Industry
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Honda has outlined its plans for the coming decade in a company-wide strategy dubbed the 2030 Vision. As outlined in the strategy, Honda plans to follow the now-familiar path of electrifying its lineup and introducing self-driving technologies and associated mobility services. In the area of vehicle electrification, Honda says two thirds of its cars will have some form of electrification by 2030. The focus will be on plug-in hybrid technology but pure electric and fuel cell cars are also planned. Having focused its efforts on fuel cell cars in recent years, Honda, like many of its Japanese...
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NEVS presents 9-3, 9-3X electric cars at 2017 CES AsiaNEVS on Wednesday at the 2017 CES Asia taking place in Shanghai, China previewed a pair of electric cars destined for production and outlined a new mobility program to be run in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. NEVS is the company that bought the assets of Saab following the Swedish firm’s...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: Porsche being investigated for defeat device in GermanyThe Volkswagen Group’s diesel scandal is finally starting to settle here in the United States but over in Europe things are flaring up again. This time it’s the Audi and Porsche brands in the crossfire. Germany’s Wirtschaftswoche reported on Friday that Porsche is being...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
AAA hikes Tesla insurance rates due to higher than average number of claimsTesla owners carrying policies through AAA aren't going to like this news: rates are going up. AAA determined the Tesla Model S and Model X are both affected by abnormally high claim rates. In turn, AAA could raise rates up to 30 percent. Tesla has disputed the analysis by AAA and said the data is...
Sean Szymkowski -
Jost Capito quits McLaren F1 team to run Volkswagen R divisionThe driving force behind Ford’s first Focus RS and F-150 Raptor has now been tasked with churning out high-performance Volkswagens, including the next Golf R. We’re talking about motorsport veteran Jost Capito who has quit his job as CEO of the McLaren Formula One team to return to the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota offloaded Tesla shares in 2016Toyota on Saturday revealed that it sold its remaining shares in Tesla at the end of 2016. The Japanese automaker previously sold some of the shares in 2014. Toyota’s investment in Tesla followed that of Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler in 2009. Daimler bought 10 percent of Tesla for an...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW builds a number of models in China through a joint venture with local automaker Brilliance. The cars are only sold in China at present but that could change as BMW has been granted an export license by the Chinese government. The information was confirmed to Automotive News (subscription required) by Olaf Kastner, the boss of BMW’s Chinese operations. He said no decision on exporting cars from China has been made since BMW’s two plants there, located in Dadong and Tiexi, are at full capacity meeting local demand. BMWs built in China include the Chinese-only 1-Series sedan, as...
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Lexus gives inside look at LC productionOn a dedicated line at the Toyota Motomachi Plant in Aichi, Japan, Lexus’ most skilled craftspeople, known as Takumi, Japanese for “artisan,” work on LC production. Many of the same staff worked on Lexus’ LFA at the Motomachi plant and now they’re using the skills...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Chuck Norris now the face of Fiat Professional vehiclesChuck Norris' popularity reigns supreme, even though the actor and martial artist hasn't been featured in a movie to television show since 2001. We can thank the internet and a steady flow of memes for his continued popularity. Perhaps thanks to all the Chuck Norris jokes, he has a new role with...
Sean Szymkowski -
Oliver Heilmer named Mini design bossThe BMW Group confirmed on Thursday that Oliver Heilmer will take over as the new design boss at Mini. Mini's last design boss, Anders Warming, left the brand last summer to join Chinese-backed automaker Borgward. Heilmer is currently head of BMW Group’s Designworks studio and will start his...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Uber loses $708M in first quarter, fires engineer at center of self-driving car disputeUber on Wednesday announced its first-quarter financial results and though shocking they actually represent an improvement on the preceding quarter. The ride-sharing giant lost $708 million in the first three months of 2017 on revenues of $3.4 billion. That compares with a loss of $991 million and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volvo becomes first automaker to ship cars via ‘One Belt, One Road’ trade routeThough it doesn’t get much publicity in the west, the China-led ‘One Belt, One Road’ trade initiative will influence the majority of the world’s population by reshaping numerous economies across the European, Asian and African continents and changing the way goods are...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
McLaren has announced that Rob Melville will serve as Design Director at its road car division. Melville replaces Frank Stephenson who is stepping down on his own accord. The news follows a report from earlier this month that Stephenson is about to take over the design reins at Mini. Melville has been at McLaren since 2009 and is responsible for the design of the Sports Series as well as the second-generation Super Series, the first member of which is the stunning 720S that debuted in March at the 2017 Geneva auto show. He was also key in developing several strategies or pillars that guide...
