- Why Honda walked away from Waymo – Automotive News: Honda and Google affiliate Waymo were nearing a deal to jointly develop autonomous vehicles earlier this year when the Japanese company walked away, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
- Delphi CEO Liam Butterworth steps down – Reuters: Auto parts supplier Delphi Technologies Plc said on Friday Chief Executive Officer Liam Butterworth was stepping down, ten months after taking charge.
- Honda-Waymo talks faltered on tech access, report says – Automotive News: Just a few months later, Honda bought into General Motors Co.’s GM Cruise LLC unit instead, choosing a familiar partner over a tech heavyweight. There are any number of reasons to explain why the Waymo deal failed, but the most pressing issues …Honda…
- Ford idles 2,000 Kansas City plant workers as sales fluctuate – Freep: Ford idles 2,000 workers as sales fluctuate
- PSA open to new deals as turnaround draws attention – Automotive News: PARIS — PSA Group is open to new industry tie-ups and is attracting attention from competitors after its lightning turnaround and swift progress in restructuring recently acquired Opel, CEO Carlos Tavares said. The automaker, which came close to …
- Rally GB: Tanak leads after first stages, WRC title rivals lose out – Yahoo: A gearbox problem that meant he lost first and second gear meant Ogier spun twice, while Hyundai’s Neuville lost around a second by overshooting the corner of a junction. Neuville would hit back on the two short Slate Mountain runs – which featured …
- Auto Makers Consider Shifting Manufacturing to North America – WSJ: Foreign car makers are considering moving more manufacturing to North America from their overseas plants following the recent U.S. trade deal with Canada and Mexico.
- Lexus UX hybrid arriving in March with sub-£30k sticker price – Yahoo: The new Lexus UX compact SUV will cost just under £30,000 when it arrives in the UK in March next year. At launch, just one powertrain will be available – a 2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a ‘self-charging’ hybrid system – but the car will be …
- Tesla shares fall after Musk mocks SEC on Twitter – Reuters: Shares of Tesla Inc fell as much as 4 percent on Friday, after Chief Executive Elon Musk stirred nerves about the settlement of his securities fraud lawsuit by mocking the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Twitter.
- The self-driving car is a moonshot. Let’s not screw it up. – Freep: In many ways the race for autonomous vehicles is no different. While nobody can purchase a self-driving car yet, the technologies being developed have the potential to make the roads much safer for even those crude, old, human-piloted machines.
- EPA’s new carbon plan won’t slow coal unit shutdowns -utilities – Reuters: The Trump administration’s replacement of Obama-era carbon regulations will not save U.S. coal-fired power plants from shutdown, according to a Reuters survey of utilities, spelling bad news for Trump’s efforts to revive the ailing coal industry.
- Audi warns of sales fluctuation after 56 percent fall in Europe – Reuters: Volkswagen’s premium brand Audi on Friday said it expected sales in Europe to fluctuate in the coming months after a 55.5 percent slump in September sales due to supply bottlenecks caused by stricter anti-pollution rules.
- EU Eyes Quick US Trade Pact to Avoid Trump’s Car-Tariff Threat – Bloomberg: The value of EU automotive exports to the U.S. is about 10 times greater than that of the bloc’s steel and aluminum exports combined, meaning …
- Why PSA is looking for new deals, partnerships, ‘opportunities’ – Automotive News: PSA is open to new industry tie-ups and is attracting attention from competitors after its lightning turnaround and swift progress in restructuring recently acquired Opel, CEO Carlos Tavares said.
- Volvo installs solar power at Belgian factory – CNBC: Renewables have supplied the electricity at Volvo Cars’ European plants since 2008. The company has said it wants its global manufacturing operations to be carbon neutral and fully electric cars to account for 50 percent of global sales by 2025.
- What Tesla Really Needs, SEC Says, Is an ‘Experienced’ Lawyer – Bloomberg: Of the all fixes the SEC wants Tesla Inc. to make in the wake of Elon Musk’s now-infamous tweet, one stands out for its novelty: “An experienced …
- Berlin authorities weigh driving ban for diesel cars- media report – Reuters: Authorities in Berlin are looking at imposing driving bans on older diesel cars on 21 streets including major routes in the German capital, local broadcaster rbb said on Friday.
