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Sep 30, 2016

CARMAKERS TECHNOLOGY * Germany - For self-driving cars

* Frankfurt - German carmakers and technology firms form 5G telecoms association

--- German car makers Audi, BMW and Daimler on Tuesday launched an alliance with mobile telecoms network equipment firms Ericsson , Huawei, Intel, Nokia and Qualcomm to accelerate development of the infrastructure needed for self-driving cars... The pact is another example of Germany's premium carmakers collaborating to build technology expertise necessary to take on new rivals like Uber and Google which are also working on autonomous driving technology... The new alliance, branded the 5G Automotive Association, will "develop, test and promote communications solutions, support standardization and accelerate commercial availability and global market penetration," the founders said in a statement...Last year BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen's Audi, joined forces to buy digital map maker HERE for 2.8 billion euros ($3.15 billion) from Nokia and this week will introduce a service that allows drivers to see for themselves what road conditions are like miles ahead using live data contributed by other vehicles... 
(Photo - Audi, BMW and Daimler alliance with Ericsson , Huawei, Intel , Nokia and Qualcomm, for 5G)  --  Frankfurt, Germany - Reuters/KFGO, by Harro ten Wolde / Ilona Wissenbach / Greg Mahlich - September 27, 2016

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Sep 9, 2016

VW's BATTLE * Worldwide: On emissions claims

* Germany - VW facing uphill battle outside the U.S. in emissions claims

--- The auto maker is being pursued by authorities and plaintiffs’ lawyers around the globe who hope to replicate an expensive settlement in the USA... Governments, investors and car owners around the world are gaining ground in efforts to pressure Volkswagen AG for settlements over its emissions-cheating scandal, aiming for terms similar to a $15 billion U.S. agreement... From Australia to South Korea to Ireland, governments and consumers are ratcheting up legal and regulatory demands in part because such moves in the U.S. yielded a speedy shift to contrition from combativeness... In many of the countries where Volkswagen still faces legal action, it is arguing the so-called defeat device on its diesel engines wasn’t illegal or the car emissions didn’t violate local rules, according to court records and documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal... If the efforts succeed, the costs to resolve the diesel scandal could rise well beyond the €18.4 billion ($20.5 billion) the company has set aside. Of the roughly 11 million vehicles affected by Volkswagen’s yearslong effort to cheat on diesel emissions standards, about 10.4 million are outside the USA...
(Photo by Ahn Young-Joon/AP: A Volkswagen outside a dealership in Seoul, South Korea, earlier this month)  --  Wofsburg, Germany - The WSJ, by William Boston - Aug 23, 2016

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Jan 3, 2014

AUTOMAKERS NEWS * USA: FIAT & Chrysler affair

* Michigan - Chrysler, Fiat:  Significant challenges remain

(Photo: Sergio Marchionne, Fiat’s chief executive and CEO of Chrysler Group) 
Auburn Hills,MICH,USA -The Detroit News, by Bryce G. Hoffman -January 3, 2014: -- Fiat SpA’s surprise year-end deal to acquire the rest of Chrysler Group LLC from the United Auto Workers has removed a major obstacle to CEO Sergio Marchionne’s dream of forging a global automotive powerhouse... Fiat continues to hemorrhage cash in Europe, where auto sales remain depressed. Auburn Hills-based Chrysler is making money that its Italian parent desperately needs, but there are still limits on how much of that cash Fiat will be able to use... Combining the two companies’ finances — and thereby giving Fiat access to Chrysler’s cash — was the main reason Marchionne was so keen to acquire the rest of Chrysler from the UAW-run trust... Chrysler has had to hire thousands of new workers to bring its factories back to full capacity and beyond, and it has had to rebuild a decimated supplier network. That, combined with the challenge of integrating with Fiat’s global product development and manufacturing system has led to some rocky launches...

