- German supreme court overturns ruling against Daimler’s Mytaxi app – Reuters: Germany’s highest court said on Thursday that taxi-hailing app Mytaxi was allowed to offer discounts because it was not subject to the same pricing rules as taxi companies, overturning a lower court ruling.
- Elon Musk Might Control Tesla – Bloomberg: But there is also a narrower question, which is: Is Elon Musk the controlling shareholder of Tesla? That is less obvious. He owns about 22 percent of the stock, which is rather less than a majority, and it’s all just normal stock, with no super-voting…
- Automakers keep wary eye on tariff impact, possible trade war – Reuters: Executives from major automakers raised concerns at the New York auto show this week about the possibility of a trade war after the Trump administration imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports earlier this month, especially at a time when U.S….
- Mercedes-AMG Project One likely to be built in Britain – Autocar: The Project One will generate around 675kg of downforce AMG boss Moers says it’s “reasonable to speculate” new hypercar could target long-standing outright Nordschleife record of 6min 11.1sec
- Automakers keep wary on eye on tariff impact, possible trade war – Reuters: Executives from major automakers raised concerns at the New York auto show this week about the possibility of a trade war after the Trump administration imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports earlier this month, especially at a time when U.S….
- VW board set to give green light for trucks IPO – sources – Reuters: * Next regular board meeting scheduled for May 2 (Adds details on timing, advisors)
- What You Need to Know About a Renault-Nissan Merger – Bloomberg: It’s still unclear how quickly consumers will embrace electric cars: While the Renault-Nissan alliance sold the most battery-powered vehicles in the industry to date, the advantage has amounted to little amid tepid demand. Electrified models will…
- Audi’s Bringing Sport-y Back With New RS 5 Sportback – Detroit Bureau: In the past, Audi Sport had been known as Quattro Gmbh. The new name more closely reflects the division’s mission, which also includes serving as the focus Audi’s customer racing activity and customization, according to Amalia Fine-Morrison, Audi…
- ‘British cars for British drivers’ slogan might look good on a bus – FT: But close to 340,000 cars in total were sold by Peugeot, Citroën, DS and Vauxhall in Britain last year. On paper at least, the numbers stack up. The idea for Britain to become a self-sustainable make-where-you-sell island seems plausible and might even…
- China Auto Exec on Self-Driving Cars: ‘You Can’t Just Put Some Sensors on Top’ – WSJ: “It has to be based on solid research-you can’t just put some sensors on top of a car,” Li Shufu, the chairman of auto maker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., said at an autonomous-driving conference in Beijing Wednesday. The government should…
- They Once Saved Amazon. Now Convertible Bonds Expose Tech Qualms – Bloomberg: Electric car-maker Tesla is burning cash and faces repayment on $3.7 billion of debt by the end of 2020, much of it convertible bonds including those it inherited from SolarCity Corp. Almost half of it is out of the money, and refinancing may be harder…
- BMW to recall 1202 X3 vehicles in Russia: watchdog – Reuters: Automaker BMW (BMWG.DE) will recall 1,202 of its X3 model in Russia due to a possible fault with screws fastening the vehicles’ rear spoilers, Russia’s standards agency said on Thursday. The BMW booth displays the company logo at the North American…
- Renault shares jump on new Nissan merger reports – Reuters: The Renault-Nissan alliance, underpinned by cross-shareholdings, has wrestled intermittently since its 1999 inception with full merger proposals that have foundered on objections from France, Renault’s biggest shareholder. Earlier studies, including…
- Renault shares rally on new report of Nissan merger talks – Reuters: Renault shares rally on new report of Nissan merger talks. Renault shares have topped a 10-year high after reports the French auutomaker may merge into a single stock with Nissan. Kate King reports. TRANSCRIPT +. Renault shares have topped a 10-year…
- BMW, Faurecia agree on mega seating deal – Automotive News: Faurecia recently announced a record overall order intake of 62 billion euros ($76.4 billion) for the years 2015-17, including the new BMW contract, an increase of 9 billion euros over 2014-16. Seating accounts for 42 percent of the Faurecia’s overall…
- Volkswagen offers to buy back new diesels if bans introduced – Reuters: * BMW announced offer for leased diesels earlier in March (Adds BMW guarantee, background on diesel sales)
- Concerns over Hyundai Motor Group overhaul rattle Mobis investors – Reuters: Worries that Hyundai Motor Group’s planned restructuring will benefit the controlling family ahead of some shareholders have hit Hyundai Mobis Co Ltd , which is set to be the group’s de facto holding firm, sending its shares sharply lower on Thursday.
