend Global Sales Crown Despite $21 Billion Diesel Hit – Bloomberg: Volkswagen AG’s global deliveries rose to a fresh record last year as robust customer demand largely countered the dramatic financial fallout from the German manufacturer’s … “We are grateful to our customers for their trust,” Chief Executive Officer…
- European car sales drop 4.8 pct in December – Reuters: European car sales fell 4.8 percent in December from the same month a year ago due in part to one less working day, with sales at all major automakers except PSA Group and BMW contracting, industry data showed on Wednesday. Registrations fell to 1.14…
- Toyota completes review of Kobe materials, says no problems found – Reuters: Toyota Motor Corp said on Wednesday that it had completed an investigation of parts that were supplied by Kobe Steel Ltd with falsified data, and found that they had caused no problems to its vehicles’ quality or performance. Kobe Steel admitted in…
- South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group to invest $21.6 billion over five years: finance ministry – Reuters: A Hyundai Motor Co spokeswoman confirmed the hiring plan but did not comment on the investment sum. She said the statement was discussed with the company beforehand. Global trends are changing fast, Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun said,…
- Mercedes Plots More SUVs After Compact Models Expand Luxury Lead – Bloomberg: Mercedes-Benz will respond to burgeoning demand for sport utility vehicles by expanding its lineup with more models, most likely in the fast-growing compact segment. SUVs paced an almost 10 percent jump in total sales last year, expanding the Daimler…
- Detroit auto show highlights industry”s balancing act – Detroitnews: Automakers are engineering and building vehicles in the truck-and-SUV-fueled present to finance an electrified…
- Marchionne Confirms Plan for Ferrari SUV, Hints at Battery Supercar – Detroit Bureau: A number of luxury makers, including direct Ferrari competitors, have already weighed in. Bentley’s best-selling model is the Bentayga, for example. Aston Martin is working up the DBX ute. And on Monday night Lamborghini unveiled its own, the Urus…
- Nissan Is Turning Infiniti into an Electric Luxury Brand – Fortune: Infiniti, the luxury brand of Nissan (nsany, -0.43%), is embracing electric vehicles. All new Infiniti models, with the exception of some large SUVs, will be electrified beginning in 2021, Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa said Tuesday at the Automotive News…
- Land Rover announces limited V8 defender – Autocar:
- Hackett almost didn’t take Ford CEO job, suggested someone else for role – Automotive News: On the future of auto shows: “The auto show as we know it is going to alter and mutate. Apple is not going to bring the ‘Apple car’ to the Detroit auto show. They’re going to come at us in a way we didn’t expect, and I think I know how they’re going to…
- More SUVs, fewer cars in Ford’s future lineup – Detroitnews: “We have a rock-solid foundation and we have seen growth in key areas, but we know we must evolve to be even more competitive, and narrow our full line of nameplates in all markets, to a more focused lineup that delivers stronger, more profitable…
- Self-driving era beckons as cars boost their street cred – Nikkei: Self-driving technology has been sparking both excitement and foreboding in the auto industry for a few years now. U.S. companies such as Google-affiliated Waymo and car-hailing app Uber Technologies have been getting most of the press recently, but…
- Toyota and Honda suspend exports to Vietnam – Nikkei: 1, two years later than other developed members of the bloc. Toyota Motor said on Tuesday that it has halted all production for export to the Vietnamese market. The Japanese automaker manufactures locally in Vietnam, but imports from Thailand,…
- Cadillac readies flurry of launches – Detroitnews: Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen is optimistic about Cadillac”s future as it plans a slew of product…
- VW aims to rebuild U.S. sales, reputation – Detroitnews: For 2017, Volkswagen sales topped 10 million, pushing it past Toyota to become the world”s largest…
- Original Land Rover Defender returns with 399bhp V8 – Autocar: The 90in wheelbase model will hit 60mph from rest in just 5.6sec The off-road icon”s 70th birthday sparks plans for a limited-edition re-engineered model using a 5.0-litre V8