Headlines for Thursday, February 21, 2013

VW will build XL1 plug-in hybrid car

Volkswagen said it will build the XL1 plug-in hybrid, which the automaker says will be the world's most fuel-efficient production car. The XL1 is the culmination of VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech's aim to build for everyday use a car that uses one liter of fuel per 100km Read More »

AutoNews Now: Ford gives Ohio a 'Boost'

Production of 2.0L engine for N.A. shifting from Spain; next leader for Daimler?; Dodge Charger's unlikely fans; Geneva update. Read More »

Bernhard moved from Mercedes cars to Daimler Trucks

Daimler swapped the roles of Mercedes production and purchasing chief Wolfgang Bernhard and Daimler Trucks head Andreas Renschler at a supervisory board meeting on Thursday. The board also extended CEO Dieter Zetsche's contract until the end of 2016. Read More »

Renault, Nissan will build new plant in India, report says

Renault and Nissan will invest about $320 million in a new car assembly plant in India to build Datsuns and low-cost Renault cars, a Japanese business paper said. Read More »

First Shift: Here, Benz beats BMW

Mercedes scores more U.S. registrations; Tesla: Profit ahead; Ford revives 'Fiesta Movement'; Audi, Toyota on 'disruptive' list. Read More »

Volvo purges more Ford influences

Volvo is distancing itself further from its Ford legacy as it prepares to launch a new range of in-house engines and a modular platform. Read More »

Banks may be sued by U.S. for auto lending activities, report says

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has told at least four banks that it may sue them over vehicle loans and interest-rate markups by auto dealers that appear discriminatory, three people briefed on the matter told Bloomberg. Read More »

Fisker, insurance firm drop suit over $33 million in Sandy-related losses

Fisker agreed to end a lawsuit against XL Insurance America over the loss of more than 300 luxury cars worth about $33 million that were destroyed in Superstorm Sandy, according to a court filing. Read More »

Damage toll from Sandy rises to 250,000 cars, insurance group says

New York's tally of vehicles damaged in superstorm Sandy has increased to 150,000, the most of any U.S. state, as the total number of cars battered in the October disaster rose to 250,000, an insurance-industry group said. Read More »

Sandy walloped ADESA's vehicle-salvage unit, CEO says

Hurricane Sandy hit KAR Auction Services and its used-vehicle salvage arm, Insurance Auto Auctions, far harder last fall than Hurricane Katrina did in 2005, KAR CEO Jim Hallett said today. Read More »

Wait, how many new features?

When Mercedes-Benz USA product planners detailed the latest features they'll add on three new products this year, it wasn't the technology that struck me. We all know automobiles carry lots of electronic sensors and controls. We recognize that combining different ones yields new features. Read More »

Ford to shift 2-liter EcoBoost engine output to Ohio plant from Spain

Ford will begin domestic production of its 2.0-liter, four-cylinder EcoBoost engine at its Cleveland Engine Plant in Brook Park, Ohio, in late 2014, the automaker said today. Ford will invest nearly $200 million and add 450 jobs at the plant, which will produce all 2. Read More »

Ford urges U.S. pressure on Japan ahead of meeting

Ford pushed for President Barack Obama to pressure Japan's prime minister to open its auto market and refrain from weakening the yen to give its companies an advantage. Read More »

Phil Smart Sr., longtime Mercedes-Benz dealer, dies at 93

Phil Smart Sr., a longtime car dealer and civic leader, died Feb. 8. He was 93. He started selling cars in the early 1950s in Seattle and eventually built Phil Smart Mercedes-Benz, which he operated for several decades. Read More »

Estimated Europe registrations by make, January

This is data compiled by the Automotive News Data Center and requires a Data Center subscription to access. Read More »

VW putting XL1 plug-in hybrid car into production

A production version of the Volkswagen XL1 plug-in hybrid, which the German automaker says can get up to 270 mpg, is set to debut at the Geneva motor show in March. Read More »

Auto loans delinquent 60 days or more edge up

The number of auto loans delinquent 60 days or more ticked up in the fourth quarter compared with the same quarter a year earlier, and it was the first quarterly increase for such loans in three years, according to Experian Automotive. Read More »

Daimler shifts Bernhard from Mercedes cars to head trucks division

Daimler swapped the roles of Mercedes production and purchasing chief Wolfgang Bernhard and Daimler Trucks head Andreas Renschler at a supervisory board meeting today. The board also extended CEO Dieter Zetsche's contract until the end of 2016. Read More »

Dana Q4 profit rises on tax benefits; revenue slips on weak demand

Dana Holding Corp.'s quarterly revenue fell 15 percent as demand remained weak, but the company reported higher profit on income tax benefits. Read More »

Estimated Europe registrations by country, January

This is data compiled by the Automotive News Data Center and requires a Data Center subscription to access. Read More »

Fiat-Chrysler increased global sales by 12.7% in January

Fiat-Chrysler's global sales increased by 12.7 percent in January, boosted by strong demand for the Fiat brand in Brazil and for Chrysler vehicles in North America. Read More »

Mercedes, UK dealers fined for competition breach

Mercedes-Benz and three of its UK commercial vehicle dealers have been fined 2.6 million pounds ($4 million) by Britain's competition watchdog for price fixing between 2008 and 2010. Read More »

Estonia installs nationwide EV charger network

Estonia has become the first country in the world to install a nationwide system of fast chargers for electric vehicles as part of European efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Read More »