- Nissan’s Saikawa, following Ghosn resignation, says he plans to step down as CEO – Automotive News: Hiroto Saikawa has said he will step down as Nissan CEO, shortly after former Chairman Carlos Ghosn resigned as chairman and CEO of Renault. The move will give the strained union between the automakers a fresh start.
- New Porsche Cayenne Coupe seen ahead of summer on-sale date – Autocar: Porsche’s upcoming BMW X6 rival hits the cold weather testing routes, with a debut in the next few months likely Porsche is building up to reveal a coupe version of the Cayenne SUV in the coming months, and another prototype has been caught winter…
- automakers would take part in productive talks.
- Saudi Aramco, Air Products agree to build first hydrogen vehicle fueling station – Reuters: Saudi Aramco and Air Products and Chemicals Inc said on Friday they agreed to jointly build the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle fueling station in Saudi Arabia.
- Volkswagen to create battery production unit in push for e-cars mass production – Reuters: Volkswagen said it would create a unit to manufacture electric car batteries, as it prepares to mass produce electric cars and overhaul its components division which currently makes engines, gearboxes and steering components.
- Maruti Suzuki third-quarter profit drops 17 percent, misses consensus – Reuters: IndiaMaruti Suzuki India Ltd posted a 17.2 percent drop in third-quarter profit on Friday, missing consensus estimate, as rising commodity prices weighed on demand.
- Hyundai, Kia may launch ‘city’ SUVs in Europe – Automotive News: Hyundai and Kia may add entry-level SUVs in Europe to meet demand for mini-sized, high-riding cars in crowded cities.
- Mitsubishi Motors and Panasonic barred from using foreign trainees – Nikkei:
- Hyundai Motor to cut China jobs, review optimization plans after sales slump – Reuters: Hyundai Motor said its Chinese joint venture is accepting voluntary retirements from employees and reviewing various “optimization plans” at its factories in the country, following a slump in car sales.
- Japan trade minister says Renault, Nissan must maintain stable alliance – Reuters: Japanese trade minister Hiroshige Seko on Friday urged Nissan Motor Co and Renault SA to maintain a stable alliance and expressed hope that executives from the
- China’s Car Slowdown Begins to Bite as Hyundai Lets Workers Go – Bloomberg: As China’s car industry loses its shine, automakers are starting to buckle up for the downward slope with Hyundai Motor Co. announcing it’s letting workers go …
- Hyundai’s Multi-Collision Airbag System is ‘First-of-Its-Kind’ – Yahoo: Hyundai”s Multi-Collision Airbag System is ‘First-of-Its-Kind” Yahoo NewsA report made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that 30 percent of accidents involve a secondary impact. Secondary …
- Government shutdown hits D.C.-area car dealers especially hard – Detroitnews: New-vehicle sales across the nation are expected to rise in January, but the picture is different around the nation’s capital
- Ford wants to double 2019 operating profits, Hackett says – Automotive News: Ford CEO Jim Hackett told employees the automaker would not accept last year’s “mediocre” results and said Ford was aiming to nearly double its annual operating profit.
- Ford CEO tells employees: ‘Time to bury’ 2018, focus on doubling profit – Reuters: Ford Motor Co Chief Executive Jim Hackett told employees late on Thursday the No. 2 U.S. automaker would not accept last year’s “mediocre” results and said the company was aiming to nearly double its annual operating profit.
- U.S. govt shutdown threatens rollout of new car models – automakers – Reuters: The partial U.S. government shutdown is threatening to delay the roll-out of new vehicle models in the United States by stalling required certifications from the …
- Embrace change, Maroone tells dealers – Automotive News: In his first public appearance since leaving AutoNation’s chief operating post four years ago, Mike Maroone shared this advice with his auto retail peers: be agents for change.
- Subaru probe finds 3,400 staff were not paid for overtime work – Reuters: Subaru Corp on Friday said it did not pay overtime wages over a two-year period to some 3,400 employees who under-reported their hours, a revelation that surfaced in an internal probe following the 2016 suicide of an overworked employee.
- Berkshire Hathaway Automotive on the hunt – Automotive News: Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, quiet since its 2015 acquisition of Van Tuyl Group, is actively seeking dealerships to buy and sees an advantage ahead in the next industry cycle.
- Renault Picks New Leaders, Ending Ghosn’s Long Reign – WSJ: The resignation of Renault”s Carlos Ghosn brings down the curtain on a long career that made him a symbol of globalization”s sprawl as well as its pitfalls.
- Higher new-vehicle prices fuel used sales – Automotive News: Speaking at the J.D. Power Automotive Summit, Jonathan Banks, vice president of vehicle valuations and analytics for J.D. Power, said Generation Z buyers are increasingly unable to afford new vehicles, and would rather look for bigger vehicles with…
- The story behind Alfa Romeo’s handling reinvention – Autocar: Torque vectoring can rescue the enthusiastic driver Italian car maker reveals technical details of return-to-form Giulia and Stelvio models The Giulia saloon and the Stelvio SUV have signalled a return to handling greatness for Alfa Romeo, with levels…