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Report: Faraday Future looks to raise $1 billion as Chinese backer stumblesElectric car startup Faraday Future could be on the ropes. In November, Jia Yueting, the CEO and founder of tech giant LeEco, Faraday Future’s Chinese backer, announced that his company was experiencing a cash crunch, due mainly to the major drain of Faraday Future as well as another electric...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Raj Nair named president of Ford North AmericaFollowing Ford's decision this week to remove Mark Fields as CEO—and name Jim Hackett as his replacement— the automaker has now announced quite a shuffle of its executive deck around the world. Foremost, Raj Nair, formerly executive vice president, product development, and chief...
Sean Szymkowski -
Skip Barber Racing School files for bankruptcy, seeks buyerFamed driving instruction academy Skip Barber Racing School on Tuesday filed for bankruptcy. Specifically, the school, which has coached drivers since 1975, filed for Chapter 11 protection with a United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Chapter 11 allows the company to...
Sean Szymkowski -
Japanese automakers band together on hydrogen infrastructureEleven firms from Japan's automotive and energy industries are banding together on hydrogen infrastructure. The firms, which include major automakers Toyota, Nissan and Honda, have signed a memorandum of understanding on collaboration toward the large-scale construction of hydrogen stations for...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
US officially files lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler over diesel emissionsFiat Chrysler Automobiles' proposed fix for Ram and Jeep vehicles equipped with the company's 3.0-liter diesel V-6 is not enough to satisfy the U.S. Department of Justice as the department has just filed a civil complaint against FCA in regards to the diesel engines, which have been fitted to more...
Sean Szymkowski -
American Honda found a new buyer for its former research and development facility near Cantil, California: American Honda. After its research and development center lay dormant near the Mojave Desert since 2010, the automaker reopened its facility this month as a new proving ground for cars, motorcycles, and trucks. According to officials from Honda, the pavement at the facility was entirely replaced; desert sun had deteriorated the grounds beyond repair. The testing facility includes a 7.5-mile banked oval, a 4.5-mile winding road course that simulates different road curves and hills, and an...
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Geely agrees to purchase major stake in Lotus, ProtonChina’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the company that owns the Volvo, Lynk & Co and Geely car brands, on Wednesday agreed to purchase 49.9 percent of Lotus parent company Proton from current owner DRB-Hicom. As part of the deal, Geely will also purchase a 51 percent stake in Lotus. Terms...
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Audi promises fully self-driving car by 2021Audi has promised to launch a fully self-driving car by 2021. The target date is a popular one as it’s close enough to be practical but at the same time far enough that should the target be missed few are likely to remember. Other automakers with a similar target include BMW, Ford...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
FCA design chief Ralph Gilles featured in Netflix documentary seriesRalph Gilles may be one of the most highly respected automotive designers of the modern era, but he's not just about drawing lines and shaping figures: he's a car guy. He's not just a car guy either, he's a motorsports aficionado and has quite the penchant for track days. An episode of the new...
Sean Szymkowski -
Aston Martin to follow Ferrari with IPO?Aston Martin may be about to follow in the footsteps of Ferrari and launch an initial public offering. People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that a decision hasn’t been made and that Aston Martin is waiting for its 2017 financial results before proceeding further. Should the go-ahead...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford CEO Mark Fields out, self-driving car boss taking overFord [NYSF: F] announced Monday that President and CEO Mark Fields will be replaced with former Steelcase CEO Jim Hackett. According to a report from Forbes, the change is because Executive Chairman Bill Ford, Jr. and the rest of the board have lost confidence in Fields' leadership capabilities...
Kirk Bell