- Kuniskis to lead Jeep, Bigland steers Ram in FCA management overhaul – Automotive News: New Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley announced his reorganized executive team on Monday.
- After settling with SEC, Musk tries to answer other question – Automotive News: Priority No. 1 for the embattled Elon Musk going into the weekend was striking a deal with federal regulators. Priority No. 2 was to push as many electric cars out the door as possible before midnight Sunday.
- Maruti Suzuki sales fall for third month amid exports slump – Nikkei: MUMBAI (NewsRise) — Maruti Suzuki India, the nation’s largest carmaker, saw a third consecutive month of sales decline in September as its exports slumped. Total sales fell 0.5% to 162,290 units last month, the Suzuki Motor unit said in a statement on …
- GM, Ford shares jump in relief as Canada trade deal failure would have disrupted supply chains – CNBC: Automobile manufacturers Ford and General Motors rallied Monday after the United States and Canada struck a last-minute deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement late Sunday night. General Motors shares rallied 1.8 percent in premarket …
- Tesla shares jump after Musk settles with SEC – Reuters: Shares of Tesla Inc jumped nearly 16 percent on Monday after Chief Executive Elon Musk settled with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over charges of misleading investors, heading off moves to force him out.
- China’s SAIC teams up with Ayala to sell Maxus vehicles in Philippines – Nikkei: … which have long been a stronghold for Japanese companies like Toyota Motor, Honda and Nissan Motor. Wuling Motors has expanded in Indonesia, while Zhejiang Geely Holding Group bought into Malaysian auto company Proton Holdings last year.
- Electric cars cast growing shadow on profits – Yahoo: By Laurence Frost. PARIS (Reuters) – Electric cars are poised to arrive en masse in European showrooms after years of hyped concept-car launches and billions in investment by automakers and suppliers. Now comes the hard part: selling them at a profit.
- Volkswagen will cover some costs of hardware retrofits for diesel cars: German minister – Reuters: German carmaker Volkswagen has agreed to cover some but not all of the costs for hardware retrofits of diesel cars, Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said on Monday, adding the German coalition still needed to decide how to plug the funding gap.
- Trump hails ‘historic’ Canada, Mexico trade pact – Reuters: Donald Trump on Monday praised Canada’s entry into a reworked NAFTA pact with the United States and Mexico after the two countries forged a last-minute agreement to salvage the trilateral trade accord, delivering a key win for the U.S. president.
- Audi development boss Peter Mertens resigns – Autocar: Audi’s technical development was being “comprehensively transformed” under Mertens, he said, but he added: “This requires a high level of concentration, which I cannot fully manage in my situation. During this time, my health and my family have …
- Audi technical development boss Peter Mertens resigns – Autocar: Mertens steps down due to health reasons; replacement Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler will step up in November Audi”s head of technical development, Peter Mertens, has stepped down from his position, citing health reasons. The 57-year-old joined Audi in May…
- Skoda concept previews sporty Rapid – Automotive News: Skoda has unveiled a concept previewing the next-generation Rapid compact car in sporty RS form. The Vision RS, revealed at the Paris …
- Opinion: new SL has to move the needle for Mercedes, but not by much – Autocar: The 2018 Mercedes-Benz SL The German manufacturer has to pitch the next SL just right to attract new buyers without alienating the car’s current fan base As Mercedes-Benz”s range has grown over the years, the positioning of some of its models has…
- Opinion: why Skoda is putting hybrid tech into hot vRS models – Autocar: The Skoda Vision RS Skoda’s Vision RS shows how the firm plans to offer costly hybrid powertrains while retaining its reputation for value-for-money vehicles What do you do if you”re a brand like Skoda that is known for good-value, no-nonsense cars…
- Tesla’s Crazy Quarter Ends With Model 3 Guessing Game – Bloomberg: model-estimates 55,298 deliveries for the quarter. InsideEVs, which tracks electric vehicle …
- Skoda Kodiaq vRS revealed as 237bhp performance SUV – Autocar: Hot Kodiaq will sit alongside existing Octavia vRS and bolsters Skoda”s performance division with brand’s most powerful production diesel The new Skoda Kodiaq vRS features the most powerful production diesel engine in the history of the Czech firm….
- FCA’s Manley expected to name new exec team soon – Automotive News: Fiat Chrysler’s new boss Mike Manley is expected to unveil his revamped management team on Monday, which will aim to keep the company independent and a contender in the industry’s race to develop self-driving and electric cars.
