Archives for March 2020

• Outspoken Tesla chief Elon Musk faces $1 billion trial, test of temperament – Reuters: Elon Musk is expected to defend a $2.2 billion deal in court next week criticized by shareholders as benefiting Musk at the expense of Tesla Inc , and the outcome may depend as much on the chief executive’s temperament as on the facts of the case.
• Lamborghini closes Italian factory due to coronavirus – Autocar: Sant’Agata Plant to remain shut until 25 March to help contain Covid-19 Lamborghini has temporar…
• BMW Group increases profitability and EBIT again in fourth quarter – targets for 2019 achieved – Just-Auto: BMW Group increases profitability and EBIT again in fourth quarter – targets for 2019 achieved
• Toyota to resume normal operations at Guangzhou in China next week – Reuters: Toyota to resume normal operations at Guangzhou in China next week
• Automakers scale back public events due to virus risk – Just-Auto: A Skoda event scheduled for Crete was moved at the last minute to the Czech Republic and then cancelled completely when that country abruptly …
• Tesla’s Musk is mum about coronavirus impact, except to say panic is ‘dumb’ – LATimes: Keep extrapolating & virus will exceed mass of known universe! – Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 8, 2020. The company’s stock price has dived with …

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• VW does not expect China slowdown to disrupt its global supply chain – manager – Reuters: VW does not expect China slowdown to disrupt its global supply chain – manager
• A $100 Billion Debt Wave to Crash Over Europe’s Riskiest Firms – Bloomberg: Jaguar Land Rover, for example, is planning to use its cash reserves to pay its $500 million bond due this week. Commodity trading giant Trafigura …
• Tesla Car Sales Estimate Cut 10% by Morgan Stanley on Virus Woes – Bloomberg: Tesla Car Sales Estimate Cut 10% by Morgan Stanley on Virus Woes
• China’s Changan to start mass-producing autonomous car – Nikkei:
• Breaking: McLaren withdraws from Australian GP due to coronavirus – Autocar: Team won’t race in 2020’s season opener after member tests positive for Covid-19 The McLaren …

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• Volkswagen considers temporary layoffs at Spain’s Navarra plant if coronavirus disrupts supply chain – Reuters: Volkswagen considers temporary layoffs at Spain’s Navarra plant if coronavirus disrupts supply chain
• Renault Wuhan “tentative” restart date of 16 March | Automotive Industry News – Just-Auto: Renault Wuhan “tentative” restart date of 16 March | Automotive Industry News
• PSA chairman staying on till FCA merger – Just-Auto: Louis Gallois has agreed, with board members, to remain chairman of the Peugeot SA supervisory board until PSA and FCA are merged.
• Fiat halts some Italian plants, Volkswagen’s Seat mulls sending Barcelona staff home – Reuters: Fiat halts some Italian plants, Volkswagen’s Seat mulls sending Barcelona staff home
• Jaguar Land Rover says UK employee tests positive for coronavirus – Reuters: Jaguar Land Rover says UK employee tests positive for coronavirus
• BMW i8 hybrid sports car to end production in April – Autocar: Plug-in flagship will bow out to make way for an all-new line of bespoke electric cars BMW has c…
• Audi E-tron GT: electric sports saloon seen ahead of LA unveil – Autocar: Audi E-tron GT: electric sports saloon seen ahead of LA unveil

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• Exclusive: Nissan to pull out of venture fund with Renault in cost-cutting drive, sources say – Reuters: Nissan Motor Co is likely to pull out from a venture capital fund it runs with alliance partners Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors, as part of the Japanese automaker’s drive to cut costs and conserve cash, two sources said.
• U.S. jury awards $100,000 in punitive damages to drivers of four Volkswagen vehicles – Reuters: A U.S. jury in California on Monday awarded the drivers of four Volkswagen AG vehicles a total of $100,000 as punitive damages for being sold diesel vehicles that emitted excess pollution, although the amount awarded was a fraction of what was sought.
• Elon Musk worries SpaceX won’t get to Mars before he dies – LATimes: An exhausted-looking Elon Musk said Monday he’s unsure his rocket company SpaceX will accomplish its foundational mission — getting to Mars …
• PSA switches Ellesmere Port plant to four-day week – Autocar: Troubled Vauxhall factory will move to a four-day week later this month in response to reduced …
• New Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport images leak on forum – Autocar: Images of what appears to be reborn 4×4 icon and its soft-roader sibling are posted online …