- Exclusive: SoftBank deepening ties to ride-hailing firm Grab with $500 million funding – Reuters: SoftBank Group Corp is closing in on a deal to invest about $500 million (384 million pounds) in Grab as part of roughly $1 billion that Southeast Asia’s biggest ride-hailing firm is seeking in its latest funding, sources with knowledge of the matter…
- Why Honda Dumped Waymo for GM – Bloomberg: Just a few months later, Honda bought into General Motors Co.’s GM Cruise LLC unit instead, choosing a familiar partner over a tech heavyweight. There are any number of reasons to explain why the Waymo deal failed, but the most pressing issues …Honda…
- Volkswagen says best selling VW models now conform to WLTP rules – Reuters: FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Volkswagen on Friday said the best selling versions of all VW models conform to the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test (WLTP) anti-pollution rules, easing a delivery bottleneck that has hurt sales.
- BMW drivers are the worst on UK roads – Yahoo: There was a clear difference between BMW driver and van drivers when it came to the age of those surveyed. Drivers aged between 45-64 mostly thought Transit drivers were the worst on the roads, but those aged 44 and younger thought drivers of German …
- Tesla to Delay Autopilot Drive Mode, Elon Musk Says in Tweet – Bloomberg: Tesla’s much-touted software failed to win the top spot in a survey of automated driving systems by Consumer Reports, which gave that position to the Cadillac’s Super Cruise. Musk has asked for Tesla employees to test what the company has billed as …
- Chery hires former Mazda Europe, BMW stylist Rice as design chief – Automotive News: Chery has hired Kevin Rice, a former designer at Mazda Europe and BMW, to head styling at the state-owned Chinese automaker as seeks to enter …
- Hot Toyota Corolla ‘GR’ hybrid on the cards – Autocar: Toyota set to bring performance variant of new Corolla to market amid plans to boost desirability of range Toyota is expected to offer a hot hatch version of the new Corolla as part of a strategy to reintroduce high-performance models to its range….
- BMW reveals M Performance parts for G20 3 Series – Autocar: The new 3 Series will go on sale in early 2019, with a greater focus on driver enjoyment and technology than the outgoing model. Testament to this is BMW’s proliferation of M-badged offerings in the range, with both the M3 and lesser M Performance …
- Mark Cuban reportedly urged Tesla’s Musk to settle SEC fraud charges – Yahoo: The deal settled charges that Musk made false and misleading statements about having secured the funding to take Tesla private. Tesla was not available for comment to CNBC or the Wall Street Journal. Musk had said he had turned down the initial offer …
- Mitsubishi PH Reveals Mirage G4 Brand Ambassador – Yahoo: The 2018 Mitsubishi Mirage has recently been upgraded, and now comes with a refreshed rear bumper and tail lights for a more youthful design. It’s available in eight colors for the GLS variants: Santorini Orange, Medium Blue Mica, Wine Red Pearl …
- Focus: Toyota, sensing an opening, debates building Lexus cars in China – Reuters: Toyota Motor Corp, long opposed to producing its premium Lexus cars in China because of concerns over quality and profitability, is now considering it to ignite growth and narrow sales gaps with its German rivals, four company insiders told Reuters.
- Italy sales plunge 25% on WLTP change – Automotive News: Sales of the flagship Fiat brand fell 43 percent, Alfa Romeo lost 63 percent, Jeep declined 15 percent and Lancia sales were down 28 percent.
- Why China is by far the world’s largest market for full-electric cars – Automotive News: Almost 40 percent of the 3.2 million full-electric vehicles worldwide are in China, where consumers can choose from 92 models. They also can use …
- Porsche 911 GT3 driver busted for 210 mph on motorway in Austria – Yahoo: Everyone with a pulse on the world of cars knows the Porsche 911 GT3 is fast. The newest model officially has a top speed just shy of 200 mph, which is why we’re scratching our heads a bit on this story from Auto Bild. We don’t doubt the validity of …
- Toyota, sensing an opening, debates building Lexus cars in China – Reuters: Toyota Motor Corp, long opposed to producing its premium Lexus cars in China because of concerns over quality and profitability, is now considering it to ignite growth and narrow sales gaps with its German rivals, four company insiders told Reuters.
