* Germany - BMW, Audi, Mercedes pushing hard into the small-car market
(Photo from Audi: The new Audi A3 is now on sale in Europe. Americans will have to wait until 2014 for a sedan version)
Munich,Germany -The Detroit News, by Neil Winton -September 12, 2012: -- German luxury car makers are investing heavily in new small vehicles, and investors are worrying that maybe, just maybe, they are being a bit too ambitious... But many experts think big sales targets for the new Mercedes A class and the latest Audi A3 will be accomplished with relative ease. It is Europe's mass car manufacturers that should be getting nervous. BMW, Audi and Mercedes are moving relentlessly down-market, eliminating what once were highly profitable sales for mass manufacturing companies like Renault and Peugeot of France, GM Europe's Opel-Vauxhall and Ford Europe... Deutsche Bank, in a recent report, pointed out that Mercedes-Benz plans to more than double small car production to some 750,000 a year by 2015, and it worried the expansion plans by the big three German luxury players might be on the greedy side... That total includes about 300,000 new Mercedes A and B class vehicles, as well as another four models derived from these new cars, probably including a coupe/cabrio and a small SUV...
* France - Peugeot dumped from CAC 40 Index as carmaker's value dwindles
Paris,France -Bloomberg/The Detroit News, by Mathieu Rosemain -September 6, 2012: -- PSA Peugeot Citroen, Europe's second-largest carmaker, will be removed from France's leading stock index after the company's shares declined more than 60 percent in the last 12 months.The French manufacturer, which trails only Volkswagen AG among the continent's carmakers, will be replaced by Solvay SA in the CAC 40 index on Sept. 24, NYSE Euronext said today in an e-mailed statement... Stocks that are deleted from the CAC 40 usually underperform the index over the year following their exit, according to Exane BNP Paribas. The average decline is about 15 percent, analysts at the brokerage said in a note.Peugeot shares were first listed in Paris in 1925 and have traded continuously since then.Continental AG, Europe's second-largest auto-parts maker, returned to Germany's benchmark DAX index after a 45-month absence in a sign of its recovery from debt woes that encouraged a takeover bid from Schaeffler AG...
* S. Korea / USA - Kia making inroads on U.S. automotive market
(Photo from Kia: Kia Soul sales grew from 31,621 in 2009 to a projected 112,000 this year by appealing to consumers across all demographics)
Irvine,CAL,USA -The Detroit News, by Karl Henkel -September 6, 2012: -- South Korean automaker Kia is targeted to finish 2012 with a 4 percent U.S. market share, its highest ever, one of its executives said Wednesday... Kia Motors America has seen vehicle sales skyrocket, particularly during the past two years, when it has set sales records for 24 consecutive months... That finish will continue Kia's string of 17 consecutive years of growth in U.S. market share... Kia is planning to introduce seven new or refreshed models in 2013 and executives said it will show off a redesigned Forte compact car and an updated Sorento midsize crossover at this fall's Los Angeles Auto Show...
* Russia - Severstal seeks to expand U.S. sales. Steelmaker with plant in Dearborn to serve rising demand in auto industry
Moscow,Russia -Bloomberg News/The Detroit News, by Yuliya Fedorinova -September 6, 2012: -- OAO Severstal, Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov's steelmaker, plans to expand the share of its U.S. unit's sales to automakers such as Nissan Motor Co. to as much as 42 percent by 2016 to benefit from an industry revival... The unit sold about 30 percent of its steel to automakers including Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC in the first half, he said. It has already begun shipping to BMW AG and Mercedes-Benz, while talks have started with Nissan and Toyota Motor Corp. on gaining necessary certification to supply those companies, Kuznetsov said... The international division, focused on North America, had first-half sales of $2.16 billion, after $1.57 billion a year earlier, as output rose about 40 percent, it said last week. Severstal expects the U.S market to grow 6 percent this year. The company's plant in Dearborn produces flat-rolled carbon steel...
- AUTOS RECALLS -
* Michigan / USA - Ford Escape hit with 3rd recall
Dearborn,MICH,USA -Associated Press/The Detroit News, by Karl Henkel and David Shepardson -September 6, 2012: -- The latest Escape recall covers 7,600 2013 SUVs built with 1.6-liter engines, including 6,150 in the United States and 1,300 in Canada. Ford Motor Co.'s third recall of its all-new 2013 Ford Escape is beginning to cast a cloud over the SUV's important launch, but industry analysts say the latest recall is unlikely to significantly affect future sales.
Ford said Wednesday that the Escape, which went on sale in June, could have an improperly installed plug in the engine that could leak coolant and catch fire... Since its launch, the new Escape has had two of its best sales months ever, including in August, when Ford sold 28,188 Escapes; 80 percent of those were the redesigned 2013 models...
Labels: carmakers news worldwide
![[Valid Atom 1.0]](valid-atom.png "Validate my Atom 1.0 feed")
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home