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Oct 3, 2013

CARMAKERS NEWS * Germany / Brazil: Mercedes Benz

* Mercedes plans $230 million Brazil car plant to match BMW

(Image: Mercedes-Benz GLA Compact Sport-Utility Vehicle)
Stuttgart,Baden-Württember,Germany -Bloomberg, by Dorothee Tschampa - Oct 1, 2013: -- Mercedes-Benz, the world’s third-biggest maker of luxury cars, will spend about 170 million euros ($230 million) on a new auto plant in Brazil amid expansions by larger competitors Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) and Audi AG... The Mercedes factory will be built in Iracemapolis, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) northwest of Brazil’s financial hub of Sao Paulo and be completed in 2016, the division of Daimler AG said in a statement today. It will assemble the next versions of the C-Class sedan and GLA compact sport-utility vehicle... Mercedes and Volkswagen AG’s Audi are restoring car production in Brazil, and BMW is starting assembly there, as the three German manufacturers seek to bypass high import taxes limiting delivery growth...

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Sep 21, 2013

* Russia - Renault-Nissan & AvtoVAZ

* France - Renault-Nissan alliance creates procurement group with AvtoVAZ

(Photo: AvtoVAZ's Lada Granta production plant) 
Paris,France -Bloomberg News/The Detroit News, by Mathieu Rosemain -September 18, 2013: -- Renault SA and partner Nissan Motor Co. created a parts-procurement venture with OAO AvtoVAZ, Russia’s biggest carmaker, as the manufacturers seek to limit costs as they expand in the country in a three-way tie-up... The venture is modeled on the 12-year-old Renault-Nissan Purchasing Organization, which holds a 50 percent stake in the new Russian entity, with Togliatti-based AvtoVAZ owning the other half, the companies said in a joint statement Wednesday... Renault, France’s second-biggest carmaker, and Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan are in the process of acquiring control of AvtoVAZ, the maker of Lada vehicles, under an agreement signed late last year that pledges the buyers to invest 23 billion rubles ($713 million). Renault has targeted a 40 percent combined market share in Russia for the three companies by 2016...

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Sep 18, 2013

* CARMAKERS NEWS: Bentley Continental GT V8 S, 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds

* UK - 521 bhp Bentley Continental GT V8 S makes debut

(Photo: Acceleration for the convertible is 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds) 
Crewe,EN,UK -Gizmag, by David Szondy -September 15, 2013: -- They say that a Rolls Royce is for being driven in, but a Bentley is for driving. Seemingly intent on proving this true, Bentley has unveiled the Continental GT V8 S: a luxury grand tourer that comes in a coupe and convertible versions and puts the accent squarely on performance by virtue of its twin-turbocharged, 521 bhp (388 kW) V8... The GT V8 S is no lightweight though. The coupe comes in with a curb weight of 2,295 kg (5,060 lb) while the Continental GT V8 S Convertible tips the scales at 2,470 kg (5,445 lb)... Part of that weight is the four-liter twin-turbocharged, high-pressure direct injection V8 with cylinder deactivation, which cuts out four of the eight cylinders when cruising to reduce fuel consumption...


* Germany - Ford packs tech inside the new S-MAX Concept

Cologne,North Rhine-Westphalia,Germany -Gizmag, by David Szondy -September 16, 2013: -- The S-Max has been quite successful for Ford since its introduction in 2006... Ford says that the latest iteration of its sport activity vehicle, that’s part sporty saloon and part practical people carrier, is marked by the company’s “style-without-compromise ethos” and retains current features of the S-Max line with new designs and digital technology... The attention grabber is the digital technology. First, there’s the Advanced Active Park Assist with perpendicular parking capability, which is able to control steering, gear selection and fore and aft movement. According to Pim van der Jagt, executive technical leader, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering, it’s a completely automatic system where you tell the car to park itself and it pulls into the stall. “All you have to do is turn off the ignition, get out of the car, and lock it,” says van der Jagt...

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Sep 12, 2013

CARS' WORLD PREMIERES at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

* Germany - BMW's production i8 hybrid 
(Photo: Gizmag.com - i8 will be available in four exterior colours and have four interior configuration options) 
Munich,Germany -Gizmag, by Angus MacKenzie -September 11, 2013: -- Gizmag has been following the development of BMW’s forward looking i8 for years. Now the fruits of that development labor have been revealed at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show with BMW finally de-cloaking the production version of the sporty plug-in hybrid... The i8 is the second car launched under the company's "i" sub-brand, which grew from the Vision Efficient Dynamics concept exercise... After several revisions and updates, the i8’s still makes an impressive visual statement, especially for a hybrid. The body is less futuristic than the glassy concept versions, but has retained key BMW genetics. On profile the car very much sports 6-series influences, with the exception of longer overhangs front and rear, and those floating roof wings... Design aspects aside, the i8’s mandate is that of a performance hybrid, much in the same vein as Porsche’s 918 but at far lower price point...


