Industry

New emissions standards being proposed by the European Commission to limit the amount of carbon-dioxide levels emitted by cars manufactured in Europe will hurt German carmakers more severely than their French and Italian counterparts. That’s the warning given by Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking...

Audi is keen to expand its sales in the US, easily its biggest market, and it plans to do so using a three-pronged attack. Automotive News reports the company will be increasing the number of models on offer, adding more exclusive dealers and advertising more, especially on the Internet...

Volkswagen has signed an agreement of intent to buy a significant stake in the manufacturing arm of Malaysia’s state-owned Proton. The information was leaked from an inside source to XFN-Asia, ahead of an official statement due on the 8th of February. VW’s expected to purchase up to 51%...

Ford’s fourth quarter loss of $5.8 billion has pushed the company’s deficit for 2006 to a massive $12.7 billion, the worst result in its 103-year history. Automotive News is reporting that declining sales of its pickup range and restructuring costs are the main reasons behind the dismal...

Jaguar lost more than $715 million last year, and is set to lose another $550 million this year, according to a report from the Detroit News. Analysts are predicting the company will lose a further $300 million in 2008 and will remain unprofitable for at least the next several years. Ford was...

Italian carmaker Fiat is rumored to be developing a rescue plan for struggling coachbuilder Bertone that would see the creation of an all new company. Fiat would enter into a €200 million contract with the new company to build a low-volume coupe convertible to be sold under the Lancia brand...

Industry experts are predicting that Jeep will drop its full-size Commander SUV after the 2009 model year despite only being introduced just over a year ago. Forecasting analysts at California-based J.D. Power and Associates have stated “we have removed the Commander from our forecast”...

A recent study has shown the use of aluminum in cars manufactured in Europe is on a steady rise and has also grown substantially over the past two decades. In 1990, cars on average used about 50kg of the lightweight metal. By 2005, this figure had grown to 132kg, and is expected to grow another...

Toyota is reported to be considering a possible partnership with Ford, with the focus of the deal to center on an alliance in technological development. In an interview with the Nikkei Business Daily, Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe stated that no talks have taken place as yet, but Toyota is...

New carbon emissions standards that are set to be introduced across Europe by 2012 may force carmakers outside of the region unless they make serious inroads into reducing the emission levels of their cars within the next five years. Under the proposals, which are to be announced by European...

Update: It looks like the original report by Auto News didn't have the full explanation of Wendelin Wiedeking's quotes. When referring to "no toys anymore" he was actually talking about cars such as the VW Phaeton. Since Bentley and Lamborghini are already making a profit there are no plans to shut...

China has overtaken Japan to become the world’s second largest car market after the US following the jump in car sales in the region, which grew by 37%. China’s has been experiencing record growth over the past decade, which saw many foreign carmakers scrambling to establish their...

Malaysia’s state owned Proton has been losing market share to a host of international competitors as well as Malaysia’s own Naza and Perodua Motors. Its market value is at an all time low, so it comes as little surprise that there are several major carmakers interested in bidding for...

The Bahraini government-owned Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, chaired by Sheik Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, the country’s finance minister and royal family member, has bought a 30 percent shareholding in the McLaren Group. This would make the Bahraini Kingdom the second largest owner in...

Ford’s CEO Alan Mulally commented yesterday that the Jaguar brand is not for sale and that the progress the British carmaker is making in terms of quality and productivity is right on track with the firm’s improvement plan. Reuters is also reporting that Jaguar's sales were down nearly...

China’s Chery Automobile Co. has announced that it will reach a million sales by as early as 2010. Reuters reports that last year the company managed to move just over 305,000 units, a jump of 61 percent over its 2005 figure. Chief executive Yin Tongyao stated that "in 2007, Chery will...

Every single vehicle built by Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury will get an all-new model or a major facelift by 2010. Ford CEO Alan Mulally is keen on the Way Forward plan being a product led turnaround, and he’s clearly putting his money where his mouth is. Despite losing over US$7b in the first...

Top executives from Toyota and Ford met last week to discuss a potential partnership. Both Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Toyota Chairman Fujio Cho were present at the meeting and discussed Ford’s use of hybrid and fuel-cell technologies, as well as combining their vast purchasing power to further...

Having just invested billions in buying a size-able share of VW, Porsche will be sending in its consultants to help streamline the carmaker’s Wolfsburg facility. The goal will be to improve materials handling and the general work flow, making the plant more efficient overall. One insider told...

Toyota may overtake Ford’s position as the number two carmaker in America as early as January. A report from the New York Times states that internal Ford projections show that Toyota’s rapidly increasing marketshare will be higher than Ford’s shrinking sales next year. Ford is...