Headlines for Thursday, January 10, 2013

Kia expects Slovakia output to dip after record 2012

Kia said it plans to make 290,000 cars in Slovakia this year, which would be below its record of 292,000 units produced in 2012. Read More »

Audi sells record 1.45 million vehicles in 2012 on U.S., China demand

Audi sold a record 1.45 million vehicles globally in 2012, driven by strong growth in the United States and China and beating a previous sales target of 1.4 million. Read More »

Opel hopes Adam will help it win back European drivers

Opel started production of the Adam minicar at its Eisenach plant in Germany today as it strives to win back European customers amid the worst regional auto industry downturn for nearly two decades. The automaker has invested 190 million euros ($248 million) to prepare the factory to make the Adam. Read More »

Italy's sales decline takes us back to 1979

Italy car sales last year fell 20 percent to 1.4 million units, the country's worst result in 33 years. Back then, domestic automakers had a dominating 61.7 percent share of the market, in 2012 they controlled just 29.7 percent. Read More »

EU must cut diesel emissions, officials say

The European Union must cut emissions from diesel vehicles as part of a drive to reduce air pollution, which causes nearly half a million premature deaths a year, EU officials said. Read More »

VW, BMW are favorites to gain market share in auto sector, survey says

VW and BMW are the favorites to add market share in the global auto industry over the next five years, according to a survey of top automotive executives. Read More »

Opel CEO says remaining factories safe

Opel has no plans for further factory closures at the moment, interim CEO Thomas Sedran said, adding that the weak European car market may shrink by 4 percent this year. Read More »

BMW aims for record 2013 sales despite 'headwinds'

BMW Group predicts 2013 will be an even better sales year than 2012, during which it sold a record 1.85 million vehicles worldwide. Read More »

Renault links French labor deal to Nissan, Daimler output

Renault may build vehicles in France for partners Nissan and Daimler if domestic employees agree to work an average 6.5 percent more, the carmaker told unions. Read More »

10 things to watch in 2013

No one expects the European car market to be a source of good news this year, especially for volume brands. Optimists predict flat sales while pessimists foresee a decline of up to 5 percent. Here are 10 stories to watch in 2013.. Read More »