* Germany - Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid drive debuts 

(Photo: Gizmag.com - The production model of the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid debuted at IAA 2013)
Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen,Germany -Gizmag, by Randall Marsh -September 10, 2013: -- Porsche has debuted the long-awaited production model of its 918 Spyder at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA). Billed as the "genetic blueprint for the Porsche sports car of the future," the plug-in hybrid super sports car is designed to strike a balance between performance and efficiency, boasting acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 211 mph despite miserly fuel consumption estimated at 3 liters per 100 km (0.8 gallons per 62 miles)... Porsche pulled the engine design from its Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) race car, the RS Spyder. This 4.6 liter V8, when combined with the two electric motors on board, puts out over 880 bhp...


* Germany - Audi Nanuk Quattro Crossover super coupe

(Photo: The Nanuk rides on 22-in wheels) 
Wolfsburg,Germany -Gizmag, by C.C. Weiss -September 12, 2013: -- Straight-lining dirt roads at 170 mph, fishtailing into mountain switchbacks, then rolling up to dinner in the sportiest, sexiest car in the lot - that's the type of Saturday afternoon that will be possible if the new Audi Nanuk Quattro Concept ever hits production... The Nanuk Quattro is best thought of as an evolution of the Parcour Concept from this year's Geneva Motor Show. Italdesign handled the styling of the Nanuk, adding some Audi cues to its sporty but beefy Parcour design. Updates include the enlarged front-end with hexagonal grille, louvered air intakes, R8-like side blades, narrow headlamps with Audi Matrix LED technology and a redesigned rear fascia. The Audi rings on front and back give us renewed hope that this wild genre will somehow fight its way into production... The Nanuk's "extreme red" carbon fiber-reinforced polymer bodywork is draped over top a lightweight aluminum Audi Space Frame. It's not an emaciated, ultralight supercar, but at about 4,200 lbs (1,900 kg), it's comparable to a mid-size crossover ... with a lot more power and aggression behind its flirty eyes...


* UK - Jaguar takes the wraps off the C-X17

(Video from YouTube -Sep 9, 2013 - Anything we can imagine, we can create. The C-X17 sports crossover concept blends sleek design, sporting performance and luxurious interiors -- each a Jaguar hallmark) 
Solihull, UK -Gizmag, by David Szondy -September 10, 2013: -- Jaguar has finally taken the lid off of its first sports crossover concept vehicle at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show... The C-X17 represents a bit of a gamble for Jaguar... iQ is an advanced aluminum monocoque architecture that will be the basis for the new Jaguar range, starting with a mid-size premium C/D segment sedan... The style of the C-X17 showcases the strengths and potential pitfalls of Jaguar’s new strategy. Decked out in Caesium Blue finish, with gloss black brightwork and intimidating 23-inch alloy wheels, it’s clear that the designers want this concept to be a Jag. However, its not as successful as it could be. Despite the touches on the grille, the nose based on the Jaguar XJ, and the I-drink-your-milkshake LED headlamps, it just doesn't make you think of an E-Type... However, the eye catcher of the C-X17’s technology is the Interactive Surface Console that makes up the top of the center tunnel running through the cabin. This is a touchscreen interactive multi-passenger infotainment hub made of transparent acrylic glass that connects with the car’s Wi-Fi network, that allows passengers to share what they think of the C-X17 on Facebook and Twitter while enjoying “a unified multi-sensory experience” via the car’s 28-speaker sound system. Hopefully, the screen is stronger than it looks... 


* Japan - Nissan's Infiniti debuts Q30 Concept at IAA

(Photo: Gizmag - Infiniti unveils its Q30 concept ) 
Frankfurt,Germany -Gizmag, by James Holloway -September 11, 2013: -- With the unveiling of the Q30 concept, Infiniti, the luxury division of Nissan Motors, is clearly seeking to cement its reputation for opulence... With the unveiling of the, Infiniti, the luxury division of Nissan Motors, is clearly seeking to cement its reputation for opulence... Yet precious little is known about the car, Infiniti itself stopping short of deciding whether this thing is a coupe or hatchback (though judging from the number of crossovers on show in Frankfurt, Infiniti is by no means alone in the mists of ambiguity, though Inifiniti denies it's an out and out crossover either)... The company is apparently hoping that difficulties in categorising the vehicle will appeal to "young-minded" generation X and generation Y-ers who Infiniti reckons will make up 80 percent of premium car buyers by the end of the decade...