• Fiat Chrysler: Italian factories still operating despite restrictions – Autocar: . US-Italian car giant says it…
• Elon Musk says Tesla has now produced 1 million electric vehicles – CNBC: Musk’s announcement comes at a time when several large automakers are making moves into the electric vehicle sector. Last week, the BMW Group …
• Peugeot’s Vauxhall UK car factory cut to four-day week – Reuters: Peugeot’s Vauxhall UK car factory cut to four-day week
• Uber’s challenge to balance driver safety with customer privacy – Reuters: Margaret Bordelon can still feel the hands of the drunk man who tried to pull her in for a kiss at the end of his Uber ride last September in Lafayette, Louisiana.
• China urges Tesla to keep products consistent as buyers complain about computers – Reuters: China’s industry ministry said on Tuesday it has urged Tesla Inc to keep its China-made vehicles consistent after some Chinese customers complained the U.S. electric vehicle maker put less advanced computer chips in their cars.
• Tesla plans to expand car parts production capacity in Shanghai – govt document – Reuters: Tesla Inc plans to increase its production capacity for certain car parts at its $2 billion factory in China, according to a government document seen by Reuters, as it pushes to localise its supply chain in the world’s biggest auto market.
• Ford announces all-new electric Transit – Autocar: Ford announces all-new electric Transit NZ
• Elon Musk says college is ‘for fun’ and not for learning, echoing PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel – CNBC: At the Satellite 2020 conference on Monday, Elon Musk told the audience that “you don’t need college to learn stuff.”
• Ford warns against WiFi interference in talking cars – Axios: Ford warns against WiFi interference in talking cars Axios

• GM urges China to delay new emissions regulations – Just-Auto: GM urges China to delay new emissions regulations
• Struggling Nissan’s China vehicle sales drop 80% in February – Reuters: Nissan Motor Co’s vehicle sales in China, its biggest market, dropped 80% in February as coronavirus concerns sapped demand, in another blow to the carmaker which is struggling to recover from a profit free fall.
• FCA switches idled plant from transmissions to engines – Just-Auto: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is spending US$400m to revive a closed transmission plant in Kokomo, Indiana.
• Tesla Delivers Almost One-Third of All Electric Cars in China – Bloomberg: Tesla Delivers Almost One-Third of All Electric Cars in China
• Seat uses AI to combat driver fatigue – Just-Auto: Seat says it is researching and developing artificial intelligence technology to combat driver fatigue and improve road safety.

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• Nissan pushes on with new vehicle plan at UK factory despite Brexit warning – Reuters: Nissan is pushing on with plans to build its new Qashqai sports utility vehicle at its British factory despite warnings over Brexit, announcing on Friday a 52-million pound investment in a new press line at the site.
• Jaguar Land Rover hit by 85% sales slump in China due to coronavirus – Guardian: Jaguar Land Rover hit by 85% sales slump in China due to coronavirus
• Tata Motors expects Jaguar Land Rover China dealerships to resume by March-end – Nikkei: Tata Motors expects Jaguar Land Rover China dealerships to resume by March-end
• Tesla Sent Incomplete Injury Reports, California Regulator Says – Bloomberg: Tesla Sent Incomplete Injury Reports, California Regulator Says
• Tesla wins approval to sell longer-range China-made Model 3 vehicles – Reuters: Tesla Inc has secured Chinese government approval to sell longer-range China-made model 3 vehicles in China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Friday.
• Logistics headaches challenge limited MTA restart – Just-Auto: Renault says it has stock for the rest of this week and is in constant discussion as to what happens next, but Rome is becoming ever-more anxious as …

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• Thai Chevrolet owners sue GM over market exit – Just-Auto: Thai Chevrolet owners sue GM over market exit
• Tesla delivered cars to customers in China with lower-performance Autopilot hardware than promised – CNBC: Tesla customers in China are complaining the company delivered new Model 3s with a version of Autopilot hardware that was not as advanced as promised.
• Ex-Uber self-driving head owes $179 mln to Google in contract dispute – Reuters: The former head of Uber Technologies Inc’s self-driving technology unit must pay $179 million to Alphabet Inc’s Google to end a legal battle over his split from the company, according to a court order on Wednesday.
• Jaguar Land Rover Partners With Tata Power For Electric Vehicle Charging – Bloomberg: Jaguar Land Rover Partners With Tata Power For Electric Vehicle Charging
• Caddy, Chevys, Hummers, oh my! Everything we know about GM’s 11 wild new electric vehicles – Freep: An electric Cadillac designed to redefine American luxury and a battery-powered Chevy pickup starred as GM unveiled an unprecedented 11 vehicles

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• Audi E-tron GT set for 2020 LA debut – Autocar: Ingolstadt’s electric grand tourer will make its first public appearance at this year’s LA motor …
• BRIEF-French finmin says Renault in difficult situation but will recover – Reuters: BRIEF-French finmin says Renault in difficult situation but will recover
• Ford confirms U.S.-built electric cargo van under its $11.5 billion plan – CNBC: Ford will release an all-electric version of its popular Transit cargo van as early as next year under its plan to spend $11.5 billion on vehicle electrification through 2022.
• Battery Czar Bob Taenaka specialized in space projects before going to Ford – Freep: Bob Taenaka, a chemical engineer at Ford, figured, “If I’m not gonna play for the Dodgers, I’d want to go into alternative energy.”
• Renault Samsung launches redesigned XM3 SUV – Just-Auto: Renault Samsung Motors confirmed on Tuesday it would go ahead with the launch of the redesigned XM3 SUV in South Korea next week as it needs to revive severely depressed sales.

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