Archives for March 2019

• Ford teases electric Mustang ‘Pony Car’ on Twitter as Musk unveiled Tesla Model Y – CNBC: President of the Americas Joe Hinrichs told CNBC the company is moving quickly toward producing what it previously described as a “Mustang-inspired” all-electric SUV that will be in showrooms next year.
• BMW delivers 2019 profit warning and plan to cut costs by 12 bln euros – Reuters: BMW expects group pretax profit to fall by more than 10 percent this year, it said on Wednesday as it announced a sweeping 12 billion euro ($13.6 bln) savings and efficiency plan to help offset higher technology investment and currency costs.
• Auto Makers Steer in Tesla’s Direction on Wireless Updates – WSJ: Auto makers have outfitted new cars with a lot of technology, but their next challenge is to refresh the software remotely.
• Rolls-Royce Sees Record China Sales Even as Market Cools – Bloomberg: Ultra-luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce is predicting record sales in China for this year, confident it can navigate the world’s biggest auto market’s worst slowdown in …
• Henrik Fisker: $40,000 electric SUV ‘can actually make money’ – Automotive News: Fisker says he’s evolved since 2012, when he released the now discontinued $100,000 Fisker Karma (and its warmed-over corpse, the Karma Revero).

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• Forget Tesla, It’s China’s E-Buses That Are Denting Oil Demand – Bloomberg: The oil industry needn’t be too concerned — for now — about how Tesla Inc.’s electric cars are denting demand. China and its bus fleet could be more …
• Nvidia, Israel’s Cognata to partner on self-driving simulations – Reuters: Israel-based Cognata, a developer of simulation platforms for self-driving cars, said on Tuesday it was partnering with U.S. …
• Go-Jek again denied entry into Philippine ride-hailing market – Nikkei: A Philippine transport regulator has rejected anew request by Indonesian ride-hailing company Go-Jek to offer services in the county, due …
• Aluminium producer Hydro hit by cyber attack, shuts some plants – Reuters: Norsk Hydro, one of the world’s largest producers of … which transform aluminium ingots into components for car makers, builders …
• Fiat Chrysler revs up as Peugeot points to merger potential – Reuters: Fiat Chrysler shares jumped on Tuesday to the top of Europe’s STOXX 600 after the president of Peugeot family holding company FFP told French daily Les …
• Companies line up as Germany gives €1bn in battery cell subsidies to counter China’s might – Yahoo: Volkswagen is among the big names applying for the state support, as are BMW, chemicals giant BASF, and battery maker Varta.

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• Former VW exec Vahland joins Volvo’s board – Automotive News: Former Volkswagen Group executive Winfried Vahland will join Volvo’s board of directors, succeeding Carl-Peter Forster.
• Trump Calls on GM to ‘Bring Jobs Home’ After Ohio Plant Closing – Bloomberg: President Donald Trump said he wants an immediate start to talks between General Motors Co. and the United Auto Workers, extending to a third day his calls …
• Investors underwhelmed by Tesla’s Model Y reveal – Axios: Investors have never responded as negatively to a debut of a new Tesla product as they did after last week’s Model Y event. Shares fell 5% on Friday …
• Henrik Fisker plans electric SUV priced under $40,000 – Automotive News: Automotive designer Henrik Fisker, who tried to start his own car company more than a decade ago, is taking another shot – this time with an electric SUV he says will be priced starting under $40,000.
• California Inc.: Peele brings scares to box office again with ‘Us’ – Latimes: Tesla SUV: Elon Musk unveiled the latest addition to Tesla’s lineup – a small sport utility vehicle based on the Model S sedan – at the car maker’s LA …
• Axios Markets – Axios: Behind the scenes: In conversations on Air Force One and in the White House, Trump has acted out scenes of self-driving cars veering out of control …

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• Tesla names Zachary Kirkhorn as CFO – Reuters: 
• Audi will continue to develop performance models – Autocar:
• Tesla’s Next Model, the Latest on Trade, and More to Know About Stocks for Thursday – Barrons: European stocks were up this morning too, but U.S. stock futures were modestly lower as investors awaited news from Tesla (ticker: TSLA) and …
• Porsche, Buick tops in service, Power study finds – Automotive News:
• Audi says it is considering China joint venture stake increase – Reuters: Volkswagen’s premium brand Audi is reviewing whether to raise its stake in its Chinese joint venture partner companies, the premium brand’s China chief Alexander Seitz said on Thursday.
• VW halts truck IPO until market conditions improve – Automotive News: In September Volvo Cars and its Chinese owner Geely also postponed plans to list the Swedish automaker blaming trade tensions and a downturn in …

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• Volkswagen boosts electric vehicle production by 50% with 22 million BEVs by 2029 – CNBC: The goal is to build 22 million battery electric vehicles, or BEVs, over the next decade, up from a previous target of 15 million, he said. The move is …
• James Bond to drive electric Aston Martin in new movie – Guardian: But next year’s 25th Bond film looks set to have Ian Fleming’s hero make his first concession to climate change, by driving an electric Aston Martin …
• Renault Is Said to Move Aside Ghosn Protege in Broad Shakeup – Bloomberg: Renault SA is reshuffling senior executives following the arrest of disgraced former Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn, people familiar with the …
• Here are the biggest analyst calls of the day: CVS Health, Carnival, Tesla & more – CNBC: “We are bearish on PBMs and expect 70% of prescriptions to ultimately move online. And we are initiating on CVS at Outperform with a PT of $76 …
• Nissan names 2nd new N. America chairman in 14 months – Automotive News:

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• Tesla walks back its plan to close most showrooms – Washington Post: DETROIT – Tesla is walking back its plan to close most of its showrooms worldwide. The company said Monday that it’s still shifting to online sales, but it won’t …
• Seat unveils limited-edition Leon Cupra R ST estate – Autocar: Estate version of range-topping hot hatch delivers nearly 300bhp and a 155mph top speed Seat has launched a limited-run hot 296bhp Leon Cupra R ST estate, which features four-wheel drive and a top speed of 155mph. The car is based on the recent…
• No-deal Brexit tariffs would hit automakers, warns Moody’s – FT: Nissan particularly exposed to impact of a 10 per cent auto tariff.
• Tesla’s Musk nears deadline to respond to US SEC contempt bid – Reuters: Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk has until the end of the day on Monday to explain why he should not be held in contempt for recent tweets that …
• Trump’s Worst Economic Idea – Bloomberg: Evidently, President Donald Trump is still toying with the idea of imposing steep tariffs on cars and automotive parts. In a White House brimming with bad …

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