- Exclusive: Renault-Nissan sets up $200 million fund to tap startups: sources – Reuters: The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance is pooling $200 million in a new mobility tech fund, three sources said, in the latest move by major … The traditional auto industry model based on individual ownership is threatened by pay-per-use services such…
- Toyota ends diesel-car sales in Italy – Automotive News: Toyota said its new-car lineup in Italy is now “diesel-free” after the automaker stopped selling diesel variants of its Yaris, Auris and RAV4 models. The Yaris subcompact hatchback, Auris compact hatchback and RAV4 SUV will join the Aygo minicar, C-HR…
- Volkswagen Passat gets tech upgrade for 2018 – Autocar: Smartphone linking technology now standard across range; LED headlights standard on higher-spec models
- Fly Charts: Tesla Disappointment, Bomb-Cyclone Upside – Bloomberg: Good morning! This is Fly Charts, the daily charts-only newsletter from Gadfly; sign up here. From old smartphones to the consequences of Vanguard’s primacy, here are four charts that tell you what you need to know in business today. Got A Flat. If you …
- Palladium Nears Record as Shortage Starts to Squeeze Carmakers – Bloomberg: … is within touching distance of a record high amid a looming shortage of the metal used to curb harmful emissions from gasoline-fueled vehicles. … among the top-performing commodities, as investors grappled with the possibility of a shortage as…
- Facelifted Honda Jazz starts from £14,115 – Autocar: The Honda Jazz Sport is the new flagship of the Jazz range 128bhp range-topping Jazz Sport costs £17,155; deliveries start in February
- Seat Leon Cupra R: UK allocation of 306bhp hot hatch sells out – Autocar: Seat’s Cupra sub-brand model costs from £34,995; all 24 UK-bound examples have now been ordered
- Toyota taking Lexus-based platform 3.0 autonomous vehicle to CES – Yahoo: As part of its continuing efforts to bring self-driving vehicle technology to the roads of the world, the Toyota Research Institute (TRI) will be taking a next-generation Platform 3.0 automated driving vehicle to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in…
- Amazing auto tech that’s coming — and already here – CBS News: Most forecasts of the automotive future also involve more and more electric vehicles. German auto parts company Continental is showing at CES an advanced vehicle-charging idea that would sharply limit the time an owner spent recharging an electric car….
- New record: Mercedes-Benz Vans passes the mark of 400,000 units for the first time in 2017 – Daimler: Mercedes-Benz Vans achieved a new record for unit sales in 2017 and for the first time passed the mark of 400,000 vehicles sold. The division has thus grown continuously for five consecutive years.
- BMW names former Mini boss Goller as new China chief – Automotive News: Goller, 51, succeeds Olaf Kastner who will remain as an advisor to the automaker on China issues, BMW said in a statement. Goller joined BMW Group in 1999 and was the company’s head of marketing in China from 2004 to 2009. Following this, he took…
- Abe again urges business leaders to raise wages by 3% – Nikkei: Toyota Motor President Akio Toyoda told reporters at the party that his company “will hold intensive talks” with the union on wage hikes. The outcome at Toyota is seen as a bellwether for other Japanese companies in the annual spring wage negotiations….
- UK car industry demands Brexit progress after biggest sales fall since 2009 – business live – Guardian: Bloomberg blames “Brexit’s impact on buyer confidence and lingering skepticism over the emissions performance of diesel cars” for the 5.6% drop in UK … UK car sales declined in 2017 after five years of rapid growth, with the industry blaming…
- Yangon’s rising road deaths prompt Toyota to develop safety program – Nikkei: Toyota commands an overwhelmingly large share of Myanmar’s auto market when including used car imports. The Japanese auto giant will team with the Myanmar Red Cross Society and Global Road Safety Partnership, an international nonprofit organization, to…
- Car and tech industries try to make sparks fly in Vegas – Detroitnews: At the CES technology showcase next week, automotive suppliers are positioned to steal the…
- Mercedes-AMG GT to get power boost in mid-life facelift – Autocar: The 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT is expected to get a minor cosmetic refresh, as well as a hike in power. Mercedes” Porsche 911 rival will receive a subtle styling refresh; it’s been spotted testing in coupe and convertible forms
- Uber Co-Founder Travis Kalanick Plans Sale of 29% of Stake – Bloomberg: GV, Alphabet Inc.’s venture capital firm, offered up significantly less than half of its stake in Uber even though Alphabet’s self-driving car subsidiary Waymo is suing Uber for stealing trade secrets. In October 2017, another Alphabet investment firm,…
- Renault-Nissan Alliance Seeks Robo-Taxi Deals With Tech Players – Bloomberg: Renault, its longtime partner Nissan, and more recent ally Mitsubishi plan to develop 15 models with autonomous features by 2022, including one fully self-driving vehicle. Combined, the companies spent a total of $8.3 billion on research and…
- An SUV tops car sales charts for first time – Detroitnews: The best-selling production car last year was an SUV, the Toyota RAV4http://rssfeeds.detroitnews.com/~/i/515088586/0/detroit/autosinsiderhttps://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2018/01/04/DetroitNews/B99616023Z.1_20180104194105_000_GB61Q8VCB.1-0.jpg
- UK Car Sales Drop Most Since Recession on Brexit, Diesel Fears – Bloomberg: Preliminary figures indicate 2017 sales fell 5.6 percent from a year earlier to 2.54 million vehicles, the steepest drop since 2009, according to the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Demand for diesel autos slumped 17 percent, with a swing…
- Can anything be done to save diesel? – Autocar:
- New car registrations fall 5.6% in 2017 – Autocar: New car registrations fell 5.6% year-on-year in 2017 2.54m registrations still marks third highest figure in a decade; diesel drop-off drives fall
- McLaren records biggest sales year yet in 2017 – Autocar: The British supercar marque delivered 3340 cars in 2017 – 54 more than 2016, and more than double 2015’s figure
- UK new car sales record biggest drop since 2009 – Reuters: British new car sales recorded their biggest drop since 2009 last year, falling by more than 5 percent due to uncertainty over potential new diesel charges and weakening consumer confidence since Brexit, an industry body said on Friday. Registrations…