* South Korea - Hyundai  new i10 city car

(Photo: Gizmag.com - The new i10 is torsionally stiffer than its predecessor by 27 percent) 
Frankfurt,Germany -Gizmag, by Angus MacKenzie -September 11, 2013: -- This week at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Hyundai officially unveiled the new i10 provides 1046 liters of space with rear seats down... Designed and engineered in the Hyundai's European R and D Center, the new i10 is longer, lower and wider than the previous model... Hyundai will be offering two engine options for the market. Both powerplants are new variations on the company’s widely used “Kappa” engine. A 1.0 liter, three-cylinder engine will provide power to the tune of 65 hp with maximum torque figures of 94 Nm (69 lb.ft) driving the front wheels. The 1.0 liter version can also be outfitted with Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) as a factory option. The 1.25 four- cylinder option ups the power ever so slightly to 85 hp, with torque also making a jump to 120 Nm (88 lb.ft). The i10 will be available with either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automated gearbox... On the safety front Hyundai has incorporated active safety measures such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) systems into the i10 as standard... The new i10 is set to enter production this month. Pricing starts at €9,975...
* South Korea - The Niro: Kia's new urban-lifestyle concept unwrapped in Frankfurt

(Photo: Gizmag - Kia Niro has debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show) 
Frankfurt,Germany -Gizmag, by Angus MacKenzie -September 11, 2013: -- The B-segment designation is a European class of cars that are "bigger than a city car but smaller than a small family car." Kia is after this growing market as Europeans choose to downsize in favor of smaller cars with funkier design attributes... The hybrid-drive Niro Concept is powered by a revised Kia 1.6 liter T-GDi engine that delivers 158 hp to the front wheels via a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox. This is backed by an electric motor capable of delivering 33.5 kW (45 hp) to the rear wheels when conditions require... Designed at Kia’s Design Studio in Frankfurt, the Niro is suitably compact for the urban lifestyle, measuring 4.2 meters (13.8 ft) long, 1.8 meters (5.9 ft) and 1.6 meters (5.25 ft) tall – just slightly smaller than the 5-door Soul...

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* Germany - EV CARMAKERS NEWS: Volkswagen

* Germany - VW vows to be EV industry leader by 2018

(Photo by Johannes Eisele / Getty Images - Volkswagen's new electric version of the Golf will go on sale in early 2015 in the U.S., initially in limited states) 
Frankfurt,Germany - The Detroit News, by David Shepardson -September 11, 2013: -- Volkswagen AG came to the Frankfurt Motor Show with its e-Up electric vehicle and an electric version of its Golf hatchback called the e-Golf. VW pledged to bring as many as 40 EVs and hybrids to market around the world... The company, which wants to be the world’s largest automaker and has a 10-year-plan to more than triple U.S. sales, bragged about its major EV effort, which it sees as an integral part of its global domination strategy. VW sales have lagged in the past year in the U.S. and are down 1.3 percent through August, largely because of what analysts see as an aging lineup... The electric version of the Golf will go on sale in early 2015 in the U.S., initially in limited states, said Volkswagen of America chief, Jonathan Browning...

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Sep 4, 2013

CARMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Brazil - The Volkswagen Bus is dead! Long live the Volkswagen Bus!

(Photo: VW's Bulli Concept)
Sao Bernardo do Campo,SP,Brazil -The Car Connection, by Richard Read -Aug 26, 2013: -- The Volkswagen Bus: facilitator of family road trips, pleasure pad of hippies, instigator of the infamous "chicken tax". After 63 years of production, it's finally heading to that showroom in the sky... If you live in the U.S., you could be excused for thinking that the Bus -- officially known as the "Type 2" and by model names like the Microbus, Kombi, and Transporter -- died long ago. But that's only because America stopped importing the Type 2 in the late 1970s. Elsewhere in the world, VW has continued churning them out... According to AutoNews, the Bus has reached its final stop. The last units will be completed by the end of the year, rolling out of the model's only remaining facility in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil... 