- Facebook’s Fixes, CME and NEX, Nissan and Renault: CEO Daily for March 29, 2018 – Fortune: Amazon became the market’s latest tech whipping boy yesterday, following a report from Axios that President Trump wants to rein in its growing power. Shares fell almost 5%, knocking $30 billion off its soaring value. While the news report cited…
- (LEAD) GM Korea CEO urges union to accept wage offer by March – Yonhap: GM has the biggest stake in GM Korea, with 77 percent. The KDB is the second-biggest shareholder, with 17 percent, and SAIC Motor Corp. owns 6 percent. PricewaterhouseCoopers is currently conducting due diligence on GM’s Korean operations on behalf of…
- Is remote control the answer to self-driving car safety? – Freep: Those who talk about autonomous driving development refer to situations like the construction zone scenario as edge cases, and they are obstacles that Elliot Katz, chief strategy officer and a co-founder of Silicon Valley startup Phantom Auto, says…
- Skoda Vision X concept: first drive of hybrid CNG crossover – Autocar: The Skoda Vision X concept previews the firm’s forthcoming crossover The Vision X previews Skoda’s future small crossover and highlights an innovative hybrid powertrain. Autocar has had a brief drive
- Daimler-BMW mobility venture aims to be global player: Daimler CFO – Reuters: Daimler and BMW’s new joint mobility services division aims to become a global player through both organic growth and acquisitions, Daimler Chief Financial Officer Bodo Uebber said on Thursday.
- 2019 Toyota RAV4 to be ‘more of a proper SUV’ than predecessor – Autocar: More aggressively styled SUV comes with hybrid or petrol powertrains only
- Toyota and Suzuki announce deal on mutual supply of cars in India – Nikkei: Toyota Motor announced on Thursday that the automobile giant will mutually supply cars in India with market leader Suzuki Motor, starting in 2019. The two companies seek to build a stronger foothold in the country, which is now the fourth-largest car…
- Uber Isolated by Partners and Competitors in Aftermath of Crash – Bloomberg: “The fact that these companies are saying that ‘We could do it better’ means that there is some evidence, at least they feel they have evidence, of better internal standards or better testing,” said Shaun Kildare, research director of Advocates for…
- Courting Emmanuel Macron – Bloomberg: Merging two listed companies to create a company with a single listing is bread-and-butter stuff for investment bankers. Doing so with Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co., which Bloomberg News says is under discussion, would be nothing short of…
- The greatest cars displayed in the BMW museum – Autocar:
- Renault shares rally on new media report of Nissan merger talks – CNBC: Renault shares rose sharply on Thursday, with traders attributing the gain to a Bloomberg News report that Renault SA and Nissan are in talks to merge.
- Toyota to Team Up With Suzuki in India – WSJ: TM 1.04% and Suzuki Motor Corp. 7269 1.17% said they would team up in India, swapping models to help each other boost sales in the rapidly growing market. Toyota said it would provide its locally made Corolla sedan to Suzuki. In return, Toyota will get…
- BRIEF-Nissan and Renault in talks to merge, create a new company – Bloomberg?? – Reuters: * NISSAN AND RENAULT IN TALKS TO MERGE, CREATE A NEW COMPANY – BLOOMBERG?? Source: https://bloom.bg/2pN3n18 Further company coverage:
- Toyota and Suzuki expand India car tie-up – FT: Toyota and Suzuki have progressed their cooperation in India with plans to jointly supply hybrid and other vehicles for the Indian market. The Japanese carmakers said in a statement Suzuki will supply the Baleno and Vitara Brezza vehicle models to…
- Nissan and Renault in Talks to Merge, Create a New Company – Bloomberg: Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. are in talks to merge and create a new automaker that trades as a single stock, people with knowledge of the matter said. A deal would end the current alliance between the companies and marry them as one corporation,…
- Volkswagen storing around 300,000 diesels at 37 facilities around U.S. – Reuters: Volkswagen has taken parking lots to a whole new level in the United States – and will not be emptying them soon.
