- Rome backs FCA/Renault merger if good for Italian industry – Salvini – Reuters: The Italian government would support the merger of Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and Renault as long as there is an advantage for Italy, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told Reuters on Monday.
- Electric car maker BYD to build battery gigafactory in Guangzhou – Xinhua | English.news.cn – Xinhuanet: China’s new energy vehicle manufacturer BYD’s battery gigafactory project settled in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou …
- Maruti Suzuki sales fall 22% in May as India car demand weakens more – Nikkei: Passenger vehicles sales in India continued to decline in May with the nation’s top car maker Maruti Suzuki India posting a 22% s.
- Nissan would review Renault relationship after FCA merger – CEO – Reuters: Nissan would carry out a “fundamental review” of its relationship with alliance partner Renault if it accepted a merger proposal from Fiat Chrysler, the Japanese carmaker said on Monday.
- Musk says Tesla likely to produce Model Y in existing Calif. plant – Automotive News: For the Model Y, Tesla has been weighing the pros and cons of its current plants, including space constraints and labor costs due to the Bay Area”s high cost of living.
- Prius Sales Are Falling, But Hybrids Are More Popular Than Ever – Bloomberg: The Toyota Prius, once revered as the greenest car on the road, has fallen on hard times. Sales are on a six-year losing streak, and now the previously …
- A Tesla Collapse Would Boost European Carmakers, Bernstein Says – Bloomberg: Germany’s car industry, including Volkswagen AG and supplier Continental AG, stands to gain in both business and stock prices should Tesla Inc.’s …
- Can Tesla Ever Be More Than a Niche Automaker? Wall St. Increasingly Thinks No – New York Times: Of course, this is Tesla, and its share price is prone to big swings as sentiment changes. Just last fall after the company’s third-quarter results had …
- FCA-Renault’s 15-brand stable covers sports cars to budget models – Automotive News: Founded in 1955 and bought by Renault in 1973, it ceased production of road cars in 1989. In 2017 it was relaunched with a model called the A110, …
- Analysis | Fiat-Renault’s Giant Merger Doesn’t Look So Simple Now – Washington Post: A sweetener for the French may be needed to get this deal over the line. This will be a problem if it enshrines the position of Paris in the merged company.
- SoftBank to launch service to help power self-driving buses, farm machinery – Reuters: Japan’s SoftBank Corp said on Monday it will launch a service that uses satellite navigation data and its network of mobile base stations to help power self-driving buses, drones and farm machinery.
- Electric cars and charging stations are starting to mature – Detroitnews: Audi e-tron shows there is more to the business of EV battery usage than just range.
- Trump’s tariff on Mexican imports startles industry – Automotive News: Deutsche Bank estimates that if the penalty rises to the full 25 percent, GM would take a $6.3 billion hit before interest and taxes; FCA’s hit would be $4.8 billion; and Ford’s would be $3.3 billion.
- As GM touts investment plans, UAW slams cuts – Automotive News: GM’s investment commitments ahead of this year’s contract negotiations have been met with mixed reactions amid a strategy to close plants in Ohio, Michigan and Maryland.
- Radar finds new place in self-driving technology – Automotive News: Radar has been a staple of driver-assist systems for obstacle detection, and until now, not viewed as a tool for localization. That’s changing.
- Renault and FCA didn’t say so, but Nissan could shine – Automotive News: Nissan appeared to be left on the sidelines of the proposed FCA-Renault merger, but its potential role could be game-changing for FCA.
- Renault could provide FCA with a captive opportunity – Automotive News: A Renault-FCA tie-up doesn’t necessarily mean that Renault’s RCI Financial Services will replace Santander.
- FCA dealers optimistic on prospects of a Renault tie-up – especially for electrification – Automotive News: For dealers and employees, the prospect of another merger isn’t surprising, and many are optimistic about what it could mean for them. But bad memories of DaimlerChrysler linger.
- At Toyota, `it’s not that easy’ being a Toyoda – Automotive News: Ten years into his tenure, the auto giant’s third-generation president is finally feeling the pressure of his ancestors and getting personal about his turn at the wheel.
- Nissan may pay big price for resistance to FCA-Renault merger – Automotive News: Nissan’s long resistance to the proposed merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Renault may come at a big price.
- Jaguar to end production of XJ after 51 years – Automotive News: Jaguar Land Rover is ending XJ production in July after 51 years, though officials say the XJ nameplate will return, possibly as early as 2020.
- Deal-making at Chrysler – Automotive News: 1925: Walter P. Chrysler reorganizes Maxwell Motor Co. into Chrysler Corp. 1928: Chrysler acquires Dodge Bros. 1950: Chrysler establishes Missile Division for …
- Ford’s Galhotra on job cuts, hybrids and ’emotional’ Bronco – Automotive News: Ford’s North America boss, Kumar Galhotra, is working toward a 10 percent profit margin in the region as the company undergoes a global restructuring.
- Why Toyota still sees Canada as a top-notch place to manufacture – Automotive News: For years Canada has been known as a tough place to make money building cars. Toyota sees things differently, crediting support from the federal and …
- FCA may improve Renault merger bid to win French backing – Automotive News: Fiat Chrysler is discussing with Renault an improved merger offer that would see the combined company’s operations headquartered in France and the French state granted a seat on its board, sources told Reuters.
- VW sees opening in Detroit-dominated pickup market – Detroitnews: Volkswagen wants to play in the U.S. truck market. It thinks there might be space for a subcompact pickup.