- 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…
- BP Reshapes Portfolio to Ensure Oil Assets Aren’t Left Undrilled – Bloomberg: BP on Tuesday also announced an investment in electric-car charging company FreeWire. The comments from the upstream chief expand on a warning from BP a year ago, when it said oil supplies will remain abundant in the coming decades and demand may peak…
- Opel, Spanish unions reach accord over Corsa plant – Automotive News: Opel and its Spanish unions have reached an agreement on worker conditions at its Zaragoza plant after threats by the French automaker to cut investment at a factory that builds the subcompact Opel Corsa. Union sources said late on Monday that an…
- BP invests $5 million in FreeWire in electric vehicle move – Reuters: BP Plc said it had invested $5 million in U.S. mobile electric vehicle charging company FreeWire, helping it provide rapid charging at its retail … EV charging will undoubtedly become an important part of our business, but customer demand and the…
- VW CEO calls diesel fume tests on monkeys ‘repulsive’ – Automotive News: Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Mueller said tests in which monkeys were exposed to toxic diesel fumes were “unethical and repulsive,” … “The methods used by EUGT in the United States were wrong, they were unethical and repulsive,” Mueller said at a…
- Bosch warns that tests on monkeys further damage trust in diesel – Reuters: Germany’s Robert Bosch warned that revelations about animal experiments in the auto industry may hamper efforts to restore trust in diesel, a key technology which helped the auto supplier post higher profits last year. FILE PHOTO: Volkmar Denner,…
- Uber sells vehicle lease portfolio of unit to startup firm Fair – Reuters: … number of investment banks and from strategic investors such as Germany’s BMW and Daimler, Fair Chief Executive Officer Scott Painter told Reuters. According to a Wall Street Journal report in December, the net book value of Xchange Leasing’s more…
- Opel, Spanish unions reach accord over Opel plant – Reuters: The Opel factory, which has been operating in Figueruelas, Aragon since 1982, employs around 5,300 people and was running at 80 percent capacity in 2017 when it made 382,250 vehicles. PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, also has a factory in…
- Waymo Buys ‘Thousands’ More Chrysler Vans for Driverless Service – Bloomberg: The car unit of Google’s parent has finalized a deal to purchase “thousands” more minivans from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV equipped for autonomous driving, according to a statement from the companies. It’s the third such deal between the…
- Renault-Nissan group pips VW to become top-selling carmaker in 2017 – Reuters: Raindrops cover the logo of French car manufacturer Renault on a automobile seen in Paris, France, January 14, 2016. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo. Renault-Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn has pledged to make scale an advantage and use it to double…
- Hyundai Motor to launch all-new Santa Fe SUV next month – Yonhap: Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s largest carmaker by sales, will launch the all-new Santa Fe sport utility vehicle (SUV) next month in the domestic market to stimulate sales, the company said Tuesday. The first fully-revamped Santa Fe to be rolled out…
- Autocar confidential: Jeep’s FCA future, Schwarzenegger on G-Class and Ford’s driverless thoughts – Autocar: The all-new 2018 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Our reporters empty their notebooks to round up this week’s gossip from across the automotive industry
- Car owners in Fiat hacking case say 9th Circuit ruling does not apply – Reuters: Car owners who filed a proposed class action alleging cybersecurity risks in Jeep vehicles said a recent 9th Circuit ruling dismissing similar cases was irrelevant to them, as their injury claims differed. The plaintiffs in 2015 filed their lawsuits…
- Korean brands still under pressure in China despite warmer ties – Nikkei: The end of the stand-off came too late for Lotte Group, which, along with Hyundai Motor, was the most high-profile target of the government campaign. The chaebol corporate group, which was directly involved in the THAAD row after providing the land for…
- Hyundai hopes bigger, revamped Santa Fe will reverse US sales slump – Automotive News: Hyundai Motor Co. will unveil on Tuesday a re-designed Santa Fe, hoping the makeover of the crossover will help rectify a sales slowdown at the South Korean automaker, especially in the key U.S. market. The fourth generation version of its top-selling…
- Proposed class-action suit filed against Fiat Chrysler, UAW – Washington Post: A proposed class-action lawsuit has been filed by three employees against Fiat Chrysler and United Auto Workers in connection with a federal corruption investigation. The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press report Monday that the suit alleges union…
- Hyundai’s Super Bowl ad features those fighting against pediatric cancer: HMA – Yonhap: Hyundai Motor America (HMA) said Tuesday its Super Bowl ad this year will honor those who are at the forefront of fighting pediatric cancer. “Hyundai’s Super Bowl LII campaign will surprise and thank millions of people who have contributed to the fight…
- Elon Musk sells $5M in flamethrowers to fund tunnels – Detroitnews: $500 flamethrowers will help fund high-speed hyperloophttp://rssfeeds.detroitnews.com/~/i/521210374/0/detroit/autosinsiderhttps://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2018/01/29/DetroitNews/B99624203Z.1_20180129192358_000_GR21RDU8P.1-0.jpg
- Kia to drop diesel Rio and Venga models from UK line-up – Autocar: The Kia Rio diesel sold in just 1673 units last year Oil-burning versions of hatchbacks represent 20% and 19% of their sales respectively; Kia says decision is due to low volumes rather than change in public perception