UK June car registrations fall 6.1 percent
New car registrations in Britain fell 6.1 percent on a year ago in June to 209,190 units and private car sales were down even more sharply, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said on Friday. In the year-to-date, sales were down 1.6 percent on a year ago. [REG] July 4 15:00 CET
Troubled Canadian plastics supplier winding down
Another Canadian auto supplier has hit hard times, and Progressive Moulded Products Ltd.'s situation has grown even worse. [REG] 9:23 am U.S. ET | July 4
Top 30 European suppliers |
MG announces price of TF LE500 sports carThe MG TF LE500 will cost 16,399 pounds (20,700 euros) when it reaches UK dealers in September, NAC MG UK has announced. The price of the two-seater sports car from kits shipped from China, will include a body-colored hardtop, air conditioning and parking sensors. [REG] July 4 11:09 CET |
BASF buys out partner in Turkish JVGerman chemicals group BASF will take full ownership of its Turkish coatings joint venture, buying out its partner Yasar's 50 percent stake for an undisclosed sum. BASF said it expects double-digit percentage growth rates in the Turkish automobile industry. [REG] July 4 13:18 CET |
Caubet goes as Renault changes its sales teamRenault is reorganizing its European sales management team to help counter slowing sales. Marie-Christine Caubet, Renault's European market area head, will leave the company effective July 7. Her responsibilities will be handed to two other top executives. [REG] July 4 12:07 CET |
Karmann to sell or shut down toolmaking opsGerman automotive supplier Karmann plans to sell or shut down its toolmaking division, affecting some 250 workers, a spokesman for the company said, confirming a report in Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung. [REG] July 4 10:00 CET |
Audi sales in China rise, plans to boost productionVolkswagen's premium brand, Audi, posted a 23 percent rise in first-half sales to China, delivering a record 60,509 luxury cars to customers thanks mainly to rising demand for its high-end exported models. [REG] July 4 10:00 CET |
Market close ends a brutal week for industry
Thursday's early holiday close of the stock market brought an end to one of the most tumultuous weeks for the auto industry in recent memory, as the price of oil rose and the value of auto stocks fell. [REG] 4:27 pm U.S. ET | July 3
Report: Potential Chrysler cash crisis in '09
Chrysler LLC is the weakest of the Detroit 3 and could face a cash crisis during the second half of 2009, a Wall Street auto analyst warned today in a conference call. [REG] 1:21 pm U.S. ET | July 3
Analyst: GM could borrow from UAW health care fund
DETROIT -- Could General Motors tap the prospective UAW retiree health care fund for cash? JPMorgan analyst Himanshu Patel thinks so. In a report and conference call today, Patel said GM could raise $3 billion to $6 billion in cash by withdrawing the money from a $14. [REG] 1:52 pm U.S. ET | July 3
Fifth generation BMW 7 series breaks coverIt looks a lot like the outgoing model, but BMW says the fifth-generation 7 Series is all new. July 3 16:18 CET |
Fifth generation BMW 7 series breaks coverIt looks a lot like the outgoing model, but BMW says the fifth-generation 7 Series is all new. [REG] 10:18 am U.S. ET | July 3 |
Mercedes-Benz will end McLaren collaborationMercedes-Benz will end its partnership with British sports car manufacturer McLaren when its current agreement expires next year. The German automaker and the British sports car manufacturer built the SLR. [REG] July 3 16:10 CET |
Report: Deripaska not aiming for Magna majorityRussian investor Oleg Deripaska has not shown any interest in obtaining a majority stake in Canadian car parts maker Magna International, Magna's co-CEO Siegfried Wolf was quoted as saying on Thursday. [REG] July 3 12:30 CET |
Chrysler, China's Great Wall sign MoU to study cooperationChrysler said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with China's Great Wall Motor to assess the feasibility of developing a long-term, strategic relationship. [REG] July 3 09:39 CET | UPDATED: 07/03/08 14:44 CET |
Lear's vice chairman retires
DETROIT -- James Vandenberghe, 58, vice chairman of Lear Corp. since 1998, has retired after 35 years with the auto supplier. He will spend a year as a consultant to the company. [REG] 9:40 am U.S. ET | July 3
