- Trump Tariffs May Threaten US Auto Jobs, European Executives Warn – WSJ: Fears of a global trade war is leading Volvo Cars Corp., the Chinese-owned Swedish auto maker, to reconsider the scope of a new plant that it is building near Charleston, S.C. The factory will produce Volvo’s S60, a stylish sedan packed with…
- EU Dismisses Trump’s Car Threats, Vows to ‘Stand Up to Bullies’ – Bloomberg: The bloc does impose a 10 percent levy on U.S. car imports, while the U.S. charges a 25 percent levy on trucks and pick-ups, and up to 40 percent on some clothes, she said. Eliminating these tariffs was the subject of the negotiations for a free trade…
- 2019 Byton electric SUV: former Alpine A110 engineering boss joins project – Autocar: This Byton Concept previewed the firm’s “almost production-ready” SUV David Twohig departs Alpine to work on Chinese brand’s first model, a 469bhp SUV with a 323-mile range
- Russia ramps up fuel exports in fight for European market – Reuters: With around half of Europe’s cars fuelled by diesel and its refineries unable to meet domestic demand, the region imports around 850,000 barrels per day of … NEW REFINING UNITS According to the industry sources and Reuters data, Russia plans to…
- Hyundai i30 N Fastback tests ahead of 2019 launch – Autocar: Hyundai will launch the fastback version of its i30N at the start of 2019 Sleek version of the Korean manufacturer’s 271bhp hot hatch will use the same powertrain and other key components
- French auto giant to set up assembly plant in Namibia – Yahoo: French car giant PSA announced Monday it would start assembling Peugeot and Opel brands in Namibia in the second half of 2018. Under an investment agreement with the Namibian government, PSA — whose brands also include Citroen, DS and Vauxhall — will…
- Aston Martin to produce mid-engined McLaren P1 rival – Autocar: Aston Martin Valkyrie Dubbed as the “brother of the Valkyrie”, the car’s goal is to establish a new benchmark for hypercars in 2021
- Lexus expects Europe to be top market for UX – Automotive News: She said the models Lexus measured itself against were the X1, GLA and Audi Q3 as well as the BMW 1 series, Mercedes A class and Audi A3. Those models rank among Europe’s top-sellers in the premium compact SUV and compact premium segments. Last year,…
- (LEAD) KDB kicks off due diligence on GM Korea to determine financial support – Yonhap: The carmaker is the South Korean unit of U.S. auto giant General Motors Co. GM holds a 77 percent stake in the company, while the South Korean lender holds 17 percent and SAIC Motor Corp. possesses 6 percent of all shares. In a meeting with GM…
- Polestar: Avoiding delays crucial to early success – Automotive News: Startups with Chinese backing such as SF Motors and Lucid also have been working on premium electrified vehicles. Though Tesla has grown a market for its vehicles, the electric automaker has struggled to ramp up production. The company received more…
- Mercedes pushes CPO as off-lease cars surge in – Automotive News: “There’s an initiative on the part of Mercedes to support a greater increase in the pre-owned business and the certified pre-owned business in particular,” said Greg Barnes, chairman of the Mercedes-Benz Dealer Board and a Mercedes dealer in South…
- Tonight on ‘Dieter and Li Shufu’: Fear, disruption and Elon Musk – Automotive News: Li, who has done quite well by Volvo, is anxious about who he’ll need to compete with in this future where every last little thing in the car business is supposed to change. Zetsche said he and Li talked cooperation, but not humdrum “Carlos and…
- Hyundai concept takes new design direction – Automotive News: Luc Donckerwolke, head of Hyundai’s Design Center, says the latest styling seeks to harmonize four basic elements: proportion, architecture, styling and technology. Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, vice president of marketing and product at Hyundai Europe,…
- Industry changes mean new plants make less local economic impact – Automotive News: Volvo . Discontinued . DEALERS . Dealers . 40 Under 40 Retail . Best Dealerships . Dealership Buy/Sell . Top Dealership Groups . Access F&I . Fixed Ops . Best Practices . Marketing . NADA . NADA 100 . NADA Convention . NADA Make Meetings . Sales . Used…
- Luxury brands seek Geneva spotlight glow – Automotive News: European luxury brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin used last week’s Geneva auto show to make a splash at the top of the luxury market dominated by VW Group’s sprawling yet integrated empire of upscale brands. At times, it got ugly, even…
- Toyota wants Supra to race into hearts – Automotive News: As trends toward autonomous driving, electrification and vehicle-sharing threaten to turn cars into more utilitarian people movers, Toyota wants to use more exciting products such as the Supra for competitive edge. Toyota said it will use its Supra…
- Renault-Nissan aims for next generation battery car in 2025 – FT: The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance is working to produce an electric car that uses solid-state batteries as early as 2025, in a move that puts it amid the frontrunners in the global race to launch the next generation of electric vehicles….
- Tata Motors looks to move beyond expensive Nano failure – FT: Another reason, he alleged, was a plan to supply Nano bodies to be refitted as electric vehicles by Jayem Automotives, an Indian start-up in which Mr Tata has invested. In November, Tata Motors confirmed the tie-up with Jayem, but it denies any…
- Hyundai sells over 20000 new Santa Fe SUVs – Yonhap: Hyundai Motor Co. said Monday it has sold over 20,000 units of the all-new Santa Fe SUV since its domestic launch three weeks ago. The sales figure has already reached nearly 40 percent of the 51,000 Santa Fes sold for the whole of last year, South…
- Volkswagens in Australia using more diesel after recall, research finds – Guardian: A 2010 Volkswagen Golf used an average of 7% more fuel after it had been recalled, ranging from 2% more in urban areas to 14% more on highways. The real-world testing showed a reduction in harmful emissions, but emissions from nitrogen oxides were…
- Baby Valkyrie to be mid-engined, hybrid – Autocar: Aston Martin CEO, Andy Palmer, recently confirmed the brand is working on a Ferrari 488 rival alongside the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. … Palmer said that 130 engineers and designers are working on the supercar, which will be the first…
- First ride: 2018 Ford Fiesta ST – Autocar: The Ford Fiesta ST was close-to untouchable as an affordable driver”s car, and the new one is now just months away The old Fiesta ST was one of the most affordable driver’s cars you could buy. Can the new version compare? We took a ride to find out
- Porsche Mission E due with Level 4 autonomy and 15min fast-charging – Autocar: Porsche is developing its Mission E for a 2020 launch Porsche’s all-electric rival to the Tesla Model S is scheduled to go on sale in 2019; it’ll spawn multiple variants