- Fly Charts: Tesla’s Cash Crunch and China’s Trade War Strategy – Bloomberg: Fly Charts: Tesla’s Cash Crunch and China’s Trade War Strategy. From Glaxo reticence to … Tesla has a big round of refinancing coming up as interest rates look set to rise. And that’s just one … by year of maturity. Tesla has a further $2.1 billion…
- Regulators Are Asleep at the Wheel on Self-Driving Cars – Bloomberg: The companies and officials influencing the development of self-driving technology offered a wide variety of reactions to the death last week of a pedestrian struck by an Uber autonomous vehicle. Uber Technologies Inc. suspended the testing of its…
- Hyundai union head fears GM-like crisis; says electric cars destroy jobs – Reuters: Hyundai Motor’s union chief warned its workers may face a similar crisis to the one hitting General Motors’ South Korean unit as sales in key markets slide, adding that electric cars were ‘evil’ and will destroy jobs.
- SoftBank mulls $1 billion investment in Chinese truck-hailing firm: WSJ – Reuters: Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp is looking to invest $1 billion in Chinese truck-hailing company Manbang Group, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
- Porsche’s EV push won’t include battery-powered 911 – Automotive News: Porsche and Audi are working together on a new EV architecture, dubbed PPE (Premium Platform Electric). … developing its third purpose-built electric-vehicle architecture for sports cars and supercars called SPE that may also be used by Audi and…
- Ford’s Lincoln Looks to SUVs for Salvation – Bloomberg: Ford is not alone in discovering luxury buyers are flocking to SUVs even faster than the mainstream market. Cadillac is introducing its XT4 compact SUV this week in New York and Lexus wowed crowds at the Detroit show with its LF-1 Limitless crossover…
- Yaris sedan will get name change, 3 trim levels for 2019 model year – Automotive News: The subcompact sedan that Toyota inherited from its defunct youth-oriented Scion brand is getting another name change for the 2019 model year along with trim levels that were absent from the mono-spec vehicle since its arrival in 2015. The 2018 Yaris…
- 814bhp McLaren Senna GTR demand could far outstrip supply – Autocar: New GTR produces at least 814bhp and 1000kg of downforce; firm claims ‘only an F1 car is faster on track’
- Should you worry about self-driving cars? – CBS News: The first fatal accident involving a driverless car and a pedestrian may not ease skeptics’ concerns about the technology. Even before the deadly accident in Tempe, Arizona, a majority of Americans said they were worried about the technology, despite…
- China to Build Car in Europe for First Time – WSJ: Volvo Cars confirmed that beginning next year it would produce Lynk & Co”s sport-utility vehicle at its plant in Ghent, Belgium, marking the first production of a Chinese automotive brand in Europe.
- Volvo to Build Chinese Lynk SUVs in Belgium – WSJ: BERLIN-Volvo Cars confirmed on Monday that beginning next year it would produce Lynk & Co’s sport-utility vehicle at its plant in Ghent, Belgium, marking the first production of a Chinese automotive brand in Europe. Lynk was formed in 2016 and last…
- Jaguar F-Pace SVR to be unveiled on Wednesday – Autocar: Showcasing at the New York motor show, the hot SUV uses the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 used in the Jaguar F-Type SVR
- US, S.Korea revise trade deal, Korean steel faces quota – Reuters: * S.Korean steelmakers rally, Asian shares steady (Adds context on markets, trade war fears; comment from Hyundai)
- Uber’s India Doom Written in the Stars – Bloomberg: Uber’s regional headquarters — a miss on that visit, reinforcing speculation that the ride-hailing app would sell its Southeast Asian business to Grab. The deal was announced on Monday. Grab is taking over Uber’s operations and assets in Cambodia,…
- Japan government urges fine for Nissan over vehicle checks – Nikkei: The Yokohama District Court will decide whether to fine Nissan for continuing to allow the vehicle checks by junior inspectors who had not finished the company’s certification process. The ministry did not file a criminal complaint against Nissan over…
- Lynk & CO picks Volvo’s Belgium plant for Europe output – Automotive News: Lynk & CO, the Chinese-backed startup that is partly owned by Volvo Cars, will produce its 01 crossover at Volvo’s factory in Ghent, Belgium, starting in 2019, Lynk & CO and Volvo said, ending months of speculation. The 01 shares its Compact Modular…
- Japan’s Akie Abe ‘First Lady’ role now puts her in scandal’s spotlight – Reuters: Japan’s first lady, Akie Abe, once known mainly for embracing progressive causes that put her at odds with her conservative spouse, is now in the hot seat as doubts revive about a murky land sale to a nationalist school to which she had ties.