Takata purchase to aid vision business
DETROIT -- TK Holdings Inc., a suburban Detroit unit of Japan's Takata Corp., has purchased the assets of the former Assistware division of Cognex Corp. for an undisclosed sum. [REG] 9:36 am U.S. ET | July 3
Engineers are born to ruleNot long ago, a friend asked whether I knew how many of the industry's top execs have engineering or manufacturing experience. [REG] July 3 06:01 CET |
Chrysler, China's Great Wall sign MoU to study cooperation
Chrysler said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with China's Great Wall Motor to assess the feasibility of developing a long-term, strategic relationship. [REG] 3:39 am U.S. ET | July 3 | UPDATED: 07/03/08 14:44 CET
GM Belgium plant workers strike over more workGeneral Motors Europe workers stopped working at the company's Antwerp, Belgium plant this week because of complaints over an increased workload, union officials said. [REG] July 3 11:27 CET |
Report: Deripaska not aiming for Magna majorityRussian investor Oleg Deripaska has not shown any interest in obtaining a majority stake in Canadian car parts maker Magna International, Magna's co-CEO Siegfried Wolf was quoted as saying on Thursday. [REG] 6:30 am U.S. ET | July 3 |
GM, Ford stock prices tumbleDETROIT -- Banks cut automaker ratings, oil climbed to a record high, and stock prices in the auto industry plummeted on Wednesday. General Motors shares closed at $9. [REG] July 3 06:01 CET |
Penske Automotive buys limited partnership interest in Penske Truck Leasing
Automotive retailer Penske Automotive Group Inc. announced Tuesday that it had paid GE Capital $219 million for a 9 percent limited partnership interest in Penske Truck Leasing Co. L.P. , formerly a joint venture between GE and the Penske Corp. [REG] 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 3
2009 Nissan GT-R sports 480HPNissan's newest GT-R has an information display that allows users to choose which gauges to view. It also can go 0-60 in 3.5 seconds. The price is about $70,000, which will make it hard to find. 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 3 |
Which is more dangerous, a cell phone or a Shih Tzu?Will someone please explain to me why a driver talking with a cell phone to his ear is any more distracted than a driver putting a hamburger in his mouth? Or eyeliner to her eyes? Or a Shih Tzu on his lap? And, yet, on July 1, the state of California began enforcing Vehicle Code 23123, which... [REG] 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 2 |
Engineers are born to ruleNot long ago, a friend asked whether I knew how many of the industry's top execs have engineering or manufacturing experience. [REG] 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 2 |
Chrysler names Nancy Rae chief of human resources, communications
DETROIT -- Chrysler LLC will realign its human resources, employee relations and communications functions under one executive. [REG] 4:41 pm U.S. ET | July 2
GM, Ford stock prices tumble
DETROIT -- Banks cut automaker ratings, oil climbed to a record high, and stock prices in the auto industry plummeted today. General Motors shares closed at $9. [REG] 4:32 pm U.S. ET | July 2
J.D. Power study: More buyers use online TV
Marketers should turn to online TV to reach new-car buyers who are fast-forwarding past commercials by using digital video recorders, according to a J.D. Power and Associates study. [REG] 3:42 pm U.S. ET | July 2
Dealix to provide sales leads to MSN Autos
Dealix Corp. said today that it has partnered with Microsoft Corp.'s MSN Autos Web portal to become the site's sales provider of leads. MSN Autos will begin using Dealix's new- and used-vehicle quote system in the third quarter. [REG] 2:54 pm U.S. ET | July 2
JCI: Plastech joint venture should break even in '09
DETROIT -- Johnson Controls Inc. said it expects the joint venture it formed to buy the interiors business of Plastech Engineered Products Inc. will break even in 2009 and turn a profit by fiscal 2010. JCI owns 70 percent of the joint venture, and some of Plastech's term lenders own the rest. [REG] 2:06 pm U.S. ET | July 2
It worked so well, GM extends financing incentive
