- Mercedes-Benz accused of equipping vehicles with emissions manipulation software – Autocar: An unspecified number of diesel models could be affected The software programs allegedly used by Mercedes-Benz could be similar to those developed by Volkswagen
- Daimler shares fall after report about software device in Mercedes cars – Reuters: Analysts said Daimler’s regulatory problems may not be of the same magnitude as those seen by Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler (FCHA.MI). Unlike Fiat Chrysler, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not chosen to issue a notice of violation…
- National Grid plans 350kW EV charge point network – Autocar: Chargers with up to 350kW charging capacity could be installed in 50 locations on UK motorways, providing easy access to 96% of UK citizens
- The hurdles of fixing automated vehicles – Automotive News: McLeod says a visit to Tempe, Ariz., where the self-driving car project Waymo and the ride-hailing provider Uber offer automated test rides, convinced him the challenge is not imminent. “The weather is beautiful out there, but what I am looking at in…
- False starts for augmented reality – Automotive News: The German augmented reality company Metaio developed the BMW and VW initiatives. Metaio’s acquisition by Apple in 2015 effectively ended those initiatives, although Apple has since developed its own augmented technology. BMW has since turned to…
- Augmented reality glasses, robots expand techs’ repair horizons – Automotive News: Service techs at some Audi and Porsche dealerships can call on a factory tech to join them, virtually. Through the use of connected devices such as robots at Audi and augmented reality glasses at Porsche, the automakers’ specialists enter the service…
- Promotion guarantees Saab ‘parts for life’ – Automotive News: The Parts for Life deal is similar to a program Volvo Car USA launched in 2016. That plan offers a lifetime parts and … Colbeck says the goal of the Saab plan, like the Volvo program, is “getting customers back and keeping them deep into the life…
- Daimler Drops on Report Software Affected US Emissions Tests – Bloomberg: Daimler AG fell after a German newspaper reported U.S. investigators detected software in its Mercedes-Benz diesel cars that might have been designed … The vehicle maker developed several software applications that reduce or regulate the application…
- GM Plans Month-Long Shutdown at Flint Truck Plant – Detroit Bureau: General Motors told employees it plans to close down the company’s big truck assembly plant in Flint, Michigan, for the month of July. The company said in a memo circulated to employees of the truck assembly plant that the plant will be closed for a…
- Parties call for measures to save jobs from GM’s plant shutdown – Yonhap: The ruling Democratic Party urged the U.S. automaker General Motors on Monday to fulfill its social responsibility as a global corporation, as thousands are expected to lose jobs due to GM’s decision to shut down one of its assembly plants in South…
- South Korea’s Moon says GM factory shutdown will be a blow to regional economy – Reuters: South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday General Motors’ (GM.N) decision to shut … GM announced last week it will shutter the plant in Gunsan, in South Korea’s southwest, by May and decide within weeks on the fate of the remaining three…
- Don’t drag GM, Ford into this yet – Automotive News: As for General Motors and Ford, I think it is a disgrace for those to publicly crucify certain individuals, ruin reputations, taint the names of said organizations, all in the name of allegations. If and when someone from GM and Ford or the UAW…
- A design of the times? Why all the talk about Jaguar’s I-Pace – Automotive News: You get that certain feeling about a new vehicle sometimes, just by the way people talk about it – a sense that it could occupy an important place in auto history. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’ll break sales records. Think of the Chrysler Airstream …
- No GM Rewards, no bonus either – Automotive News: An important omission might be that General Motors’ Standards For Excellence program for 2018 restricts the salesperson’s bonus on the vehicle overall to zero dollars if the salesperson cannot convince a client to accept membership in the GM Rewards…
- Don’t expect Nissan to ditch stair-steps – Automotive News: Nissan dealers may have been surprised to read here last week that the automaker’s CEO, Hiroto Saikawa, intends to change the company’s game plan in the U.S. this year. Those vexing ways that have brought Nissan sometimes unwanted headlines in recent…
- MB’s 2019 C-class sedan to get new M264 engine – Automotive News: Mercedes-Benz’s 2019 C-class sedan will get the automaker’s new M264 four-cylinder engine but it will come without the 48-volt system Daimler touted when the engine was announced. In addition to the new engine, the freshened C-class sedan receives many…
- Hyundai, Kia European sales up 10 pct in January – Yonhap: Combined sales of cars made by Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. jumped 10 percent on-year in Europe last month, industry data showed Monday. In January, Hyundai and Kia sold 80,741 vehicles in the vast automobile market, up from…
- Gentex’ two-way mirror strategy – Automotive News: Orders have come from General Motors, Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, Jaguar Land Rover and an unnamed sixth customer. The product is popular because motorists can choose the video display or toggle to a conventional mirror. It’s important to offer motorists a…
- Chinese Buyers Spur Rise In Global Luxury Car Sales – Nikkei: China accounted for almost 90% of sales growth at leading luxury automakers in 2017, The Nikkei has calculated, highlighting the huge market’s power to make or break car companies’ earnings. Global sales at nine high-end brands — BMW, Mercedes-Benz,…
- Ghosn’s final challenge: Secure future of the alliance – Automotive News: He served concurrently as CEO of Nissan and Renault for more than a decade before handing off Nissan leadership a year ago to Hiroto Saikawa. Yet he remains as chairman of the board at Nissan, at new alliance member Mitsubishi Motors Corp., at Renault…
- Toyota’s global design chief battles the pod – Automotive News: Toyota’s new global design boss, a British stylist who draws inspiration from 1980s Sony gadgets and has a taste for curry and beer, doesn’t buy into the vision of a bland future of commoditized, cookie-cutter pod cars. On the contrary, says Simon…
- Thierry Neuville wins WRC Rally Sweden in Hyundai’s i20 – Yonhap: Thierry Neuville won his first World Rally Championship (WRC) race of the season, far outperforming rivals in Hyundai Motor Co.’s i20 racing car in Sweden, the company said Monday. The team led by Thierry Neuville dominated rivals in the i20 rally car…
- Apple Supplier Doubled Stock on Instagram Shots, Switch Console – Bloomberg: That includes ball bearings in hard drives and cooling fans, which are in high demand as the world generates, processes and stores more information. As everything from refrigerators to self-driving cars throw off information that needs to be uploaded…
- Kia Ceed GT hot hatch due next year with i30N ‘agility and playfulness’ – Autocar: Kia revealed its new Ceed last week Hyundai N chassis guru Albert Biermann is leading development of Kia”s hottest Ceed
- Electric Vehicles May Raise India’s Risk of Cyber-Security Breaches – Bloomberg: Local electric-vehicle makers import nearly 80 percent of the core of an electric car, including the battery and the battery management system, according to Kavan Mukhtyar, who leads the automotive practice at PwC India. The local supply chain is…
- Tucson SUV best-selling Hyundai vehicle in the world last month – Yonhap: Hyundai Motor Co.’s Tucson small SUV was the carmaker’s best-selling vehicle on the global market last month, outpacing the Elantra compact, data showed Monday. In January, Hyundai Motor sold 51,784 Tucson crossovers, exceeding the Elantra’s 48,670,…
- The Yaris WRC finishes with a flourish in Sweden – Toyota: A challenging Rally Sweden ended on a high note for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team with three stage wins out of three on the final day. This included victory in the Power Stage for Esapekka Lappi, who also gained two places in the overall…