- Peugeot boss: ‘We can hit CO2 goals without dedicated EVs’ – Autocar: Instinct concept: an autonomous car that can be driven Jean-Philippe Imparato reveals his master plan for global growth and EV dominance
- Uber sells Southeast Asia business to Grab after costly battle – Reuters: Ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc has agreed to sell its Southeast Asian business to bigger regional rival Grab, the firms said on Monday, marking the U.S. company’s second retreat from an Asian market.
- Fast-charge superstations planned for Quebec gas bar chain – Automotive News: It represents a new concept of public outlet and a new class of EV-network partner: gas bars. Located at the busiest exit on Quebec highway 20 (Trans-Canada Highway), the station offers four 50-kilowatt rapid chargers. All electric vehicles currently…
- Uber to sell south-east Asia business to competitor Grab – Guardian: Ride-hailing firm Uber has agreed to sell its south-east Asian business to bigger regional rival Grab, marking the US company’s second retreat from an Asian market. The deal is the industry’s first big consolidation in south-east Asia, home to about…
- Under Carlos Ghosn, Mitsubishi Motors seeks to triple China sales – Nikkei:
- Crossovers to shine in Big Apple – Automotive News: The long-awaited XT4 compact crossover that promises to introduce a new design language for the brand debuts on the eve of the New York auto show. Based on preview images and videos, the XT4 is more sculpted than Cadillac’s current cars and crossovers….
- Accord’s steward keeps a low profile – Automotive News: Before assembly of this Accord even began, Rodriguez flew to Japan more than 20 times to meet with Honda to plan the latest model and iron out production details. Around six of those trips were focused specifically on a laser-brazing process for the…
- Hyundai’s Kona shares bracket with Spartans, bulldogs – Automotive News: The Hyundai Kona, judging by its aggressive looks, came prepared for battle in the competitive subcompact crossover segment. Its designers, after all, took inspiration from Spartan helmets when devising the brand’s first cute ute. Hyundai says its…
- Toyota’s newest director is a champion of mobility – Automotive News: “People’s mobility is absolutely critical, and things are changing quickly these days,” Craven told Automotive News in his first interview since being named to the Japanese carmaker’s board this month. He will be one of two new outside directors taking…
- Toyota’s truck translator – Automotive News: Toyota’s truck guy in Japan, Michigan transplant Mike Sweers, looks straight out of central casting as he struts across the Toyota City technical center campus in his close-cropped goatee, auto-tinting eyeglasses and black cowboy boots. If there were…
- Lexus’ tyrannosaurus LX still roams the Earth – Automotive News: Based on the venerable Toyota Land Cruiser, the LX platform hasn’t been redesigned in more than a decade, and there are no immediate plans to do so. The LX’s little brother, the GX, is in much the same shape. Based on the Toyota 4Runner, it hasn’t seen…
- Aston’s Palmer to speak at AN Europe Congress – Automotive News: Andy Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin, will be among the speakers at the 21st Automotive News Europe Congress in Turin on June 6. Palmer joined Aston Martin in October 2014 and soon unveiled the company’s six-year “Second Century” transformation and growth…
- Nissan: Taylor’s business model works well for us – Automotive News: Terry Taylor, the media-averse owner of Automotive Management Services Inc. in West Palm Beach, Fla., is the largest single owner of Nissan stores, according to the automaker. Taylor owns the dealerships in various states through partnerships with…
- Lincoln to launch ‘next chapter” at NY show – Detroitnews: Ford Motor Co.”s luxury brand underwent a four-year reinvention, and the New York auto show will show what”s next
- Motor City luxury heads to New York auto show – Detroitnews: GM”s Cadillac and Ford”s Lincoln brands will debut all-new SUVs at the New York auto show
- VW prepares for UK action over emissions fraud – FT: The case concerns some 1.2m diesel-engine cars in the UK made between 2009 and 2015 from the Volkswagen brands VW, Seat, Audi and Skoda. The cars were equipped with software that could detect when they were being tested in the laboratory and enter a…
- BMW Pulling Out of Detroit Auto Show – Detroit Bureau: “This decision (to pull out) was made as BMW Group is constantly examining our presence at trade-shows and other engagements, while, at the same time, also exploring alternative platforms and formats,” the automaker said in a statement. “The overall…
- Grab says Uber deal driven independently by firms, has SoftBank support – Reuters: Grab’s acquisition of U.S. ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc’s Southeast Asian business was driven independently by the two companies, and was supported by their common investor, Japan’s SoftBank Group, a top executive at the Singapore-based firm…
- Breakingviews- Uber races towards IPO with Southeast Asian deal – Reuters: Uber is revving up for an initial public offering by exiting another cut-throat market. On Monday, the U.S. ride-hailing giant said it would hand its Southeast Asian arm to Grab, a $6 billion local rival, and take 27.5 percent of the enlarged group….
