- German new car sales up about 12 pct in January – source – Reuters: New car sales in Germany jumped about 12 percent last month to about 270,000 vehicles, the highest level for January in nearly two decades, an auto industry source said. But the downtrend in registrations of diesel-powered cars continued with a decline…
- Renault’s Ghosn Set to Extend Reign to Shore Up Global Alliance – WSJ: Renault SA RNO -1.48% is expected to extend the contract of its chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, at its next shareholder meeting, allowing the 63-year-old more time to firm up Renault’s alliance with Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. ,…
- Aston Martin seeks EV partner in China – Automotive News: In the case of Magna, the discussions range from an equal partnership with Beijing Auto to cooperation in areas including manufacturing and parts supply, the people said, asking not to be identified as negotiations are private. Beijing Auto is the…
- There’s Never Been More Money Pouring Into Mobility Startups – Bloomberg: The beginning of 2018 has already seen major moves pointing to another intense quarter: Google recently invested in Go-Jek, the biggest ride-hailing service in Indonesia; and BMW bought out the European car-sharing venture DriveNow. In addition, big…
- Here’s What Will Separate the Auto Leaders and Laggards in 2018 – Bloomberg: The defining trend for the industry in recent years that’s almost certain to continue into 2018 is consumers’ shifting preference toward sport utility vehicles over traditional sedans. Toyota Motor Corp.’s RAV4 and Nissan Motor Co.’s Rogue crossovers,…
- Honda lifts profit forecast, sees China overtaking US as biggest market – Reuters: In the third quarter, Asia including China was the only region where Honda saw year-on-year growth in vehicle sales, while sales at home, North America, Europe and other regions fell. Honda expects Asia to overtake North America as its biggest source…
- Toyota sets tough China sales goal of 1.4 mln vehicles for 2018 – Reuters: They declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to the Reuters reporter. A big factor that makes selling 1.4 million vehicles this year more of a challenge is Toyota’s manufacturing capacity which the two individuals said remains…
- Renault to reappoint Carlos Ghosn as CEO – FT: Renault will reappoint Carlos Ghosn as chief executive later this month, despite expectations the long-serving boss would step down when his mandate expires in June, according to two people familiar with the matter. The carmaker will also name a…
- Toyota sets tough China sales goal of 1.4 million vehicles for 2018 – Reuters: Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) aims to sell 1.4 million vehicles in China in 2018, nearly 9 percent more than it sold last year, but two insiders at the Japanese automaker said production … They declined to be identified as they were not authorised to…
- Daimler open to alliances, partial listing of mobility services – Reuters: We do not exclude that we go for external funding, Uebber said. BMW and Daimler are discussing a broader car-sharing and driverless taxi alliance, a source told Reuters last week. Uebber on Friday declined to comment on the prospects of a combination…
- ANE’s February issue goes live Monday – Automotive News: After returning Aston Martin to profit, Andy Palmer envisions the British supercar maker entering Formula One as an engine supplier by 2021. F1 is a risky move for any automaker, but as Palmer believes Aston Martin needs to be part of the…
- What If Self-Driving Cars Can’t See Stop Signs? – Bloomberg: It’s not hard to imagine how such tricks could be used to nefarious ends. Surveillance cameras could be fooled into identifying the wrong person – indeed, any desired person – as a criminal. Indistinguishable changes to a “Stop” sign could make…
- Elon Musk’s Flamethrower Stunt Feels Like an ICO – Bloomberg: I haven’t followed Elon Musk’s flamethrower-selling stunt closely, but I gather that the gist of it is that he got some flamethrowers, peddled them on the internet for $500 each, and will use the money to fund the operations of The Boring Company, the…
- Honda posts higher third quarter operating profit, raises full-year forecast – Reuters: Honda Motor Co Ltd reported a 37 percent rise in operating profit in the third quarter and raised its full-year forecast as it expects higher auto … The Honda booth displays the company logo at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit,…
- Toyota aims to sell as many as 1.4 million vehicles in China this year: sources – Reuters: Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) aims to sell as many as 1.4 million vehicles in China this year, compared with 1.29 million sold in 2017, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. FILE PHOTO: Visitors look at Toyota models at Auto…
- What It’s Like to Be the Uber of the Middle East – Bloomberg: The company says it expects to have more than 10,000 women driving for its car network by the time the law takes effect and that it hopes they’ll make other women feel more comfortable taking … It also surprised riders by putting the marriage…
- FCA training funds used for UAW exec”s pricey ’14 party – Detroitnews: Top-shelf booze, cigar models paid for with UAW training center funds at $30K party honoring VP Norwood…
- BMW Aims Duo of New SUVs Squarely at Mercedes’s US Luxury Lead – Bloomberg: BMW AG, smarting from its loss to Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. luxury market for two years running, is padding its arsenal of sport utility vehicles in a push to … Daimler AG’s Mercedes first seized the U.S. luxury crown in 2016 by adding more SUVs to…
- Moon demonstrates safety of self-driving car ahead of PyeongChang debut – Yonhap: South Korean President Moon Jae-in sought to promote the country’s indigenously developed self-driving cars Friday, demonstrating their safety by riding in one himself. The president was joined by an official from the local developer of autonomous…
- BMW M2 Gran Coupe due next year with 365bhp to rival RS3 saloon – Autocar: BMW’s more practical M2 will arrive in 2019 and come with next-generation infotainment technology
- Detroit 3 to get $189M from Takata for faulty air bags – Detroitnews: Washington – Detroit automakers will receive $189 million from the restitution fund the former Takata Corp. established as part of its guilty plea for producing millions of defective air-bag inflators that can explode with deadly force. The United …
- Hyundai, Kia off to positive start with SUV models in US this year – Yonhap: Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. are off to a positive start this year, posting increased sales of Tucson and Sportage SUVs, respectively, in the United States last month from a year earlier. In January, Hyundai Motor saw the sale…
- VW scandal: emissions cheats could face criminal charges – Guardian: “These devices were made illegal in 1998 and it’s fairly unbelievable that a company the size and reputation of Volkswagen has been doing something like this and finding ways round this legislation,” he told a select committee hearing. “I think they…