Industry

  • Herbert Diess

    New Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess revealed Thursday that the automaker has awarded $48 billion in contracts to battery suppliers. The goal is to reach $50 billion to cover the automaker's battery needs through to 2025. The $48 billion figure is roughly equal to the entire market capitalization of Tesla and double what the VW Group had been planning just weeks ago, highlighting just how serious the automaker is about vehicle electrification. The huge increase is due to a combination of growing demand for electrified cars in China spurred by government mandates and tax incentives as well...

  • Site of Toyota's self-driving test facility at Michigan Technical Resource Park
    Toyota plans self-driving test site for emergency maneuvers

    Toyota on Thursday revealed plans to build a dedicated test site for self-driving cars. The site will be located within the 1.75-mile oval test track of the Michigan Technical Resource Park at Ottawa Lake, Michigan and span approximately 60 acres. It will include congested urban environments, slick...

  • Martin Winterkorn
    Report: Former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn facing US charges in dieselgate scandal

    A Michigan federal court has charged former Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn with defrauding the U.S. for his role in the VW diesel emissions scandal, according to a report from Reuters. Winterkorn resigned in September 2015, shortly after the company admitted that its 2.0-liter turbodiesel...

  • 2019 Genesis G70
    Genesis can't make up its mind on how to sell cars

    Genesis, Hyundai's luxury division, has reneged on a previous decision to create dedicated dealerships under new franchises. The decision left current Hyundai dealers in the cold over the chance to set up their own Genesis dealerships, but made others feel welcome back into the fold. Automotive...

  • Teaser for Tesla Model Y electric SUV due for reveal in 2019
    Tesla pushes back start of Model Y production to 2020, says new plant needed

    Tesla's next model bound for production is the Model Y, a small SUV related to the Model 3. The company released a teaser for the vehicle last June and at the time promised a launch date in 2019. However, CEO Elon Musk said during Tesla's first quarter earnings call Wednesday that production of the...

  • Nikola One electric semi truck
    Nikola sues Tesla over patent infringement for Semi

    As if Tesla didn't have enough issues of late, Nikola Motors has filed a lawsuit alleging the company violated patents for its hydrogen-electric semi. Nikola claims the Tesla Semi is "substantially" similar to its own design. In the lawsuit, filed on Tuesday according to Reuters, Nikola esimates...

  • Ford's upcoming small off-road crossover SUV

    Ford has big plans to expand its SUV and crossover lineup, and the Maverick and Timberline names could be in the mix. The automaker filed to trademark both names, first discovered by Car and Driver last Thursday. We know Ford has plans for a baby Bronco of sorts, and the Maverick name seems to be the better fit of the two trademarked nameplates. The automaker announced and teased the vehicle, a small off-road-oriented SUV, in March but did not provide any specifics. Ford first introduced the Maverick name in 1970 as compact car. It continued through 1977, and was then reused outside of North...

  • 2020 Ford Focus Active
    Ford execs reveal reasons behind decision to drop most passenger cars

    Ford last week announced drastic plans to drop most of its passenger car lineup in North America in order to focus on utility-type vehicles, i.e. SUVs, pickup trucks and commercial vans. Under the plan, the only cars the Blue Oval will sell will be the Mustang and a new Focus Active (a soft-roader...

  • Karl-Thomas Neumann
    Former Opel boss joins US electric car startup Evelozcity

    Evelozcity, an electric car startup based in Los Angeles and formed by ex-Faraday Future staff, announced last week the appointment of Karl-Thomas Neumann as the new head of mobility and European operations. Neumann has almost three decades of experience in the auto industry and served as CEO at...

  • Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess
    VW and Chinese partner launch SOL EV brand in China

    Volkswagen has joined numerous other automakers by offering a China-only brand dedicated to electric cars. On Tuesday, VW introduced the SOL brand for electric vehicles at the 2018 Beijing auto show. The first vehicle from SOL is (shocker) an SUV called the E20X. SOL was born from VW's joint...

  • BMW Designworks Virgin Hyperloop One passenger capsule concept
    BMW shows off Virgin Hyperloop passenger capsule

    A handful of companies are battling to bring the first production Hyperloop to life, and Virgin Hyperloop One continues to appear as the frontrunner. The company partnered with BMW's Designworks studio to develop a conceptual Hyperloop passenger capsule. BMW and Designworks debuted the passenger...

  • 2018 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350
    Ford will prune passenger car lineup to just 2 models in North America

    Get ready to say goodbye to beloved nameplates such as the Fusion and Taurus, as well as the Fiesta, as Ford has confirmed that its passenger car lineup will be pruned to just two models by around 2020: the Mustang and Focus Active (a soft-roader version of the redesigned 2020 Focus.) The move is...

