- Tearing down a Model 3: Profit potential huge, but ‘this body is their single biggest problem’ – Automotive News: DETROIT – The manufacturing analysts who spent 6,600 hours inside a warehouse north of Detroit picking apart a Model 3 have good news and bad news for Tesla Inc. The company now boasts the best technology of any electric car, with potential profit …
- Facelifted Lexus RC: prices and specs announced – Autocar: Lexus’ updated Audi A5 rival will go on sale on 1 November, priced from £38,800 After its public reveal at the Paris motor show, Lexus has released UK pricing and spec details for the updated RC coupe. Due to go on sale on 1 November, the BMW 4 Series…
- Volkswagen to overhaul dealer sales model in 2020 – Autocar: VW will refresh its sales network with new online sales channel ahead of ID brand launch Volkswagen has announced sweeping organisational changes to its dealership and sales network throughout Europe as it prepares for the launch of its ID electric…
- Tesla Advances in China, Buying Land Purchase for a Factory – WSJ: Elon Musk”s electric-vehicle maker is speeding up construction of a plant in Shanghai in response to the U.S.-China trade dispute.
- New Skoda Kodiaq GT: official images leaked of SUV-coupe – Autocar: Source: AutoWeek Skoda’s China-built Kodiaq GT is revealed in full by leaked official shots ahead of its launch later this year After Skoda released a series of sketches of its new Kodiaq GT earlier this week, official images appear to have been…
- Auto parts suppliers warn hard Brexit may set UK sector back 25 years – Reuters: Failure to secure a trade deal for Britain when it exits the European Union next year could set the UK auto sector back two decades, leading parts suppliers said on Wednesday as they urged leaders to reach agreement at a summit in Brussels.
- Weaker China demand, regulation spell tough quarter for Europe’s auto stocks: Goldman Sachs – Reuters: Goldman Sachs analysts said slowing car demand in China and new fuel consumption regulations were hurting investors’ sentiment toward European autos stocks and warned this results season could be challenging, hitting shares in the sector on Wednesday.
- Tesla secures Shanghai site for China Gigafactory – Reuters: Tesla Inc has signed an agreement with the Shanghai government for an 860,000 square metre plot of land to build its first overseas Gigafactory, the electric carmaker said in a Chinese social media post on Wednesday.
- Uber extends safety features to passengers, drivers in Europe, Middle East – Reuters: Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] is to connect passengers and drivers directly to emergency services in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa as part of a wider rollout of largely existing safety features over the next few weeks.
- European Car Lobby Warns No-Deal Brexit Threatens Business Model – Bloomberg: Carmakers and suppliers’ steps to prepare for the event of a disorderly withdrawal from the European Union — such as pulling forward scheduled production stops and stockpiling parts — won’t be enough to mitigate operations for plants that receive and …
- Tesla signs agreement in Shanghai for gigafactory site – Reuters: Tesla Inc has signed an agreement with the Shanghai government for an 860,000 square meter plot of land to build its first overseas Gigafactory, the electric carmaker said in a Chinese social media post on Wednesday.
- Philippine watchdog fines Grab, Uber for rushed merger, drop in service quality – Reuters: The Philippines’ competition watchdog fined ride-hailing firms Grab and Uber Technologies on Wednesday, saying they consummated their merger too soon and that the quality of service dipped, becoming the second regulator in the region to penalise them.
- Court rejects injunction against GM Korea’s shareholders’ meeting – Yonhap: INCHEON, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) — A South Korean court on Wednesday rejected an injunction against a shareholders’ meeting of GM Korea Co. set for later this week, a move that could allow the local unit of General Motors Co. to establish a separate R&D entity.
- New 2019 Seat Leon spotted with minimal disguise – Autocar: Seat’s fourth-gen Ford Focus rival to debut in concept form at Geneva show next year before summer release Seat is set to reveal the new Leon in concept form next year, but spy photographers have caught a revealing prototype testing with much less…
- May met Tata patriarch Ratan as Jaguar warns on Brexit, diesel – source – Reuters: Prime Minister Theresa May and business minister Greg Clark met Ratan Tata, patriarch of the Indian Tata family, a few weeks ago as its car brand Jaguar Land Rover warns about the effect of Brexit and diesel policy, a government source said.
- Turkish automotive sales seen contracting 38.8 pct in 2018 -association – Reuters: Turkey’s auto sales are seen contracting 38.8 percent in 2018, an official for Turkey’s Automotive Distributors …
- What’s in a Name? A Lot If It Links a Billionaire to China’s Xi – Bloomberg: In a disclosure statement made to the Hong Kong bourse dated Monday, Geely revealed details of the holdings of its chairman and top investor Li Shufu, who has made a spate of eye-catching global autos investments over the past decade. While the scope …
- BMW X7 vs. X5: See the changes side-by-side – Yahoo: After a very long and rather public period of testing the new BMW X7 full-size SUV is here. The three-row monster from Munich will duke it out with numerous competitors, not the least of which being the Lexus LX, Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, and everyone’s …
- How Russia moved into Central Africa – Reuters: When Central African Republic (CAR) pleaded for help last year to fight marauding militias, former colonial ruler France offered guns it had seized off Somalia. But Russia objected and donated its own weapons instead.