* UK - Up close and personal with the Rolls-Royce Wraith

(Photo: Rolls-Royce: The Rolls-Royce Wraith) 
Goodwood,EN,UK -Gizmag, by Jeremy C Bass -August 27, 2013: -- The Wraith heralds a major new innovation for the company in its Satellite Aided Transmission (SAT), which gives its 8-speed ZF gearbox the ability to plan the drive ahead according to GPS data... Much has happened at Rolls-Royce HQ since 2003. The company expanded the Phantom lineup to two-door Drophead (convertible, 2007) and hardtop Coupe (2008) variants, then followed it in 2010 with a new platform the (marginally) smaller but more powerful Ghost. The V12’s displacement dropped a little to 6.6-litres, but twin turbochargers boosted output to 420kW/780Nm – sufficient to shunt the new car to 100km/h in just 4.9 seconds...


* Germany - Audi Sport Quattro Concept to debut at Frankfurt Motor Show

(Photo: The Audi Sport Quattro Concept uses a hybrid electric drive) 
Wolfsburg,Germany -The Car Connection, by David Szondy -September 4, 2013: -- Audi will commemorate the 30th anniversary of its Sport Quattro by unveiling the Audi Sport Quattro Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show this month... The emphasis of the 2013 Audi Sport Quattro Concept is on lightweight construction with a passenger cage made of ultra-high-strength steel panels and cast aluminum structural elements, aluminum doors and fenders, and a roof, bonnet and rear hatch of carbon composites. The result is a curb weight of only 1,850 kilograms (4,078.55 lb), including battery... Top speed of the Audi Sport Quattro Concept is 305 km/h (189 mph)... The power plant is a plug-in hybrid drive that puts out 700 bhp (515 kW) with 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque when both electric motor and internal combustion engine are working together. The engine is a four-liter, twin-turbo V8 pumping an impressive 560 bhp (412 kW) and 700 Nm (516.29 lb-ft) of torque. There’s also a cylinder on demand (COD) system that cuts out four cylinders when under partial load, as well as a start-stop system to conserve fuel at traffic lights...

 

* Hong Kong - Infiniti gives glimpse of new Q30 Concept ahead of IAA

(Photo: Infiniti say its new Q30 Concept challenges categorisation – 'not a coupe, not a hatch and not a crossover but a fusion of the three body styles') 
Central,Hong Kong,China -Gizmag, by Angus MacKenzie -September 1, 2013: -- With less than two weeks before the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) kicks-off Infiniti has joined the ranks of manufacturers offering a glimpse of what's in store with its Q30 concept... Infiniti says the Q30 is "not a coupe, not a hatch and not a crossover but a fusion of the three body styles" ... The Q30 will make its world debut September 10 in Frankfurt...


* South Korea - Kia previews Niro concept ahead of Frankfurt Motor Show

(Photo: The Kia Niro concept car)
Seoul,SK -Gizmag, by C.C. Weiss -August 29, 2013: -- Kia says that the Niro hints at a future urban-focused B-segment model. It was designed for the European market at Kia's Frankfurt studio. If indeed the concept morphs into a small city crossover, we expect it to do some serious evolving. The Niro is one of those concepts that's stuffed with fanciful features that seem entirely unlikely to make it to production... Case in point: the door handle cracks open a visually interesting, but not-used-outside-of-exotics butterfly door, giving way to a spartan interior, which looks almost painful to sit in. The molded, one-piece front bench makes us scared to think about what the rear is like to ride in... The interior includes a freestanding display that looks like it's wide enough to support Panasonic's 64:9 video...

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* Germany - CARMAKERS NEWS: BMW & Opel's Vauxhall, concept cars

* Germany - BMW Concept X5 eDrive to join hybrid deluge in Frankfurt

(Photo: The BMW Concept X5 eDrive has a plug-in hybrid powertrain) 
Frankfurt,Germany -Gizmag, by C.C. Weiss -August 23, 2013: ... The Concept X5 eDrive is a combination of the X5 and BMW eDrive technology. Its TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder engine is slimmed down from the six- and eight-cylinder options on the production X5. To make up for the smaller engine, a 95-hp electric motor kicks in extra oomph. The motor can take over driving duties completely, providing up to 19 miles (30 km) of zero emissions commuting and speeds up to 75 mph (121 km/h)... Like other green BMW models, the Concept X5 eDrive's ConnectedDrive system is tweaked for electric propulsion. It shows the amount of all-electric range available at the moment, factoring traffic conditions, road conditions and driving style into the equation. The navigation system includes charging stations on its display. An accompanying smartphone app lets the driver monitor battery power, charging and range. It also offers control of certain functions, such as charging, preheating and precooling...


