Archives for August 2019

• Trump Slams GM as U.S. Workforce Shrinks to Detroit’s Smallest Automaker – Bloomberg: U.S. President Donald Trump criticized General Motors Co. for shrinking its U.S. manufacturing presence, which has reduced the company’s unionized workforce …
• Z?m, a ride-hailing company for kids, expands to six more US cities, including Washington DC – Washington Post: In Washington D.C., Z?m will compete with HopSkipDrive, ride-hailing service founded by three working mothers in Los Angeles for children ages 6 to …
• Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Campbell Soup, Ulta, Tesla, GE & more – CNBC: Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: Campbell Soup – Campbell Soup reported adjusted quarterly profit of 49 cents per share, 8 cents …
• GM, Lyft, Waymo urge US safety regulators to remove driver controls on autonomous cars – CNBC: Notably absent from the comments was Tesla, which has been very public about its aspirations for testing and deploying autonomous vehicles.
• China will exempt 16 Tesla models from purchase tax – Reuters: China will exempt 16 Tesla Inc electric vehicle (EV) models from purchase tax, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a statement on its website.
• New Tariffs to Test the Strength of US Consumers – Bloomberg: Yuan effects | Tesla raised car prices in China by about 2%, responding to trade tensions that are landing the twin blows of a weaker yuan and import …

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• Japan allows first exports of hydrogen fluoride to S.Korea since export curbs – source – Reuters: Japan has approved shipment of hydrogen fluoride used in making computer chips to South Korea for the first time since imposing tighter export controls in July, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
• Ivory Coast signs agreement with Toyota to build assembly plant – Reuters: Ivory Coast’s government signed an agreement on Thursday with Toyota to build a vehicle assembly plant in the West African nation, the office of Ivorian Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly said in a statement.
• Mazda ditching JPMorgan Chase for Toyota Financial Services for automotive loans, leases – Automotive News: Mazda to use Toyota Financial Services for loans, leases | Tesla launching insurance | British assembly slump | Detroit auto show home gets new name …
• Volvo, Veoneer joint venture Zenuity teams up with CERN on AV development – Automotive News: The collaboration will focus on helping autonomous vehicles make predictions and decisions faster to improve safety and minimize energy consumption.
• Buffett-Backed BYD Close to Battery Supply Deal With VW`s Audi – Bloomberg: Volkswagen AG’s Audi luxury-car brand is in talks to add China’s BYD Co. as a supplier of batteries used in its premium electric vehicles, according to people …
• GM Is Now Detroit`s Smallest Auto-Making Employer – Bloomberg: General Motors Co. now employs fewer union-represented American workers than its domestic rivals for the first time since the United Auto Workers started …

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• Japanese automakers Toyota, Suzuki to form capital tie-up – Reuters: Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp and Suzuki Motor Corp plan to form a capital tie-up, two sources said on Wednesday, as they look to accelerate technological development and meet sweeping changes upending the global auto industry.
• Amazon in talks to partner with Indonesia’s ride-hailing startup Go-Jek: WSJ – Reuters: Amazon.com Inc has held preliminary talks on a partnership with Indonesian ride-hailing startup Go-Jek Group, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
• Worst May Be Over for Chinese Car Sales – Wall Street Journal: China’s latest attempt to revive its car sales may not do much, but the world’s largest auto market may turn a corner soon anyway.
• New Volkswagen Golf Mk8: reveal set for autumn 2019 – Autocar: Autocar
• Indian car maker Maruti Suzuki launches initiative to enhance customers’ convenience – Xinhua | English.news.cn – Xinhuanet: Indian car maker Maruti Suzuki, which enjoys more than 50 percent share in the country’s car market, announced its initiative …
• Nissan develops golf ball that finds the hole every time – Automotive News: Nissan placed an overhead camera to detect the position of the golf ball and cup. When the ball moves, a monitoring system calculates the correct route and adjusts its trajectory.

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• Federal probe into union corruption expands to General Motors – CNBC: The new charges come as the union and Big Three Detroit automakers are negotiating new contracts for 158,000 UAW workers.
• VW’s Seat brand names new purchasing boss for electrified era – Automotive News: Alfonso Sancha will focus on developing Seat’s EV strategy in the brand’s purchasing division, while helping to consolidate its position and expansion in North Africa, Latin America,and China.
• New projects for battery material nickel need a price spur – Reuters: Rapidly rising use of nickel in the batteries that power electric vehicles over coming years means higher prices are needed to …
• Audi teases ‘radical’ EV off-roader concept – Automotive News: The AI:Trail off-road EV is part of Audi’s series of concepts that examine the future of mobility.
• Toyota to partner with Chinese AV startup Pony.ai – Automotive News: The companies are teaming up on a self-driving pilot project in September on public roads in Beijing and Shanghai, using Lexus RX vehicles and Pony.ai”s technology.
• Asia’s demand for low-sulphur fuel drives hydrogen gas consumption: Linde – Reuters: Asia’s hydrogen gas demand will rise as the region’s oil refineries use the gas to produce low-sulphur fuel to meet new environmental regulations, the head of the world’s largest industrial gas producer said on Tuesday.
• Labor says electric cars ‘unstoppable’ and Coalition wants to make Australia ‘like Cuba’ – Guardian: The shadow climate change minister, Mark Butler, has doubled down on the need for policy to drive the transition to electric vehicles in Australia, …
• GM exiting China would mean billions in lost future profits – Freep: General Motors would be hurt if President Trump forced it to exit China, but it would survive.

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• BYD H1 profit triples from booming NEV sales – Xinhuanet: China’s leading new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer BYD reported a year-on-year rise of 203.6 percent in net …
• Volkswagen Explores China Auto Investments – Bloomberg: Bloomberg has learned that Volkswagen is exploring potential investments in Chinese automotive suppliers. The German automaker is looking to secure access …
• Toyota plans self-driving escort for Olympic torch and marathon – Automotive News: The vehicle is part of the automaker”s wider Olympic transport plans that also include self-driving shuttles and personal mobility devices such as scooters.
• Love the Smell of Gasoline? It’s Now at a Museum in Stockholm – Bloomberg: From the roar of a combustion engine to the sensation of filling up a gas guzzling car — these are experiences immortalized at the world’s first museum …
• How Mazda tailored the CX-30 to European tastes – Automotive News: Mazda’s new SUV is based on research into urban driving that looked at the needs of likely buyers such as families.
• Opel shows off electric Corsa’s driving dynamics with rally concept – Automotive News: Opel will highlight the driving dynamics of its new Corsa-e battery-powered hatchback with a rally concept that will debut at the …

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• Volkswagen CEO interested in Tesla stake: Manager Magazin – Reuters: Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess is interested in acquiring a stake in Tesla , German business publication Manager Magazin reported on Thursday, citing …
• Electric Vehicles Run Into China`s Regulatory Change – Wall Street Journal: Electric vehicles are colliding with a regulatory change in China, as results from Buffett-backed BYD show.
• Lamborghini Pulls Into Sight of Ferrari With $11 Billion Value – Bloomberg: For decades, Lamborghini has been known for brash supercars that combine brute power and daring design, like the classic Miura or the edgy Countach.
• VW Targets Higher Profit Even as E-Car Costs, Uncertainty Weigh – Bloomberg: Volkswagen AG’s namesake brand expects to lift profit margins over the next few years despite an expensive shift to electric cars and growing …
• Trump, amid claims of anti-Semitism, invoked Henry Ford. Hitler called the automaker his `inspiration.` – Washington Post: The president described Ford, a known anti-Semite and Nazi sympathizer, as “legendary” in a tweet Wednesday night.

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