- Mercedes-Benz EQ C: new pictures of future electric Model X rival – Autocar: Purpose-built EV from Mercedes will launch next year with twin-motor set-up
- Nissan Emphasizes LCVs – Part 3: Boosting Brand Power and Platform Sharing – Japanautomotivedaily: Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7201) is looking to grow the brand power of its light commercial vehicle (LCV) business by []
- Hitachi Nears Launch of New Analytical Service for Probe Data – Japanautomotivedaily: Hitachi Ltd. (TYO:6501) has announced that, starting from April 2, it will offer a new analytical service for automotive probe []
- Nissan wants one million EV sales per year by 2022 – Autocar: Nissan will also fully electrify Infiniti’s line-up from 2021, and EVs are to account for half of the division’s sales by 2025. Another aspect of the strategy is to sell one million ProPilot-equipped models annually by 2022. The autonomous technology…
- Statement on the Japanese government’s improvement orders related to the Japan final vehicle inspection issue – Nissan-global: Nissan solemnly accepts the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism”s process improvement orders related to the company”s previously disclosed non-conformities in the final vehicle inspection processes at plants in Japan….
- Nissan, Sumitomo Corp. and 4R set up plant to recycle electric-car batteries – Nissan-global: Japan”s first plant specializing in the reuse and recycling of lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles is set to open amid growing demand for electric cars.The new factory, in the town of Namie in eastern Japan, will be operated by 4R Energy…
- Holden Equinox a handsome in-betweener – Yahoo: Apple Car Play or Android Auto are included. Suspension and handling has been given a full tuning makeover by Holden, meaning it delivers reassuring road manners and a pleasant, compliant ride. That package features torque vectoring – essentially…
- Smith: It’s good to be the $50B man – Detroitnews: Proving once again it’s good to be Elon Musk. (Are you sitting down?) His new pay package could yield P. T. Barnum, er, ah, rather, Mr. Musk $50,000,000,000! I had to look two or three times to double check that figure. It’s right. Fifty billion…
- Hyundai mulls whether to produce small pickup truck in US – Yonhap: Hyundai Motor Co. is mulling whether to produce a small pickup truck in the United States to avoid high tariffs and meet growing local demand, the company said Monday. The South Korean carmaker has pushed forward with a plan to develop a pickup truck…
- China’s SAIC Motor plans factory in Egypt -Xinhua – Reuters: State-owned SAIC would be the latest Chinese automaker to plan manufacturing capacity North Africa. In December, BYD signed a memorandum of understanding with Moroccan officials to build an electric car plant. China’s government has been encouraging…
- Auto Dealers Worry Prices May Be Getting Too High – WSJ: As the automotive industry braces for changes including electrification and autonomy, dealers across the U.S. are worried about something much simpler: the price of a new car.
- South Korean firms hit by GM plant shutdown to get $37 million aid: cenbank – Reuters: South Korea’s central bank said on Monday it would grant 40 billion won ($37 million) of aid to mid-to-small sized companies that are hit by the shutdown of a General Motor’s [GM.N] plant.
- S.Korean firms hit by GM plant shutdown to get $37 mln aid – cenbank – Reuters: South Korea’s central bank said on Monday it would grant 40 billion won ($37 million) of aid to mid-to-small sized companies that are hit by the shutdown of a General Motor’s plant.
- Value of land owned by top 10 conglomerates gains 1.2 pct in 2017 – Yonhap: Of the top 10 conglomerates, six chaebol, including Samsung Group and Hyundai Motor Group, saw the value of their land holdings rise last year. The value of land owned by Samsung Group rose 8.3 percent on year to 15.3 trillion won last year. Hyundai…
- British-built Toyota Avensis culled due to slowing sales – Autocar: Declining segment demand has encouraged the end of production for Toyota”s Ford Mondeo rival
- Apple Unveils Education Product and SUVs Take the Stage at New York Auto Show – New York Times: The 2018 New York auto show opens to the media on Wednesday and to the public on Friday, and while electric cars have been in the spotlight lately, it is roomier sport-utility vehicles that will dominate the stage at the Javits Center. Ford’s Lincoln…