ANE CONGRESS TURIN 2008
Automakers can learn from hotel businessThe auto industry can learn a lot from the hotel sector about how to make customers happy. Peter Leger, CEO of consultants MSX International, said up to $500 million a year is wasted on measuring if car buyers are satisfied with dealers because customers don't reply truthfully or accurately to surveys. The money could be better spent on improving the customer handling process, he said. [SUB] May 26 06:01 CET |
Delphi is expanding in the EastDelphi is expanding aggressively in the East, said Ronald Pirtle, the supplier's new European head. The US-based partsmaker is boosting manufacturing operations in key central European countries and expanding in Russia, Pirtle told the Automotive News Europe Congress. [SUB] May 26 06:01 CET |
Safety rules could halt Chinese push in EuropeChinese automakers planning to sell cars in Europe could be slowed by tighter EuroNCAP safety rules. EuroNCAP will add assessment of active safety features including electronic stability control, seat belt reminders and speed limitation devices to its new-car testing program next year. [SUB] May 26 06:01 CET |
ANE's 25 leading women honoredEurope's top female automotive executives were honored during a gala dinner in Turin, May 19. Members of Automotive News Europe's 25 Leading Women in the European Automotive Industry said they want their career achievements to inspire today's female executives as well as tomorrow's. [SUB] May 26 06:01 CET |
Arashima: More buyers choosing green carsConsumers increasingly consider an automaker's environmental image when they buy a new car, Toyota Europe President Tadashi Arashima said. “Market research suggests that environmental image is a key differentiator for consumers,” Arashima said. [SUB] May 26 06:01 CET |
Bentley CEO thinks CO2 debate is too emotionalEurope's politicians must listen to carmakers before they OK tougher environmental laws, Bentley CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen said. Concerns about climate change are real but “it doesn't help when the debate becomes excessively emotional,” Paefgen said. [SUB] May 26 06:01 CET |
Analyst: New markets rescue mature marketsEuropean automakers will increasingly find growth and profitability in emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China, Adam Jonas, head of Morgan Stanley's global automotive practice, said. [SUB] May 26 06:01 CET |
Valeo CEO: car prices are likely to riseCar prices will likely go up, reflecting the sharp increase in raw material costs, Valeo CEO Thierry Morin said. “Rising raw material costs will change the face of the world and we have to adapt,” Morin said. “The final market has not paid for it yet.” [SUB] May 26 06:01 CET |
VW expects to have big US diesel shareRising fuel prices are making diesels more attractive to US car buyers, said Wolfgang Steiger, VW's director of powertrain research. He said VW's diesel share in the US could reach 30 percent in 10 years. [SUB] May 26 06:01 CET |
Experts fear viruses from in-car Internet
Increasing Internet access in cars will bring new safety and reliability risks, experts say. Car electronic systems could be infected by viruses if vehicles are connected to the Web, Marc Drüner, managing partner at Trommsdorf + Drüner marketing consultants, said [SUB] May 26 06:01 CET
Marchionne says CO2 limit curve is 'nonsense'Fiat group CEO Sergio Marchionne said proposed European Commission CO2 emission limits based on a sliding scale are nonsense. Marchionne said that the Commission's proposed 60 percent curve for allocating CO2 targets to individual automakers would penalize small carmakers. [REG] May 21 06:01 CET | UPDATED: 05/22/08 10:34 CET |
Fiat mulls new brand for low-cost carFiat is considering creating a dedicated brand for its new low-cost car, which is due to launch in 2011. “If we add another brand, we will develop it ourselves,” Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne said Tuesday night in closing the Automotive News Europe Congress. [REG] May 21 06:01 CET |
Toyota Europe plans 18 new low-CO2 carsToyota will launch 18 new or revised models in Europe by the end of next year to reduce its CO2 emissions. “Each model will offer improved fuel efficiency,” Toyota Motor Europe President Tadashi Arashima told the Automotive News Europe Congress. [REG] May 21 06:01 CET |
Bentley's Paefgen says CO2 debate is too emotionalEurope's politicians must listen to carmakers before they approve tougher environmental laws, Franz-Josef Paefgen, Bentley CEO, said. Concerns about climate change are real but "it doesn't help when the debate becomes excessively emotional," Paefgen told the 2008 Automotive News Europe Congress here. [REG] May 20 13:00 CET |