- Court grants provisional seizure of BMW Korea assets – Yonhap: The Seoul Central District Court has granted provisional seizure of 4 billion won (US$3.54 million) worth of assets of BMW …
- Renault Samsung, Lexus top 2018 satisfaction rankings – Yonhap: Renault Samsung Motors Corp. and Lexus have beaten other car manufacturers in a South Korean consumer satisfaction …
- Renault’s former No. 2 Pelata picked to steer France into electric, autonomous era – Automotive News: Patrick Pelata, the former chief operating officer at Renault, has a … He held an advisory position at the Renault-Nissan alliance until 2012.
- New Volvo SUV exudes Swedish cool – Yahoo: Sweden’s most famous car-maker Volvo has led the way. Those with a decent memory will recall that the famously conservative brand launched one of the world’s very first “urban SUVs” in the form of its original XC70 Cross Country, almost two decades ago …
- Audi Q8 – Autocar: Yet another MLB-Evo-based SUV, but a range-topping one that’s an accomplished luxury car. How well does the Q8 stand out, and can it topple the Range Rover Sport? How many modern premium car makers, when designing an all-new, clean-sheet, passenger…
- Elon Musk accuses BlackRock of helping short sellers – CNBC: In a series of Twitter posts on Thursday night, the Tesla CEO alleged that BlackRock and other financial firms pocket “excessive profit” from lending shares they hold to short sellers because “they’re suffering a net loss.”
- This Chinese Car Maker Has Made Warren Buffet”s Company USD2.2 Billion Richer – Yahoo: Take it from Warren Buffet to make a killing on a Hong Kong-traded, Chinese company stock. Ten years ago, Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. bought a 9.9 percent stake of Chinese carmaker BYD’s stocks. Now, these shares have increased more than 500 …
- Honda and GM to co-develop autonomous technology – Autocar: Other partnerships include BMW and Fiat Chrysler; chipmaker Intel and visual recognition software maker Mobileye; and German automaker Daimler AG with supplier Bosch are developing an autonomous taxi. Google’s Waymo is regarded as the leading …
- Hyundai mulls building driving center in S. Korea – Yonhap: SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Yonhap) — South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Co. is considering building a local driving center to offer customers opportunities to experience its vehicles, the company said Friday. At the Paris Motor Show, Vice President Thomas …
- Mazda to Bring Back Wankel Rotary Engine as Range-Extender for Future EV – Yahoo: Mazda’s famed Wankel rotary engine hasn’t been around since the demise of the Mazda RX-8 sports car in 2012. It seems that will soon change as the Japanese carmaker has confirmed that it is bringing it back, but not as the engine of an upcoming model.
- GM Korea to seek shareholders’ approval for spinoff plan – Yonhap: SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Yonhap) — GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., said Friday it will seek approval from shareholders on a plan to spin off its design and engineering divisions into a separate R&D-focused corporation. On Thursday, GM …
- California mulls formal counter offer to Trump emissions rollback – Automotive News: California is considering a formal, public counter-proposal to President’s Donald Trump’s proposed rollback of fuel and pollution requirements for cars and trucks.
- Elon Musk Mocks SEC, Calls for Short-Selling to Be Made Illegal – Bloomberg: The SEC also hit the billionaire and Tesla each with $20 million fines and is requiring that the board add two new members. The company also has to implement procedures and controls to oversee Musk’s communications — including his tweets — and hire a…
- Elon Musk Throws Tweet Shade at SEC, Tesla Falls Again – Bloomberg: Just when Tesla investors thought they were safe, Elon Musk returned to Twitter. In his latest tweets, he swiped at the U.S. Securities and Exchange …
- Megane-sized EV crucial for Renault – Autocar: Should such a vehicle come to pass, Renault will have players in the key European A, B, and C segments. Zoe is B, the K-ZE is A, while the larger vehicle will be C. Normand added that the C-segment car will be an electric equivalent of the Kadjar SUV …
- NASA revises launch targets for Boeing, SpaceX crew ships – CBS News: The first unpiloted test flight of a SpaceX commercial Dragon capsule intended to eventually ferry astronauts to and from the International Space …