EuropeAudi sees sedan becoming best-selling A3 variantJune 12, 2013 09:19 CET  Audi says it expects half of future A3 customers will opt for its new sedan variant after the model goes on sale in the third quarter.... Read More »
Faurecia bets on global projects to escape Europe market woesJune 12, 2013 10:49 CET  French supplier Faurecia is pushing for global supply contracts with customers such as Ford as it seeks to wean itself away from relying on its recession-strapped home region where new-car sales are falling for the sixth consecutive year.... Read More »
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE Nissan's Hardcastle turns customers' tech demands into affordable optionsJune 11, 2013 06:01 CET  Jerry Hardcastle is Nissan's first global chief marketability engineer, a job created for him in which he turns customer and market demands from around the world into technical solutions that improve the end users' driving experience and boost the value of Nissan's product lineup.... Read More »
GM mulls moving Opel Mokka production to Spain from Korea, report saysJune 11, 2013 09:03 CET  General Motors is considering moving part of the current production of the Opel Mokka to Spain from Korea, a German newspaper reported, citing sources within the U.S. carmaker. Opel said earlier this year that it plans to build the next-generation Mokka in Europe and not in Korea.... Read More »
Rolls-Royce is counting on the Wraith to lift Russia salesJune 11, 2013 13:28 CET  Rolls-Royce is counting on its sporty Wraith model to boost sales in Russia, even as lawmakers debate raising a high-end car tax. The ultra-luxury carmaker sells around 100 cars a year in Russia.... Read More »
Michelin pressed by French gov't to redevelop doomed French siteJune 11, 2013 12:30 CET  Michelin should contribute to the redevelopment of a French truck tire plant where it plans to end production in 2015, the French government's Labor Minister said. Michelin announced 700 domestic job cuts on Monday, becoming the latest auto industry manufacturer to slash staffing in response to the European downturn.... Read More »
Russian car sales forecast to fall 5% in 2013June 10, 2013 17:31 CET  Russian car sales suffered a double-digit percentage drop in May, prompting the Association of European Businesses (AEB) to slash its forecast for the full year to a decline of 5 percent.... Read More »
Polish car production falls 7% in MayJune 10, 2013 11:01 CET Car production in Poland -- where Fiat, GM and VW Group have plants -- fell 7 percent in May, industry monitor SAMAR said. The group added that weak European demand and a run of public holidays had reversed a rise in the previous month. In Poland, nearly 99 percent of cars assembled are for export, mostly within Europe.... Read More »
Michelin cuts 700 jobs in French factory overhaulJune 10, 2013 12:46 CET French tire maker Michelin announced 700 domestic job cuts on Monday, becoming the latest auto industry manufacturer to slash staffing in response to the European downturn.... Read More »
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Nissan Europe names Diernaz first EV bossJune 10, 2013 06:01 CET  Nissan Europe has named Jean-Pierre Diernaz as its first director of electric vehicles for the region, where sales of the automaker's Leaf EV have not met expectations. He moves over from Nissan's luxury subsidiary, Infiniti, where he was director of marketing and communications.... Read More »
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE Chevrolet slumps in EuropeJune 10, 2013 06:01 CET  Chevrolet -- General Motors' best-selling brand globally -- is falling further behind rivals in Europe as the region's buyers turn their backs on the marque's aging product lineup. Steep declines of Chevy's best-selling models in Europe pushed down the brand's sales in the region by 33 percent to 45,706 in a total market down 7 percent, according to industry body ACEA. Chevy's market share was 1.1 percent, down from 1.5 percent during the same period last year.... Read More »
Few Daimler shutdowns 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 10, 2013 Daimler AG, following the lead of some U.S. automakers, will largely refrain from taking a traditional summer break at its car factories. Vehicles such as the revamped Mercedes-Benz E class are keeping assembly lines busy even as overall European auto demand slides to a 20-year low.... Read More »
GREEN CARS Volvo to increase plug-in hybrid outputJune 7, 2013 19:04 CET  Volvo has revised upward its production forecast for the V60 plug-in hybrid due to higher-than-expected demand. Volvo plans to make 10,000 units of the low-CO2 model by the end of 2014, up from a previous target of 4,000 to 6,000. The company said sales are being driven partly by emissions-based tax breaks given to the car, which emits 48 grams per kilometer of CO2.... Read More »
Germany starts new push against EU car-emissions planJune 7, 2013 14:14 CET Germany has presented a fresh proposal on regulating CO2 limits for cars sold in the EU. Campaigners say it is a last-ditch attempt to dilute a new emissions law.... Read More »
UK new-car sales rise for 15th successive monthJune 6, 2013 14:09 CET  UK new-car sales rose 11 percent to 180,111 in May, marking the 15th consecutive month of growth for the market, the country's auto trade association said today.... Read More »
Porsche sales rise 13% in May on strong demand for Boxster, CaymanJune 6, 2013 13:35 CET  Porsche's global sales rose 13 percent in May on strong demand for the Boxster and Cayman, leaving the automaker's sales boss "cautiously optimistic" about the second half despite Europe's ongoing sales slump.... Read More »
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE VW extends lead in common architectures -- but there are risksJune 6, 2013 06:01 CET  Automakers are fast-tracking flexible architectures to underpin multiple models across different brands and segments to catch up with VW Group's modular platform development strategy. Common platforms reduce costs and streamline new car development but bring risks as well as rewards, industry insiders say.... Read More »
Mercedes, BMW to skip summer breaks to meet demand outside EuropeJune 6, 2013 06:01 CET  Daimler will largely refrain from taking a traditional summer break at its car factories with models like the revamped Mercedes E class and new CLA keeping assembly lines busy. BMW Group is also either preparing for new models or keeping plants churning out cars to meet demand.... Read More »
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Bentley executive will head UK industry body SMMTJune 5, 2013 09:53 CET  Bentley executive Mike Hawes will be the new CEO of the UK auto industry association, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).... Read More »
NICK GIBBS Ford Ka faces uncertain future 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 5, 2013  The future of the Ford Ka appears uncertain after a senior marketing executive said that the minicar has been left out of a new, brandwide advertising campaign.... Read More »
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE Audi sales boss De Meo bullish on China, SUVsJune 4, 2013 06:01 CET  Audi sales boss Luca De Meo expects China's compact-premium segment to grow from about 10 percent of the luxury market to more than 25 percent by 2020. Audi plans to meet this demand with its locally produced A3 sedan and Q3 SUV. De Meo discussed his outlook for Audi with Automotive News Europe Editor Luca Ciferri.... Read More »
German car sales fall 10% in MayJune 4, 2013 10:42 CET  New-car sales in Germany fell nearly 10 percent in May dampening hopes for any recovery in the crisis-hit European market in 2013.... Read More »
BMW Gran Lusso Coupe concept hints at revival of luxury 8 series 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 3, 2013  BMW has unveiled a concept for a large luxury coupe that hints of the possible revival of the departed 8 series and a rival for Mercedes-Benz's CL. The four-seat BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe, unveiled at the 2013 Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance here, suggests a more spacious and bigger coupe than BMW's current 6 series.... Read More »
Car sales declines in France, Italy and Spain dampen recovery hopesJune 3, 2013 20:54 CET  French, Italian and Spanish car sales fell in May, bringing the European market closer to a two-decade low and dampening hopes for any recovery in 2013.... Read More »
Falling fleet sales drag down Spain's car sales in MayJune 3, 2013 13:12 CET  Spanish car sales fell 2.6 percent in May, reversing a rise of 11 percent in April.... Read More »
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