DETROIT (AdAge.com) -- General Motors said its latest incentives on 2008 models will be extended because the promotion worked so well driving traffic in the final days of June. GM will extend 0 percent financing for 72 months through the July 4 weekend. [REG] 12:25 pm U.S. ET | July 2
Fiat's Melfi workers to start break earlyFiat will close its Melfi, Italy, factory four days before the carmaker's annual summer break to align inventories to a falling domestic market. Fiat makes the Grande Punto, Italy's best selling model, in Melfi. The Melfi plant will begin its summer break on July 28. [REG] July 2 15:22 CET |
Tata Motors' chairman sees challenging year
India's Tata Motors expects its launch of the Nano, the world's cheapest car, and its purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover to offset some of the pain of a challenging 2008-09 that has knocked its shares to their lowest in more than three years. [REG] 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 2
Merrill Lynch downgrades GM
DETROIT (Reuters) -- General Motors will need to raise about $15 billion in cash to shore up liquidity and bankruptcy is “not impossible” if the U.S. auto market continues to slump, Merrill Lynch said on Wednesday. [REG] 11:00 am U.S. ET | July 2
ArvinMeritor forecast: 20% sales increase in 3rd quarter
DETROIT -- Auto supplier ArvinMeritor Inc. today said it expects third-quarter sales to increase 20 percent from a year earlier to $2 billion despite weaker than anticipated sales in North America. [REG] 10:36 am U.S. ET | July 2
Fiat will build new small engine in PolandFiat will build its new 900cc gasoline engine in Poland. The engine will be the smallest engine in a European car and the only two-cylinder engine on offer in Europe when it goes into the Topolino, a microcar that Fiat will build in Zastava, Serbia, starting late next year. [REG] July 2 15:46 CET |
U.S. designers play catch-up on cool small carsWith most product planners in Detroit scrambling to get smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles out of the studios and into their pipelines, you wonder which product development discipline can make the biggest impact with impatient consumers clamoring for immediate gratification. [REG] July 2 06:01 CET |
German new car market on track for small 2008 gainDemand for new cars in Germany rose in June and remained on track to increase 1.6 percent in 2008, industry data showed on Wednesday. Production fell 1 percent in the month and 2 percent in the first half of the year. [REG] July 2 12:15 CET | UPDATED: 07/02/08 13:17 CET |
French tax gives low-CO2 cars a boostFrench new-car sales continue to be helped by the country's recently implemented CO2 tax system. New-car sales grew by 4.5 percent during the first six months to 1.12 million units compared to the same period of 2007, according to the French automobile manufacturers association, CCFA. [REG] July 2 06:01 CET |
Toyota struggles to meet hybrid, small car demandThe surge in popularity for small cars and fuel-efficient hybrids has left Toyota facing an unusual problem: deepening shortages of popular models such as the Prius hybrid. A limited inventory of small cars hurt Toyota, which reported a 11.5 percent drop in U.S. sales in June. [REG] July 2 09:45 CET |
Italy new car sales down 19.5 percent in JuneItalian new car registrations fell for a sixth month in a row in June, down 19.5 percent to 184,275 units, with those for Fiat falling nearly as hard, according to government figures published on Tuesday. The fall, which had been expected, was the steepest since January. [REG] July 2 09:00 CET |
VW appoints new purchasing chief in MexicoRudiger Koch today becomes Volkswagen AG's purchasing director in Mexico. Koch, 50, has been Volkswagen Group China's head of procurement since 2004. He replaces Rafael Pinero, 59, who is returning to Germany after eight years in the job. [REG] July 2 06:01 CET |
The 2009 Nissan Maxima is shorter with a new shape |
Automakers post major drops in sales
With gasoline prices at record highs and consumer confidence at record lows, U.S. auto sales declined sharply in June. But General Motors still managed to outsell Toyota during the month. Total June U.S. light vehicle sales were down 18.3 percent from a year ago. [REG] 11:06 am U.S. ET | July 1 | UPDATED: 7/1/08 9:22 p.m. EDT
NADA: New VIN database helps combat title washing, but not enough