- Volkswagen sees hardware fixes for older diesels as infeasible – source – Reuters: A spokesman for Volkswagen said that the company was prepared to compromise. Basically, we’re interested in meaningful solutions that help prevent bans in cities, said the spokesman. We’ll consider the contribution we can make in due course. Merkel …
- Trump welcomes Canada’s entry into trade pact with U.S., Mexico – Reuters: U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday praised Canada’s entry into a reworked trade deal with the United States and Mexico after the two countries forged a last-gasp agreement on Sunday to salvage the NAFTA.
- Elon Musk’s SEC Settlement Is Sending Tesla Shares Through the Roof – Fortune: The rise pretty much makes up for the losses suffered Friday, after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officially sued Musk over his tweet about having secured funding for a plan to take Tesla private. The funding had not been secured.
- UK will see truly driverless cars on roads in 3-4 years: minister – Reuters: Britain will see truly driverless cars on its roads in three to four years but there will still be a role for diesel cars for many years, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said on Monday.
- Volkswagen sees hardware fixes for older diesels as infeasibl – Reuters: Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) believes a hardware retrofit of older diesel cars is not feasible in the near term, a source at the …
- Tesla shares rally sharply in pre-market on Musk fraud settlement – FT: Friday’s drop, which saw more than $6bn temporarily wiped from Tesla’s market value, was prompted by a fraud complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which alleged that Mr Musk had made “false and misleading statements” when he…
- GM tracked radio listening habits for 3 months: Here’s why – Freep: Whether you’re using your cellphone or listening to your car radio, it’s likely that someone is paying attention. That someone might be General Motors. The automaker wants to make money from understanding its drivers’ car radio listening habits.
- Spain new car sales fall 17.0 pct yr/yr in September – Anfac – Reuters: New car sales fell by 17 percent in September from a year earlier, data from the vehicle association Anfac showed on …
- The Future of Electric Cars Is Brighter With Elon Musk in It – New York Times: Tesla’s approach is not what most expected from a Silicon Valley disrupter. Unlike Apple’s iPhone – “Designed by Apple in California, Assembled in …
- Renault confirms early 2019 launch for next Clio – Autocar: . He also said the design was signed off. “It’s finished, it’s done, it’s dusted. It will be shown early next year. It’s going to be great. It has …
- Tesla shares surge over 15 percent after SEC settlement – CNBC: Tesla CEO Elon Musk settled charges with the SEC, agreeing to pay a civil penalty of $20 million and give up his role as chairman of the board for at least three years.
- PMIs dampen emerging market mood, Nafta drives peso jump – Reuters: Emerging markets began the final quarter of 2018 in a mixed mood on Monday as signs of weakness in manufacturing activity in China and elsewhere limited the optimism from a revamped North American deal that sent the Mexican peso to a near two-month high.
- New Nissan Altima Drives Another Nail in Detroit Sedan Coffin – Bloomberg: But Nissan, Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. can withstand this decline better than their Detroit competitors, Baum said. That’s because their flexible factories can shift more easily from cars to crossovers — and perhaps back again if rising …
- Ford Ecoboost engine failures: customers to receive refunds – Autocar: Ford will refund customers who have had problems with Ecoboost engines Issues with Ford’s 1.0-litre and 1.6-litre Ecoboost engines can cause them to fail and in some cases go up in flames, according to reports Ford says that it will give full refunds…
- Uber, Lyft and the Urgency of Saving Money on Ambulances – New York Times: An ambulance ride of just a few miles can cost thousands of dollars, and a lot of it may not be covered by insurance. With ride-hailing services like …
- Fast and serious: Vietnam’s first domestic car manufacturer bets big – Reuters: At a time when auto companies in the developed world are facing a squeeze on their profits from cash-rich tech firms, Vietnam is betting car-making can be a ticket t o a more prosperous economy, just as it was for the likes of Japan and South Korea.
- Aston Martin narrows $6 billion IPO range after investor response – Reuters: Luxury British carmaker Aston Martin has cut the upper end of its initial public offering price range to 20 pounds per share, giving it a potential market value of up to 4.6 billion pounds ($6 billion), following mixed feedback from investors.