* Germany - Vauxhall Monza Concept to feature LED projection infotainment system

(Photo: The Vauxhall Monza Concept will be presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September)
Rüsselsheim,Germany -Gizmag, by David Szondy -August 26, 2013: -- The Vauxhall Monza Concept, Vauxhall/Opel CEO, Karl-Thomas Neumann, hinted at an innovative infotainment technology and new body design... Since the 4-seater Monza is a concept, the designers at Vauxhall's sister firm, Opel, put the emphasis on style by combining aerodynamic smoothness with echoes of the original Monza... The centerpiece of the Monza Concept is the LED projection infotainment system. An automotive first, it dispenses with dedicated separate monitors in favor of a single projection surface that covers the entire dashboard in one continuous display by means of 18 LED projectors. The 3D graphics are customizable as are the background and decorative elements. This display handles all driving information, entertainment, navigation, and communications, and is operated either by voice or steering wheel controls...

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Aug 22, 2013

CARMAKERS NEWS * South Africa: Strikes

* South Africa - Strike brings car-maker assembly lines to standstill

Johannesburg,SA -Reuters/Business Day Live, by Karl Gernetzky -19 August 2013: -- Workers in the automotive manufacturing sector downed tools at factories across the country on Monday, the first day of a nationwide strike... The strike, which could involve 31,000 assembly line workers, was called last week by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) after wage negotiations deadlocked in July... Automobile Manufacturers Employers Organisation chief negotiator Thapelo Molapo, said on Sunday employers would again meet Numsa on Monday to seek a halt to strike action that will affect BMW, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, General Motors (GM), Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and some truck manufacturers...


* South Africa - ‘Will pay heavy price’ for automotive sector strike

Johannesburg,SA -Business Day Live, by Mark Allix and Karl Gernetzky -August 20, 2013: -- Labour experts warned on Monday that lost production and revenue estimated at R700m a day in the automotive sector would outstrip any material gains of striking workers as up to 30,000 of them downed tools across South Africa. In addition, the country would suffer debilitating reputational damage as much of the vehicle production was for export to overseas markets, in line with the government’s industrial focus. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said the strike was in "full swing" and production had halted at all of the seven major motor manufacturers represented in the country... This meant that vehicle output of about 3,000 units a day in South Africa had been affected. Numsa said one of the truck manufacturers, MAN Truck and Bus SA, had tried to break the strike through the use of "scab labour" and the police, but its spokesman said workers had walked off production lines and operations had halted. The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa had estimated losses to be about R600m a day, which included the negative effect on downstream manufacturing, including automotive components...

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Aug 7, 2013

CARMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Brazil - July auto output climbs on recovering exports 

(Image by Daniel Beltrá / Greenpeace: Through the Amazonian roads)
Sao Paulo,SP,Brazil -The WSJ (USA), by Paulo Winterstein -August 6, 2013: -- Brazilian vehicle production climbed in July, thanks to a strong recovery in exports and improving domestic demand for heavy trucks and buses, auto maker association Anfavea said Tuesday... Brazilian auto output in July climbed 3.7% from the year-ago month, bringing the increase in output this year to 15.8%, Anfavea said. Compared with June, vehicle output slipped 2.7%, mainly as a result of a drop in production of light trucks. Production of heavy trucks surged 44%, while bus output climbed 20% on the year... Exports jumped 30% in value from July 2012, to $1.5 billion. That also represents an increase of 6.6% from June... In terms of volume, passenger car exports surged 90% on the year, and bus exports advanced 45%... Sales of heavy trucks jumped 39%, due mainly to a weak base of comparison in 2012, when the government toughened emissions standards, causing truck sales to plummet. Fiat SpA maintained its market leadership in passenger car sales, with 53,068 cars sold in July. General Motors Co. assumed second place, with 52,426 cars sold, while Volkswagen AG slipped to third place, with 45,540 cars sold. Ford Motor Co. once again was fourth in terms of car sales, with 23,859 units sold...
* India - Tata Motors net misses estimates after Jaguar sales growth slows

