Archives for June 2018

• Korean brands top JD Power quality; Ford, GM and FCA make strides – Freep: Korean brands Genesis, Kia and Hyundai held the top three spots, respectively, in the J.D. Power 2018 U.S. Initial Quality Study, while Fiat Chrysler …
• Volkswagen Truck & Bus to be renamed Traton – Reuters: * VW rebranding comes as company explores JV with Ford (Adds CEO comment, timing of name change)
• Tesla’s Musk says Germany a front runner for Europe Gigafactory – Reuters: U.S. electric carmaker Tesla favors Germany as the location for its first European Gigafactory, its chief executive said, in what would be the latest move by an outside firm into the European battery market.
• New Volvo S60 to be revealed today – Autocar: Russian doll styling means the no-diesel Volvo S60 looks like a downsized S90; the V60 estate has already been shown The Volvo S60, the brand’s new sports saloon and rival to the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4, will be revealed later…

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• Audi appoints Abraham Schot as interim CEO to replace Rupert Stadler – Reuters: Audi on Tuesday said it has suspended Chief Executive Rupert Stadler and appointed sales executive Abraham Schot as an interim replacement with immediate effect, a day after Stadler’s arrest in connection with a diesel probe.
• Want to Rent Out Your Car? You Might Be Regulated – WSJ: Is a private car rented through an app a rental car? The answer to that question, which is popping up in state legislatures and courts around the country, could determine whether peer-to-peer car-sharing services get regulated the same way as…
• Tesla probing ‘extensive” sabotage by rogue employee – Detroitnews: The worker did “quite extensive and damaging sabotage” to Tesla”s operations, Elon Musk wrote in the memo
• Former Uber turnaround exec Bozoma Saint John: ‘It’s on its way to being great. It’s not there yet.’ – CNBC: Saint John had been slated to speak at the annual advertising conference in Cannes, France.

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• Canada’s Magna partners with BAIC unit to make electric cars in China – Reuters: Canadian auto parts supplier Magna International Inc said on Monday it would set up two joint ventures with Beijing Electric Vehicle Co to build electric cars in China.
• 2019 Suzuki Jimny: styling and interior revealed – Autocar: Next-gen SUV gets more rugged styling and upmarket interior. Official photos have now been released by Suzuki Styling of the next-generation Suzuki Jimny has been shown by the brand ahead of its Japanese reveal over the summer. The small SUV arrives…
• Audi to name interim CEO after Stadler arrested – FAZ – Reuters: Volkswagen’s premium brand Audi will appoint an interim chief executive after current boss Rupert Stadler was arrested earlier on Monday, Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported, without citing sources.
• Actress tweets video of husband’s Tesla bursting into flames “out of the blue” – CBS News: Actress Mary McCormack tweeted cell phone video of the fire, saying, “Tesla this is what happened to my husband and his car today . no accident, …

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• Renault invests in French electric car plant upgrade – Reuters: Renault will invest more than 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) to increase electric vehicle production capacity in France and add new …
• Stuttgart prosecutors mull fines against Bosch, Porsche, Daimler – Reuters: Daimler, Porsche (VOWG_p. … Stuttgart prosecutors, who are responsible for probing carmakers and auto suppliers with …
• Volvo deepens ties with lidar startup to speed autonomous push – Automotive News: Volvo Car Corp. is deepening its ties with the fast-growing maker of a lidar, which is considered vital to a self-driving car’s ability to see the world …
• Vauxhall design concept hints at brand’s future styling – Autocar: Image hints at a concept car, expected to be fully revealed later this year, that will represent Vauxhall”s future design direction Vauxhall has shown the first glimpse of a design concept that will preview the design of its future models, centring…
• Jaguar Land Rover launches subscription lease service – Automotive News: Jaguar Land Rover’s first commercial offering from its new InMotion Ventures mobility arm will be a subscription lease service, the …

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• Aston Martin reveals school-run-cum-track-beast – Autocar: Aston Martin reveals school-run-cum-track-beast … Now you can terrify not just one passenger, but three, thanks to Aston Martin’s latest AMR creation.
• Bets against Tesla just hit another record as shares keep climbing (TSLA) – Yahoo: Short interest in Tesla, the most bet-against stock in the US, hit a new record this week of $12.6 billion, according to data from financial analytics firm S3 Partners. That’s a 17% increase since May 21, when the previous record was nearly $2 billion …
• Congo’s Miners Face Harsh New Reality as Mining Law Finalized – Bloomberg: The expected boom in cobalt demand being brought about by the electric car revolution could be snuffed out before it really gets going if supply …
• Economic boom from self-driving cars will dwarf job dislocation, report says – Automotive News: Driverless cars could shave 0.06 percent from the employment rolls by the early 2030s, and 0.13 percent by midcentury, but their benefits in just one …
• Feds label Fiat Chrysler, UAW as co-conspirators – Detroitnews: Filing alleges years of violations of Labor Management Relations Act

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