A new insurance industry service provides some -- but not all -- of the information needed to end title-washing of vehicles severely damaged by crashes or floods, the National Automobile Dealers Association said today. [REG] 4:40 pm U.S. ET | July 1
GM, Ford stocks recover from early losses
The stock market's assault on General Motors and Ford Motor Co. stock prices eased Tuesday, as each company's shares recovered from earlier drops. Ford shares closed at $4.71, down 10 cents or 2.08 percent. GM shares closed at 11.75, up 25 cents, or 2.17 percent. [REG] 1:14 pm U.S. ET | July 1 | UPDATED: 7/1/07 4:37 p.m. EDT
JUNE U.S. SALES
Hyundai sets new monthly U.S. sales mark
Hyundai Motor America cracked the 50,000 sales mark in June, the first time in company history. With strong sales of its Accent, Sonata and Elantra cars, dealers sold 50,033 units last month. That is up 1.3 percent or 665 units from June 2007, the automaker's previous best month at 49,368. [REG] 4:31 pm U.S. ET | July 1
Southeast Toyota's Czubay named Ford U.S. sales, marketing chief
Ford Motor Co. today named Ken Czubay, president of Southeast Toyota Distributors LLC, its vice president of U.S. sales and marketing. Czubay, 59, also heads the world's top-selling Lexus dealership. [REG] 4:27 pm U.S. ET | July 1
JUNE U.S. SALES
Nissan says U.S. sales decline 17.7% in June
Nissan North America said today that June sales of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles totaled 75,847 versus 92,213 sold last June, a 17.7 percent decrease. [REG] 11:22 am U.S. ET | July 1 | UPDATED: 7/1/07 3:23 p.m. EDT
JUNE U.S. SALES
Toyota sales fall 21.4 percent in June
Toyota Motor Corp. ran aground in June, with U.S. sales down 21.4 percent, the biggest drop of the year for the world's No. 2 automaker. For the first half, Toyota said it sold 1,240,086 vehicles, down 6.8 percent from the first half of 2007. [REG] 11:12 am U.S. ET | July 1 | UPDATED: 7/1/07 2:50 p.m. EDT
JUNE U.S. SALES
Honda bucks U.S. downturn, sales up 1.1% in June
American Honda Motor Co. bucked the downturn in U.S. sales in June and posted a 1.1 percent gain over June 2007. Honda sold 142,539 vehicles in June, a new monthly record. For the first half of 2008, Honda sales rose 4.1 percent from last year to 798,358. [REG] 11:19 am U.S. ET | July 1 | UPDATED: 7/1/08 3:05 p.m. EDT
JUNE U.S. SALES
GM says June sales decline 18.5%
Despite strong retail sales for some of its cars, General Motors said today that June sales fell 18.5 percent from the same month a year ago. GM sold 265,937 vehicles in June, down from 326,300 last year. For the first half of 2008, GM's U.S. sales totaled 1,604,942, down 16. [REG] 11:24 am U.S. ET | July 1 | UPDATED: 7/1/08 2:05 p.m. EDT
JUNE U.S. SALES
Chrysler sales plummet 36% in June
Chrysler LLC posted the biggest sales decline in the U.S. auto industry last month among the major automakers. The privately owned automaker sold 117,457 cars and trucks in June, down 36 percent from June a year ago. “The June results reflect the industrywide impact of U.S. [REG] 11:16 am U.S. ET | July 1 | UPDATED: 7/1/08 3:38 p.m. EDT
Roof rule deadline reset for Oct. 1
The Bush administration is taking Congress up on its offer of more time to write a new roof strength rule for vehicles. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters notified chairmen of key congressional committees that the July 1 deadline for the new rule, set by law in 2005, will not be met. [REG] 3:55 pm U.S. ET | July 1
French tax gives low-CO2 cars a boostFrench new-car sales continue to be helped by the country's recently implemented CO2 tax system. New-car sales grew by 4.5 percent during the first six months to 1.12 million units compared to the same period of 2007, according to the French automobile manufacturers association, CCFA. [REG] July 1 21:01 CET |
CAFE demands too much for 'stressed' industry, automakers say
The Bush administration's proposed fuel economy standards for 2011-15 are far too high given the “economic stress” the auto industry faces, a key industry lobby said today. [REG] 2:00 pm U.S. ET | July 1
GM extends 0% financing deals
General Motors notified its dealers this morning that it will be extending its 0 percent financing sale through Monday, July 7. “As you'll hear later in our sales call today, it turned out to be a successful program. [REG] 11:05 am U.S. ET | July 1 | UPDATED: 7/1/08 12:30 p.m. EDT
