Note: due to travels to areas with patchy connectivity, there may only be spurious news, or news at odd times, or no news at all until order is restored after February 28, 2020.
- Tesla prices its secondary offering at $767 a share, raising $2 billion – CNBC:
- Volkswagen diesel settlement talks with German consumer groups fail – Reuters: Volkswagen said talks with consumer groups who were seeking compensation over excessive pollution, caused by VW’s diesel cars, had failed.
- Renault’s 2020 vision clouded as ‘tough’ year leads to first loss in a decade – Reuters: Renault reported its first loss in a decade and cut its 2020 margin target on Friday, as it attempts to draw a line under the Carlos Ghosn affair and reboot its Nissan alliance.
- Fiat Chrysler Plans to Halt Works at Serbia Plant on Coronavirus – Bloomberg: Fiat Chrysler Plans to Halt Works at Serbia Plant on Coronavirus
- Nissan shares tumble to 10-1/2 year low after earnings rout; Renault also suffers – Reuters: Nissan shares tumble to 10-1/2 year low after earnings rout; Renault also suffers
- Nissan Is Worth Less Than Subaru After Shares Plummet – Bloomberg: Nissan Is Worth Less Than Subaru After Shares Plummet
- Ford of Europe boss: combustion ban debate is ‘unhelpful’ – Autocar: Mach E made its European debut in London this week Stuart Rowley speaks out against conflict b…
- Tesla acknowledges ‘health epidemics’ as new risk in financial filing amid coronavirus outbreak – CNBC: Tesla said in an annual financial filing the coronavirus outbreak may have a material adverse impact on its business.
- Volkswagen to shut coal-fired power stations at main factory to cut CO2 – Reuters: Volkswagen is shutting down two coal-fired power stations at its main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany and has declined offers to sell them to cut down the company’s carbon dioxide emissions, Chief Executive Herbert Diess said on Friday.
- GM to pay salaried workers bigger bonuses despite turbulent 2019 – Freep: Most of the salaried workers at GM can expect annual bonuses in two weeks that match or exceed the amount they got last year.
- Uber goes low-tech with phone bookings – Just-Auto: Uber is trying a ‘new’ way of communicating with customers to offer its on-demand rides – the telephone, a device that enables you to speak to a human being.
- Maserati lays out schedule for bold electrification strategy – Autocar: 2020 Ghibli will be first hybrid, with electric sports car and new SUV to follow; new Granturismo…
- Mitsubishi Motors delays factory restart in China on coronavirus – Reuters: Mitsubishi Motors Corp is postponing the restart of its factory with Guangzhou Automobile Group in Hunan province until 27 due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Japanese automaker said on Friday.
- Volkswagen’s group deliveries in China fall 11.3% y/y – Reuters: Volkswagen, one of the world’s biggest carmakers, on Friday said deliveries in China declined by 11.3% in January as the auto sector feels the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
- Nissan’s South Korean unit planning voluntary redundancies – Reuters: Nissan Motor Co’s South Korean unit plans to seek applications for voluntary redundancy, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Friday, as the automaker’s shares sank to their lowest in more than a decade.
- Renault sets lower profit goal in crunch reboot year – Reuters: French carmaker Renault on Friday posted its first loss in 10 years and set a lower operating margin goal for 2020, a crunch year for its planned reboot alongside partner Nissan after a scandal surrounding former boss Carlos Ghosn.
- Tokyo stocks close lower on renewed virus jitters; Nissan dives – Reuters: Japanese shares ended lower on Friday as renewed worries about a coronavirus outbreak in China supported demand for the safe-haven yen and weighed on export-oriented stocks.