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June 23, 2008

Automotive News

Arjen Bongard

Automotive News Europe editor

>> Send us a Letter to the Editor

ARJEN BONGARD
What I learned at the Beijing auto show
In China, it seems like the entire 125-year evolution of the auto industry is being compressed into just a couple of decades. From a small market with just a few million units of annual new-car sales, China is set to become the world's biggest passenger-car market with annual sales expected to top 11 million by 2015.
Chinese customers will start buying more small cars and SUVs and more green technology. They will also require more service from their dealers. And China will build more cars as well as components.
For automakers and suppliers -- and for global dealer groups -- that means speed is important. Act now and take advantage of the opportunities. Wait and you'll be forced to play catch-up with companies that moved faster.
I spent a week in Beijing this month, visiting the

April 28, 2008 06:07 European CT [SUB]

ARJEN BONGARD
In the long run, suppliers can win in Russia
Automakers that want a piece of the Russian action seem to be announcing a new production venture there every month. But one problem doesn't seem to be going away: a widely lamented shortage of suppliers.
Nigel Brackenbury, president of Ford Russia, strongly urged Western suppliers last week to go into Russia. )x("�",Take the step, stop the studies and get here. Any of you not here yet, please come quickly!�
Brackenbury was one of several auto industry executives speaking at the Adam Smith Russian Automotive Forum in Moscow.
They were mostly upbeat about prospects for the Russian market. But they also said the growth will be hard to realize without good suppliers on site.
That's ironic. With business in traditional markets under pressure, you would think that a relatively nearby

March 17, 2008 06:01 European CT [SUB]

ARJEN BONGARD
Volvo's Arp looks forward to more independence
Ford Motor's decision to keep Volvo and move the brand further upmarket makes sense for the US carmaker. But a more premium positioning for Volvo could cause Ford's Swedish subsidiary more problems than it solves.
The planned sale of Jaguar and Land Rover and the recent divestment of Aston Martin means Ford will soon be without a clear global entry in the high-margin premium business. Ford of Europe, like other volume carmakers, is pushing the Ford brand further upmarket. But that's not the same as having a luxury brand. Volvo will soon be the closest thing Ford has to a premium brand.
But for Volvo, becoming more premium is not necessarily the way to greater success. Like its fellow Swedish brand Saab, Volvo lives somewhere above the volume market but clearly below luxury-car

Nov. 12, 2007 12:13 European CT [REG]

ARJEN BONGARD
Watch out, here come the Japanese
Trouble at home means that Toyota, Nissan, others will focus more on Europe
The Tokyo auto show seemed slightly more subdued than two and four years ago. The wild and wonderful show cars are still here, but there is less exuberance.
That may have something to do with the growing prominence of the nearby Chinese market. The Shanghai and Beijing auto shows threaten to overshadow Tokyo, the traditional venue for new model introductions in Asia.
The lack of excitement may also reflect the difficulty carmakers have in reconciling the need to be green with the public's desire for high-performance vehicles.
And then there's the steady decline in Japanese car sales, which is hurting the nation's carmakers in their core domestic market.
)x("�",I'm spending a lot of time on how to rebuild the Japanese market,� Mitsubishi Motors President Osamu Masuko said.

Oct. 29, 2007 06:01 European CT [SUB]
• Audi unveils a plug-in hybrid
• Honda boss Fukui says industry has to have fuel cells to survive
• Bosch wants global software standards
• Ghosn on Infiniti: quality over sales

ARJEN BONGARD
Is it an iPod? No, it�s a Fiat
Why do I keep thinking iPod when I see the new Fiat 500?
The 500 is no iPod. But Fiat is certainly positioning the model much like Apple has been marketing its iconic portable media player. This is a non-essential must-have item. Why? Because you've just got to have it.
The resurrected version of the classic Italian minicar doesn't really have any special features that set it apart. It is based on the Panda architecture. It is well-built, safe, offers reasonable performance and has sufficient interior space for a minicar.
The iPod is also well-constructed, but unspectacular. In comparative tests, it frequently scores below its competitors. The sound is just OK, the versatility is modest, and the battery has had its share of problems. On top of that, the iPod is expensive, a

July 23, 2007 06:01 European CT [SUB]