  • GM 9-speed automatic transmission

    After General Motors and Ford committed to co-developing new 9- and 10-speed automatic transmissions, Ford has passed on the former. Per the agreement, Ford took on work for the 10-speed automatic, used for rear-wheel-drive vehicles, and GM undertook the 9-speed automatic for front-wheel-drive applications. Ford's reason for rejecting GM's transmission? The efficiency gains didn't outweigh the extra weight and cost, Ford spokesman Mike Levine said in a statement to Automotive News on Monday. Strangely enough, Ford apparently decided against using the 9-speed transmission before GM introduced...

  • New York City skyline (by Flickr user AngMoKio)
    Cars to be banned from New York's Central Park

    The scenery of Central Park will soon be car-free after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the changes coming in a few months. In the process, Central Park, one of New York City's largest green spaces for urban dwellers, will transform to become a place simply for pedestrians. The New York Times...

  • Amazon In-Car Delivery Option
    Amazon will now deliver packages to your car

    Select Amazon shoppers now have a new option for delivery of their purchases: the trunk of their car. Amazon announced the new service on Tuesday and it will roll out for owners of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, and Volvo vehicles. The process is relatively straightforward and requires an active...

  • Porsche Mission E concept electric car
    Porsche plans for network of fast chargers for Mission E in US

    Porsche will come out next year with an electric car based on its Mission E concept from the 2015 Frankfurt auto show. The automaker doesn't want potential owners to worry about a lack of charging infrastructure so its dealers will install 189 fast-chargers across the country to charge its electric...

  • Jay Leno drives a Chinese-made Hongqi
    Byton could help revive brand that built Chairman Mao's limo

    A historic Chinese brand could come back to life with help from Byton, the electric car startup based in the country. China's state-owned FAW Group said it's working with Byton to help give Hongqi, or Red Flag, a proper revival as China's premiere automotive brand. Red Flag, which is owned by FAW...

  • Porsche logo
    Report: Porsche powertrain boss arrested in relation to diesel scandal

    Jörg Kerner, who was promoted to the head of powertrains at Porsche in 2011, was arrested in relation to the Volkswagen Group's diesel scandal, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. German prosecutors confirmed that a person was remanded because of flight risk and that a...

  • 2019 Ford Focus

    The new Ford Focus doesn't only represent the next step for the compact car, it also opens a new chapter for Ford small cars. It ushers in Ford's new scalable unibody platform for small cars, and we'll be seeing a lot of the architecture in the near future. According to an Automotive News (subscription required) report Monday, the architecture will fit everything from the sub-compact Fiesta to the mid-size Edge crossover. The platform will suit everything in between, including mid-size sedans, minivans, and crossovers (EcoSport and Escape). It's comparable to Volkswagen's front-wheel-drive...

  • Volkswagen ID Buzz concept, 2017 Los Angeles auto show
    Volkswagen to install 2,000 fast chargers across US by end of 2019

    Volkswagen and its Electrify America unit announced plans to install 2,000 fast chargers at 500 stations across the country by the end of 2019. VW's announcement on Wednesday included news that it also plans to install numerous chargers at 100 Walmarts in the U.S. The plan is part of VW's agreement...

  • Johan de Nysschen
    Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen departs brand

    A major executive shuffle played out on Wednesday as General Motors announced Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen is leaving the brand, effective immediately. Replacing the now-ex Cadillac boss is Steven K. Carlisle, who was most recently managing director and President of GM Canada. De Nysschen...

  • Traffic in China
    China will scrap ownership limits on foreign automakers by 2022

    Since 1994, China has mandated foreign automakers to create joint-ventures with domestic companies to regulate ownership limits. The foreign companies have been limited to no more than 50 percent ownership. It's led to numerous tie-ups between established Western automakers and budding Chinese...

  • Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance prototype tire with Electric Drive Technology
    Goodyear developing tires for needs of electric cars

    Tires are a critical component of the driving experience, and electric cars bring their own challenges. Battery-electric vehicles weigh more, produce greater torque than traditional vehicles from a stop, and usually require low rolling resistance. Goodyear has a future tire solution in development...

  • Herbert Diess
    VW Group ousts CEO, names Diess as replacement, announces restructuring

    Volkswagen Group has ousted CEO Matthias Müller and replaced him with Herbert Diess, previously CEO of the Volkswagen brand within the larger 12-brand corporation. The move is part of an effort to reorganize the company to do business more efficiently, the company said Thursday. VW Group will...

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