(Photo: A Jaguar Super Sport)
Mumbai,Maharashtra,India -Bloomberg News/The Detroit News, by Siddharth Philip -August 7, 2013: -- Tata Motors Ltd., India’s biggest automaker, posted profit that missed analyst estimates as sales at its Jaguar Land Rover Ltd. unit slowed and costs climbed... First-quarter net income fell to 17.3 billion rupees ($283 million) from 22.4 billion rupees in the year earlier period, the Mumbai-based company said. That missed the 22.2 billion-rupee median of 39 analysts’ estimates, compiled by Bloomberg. Profit at the Jaguar Land Rover luxury unit was 304 million pounds ($464 million)... Retail sales at the luxury unit, which Tata Motors bought from Ford Motor Co. in 2008, rose 10 percent in the three months ended June, slower than the 17 percent pace in the previous quarter. Deliveries of cars and commercial vehicles at the local business fell 19 percent, as customers in India held off purchases on expensive loans and slowing economic growth...
* China - BMW-Brilliance denied environmental permit for Tiexi Plant expansion project

(Photo: Plan for BMW’s Tiexi Plant in Shenyang) 
Shanghai,SH,China -China Auto Web -July 30, 2013: -- BMW-Brilliance hit roadblock as the Chinese government denied environmental clearance for its project to double production capacity at the Tiexi plant. In a public notice issued on July 26, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said the project lacked effective measures to deal with unwanted byproducts... MEP cited three reasons for turning down BMW-Brilliance’s application... A PR official at BMW-Brilliance said that the decision from MEP was not final and the joint venture would re-submit the application to include more supporting materials... The rejection by MEP was pronounced on the third phase...  For treating waste-water and exhausts, phase three largely depends on facilities previously proposed or constructed...

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Jul 22, 2013

CARMAKERS BANKRUPTCY * Europe

* Italy - De Tomaso files for bankruptcy, again

Modena,Italy -Motor Authority (USA), by Viknesh Vijayenthiran -Jul 6, 2012: -- Despite the grand visions of its latest owner, former Fiat executive Gian Mario Rossignolo, legendary Italian sports car brand De Tomaso has announced it has filed for bankruptcy... The announcement comes after a long period of uncertainty and a failed attempt to secure a Chinese buyer for the struggling brand... Rossignolo bought the rights to the De Tomaso name in 2009 after the original company went bankrupt several years prior...


* USA - City Of Detroit files for bankruptcy 

Detroit,MICH,USA -Motor Authority, by Viknesh Vijayenthiran -Jul 18, 2013: -- Detroit, once America’s fourth biggest city and still the heart of the country’s auto industry, filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in a federal court late on Thursday. With a current population of approximately 700,000, it means Detroit is now the biggest municipal to ever file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S.... The approval came from Michigan Governor, Richard Snyder, based on a recommendation from the city’s emergency manager Kevyn Orr. The city had failed to negotiate a reduction on debts totaling $18.5 billion, owed to creditors and unions, some of which are pension boards and insurers...


* Michigan - NAIAS boss: Detroit bankruptcy won't affect auto show 

Detroit,MICH,USA -The Detroit News, by Michael Martinez -July 19, 2013: -- Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO, Larry Alexander, said Friday he’s received quite a few calls from concerned conventioneers over the city’s bankruptcy filing. The North American International Auto Show is not one of them... The city’s signature car show, set for Jan. 13-26, will go on despite Detroit’s Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing... As for the NAIAS, quite interestingly, there is no impact. Since Cobo Center became independent of the city and is managed and operated by a regional authority, no funding from the city is needed for Cobo...

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Jun 24, 2013

* Europe - BMW's electric cars

* Germany - BMW's electric car range predictions seem optimistic

(Photo from BMW: The BMW i3 battery-electric car will be shown at the Frankfurt Car Show in September, then go on sale across the world. BMW's new battery and hybrid cars will be sold under the new 'i' brand) Munich,BAV,Germany -The Detroit News, by Neil Winton -June 22, 2013: -- German luxury car manufacturer BMW stunned this reporter a couple of weeks ago in Paris by saying electric cars will have batteries with twice the current power within four to five years, which will double the range... BMW has its supporters, but that claim was met with some skepticism by experts who see a much slower pace of progress. Others say the drive to produce a battery-only vehicle which competes head on with traditional engines is doomed and will only succeed if electric cars are designed with less weight, shorter range and more modest utility ambitions. Charging technology needs to leap forward too...


