Archives for April 2019

Friday Morning Auto News will be a no-show, due to editor in the air

• Car-sharing fights grip state legislatures – Automotive News: The main issue in each states’ debate is how to define car-sharing. Car-sharing startups say they aren’t in the auto rental business, but instead act as a facilitator of transactions between people who use their services.
• Ford gives relaunched Escape sleek look, refined cabin in bid for car drivers – CNBC: One of the most important of those debuts will be the next-generation Ford Escape. Ford was a pioneer in the SUV boom with its big Explorer.
• Amazon-backed Rivian spurned GM with plans to build for others – Automotive News:
• 2019 New York motor show: full report and all the new cars – Autocar: 2019 New York motor show News, updates and launches from one of America’s biggest motoring events The New York International Auto Show is home to some of the biggest US-market unveilings, as well as a chance to see some recently revealed European…
• 2020 Lincoln Corsair – Freep: All-new 2020 Lincoln Corsair
• Next-gen Mercedes SL will be “sportier”, says boss – Autocar: How we think the upcoming Mercedes-Benz SL will look Eighth generation of the convertible will return to its sporting roots, sharing a new platform with the next AMG GT First prototypes of the next Mercedes SL will be on roads this year, says AMG boss…

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This edition of the Morning Auto News brought to you from Bangkok

• Toyota iQ city car reborn as China-only Singulato iC3 EV – Autocar: Singulato iC3 Chinese firm secures agreement with Toyota to turn iQ into electric city car The Toyota iQ city car has been reborn in China, with the rising Singulato firm using it as the basis for a new electric-only iC3 machine that has been launched…
• Can you save money and the planet by owning a Tesla or another electric car? – CNBC: including plug-in hybrid cars – accounted for 2% of vehicle sales last year, up from 1.1% in 2017. Much of that jump can be …
• EVs take center stage at the Shanghai Auto Show – Reuters: The 2019 Shanghai Auto Show is shaping up as a race to the electric vehicle future, with global auto brands and local Chinese startups showing off a …
• Nissan said to quietly scrap CEO’s office in post-Ghosn era – Automotive News: A committee singled out the Office of the CEO as one of the reasons why it was difficult to detect misconduct at the highest levels of the automaker.
• Nio teases upcoming sedan with ET Preview – Automotive News: Nio, the Chinese electric vehicle startup with swappable batteries and a bobble-headed digital assistant on the dash, aims to expand its lineup.

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This edition of the Morning Auto News is coming to you from a beach in Thailand

• Lyft’s stock continues to dive after its dismal week – CNBC: Lyft hit a new 52-week low on Monday after dropping nearly 20% over the previous week.
• German bosses urge government to stop EU proposal on connected cars – Reuters: The bosses of BMW and Deutsche Telekom have urged the German government to take action to block a European Commission proposal that would set a …
• No job cuts seen at Italy’s Magneti Marelli after Calsonic takeover -unions – Reuters: Italian car parts maker Magneti Marelli, a unit of Fiat Chrysler, confirmed industrial plans for its Italian operations and no job cuts are expected after a pending takeover by Japan’s Calsonic Kansei, labour unions said on Monday.
• Buick focuses on utility and electrification in Shanghai – Automotive News: Buick’s new vehicles, unveiled on the eve of the first Shanghai auto show press day, underscore GM’s efforts to find traction in China’s flagging market.
• Volkswagen hints it could re-enter steaming hot US pickup market – CNBC: Among an assortment of new cars, crossovers and concepts that will fill up the Volkswagen stand at this week’s New York International Auto Show, plenty of …

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• Uber’s conflicting self-driving fleet vision – FT: We at Alphaville have for a long time argued the economics of self-driving taxi fleets don’t work. If you’re still not convinced, we recommend Uber’s IPO docs, …
• Ferrari CEO confident on plan’s targets despite uncertain backdrop – Reuters: The chief executive of luxury race car maker Ferrari said on Friday he was confident about meeting the targets of a business plan through 2022 despite a …
• Mexico, U.S. to discuss NAFTA replacement, border delays – Reuters: Mexican government and business leaders will meet with their U.S. counterparts for a second straight day on Friday, seeking to push for ratification of a trade deal, do away with border delays that are hurting exporters, and discuss metals tariffs.
• Fiat Chrysler CEO sees acceleration as year goes on – Reuters: Weaker margins in North America in the last quarter of 2018 had raised concerns about a potential slowing demand in the United States, where FCA …
• U.S. auto safety agency probes Nissan Rogue over unintended braking – Reuters: The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a probe into potential unintended braking in 675,000 2017-2018 Nissan Motor Co Ltd Rogue vehicles, the agency said in a statement on Friday.

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• China’s Geely launches new electric car brand ‘Geometry’ – Reuters: Geely, China’s highest profile car maker with investments in Volvo and Daimler, launched a premium all-electric car brand “Geometry” on Thursday as it pushes ahead with its plans to boost production of new energy vehicles.
• How Tesla and its doctor made sure injured employees didn’t get workers’ comp – Revealnews: A former clinic employee shares the intensity of Tesla’s pressure and her boss’s willingness to let bottom-line concerns influence clinical decisions.
• Latest Carlos Ghosn arrest ‘inhuman and illegal’, lawyers claim – Guardian: Ex-Nissan chairman’s defence team say it has interrupted his treatment for kidney disease.
• Vintage Porsche collection damaged in fatal N.C. gas explosion – Automotive News: One of the top collections of vintage Porsche cars in the world was severely damaged by a deadly gas-pipeline explosion in North Carolina, according to local news reports.
• Trump ally doubts auto-tariff report is ‘intellectually honest’ – Automotive News: A report that could lead to auto tariffs is likely not being released by the White House because it lacks rigor and could deal a political setback for President Trump, a top Republican senator said.

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This edition of thw Morning Auto News coming to you from a beach in Thailand

• Asian equities advance as IMF raises China growth projection – Nikkei: Electric carmaker BYD added 1.7% and Dongfeng Motor Group rose 2.5%. Guangzhou Automobile Group rose 3.2% after reporting on late Tuesday a …
• Tech in driver’s seat as S&P 500 flirts with record – Reuters: Technology stocks are extending their leadership on Wall Street as the S&P 500 trades near its all-time high, with Advanced Micro Devices Inc , Xilinx Inc and Xerox Corp among the top performers since last December’s sell-off that stirred fear of an…
• Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions – Reuters: The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1100 GMT on Wednesday: ** Volkswagen AG is exploring purchasing a big stake in its Chinese electric vehicle joint venture partner JAC Motors and has tapped Goldman Sachs as an…
• Benchmark 2019 EU carbon price hits 10-year high – Reuters: The benchmark European Union carbon price rose to its highest point in 10 years on Wednesday, on competitive coal prices and hopes that Britain will remain in the EU’s Emissions Trading System for longer if it obtains a Brexit extension.
• New Ford Fiesta ST Performance Edition gets bespoke parts – Autocar: Ford releases UK-exclusive special edition ST with unique paint, extra kit and lower coilover suspension Ford has announced a Performance Edition of its third-generation Fiesta ST to celebrate a year since the first examples of the model hit UK roads….

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