- European Car Sales Slump 23% as New Emissions Tests Start – Bloomberg: Daimler AG has also singled out so-called WLTP as an obstacle weighing on its business; BMW, which hadn’t seen delays in getting its models ready for the new regime, issued a profit warning last month partly blaming pricing pressure from less-prepared …
- Volkswagen, FCA and Renault lead emissions-driven European sales slump – Reuters: Volkswagen Group , Fiat Chrysler and Renault led a 23.4 percent European car sales decline in September, the main regional industry body said on Wednesday, as automakers continued to suffer from the introduction of tougher new emissions tests.
- Volvo Canada sees mid-level 2020 Volvo S60 T6 as volume seller – Automotive News: TORONTO – Volvo Canada expects most customers to look past the base model 2020 Volvo S60 compact sedan and immediately opt for the mid-level R-Design, equipped with the T6 Drive-E engine. Volvo Car Canada managing director Alex Lvovich told …
- Uber considers minority investors for self-driving car unit: FT – Reuters: Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] is considering selling minority stakes in its costly self-driving car unit as the ride-hailing firm tries to address rising cost pressures ahead of its initial public offering, the Financial times reported on Wednesday.
- Ram 1500 pickup nabs first big win in the Truck War of 2018 – Freep: Fiat Chrysler’s 2019 Ram 1500 pickup scored the first win of the vehicle awards season, taking home honors as the 2019 Truck of Texas, a big win in a state that accounts for a quarter of all U.S. pickup sales. The new Ram, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC …
- Maserati to introduce Ferrari-derived hybrid power – Autocar: Maser is racing to get its new 800-volt charging technology on the market first, and it can’t stop to catch its breath because Aston Martin and Porsche are developing similar technology too. Maserati’s system looks to use Ferrari’s powertrains as its …
- World’s Top Miner Embracing the Boom in Electric Car Batteries – Bloomberg: BHP Billiton Ltd. is boosting sales of the top-quality nickel that’s needed for electric vehicle batteries, another sign the world’s biggest miner is targeting …
- Hyundai Motor inks MOU with Air Liquide, Engie – Yonhap: SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) — Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s biggest carmaker by sales, said Wednesday that it has signed an initial agreement with French companies Air Liquide SA and energy firm Engie in the latest move to boost sales of hydrogen …
- Hyundai PH Highlights Commercial Vehicles in First-Ever Hyundai Power Solutions Expo – Yahoo: Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the Philippines-including its line of trucks and buses-is holding the first-ever Hyundai Power Solutions Expo at the LausGroup Event Centre in San Fernando, Pampanga …
- US judge approves SEC settlement with Tesla, Musk; shares jump – Yahoo: By Nick Carey and Munsif Vengattil. (Reuters) – A U.S. judge on Tuesday approved a settlement between a federal regulator, Tesla Inc and its chief executive officer, Elon Musk, over his tweets promising to take the company private, signaling an end to …
- From Honda to Volvo: New US auto transplant transcends tariffs – Detroitnews: Sweden’s Volvo is the latest foreign manufacturer to open a “transplant” in the United States. Production of the 2019 S60 sedan northwest of Charleston, South Carolina, ramped up this month just as America goes through another spasm of protectionism.
- Chinese electric car makers, nurtured by state, now look for way out of glut – Reuters: Humming away in an industrial estate in the eastern Chinese resort city of Hangzhou, electric vehicle designer Automagic is one of hundreds of companies looking to ride the country’s wave of investment in clean transportation.
- US Senate bill could give Tesla, GM electric car tax credit boost – Yahoo: By David Shepardson. WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Tesla Inc and General Motors Co , which have lobbied Congress to lift a cap on electric vehicles eligible for a $7,500 tax credit, could get their way for up to four years under a new proposal from a …
- BMW reveals seven-seat X7 SUV – Autocar: An Off-Road package is also available for all model variants aside from the BMW X7 M50d. This package includes an extra button for choosing between four driving modes – xSand, xGravel, xRocks and xSnow. These modes prepare the car for the surface in …
- Hyundai breaks top 40 most valuable global brands – Autocar: Hyundai New Zealand General Manager, Andy Sinclair says, “Hyundai Motor is establishing itself as a leading force in the future of global mobility. The company is innovative and creative, and continues to meet the needs and requirements of our …
- Audi Agrees to Pay EUR800 Million Fine for ‘Dieselgate’ Scandal – Yahoo: Audi AG’s ‘Dieselgate’ scandal has officially come to an end. Following the issuance of an administrative order against the German carmaker by …