* USA - Electric Vehicles not sustainable

(Photo: The GM-Saturn Flextreme) Washington,DC,USA -Road Ahead, by John McElroy -Jun. 24, 2013: -- The problem is the entire EV industry and infrastructure is being pushed by government mandates and subsidies, not by natural market demand... Several issues have come to light recently that call into question the environmental benefits of electric vehicles. It’s all got to do with how EVs are manufactured and recycled, as well as how the electricity they use gets generated. These are issues that will not be resolved easily... The EPA report, titled “Application of Life-Cycle Assessment to Nanoscale Technology: Lithium-ion Batteries for Electric Vehicles,” adds the cathode issue could be solved using nano technology, but the energy required to manufacture those cathodes currently is prohibitive... Another EV study that came out this year, “Comparative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and Electric Vehicles,” published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology by Yale University, says the carbon footprint of EVs could be “indistinguishable from those of a diesel vehicle” depending on how far they are driven and where they get electricity... The key to these two studies is they look at the life-cycle energy use of EVs. That means they calculate all the energy needed to manufacture the vehicles, plus the amount and sources of energy used in operation and the energy needed to recycle them. Unlike some auto makers who advertise their EVs are zero-emissions vehicles (are you listening Nissan?), these studies show EVs are anything but emissions free...

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Jun 5, 2013

Fiat searching $10 billion to buy the Chrysler stake

* Italy - Fiat owner sells stake in Swiss firm for $2.6B

(Photo by Alessia Pierdomenico / Bloomberg - Fiat SpA’s headquarters are in Turin, Italy, but the nexus of the transnational organization’s power may already have shifted to southeast Michigan)
Turin,Italy -Bloomberg News/The Detroit News, by Tommaso Ebhardt -June 3, 2013: -- Exor SpA, the Agnelli family holding company which controls Fiat SpA, sold a stake in SGS SA for 2 billion euros ($2.6 billion), freeing up resources ahead of the Italian automaker's planned combination with Chrysler Group LLC... Exor, which will post a capital gain of 1.53 billion euros from the sale of its 15 percent holding in the Swiss product- inspection provider to Groupe Bruxelles Lambert SA, will use the money to pursue "new investment opportunities," the company said in a statement today... Chairman John Elkann said last week that Exor has enough funds to invest in Fiat and Chrysler when they combine. One option being explored is to create a company in the U.S., merge Fiat and Chrysler into it and issue shares in the new entity, a person familiar with the matter said last week... Fiat is in talks for as much as $10 billion in financing from a pool of banks to buy the Chrysler stake it doesn't already own and refinance the two automakers' debt, people familiar with the matter said last week... The banks are discussing loaning Fiat the money to purchase the 41.5 percent of the U.S. carmaker held by the United Auto Workers' retiree health-care trust, said the people... A merger is a key step in efforts by Sergio Marchionne, who runs both carmakers, to create a manufacturer with the scale to compete with industry leaders Toyota Motor Corp., General Motors Co. and Volkswagen AG...


* China - Chinese-owned Volvo to open 1st factory in China. Automaker hopes to grow luxury sales

(Photo by Erik Abel/Bloomberg - Automobiles manufactured by Volvo Cars stand on the dockside before shipping at the Port of Gothenburg in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Tuesday, May 28, 2013. Sweden's economy grew twice as fast as predicted in the first quarter, sapping speculation that the central bank will need to cut interest rates at its July meeting)
Zhejiang,Hangzhou,China -Bloomberg News/The Detroit News, by Alexandra Ho -June 5, 2013: -- Three years after buying Volvo Cars, Chinese tycoon Li Shufu may get to compete with Volkswagen AG’s Audi and BMW AG on a more level playing field in his own country... Volvo Cars, a unit of Li’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., will begin production this month at its first factory in China, allowing it to avoid the nation’s 25 percent import tariff. The three years it took to open the factory shows how Li, 49, miscalculated the edge he would have in his home country as the Chinese government subjected the Swedish brand to the same regulatory approval procedures as all foreign automakers. Still, the plant paves the way for Volvo to double sales to 800,000 by the end of the decade as China heads toward becoming the world’s largest market for premium vehicles...

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