- Carmakers’ Sept. sales fall 8.5 pct due to fewer work days – Yonhap: GM Korea, the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., which makes cars under the Chevrolet badge, posted a 14 percent on-year slump in sales to …
- Aston Martin Throttles Back Price Range Ahead of Planned IPO – Bloomberg: The new goal is 18.50 to 20 pounds ($24-$26) per share, the luxury car maker said Monday in an emailed term sheet. Previously, the company had set a range of 17.50 to 22.50 pounds, as it seeks a valuation higher than its only listed rival, Ferrari NV.
- European shares rise as NAFTA deal hopes lift sentiment – Reuters: European shares rose cautiously early on Monday as optimism on the trade war front was lifted by a new U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement, which is helping world markets enter the fourth quarter on a positive footing.
- Jailed Audi CEO Stadler could get big payout – Automotive News: Audi’s Rupert Stadler stands to receive a golden parachute, earning millions if he agrees to step down as CEO with years still left on his contract.
- Nissan and Kondo Racing expand partnership to train mechanics – Nissan-global: Having already trained more than 10,000 young mechanics, Nissan and Kondo Racing will expand their partnership by competing in Germany”s 24 Hours Nurburgring race and Japan”s Super GT series from next year.Kondo Racing, a customer team led by Japanese…
- Aston Martin says stock market debut fully subscribed – Reuters: Luxury British carmaker maker Aston Martin said its stock market share offer had been fully subscribed after it tightened and slightly lowered its price range to between 18.50 pounds ($24.11) to 20 pounds per share.
- This Map Shows Why Trump Couldn’t Kill Nafta – Bloomberg: Since the early 1980s, for instance, Volvo had built heavy-duty trucks in Dublin, Virginia. Because labor is a smaller percentage of costs for trucks than …
- Cars, Cows and a Crisis Averted: Highlights of a New Nafta Deal – Bloomberg: Nafta talks were conducted under threat of a steep escalation of tension: imposition of U.S. auto tariffs. The deal struck Sunday offers a measure of …
- Aston Martin cuts maximum share price for IPO – FT: Aston Martin could miss out on a spot in the FTSE 100 after the carmaker cut the maximum valuation it is seeking in its initial public offering this week. The carmaker cut the top of its price range from £22.50 a share to £20. It also lifted the bottom …
- Nissan adds 1.3-litre petrol engine to Qashqai range – Autocar: New 1.3-litre DIG-T petrol engine replaces both the 1.2 and 1.6-litre petrols with two states of tune Nissan is replacing its 1.2-litre and 1.6-litre petrol engines in the Qashqai with a 1.3-litre unit in two states of tune. Variants with 138bhp and…
- Tencent restructuring prompts fears for China’s startup funding – Nikkei: These include ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing, truck-hailing company Manbang Group and bitcoin mining company Bitmain Technologies.
- Renault Samsung’s Sept. sales plunge 44 pct on weaker exports – Yonhap: SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) — Renault Samsung Motors Corp. said Monday its September sales plunged 44 percent from a year earlier on weaker overseas demand for its vehicles. Renault Samsung sold 14,582 vehicles last month, down from 26,182 units a …
- UK manufacturers cut spending plans as Brexit fears rise – Guardian: … presence have warned that a disorderly Brexit would cause serious disruption to their operations, including Airbus, BMW and Jaguar Land Rover.
- GM Korea’s Sept sales drop 14 pct on weaker demand – Yonhap: GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., said Monday its September sales dropped 14 percent from a …
- Japan’s Idemitsu banks on solid-state electric vehicle batteries – Nikkei: Japan’s Idemitsu banks on solid-state electric vehicle batteries … lithium-ion batteries, next-generation technology destined to power the new autos.
- Trade deal largely spares Canada, Mexico from any Trump auto tariffs – Reuters: The new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade will preserve President Donald Trump’s ability to impose threatened 25 percent global tariffs on autos while largely exempting passenger vehicles, pickup trucks and auto parts from Canada and Mexico, a…
- New device helps alignment sales – Automotive News: A new measuring device is helping sales of alignment services at Jay Wolfe Toyota of West County, Missouri.
- Europe’s car makers face widespread WLTP disruption – Autocar: The newly implemented WLTP emissions test has left manufacturers rushing to certify models and dropping variants from their ranges Brands take models off sale and expect production delays as new regime kicks in The newly implemented WLTP emissions…
- Can James Bond’s Carmaker Beat This Year’s Best European IPO? – Bloomberg: Aston Martin and Knorr-Bremse sales are roaring ahead, and pot stocks are hot, so Canaccord Genuity expects Europe to see its share of cannabis listings. But let’s face it: this hasn’t been the best year for European stock markets, which have been …
- 100-electrified-models-slated-to-arrive-2022 – Automotive News: Tesla, the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Bolt make up a tiny fraction of U.S.