- Toyota, Suzuki agree to produce cars for each other in India – Reuters: Toyota Motor Corp and Suzuki Motor Corp on Thursday announced a basic agreement to produce cars for each other in India as Toyota aims to increase its market share in the fast-growing country dominated by its smaller rival.
- Tesla returned to German subsidies list, ending row – Reuters: A German government agency has agreed to offer car buyers subsidies for Tesla (TSLA.O) vehicles … The German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Controls (BAFA) said on its website it had returned Tesla to the list of electric cars…
- Classic Mini Electric: first drive of one-off EV – Autocar: The Classic Mini Electric The one-off celebrates the past and the future by putting an electric powertrain inside a classic Mini body. Autocar has been for a hugely entertaining drive
- Parking problem: Volkswagen storing 300000 diesels across US – Guardian: Volkswagen has taken parking lots to a whole new level in the US – and will not be emptying them soon. Volkswagen AG has paid more than $7.4bn to buy back about 350,000 US diesel vehicles, a recent court filing shows. The German automaker has been…
- Chinese electric carmaker sets up US assembly plant – FT: SF Motors has become the latest Chinese-owned company to unveil plans to break into the US electric vehicle market, at a time when a growing tech threat from China has rattled Washington. The push by China’s EV companies comes in the face of US unease…
- Tesla Bonds Reach New Low, Stock Falls Further After Downgrade – WSJ: Selling in Tesla bonds intensified, driving prices to fresh lows, a day after the electric-vehicle maker suffered a credit-rating downgrade.
- How Volkswagen Walked Away From a Near-Fatal Crash – Bloomberg: Volkswagen late last year embarked on by far the largest program of electrification in the global car industry, pledging to spend €20 billion ($25 billion) to develop battery-powered or hybrid variants of every one of its models by 2030. Müller’s goal…
- Lured by rising SUV sales, automakers flood market with models – Reuters: Demand for sport utility vehicles in the United States is booming, but the number of new models vying for a share of that market is growing even faster, threatening the fat profits automakers have enjoyed. At the New York Auto show this week,…
- TMC Announces Results for February 2018 – Toyota: Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces its production, domestic sales, and export results for February 2018, including those for subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. and Hino Motors, Ltd.
- Uber settles with family of woman killed by self-driving car – Guardian: Fall-out from the accident could stall the development and testing of self-driving vehicles, which are designed to eventually perform far better than human drivers and sharply reduce the number of motor vehicle fatalities. Uber and microchip developer…
- Nissan production, sales and export results for February 2018 – Nissan-global: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced production, sales and export figures for February 2018.1. Production Nissan”s global production in February declined from a year earlier.Production in Japan declined from a year earlier.Production outside Japan…
- Skoda to decide on low-cost platform by mid-year – Automotive News: Volkswagen Group subsidiary Skoda will decide by mid-year whether to develop a low-cost version of the group’s small-car platform, CEO Bernhard Maier said. The architecture would underpin VW Group cars aimed at budget-constrained markets such as India.
- Tesla is on track for its worth month ever – down 24.86 percent so far – CNBC: Tesla shares are on pace for their worth month as the electric car company faces a spate of recent issues.
- No one needs to buy Tesla, redux – Financial Times – FT: After the recent crash in Telsa’s stock and bonds prices, it seems like a good time to revisit an idea that has long underpinned the value of the shares: the supposed string of companies dying to buy the car and battery maker should the opportunity …
- Uber is set to invest ‘heavily’ in Australia, executive says – CNBC: An Uber executive says there’s competition from local firms like GoCatch and the mature taxi industry.