VW appoints new purchasing chief in MexicoRüdiger Koch today becomes Volkswagen AG's purchasing director in Mexico. Koch, 50, has been Volkswagen Group China's head of procurement since 2004. He replaces Rafael Pinero, 59, who is returning to Germany after eight years in the job. [REG] July 1 15:58 CET |
Italian new-car sales plunge almost 20%Sales of new cars in Italy plunged almost 20 percent in June compared with the same month last year, people familiar to the matter told Automotive News Europe. According to sources, sales in June decreased to 184,000 units from almost 229,000 units the same month a year ago. [REG] July 1 17:01 CET |
Report: Ford's talks with Renault to sell VolvoFord Motor has had exploratory talks with French automaker Renault to sell Volvo, but the initial talks broke down due to price differences, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The two parties have spoken again after their initial discussions, which were held last fall, the sources said. [REG] July 1 06:01 CET |
VW appoints new purchasing chief in MexicoRudiger Koch today becomes Volkswagen AG's purchasing director in Mexico. Koch, 50, has been Volkswagen Group China's head of procurement since 2004. He replaces Rafael Pinero, 59, who is returning to Germany after eight years in the job. [REG] 9:58 am U.S. ET | July 1 |
GM ends employee discount on Saab 9-3 |
Toyota says may consider price hikes in future
Toyota Motor Corp. says it may need to consider raising the prices of its passenger vehicles in the future due to surging raw materials costs, though fierce global competition would make such a move difficult. 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 1
New Dodge Ram promises improved fuel economyThe 2009 Dodge Ram pickup truck, arriving at dealerships this fall, will go a little easier on the wallet at the fuel pump. And two new models coming in 2010 could thrust Dodge to the head of the pack in the fuel economy race. 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 1 |
GM, Chrysler, Lexus turn to eBayGeneral Motors, Chrysler LLC and Lexus Division are using a new feature of the online auction eBay to promote their dealers' certified used vehicles. The eBay Motors Certified Pre-Owned Showroom launched this month. 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 1 |
GM prices Traverse crossover at $28,990 |
GM hires Arkona for DMS program
Ghosn predicts price hikes, bleak forecast for U.S. |
Fuel economy drives down new-vehicle gratification
Americans found their new vehicles slightly less gratifying this year than last year. That decline was caused in large part by declining consumer gratification with the fuel economy of their new vehicles, according to this year's J.D. 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 1
Few Mahindra dealers add U.S. showrooms |
Consumers like hybrids, balk at price
Almost three-quarters of U.S. consumers are interested in hybrid technology for their next vehicle, but the added cost seems too high for many, a study has found. 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 1
Chrysler's new tech suite includes Web access
2009 Maxima starts at $29,950 |
1st Kia coupe to debut in '09 |
The doomsayer business is booming againIt helps to look at history to understand the present. On the reopening of the BMW Museum in Munich on June 19, Eberhard von Kuenheim, the automaker's legendary former CEO, helped visitors take that look. Guido Reinking is editor of Automobilwoche. [REG] 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 1 |
Continental eyes electrical autos as diesel car demand declines
Continental plans to replace what it sees as an increasingly sluggish demand for diesel fuel cars with supplies to the future trend of electrical cars, board member Karl-Thomas Neumann told Handelsblatt. "Regarding diesel fuel, I'm more skeptical by now. There's not much happening in the U.S. [REG] July 1 09:26 CET
Fiat importing cars into Chinese market amid delaysFiat is importing cars into the Chinese market after delays in winning approval from the Chinese authorities for its latest planned alliance with Chery Automobile, said a company spokesman. [REG] July 1 15:30 CET |