- VW’s Arteon delayed by testing backlog – Automotive News: VW’s new flagship sedan, the Arteon, won’t arrive in showrooms now until early 2019, the company said last week.
- Infiniti to roll out sporty hybrid, Project Black S – Automotive News: Infiniti, the Japanese premium brand planning to electrify its lineup starting in 2021, will roll out a sporty hybrid concept car ahead of the Paris auto show.
- Nemak CEO Armando Tamez looks to EV future – Automotive News: Armando Tamez, CEO of the Mexican engine parts caster Nemak, isn’t exactly sitting around waiting for the demise of the internal combustion engine.
- Electric utilities point the way to CAFE compromise between automakers and California – Automotive News: Fear of disparate fuel economy regulations among states has led to calls for a negotiated deal between automakers and California to head off such an outcome and set a de facto national standard. But what would such a compromise look like?
- Aston Martin predicts DBX SUV will become its best-selling vehicle – Automotive News: Aston Martin Lagonda predicts in its initial public offering prospectus that the DBX crossover will become the best-selling Aston after its launch next year.
- BMW X5 camera keeps an eye on the driver to monitor alertness – Automotive News: The redesigned 2019 X5 will use facial recognition technology to monitor whether drivers are distracted or asleep at the wheel.
- New leadership pair will continue to expand EchoPark used-car stores – Automotive News: Sonic’s new CEO David Smith says he is committed to the retailer’s strategy of growing its EchoPark brand of used-only stores.
- Alabama plant veterans Ola Källenius, Markus Schäfer take over at Daimler – Automotive News: In one of the smoothest transitions in Daimler’s modern history, Ola Källenius, head of group research and Mercedes-Benz Cars development, was picked to replace veteran Dieter Zetsche as CEO following the annual general meeting on May 22.
- Little chance for Nissan Terra SUV in U.S. – Automotive News: Creators of the Nissan Terra are throwing cold water on any notion the body-on-frame SUV might someday land in the U.S. as a successor to the popular Xterra.
- CarMax poised for fierce used-car competition – Automotive News: The “elephant in the room” is Carvana, says one analyst, but the competition is really coming from everywhere.”
- What’s behind Hackett’s new strategy at Ford? – Automotive News: There is mounting impatience with $9 shares and the vague vision that CEO Jim Hackett has articulated in his first 16 months, but he rejects concerns that Ford isn’t moving fast enough.
- The ‘dark side’ of Elon Musk’s itchy Twitter finger – Automotive News: Elon Musk has a history of announcing important decisions about Tesla via Twitter without consulting the company’s board or high-level executives, one former senior executive told Automotive News.
- BMW’s South Carolina region, built by free trade, stands by Trump – Automotive News: If the election campaign in South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District is a referendum on President Donald Trump’s trade policy, then the president’s side is winning by a mile.
- Motor Racing: Team by team analysis of the Russian Grand Prix – Reuters: No points for Renault, who saw rivals Haas close the gap. Sainz was hit by a Williams at the start, damaging his car’s floor and side. The Spaniard felt the car was almost undriveable. Hulkenberg had a clean race and ran as high as seventh before …
- Aston faces downside of growing up. – Automotive News: Aston Martin’s impressive growth plan will have one negative consequence – exposure to stringent corporate average fuel economy standards. The British luxury automaker reckons that with all the models it’s going to launch, including an SUV, it’ll …
- Audi to Bring Back Legendary ‘Horch’ Moniker to A8 – Yahoo: Audi can trace back its prestigious lineage to the late 1800s when August Horch, an engineer who used to work for Karl Benz (of Mercedes-Benz fame), launched his own automobile company called Horch & Cie, a joint stock venture that he created with …
- Daimler’s next leader a new kind of CEO – Automotive News: But this strikes me as more than one of those seamless, soulless, standardized transfers of power at Daimler or BMW. Zetsche has led Daimler since 2006 and has been a colossal figure in the global industry for more than a quarter-century – as far as …
- 2018 Eurostars – Automotive News: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi CEO Carlos Ghosn turned his alliance into the world’s largest automaker, passing Volkswagen Group in global sales.
- Would you like fries with that EcoSport? – Automotive News: Marcotte now has 48 service bays across the campus, which includes the commercial truck center, a car wash and a separate Quick Lane facility.
