- Majority of consumers would welcome self-driving cars, study finds – Automotive News: Capgemini’s Markus Winkler said engineers and researchers need to work hand-in-hand with marketers and user-experience experts to create self-driving cars that serve customers’ needs.
- Saudis’ Sand Hill Joy Ride Spells Trouble – WSJ: SoftBank took stakes in WeWork, Uber Technologies and Chinese ride-hailing startup Didi Chuxing Technology. Saudi Arabia made direct …
- Europe’s fast-growing small SUV segment attracts new entrants from Ford, Toyota, Jeep and Skoda – Automotive News: Europe’s mass-market small SUV segment is growing so rapidly that key players such as Ford, Jeep and Opel are doubling their model offerings.
- Nissan spurns lidar tech, siding with Musk – Automotive News: Nissan unveiled updated self-driving technology a month after Tesla CEO Elon Musk called lidar “a fool’s errand,” berating the technology for being expensive …
- How Volvo picked its EV battery suppliers – Automotive News: Volvo chose Asian battery suppliers because they have a global reach to supply its vehicle factories in Europe, the U.S. and China.
- Ford continues hybrid strategy as other automakers switch to EVs – Freep: 2020 Ford Explorer and 2020 Ford Escape SUVs have new hybrid systems to reduce fuel, emissions and save space.
- New Ford Focus ST estate revealed – Autocar: Ford”s Skoda Octavia vRS estate rival is priced from £30,595 and on sale in the summer Ford has released the first images of the new Focus ST in load-lugging estate form ahead of orders opening in the summer. Like the hatchback, the ST estate will be…
- EU, Japan Reprieve From Trump’s Auto Tariffs May Be Short-Lived – Bloomberg: World Trade Organization rules prohibit any voluntary export restraints. The European Union, and especially countries like France, says it opposes …
- Tesla Fires Sound Alarms About Safety of Electric-Car Batteries – Bloomberg: Electric vehicles may be less prone to catch fire than gas guzzlers, but recent blazes involving Tesla Inc. and NIO Inc. cars in Greater China are …
- BMW to go ahead with Hungary plant; Daimler postpones expansion in the country – Automotive News: BMW has assured Hungary that a new factory in the country will go ahead even though rival Daimler has postponed plans to expand its Hungarian compact-car …
- On the radar: Nissan stays cool on lidar tech, siding with Tesla – Reuters: Nissan Motor Co Ltd said on Thursday it would, for now, stick to self-driving technology which uses radar sensors and cameras, avoiding lidar or light-based …
- BMW assures Hungary factory project unaffected by sector struggles – Reuters: German car maker BMW has assured Hungary it that an investment in a new factory in eastern Hungary is going ahead as planned, the Hungarian government …
- French ride-hailing app Kapten to launch in London, take on Uber – Reuters: French ride-hailing app Kapten, formerly called “Chauffeur Prive”, has won approval from Transport for London to launch its services in the British capital and take on the likes of Uber as well as the city’s historic black cabs.
- Brexit and diesel fears stall car sales, says new research – Autocar: Exclusive Autocar survey finds sales being delayed by worries over Brexit and diesel As news of yet another monthly fall in new car sales emerged last week, there is strong new evidence that substantial numbers of car buyers are delaying purchases as…
- BMW CEO Talks Up Model Offensive as Downturn Crimps Profits – Bloomberg: BMW AG’s chief executive officer defended his track record at the company’s annual meeting, highlighting its luxury lead in the U.S. and growing sales …
- Geely opens EV research center in Germany – Automotive News: Geely Auto’s parent, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, has Volvo Cars, Lotus, Lynk & CO and the London Electric Vehicle Company among its brands.
- Jaguar Land Rover in uphill battle to revive China operations – Automotive News: Jaguar Land Rover is battling a saturated market in China as the automaker attempts to steady a struggling sales operation that triggered …
- Donald Trump Still Has Germany and the EU in His Sights – Washington Post: A tariff hike of that magnitude would cost the euro zone’s biggest economy $20 billion in car exports, according to industry analysts at UniCredit.
- Chinese carmaker Geely opens EV research centre in Germany – Reuters: Geely, China’s high-profile carmaker with investments in Volvo and Daimler, said on Thursday it had opened a new research and development facility in …
- Nissan to keep Saikawa as CEO, name Renault CEO as new board member – Mainichi: In a management revamp following the arrest of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn for alleged financial misconduct last November, Nissan plans an …
- US demand for auto export restrictions rattles Japan – Nikkei:
- S.Korea’s car export grows in April on launch of new models – Xinhuanet: South Korea’s car export grew last month on the positive effect from the launch of new models, a government report …
- Brussels Edition: Battleground Nation – Bloomberg: Tariff Respite | The good news is that President Donald Trump will probably not hit Europe’s car industry with punitive car tariffs this week. The bad …
- Shifting tech and business trends threaten old-line carmakers – Nikkei: A wave of technological disruptions is throwing the global auto industry into turmoil and upending many long-held assumptions about.
- Jet-Powered Flying Taxi Unveiled Following First Flight – Bloomberg: The world’s first all-electric vertical takeoff and landing passenger jet has been … five times faster than a car and produce less noise than a motorbike.
- Electric ‘flying taxi’ prototype unveiled by German start-up – Guardian: A new “flying taxi” has been unveiled by German start-up Lilium, which … Lilium said that the maiden flight of a full-scale prototype earlier this month – a … power needed in cruise is little more than that of an electric car, Lilium says.
- Tesla Updates Software After Parked Car Caught Fire in Hong Kong – Bloomberg: Tesla Inc. is rolling out a software update for two of its electric vehicles, including the flagship Model S, to beef up battery safety as part of a probe into …
- Trump mulls 6-month window for Japan to curb auto exports: report – Mainichi: The Bloomberg report came after U.S. media reported Trump is expected to delay a decision on tariffs on imported cars and parts by up to six months.
- Tesla says it plans software update amid vehicle fire investigation – Reuters: Tesla Inc said on Thursday that it would roll out a software update to protect batteries while it conducts an investigation into incidents in which its vehicles caught fire.
- Asian shares win reprieve as Trump seen delaying auto tariffs – Reuters: Asian shares steadied on Thursday on news that U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to delay tariffs on auto imports, …
- FCA inches closer to investment grade after Moody’s upgrade – Detroitnews: Moody’s upgraded FCA to the highest level of “junk” status, putting the automaker one level below investment grade.
- Euro bounces on expectations Trump will delay auto tariffs – Reuters: Trump administration officials told Reuters on Wednesday that the president is expected to put off a decision on imposing tariffs on imported cars and …
- Soros Fund Management increases stake in Tesla convertible bonds – filings – Reuters: Billionaire George Soros’ investment firm, Soros Fund Management Llc, raised its stake in Tesla Inc’s convertible bonds due in 2021 by 17.5 million convertible bonds to 37.5 million convertible bonds as of the end of the first quarter, according to a…