- Trucks pick up where luxe cars leave off – Detroitnews: There was a time I thought having a big four-door pickup made sense as a secondary and occasional-use vehicle for a normal American family, but then came the bankruptcies and recession of 2009. Sales plunged, money was scarce. So I dropped the dream,…
- ANE’s April issue goes live next week – Automotive News: Peugeot had record global sales last year helped by its 7 percent gain in Europe. The man leading the way is Jean-Philippe Imparato. He tells us how he plans to maintain Peugeot’s momentum despite challenges such as slumping diesel sales in Europe….
- Chipmaker Nvidia’s CEO says Uber does not use its self-driving processing solution – Reuters: Uber Technologies Inc does not use the self-driving platform architecture of Nvidia Corp , the chipmaker’s Chief Executive Jensen Huang said on Wednesday.
- Renesas Delivers New System-on-Chip for Use in Level 3, Level 4 Autonomous Driving – Japanautomotivedaily: Renesas Electronics Corp. (TYO:6723) recently announced its R-Car V3H, a system-on-chip (SoC) for smart cameras used in Level 3 and []
- Uber reaches settlement with family of autonomous vehicle victim – Reuters: The family of the woman killed by an Uber Technologies Inc self-driving vehicle in Arizona has reached a settlement with the ride services company, ending a potential legal battle over the first fatality caused by an autonomous vehicle.
- The World’s Biggest Solar Project Comes With a ‘Batteries Included’ Sticker – Bloomberg: Utilities that get electricity from big solar farms still rely on natural gas-fired backup generators to keep the lights on around the clock. But surging battery supplies to feed electric-car demand have sent prices plunging, and solar developers from…
- SF Motors unveils an electric concept car that won’t let you drive drunk – CNBC: On Wednesday, Sokon Industry Group’s SF Motors subsidiary revealed its first electric concept car – the SF5. CNBC caught up with SF Motors CEO John Zhang ahead of the unveiling event for a first look at the SF5. The EV, still just in a concept stage,…
- Toyota and Suzuki to supply cars to each other in India – Nikkei:
- Uber’s Head of Freight, Lior Ron, Leaves Company – WSJ: Uber Technologies”s head of freight trucking, Lior Ron, who helped work on autonomous-vehicle technology, is leaving the company.
- Key Hyundai shares tumble on restructuring plan; Glovis surge – Reuters: Shares of Hyundai Mobis tumbled 8 percent on Thursday, on concerns that the parts supplier may be handing over its lucrative business to affiliate Hyundai Glovis at cheap prices, analysts have said. In contrast, Hyundai Glovis, backed by the group’s…
- German finance minister aims to avoid bans on diesel cars – Reuters: We must do all we can to prevent driving bans for diesel vehicles, he said. Instead, he said cities and local communities seeking to reduce overall emissions should build more charging stations to promote use of electric cars and buses, and the car…
- NASA resuming search for planets orbiting stars beyond solar system – Reuters: NASA plans to send the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set for blast-off between April 16 and June on a two-year, $337-million mission. The latest NASA…
- GM Korea CEO urges union to accept wage offer by March – Yonhap: GM has the biggest stake in GM Korea with 77 percent. The KDB is the second-biggest shareholder with 17 percent, and SAIC Motor Corp. owns 6 percent. PricewaterhouseCoopers is currently conducting due diligence on GM’s Korean operations on behalf of…
- 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross VRX – An Eclipse Worth Viewing – Autocar:
- Trump Hails Revised South Korean Trade Pact, But Changes Are Few – Bloomberg: Yet the revamped U.S.-South Korea accord unveiled earlier this week isn’t much different from the existing pact that Trump often condemned as “disastrous.” Most changes made to tariffs, automotive quotas and agricultural preferences were narrow in…
- NTSB investigating whether damaged crash barrier contributed to fiery fatal Tesla wreck – Washington Post: Days after a driver was killed when his Tesla Model X crashed near Mountain View, California, a National Transportation Safety Board investigation has turned to the subsequent vehicle fire and a defective crash shield on the stretch of U.S. 101 where …