- Michigan, not Silicon Valley, produced Ford’s self-driving gurus – Detroitnews: Ford plans to launch its first production autonomous vehicles in 2021. They will be part of a fleet intended to transition seamlessly between transporting people and delivering goods. Ford and Argo are several months into working on a business model in …
- Mideast ride-hailing app Careem resumes Oman services – Reuters: Careem has resumed services in Muscat, Oman after signing an agreement to partner with a local taxi company, the Middle East ride-hailing app company said on Monday.
- Cabify boss urges Madrid to promote innovation or fall behind – FT: Taxis say that ride hailing companies such as Cabify are hurting their … He said that the rules around awarding share options to employees should be …
- BMW, Toyota, VW prepare for robotaxi future – Automotive News: Nearly every major automaker in Europe is involved in car-sharing to some degree … “We should have one specialized car for ride-hailing companies.
- U.S., Canada Reach Nafta Deal – WSJ: The U.S. and Canada were preparing to announce a dramatic, last-minute deal Sunday on revising the North American Free Trade agreement, lifting a cloud of uncertainty over the quarter-century-old continental commercial bloc.
- Ten Things to Know About the New Nafta Deal – WSJ: The U.S. and Canada late Sunday struck a deal to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement, allowing for Canada to join a pact hammered out in August between the U.S. and Mexico. Here are details.
- This is the growing up moment for Tesla, says CEO – CNBC: Live TV …
- U.S., Canada reach framework deal to replace NAFTA – Automotive News: to be called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — was reached Sunday and would protect Canada from possible American light-vehicle tariffs, strengthen intellectual property provisions and tighten rules of origin for auto…
- U.S., Canada reach framework deal to retool NAFTA – Automotive News: The United States and Canada late Sunday reached a deal to update NAFTA and keep it a trilateral pact with Mexico, beating a midnight deadline with an agreement that would protect Canada from possible U.S.
- Audi SQ2 revealed ahead of Paris – Autocar: Driver assistance from the bigger Q models has trickled down, with Audi’s pre sense (automatic preparation for possible collision) becoming standard for the SQ2. Adaptive cruise control with stop/go, and active lane assist are also standard, while park …
- US and Canada reach last-minute accord to conclude talks on new NAFTA – Latimes: President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have had a rocky relationship since they met earlier in the summer at the G7 Summit in …
- Trump has approved deal with Canada to update NAFTA – Reuters: U.S. President Donald Trump has approved a deal to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), keeping the trilateral pact with Canada and Mexico, a source familiar with the decision said on Sunday.
- Canada, U.S. reach deal to update NAFTA – Canadian sources – Reuters: The United States and Canada reached a deal to update NAFTA and keep it a trilateral pact with Mexico, beating a midnight deadline with agreements to boost U.S. access to Canada’s dairy market and protect Canada from possible U.S. autos tariffs, two…
- Mercedes CLS 450 – Big Smoothie – Autocar:
- Canada, U.S. reach framework deal on NAFTA – Reuters: The United States and Canada have reached a framework deal to update the North American Free Trade Agreement, a Canadian source said late on Sunday.
- Elon Musk tells Tesla staff to ‘ignore the distractions,’ hints at being profitable – CNBC: Elon Musk believes Tesla is “very close” to turning a profit after years of burning through cash, but warned that Sunday would prove pivotal to the car marker achieving an “epic victory.”
- BOJ Tankan business sentiment survey logs longest fall since 2009 – Nikkei: … showed on Monday, reflecting concern over the U.S.-China trade war and a … Businesses are increasingly worried that the escalating trade tensions … threatens to impose tariffs of up to 25% on imported cars and auto parts. That move would deal a…
- Tesla Braces for Uncertainty Amid Shift in Musk’s Role – WSJ: Elon Musk”s removal as chairman of Tesla potentially weakens his grip, as investors hope a remade board will help the entrepreneur focus on solving production problems that have threatened to stymie the car maker”s move into the mainstream.
- Elon Musk Will Step Down as Tesla Chairman – Bloomberg: Just days after the SEC charged Elon Musk over securities fraud linked to his August 6 “funding secured” tweet, Musk and Tesla both settled and …
- Elon Musk Settled With the SEC, but Tesla’s Troubles Aren’t Over – New York Times: Elon Musk was chastened by federal regulators on Saturday night, agreeing to step down as chairman of Tesla and to have his communications …
