Western Europe
GKN sees more growth this year after 2014 profits rise 4%Feb. 24, 2015 11:12 CET
UK supplier GKN reported a 4 percent rise in annual profit last year and said it expected to grow again in 2015, helped by the continued strong demand for car parts.... Read More »
VW Eos output will end on declining cabrio demandFeb. 23, 2015 19:06 CET
VW plans to stop making its Eos cabriolet as customer tastes shift away from convertibles in general and retractable hardtops like the Eos in particular. European sales of convertibles from volume carmakers fell 20 percent last year.... Read More »
ZF offers EU concessions in $13.5 billion TRW dealFeb. 20, 2015 13:36 CET
ZF Friedrichshafen has offered concessions in a bid to secure European Union approval for its $13.5 billion takeover of TRW Automotive Holdings.... Read More »
Jaguar Land Rover favors Austria or Turkey over U.S. for production boost, report saysFeb. 20, 2015 10:50 CET
Jaguar Land Rover may add production in Austria or Turkey instead of in the U.S. as the automaker seeks to boost its manufacturing capacity, a UK newspaper reported. JLR had been considering opening a factory in the U.S. South, reports said earlier this month.... Read More »
UK car production dips 1% in Jan. on new model, tech investmentFeb. 19, 2015 10:23 CET
The UK's car manufacturing sector reported a 1 percent decline in output last month as automakers invested in the production of new models and technologies.... Read More »
European recovery gains speed; Jan. sales up 6%Feb. 17, 2015 09:01 CET
New-car sales in Europe rose 6 percent in January as price cuts and economic-growth prospects boosted demand for most brands. Registrations rose to 1.03 million vehicles last month, industry association ACEA said.... Read More »
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE
Incoming Bosch auto boss must boost margin, fend off rising Conti, ZFFeb. 16, 2015 06:01 CET
When Rolf Bulander takes over as head of Bosch's car parts division in April he will face hurdles such as raising the unit's margin to 8 percent and maintaining its position as the world's largest supplier despite intensifying competition from Continental and ZF.... Read More »
RICHARD TRUETT
Has diesel peaked in Europe? 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 16, 2015
Pollution is one reason why the diesel engine has perhaps peaked at 50 percent of new-car sales in most of Europe. Driving into Paris a few years ago in a Peugeot diesel hatchback, I became lodged in a long line of traffic. I started coughing violently. It was so bad, I nearly couldn't drive. I blamed diesel fumes.... Read More »
Grupo Antolin shakes up management teamFeb. 16, 2015 06:01 CET
Grupo Antolin, the world's largest supplier of vehicle headliners, has shaken up the top tier of its management with an infusion of younger executives.... Read More »
RICHARD TRUETT
Has diesel had its day in Europe? 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 16, 2015
Pollution is one reason why the diesel engine has perhaps peaked at 50 percent of new-car sales in most of Europe.... Read More »
Ford aims Vignale Mondeo at business buyersFeb. 14, 2015 06:01 CET
Ford of Europe's Vignale upscale trim line, which will launch In September on the new Mondeo, will be aimed mainly at business customers. Ford is seeking to boost profit margins with Vignale and fend off competition in the midsize segment from BMW, Mercedes and Audi.... Read More »
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE
Infiniti's Europe boss expects boost from new compactsFeb. 13, 2015 06:01 CET
Infiniti expects a big boost to its European sales, helped by the launch of the Q30 premium compact hatchback and QX30 crossover. Infiniti's Europe chief, Francois Goupil de Bouille, outlined the brand's growth plans.... Read More »
Ford's European car sales rise nearly 10% in JanuaryFeb. 12, 2015 11:16 CET
Ford said vehicle sales in its 20 core European markets rose 9.8 percent in January, outpacing a 6.5 percent gain for the overall region. Ford's growth was driven by strong demand for the latest Mondeo, its compact and subcompact SUVs, and the Fiesta.... Read More »
Faurecia predicts 2015 profit boost on weak euroFeb. 12, 2015 09:57 CET
Faurecia said a lower euro and cheaper raw materials would lift profit in 2015 as it posted solid second-half earnings growth. Net income rose to 78 million euros ($88 million) in the half, a 47 percent gain.... Read More »
Range Rover Evoque cabrio spied during testingFeb. 11, 2015 12:55 CET
A convertible version of the Range Rover Evoque has been spotted during road testing. An open-air Evoque would give Land Rover a lead over German premium rivals BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz by creating a niche where they have no competitor.... Read More »
2015 GENEVA AUTO SHOW
BMW expands minivan lineup with 7-seat 2 seriesFeb. 11, 2015 16:45 CET
BMW will expand its minivan lineup with the seven-seat 2-series Gran Tourer that goes on sale in Europe in June. The latest 2-series variant will debut next month at the Geneva auto show.... Read More »
CHRISTIAAN HETZNER
Did VW pick the wrong U.S. state to build the Passat? 5:48 am U.S. ET | Feb. 11, 2015
Kentucky Gov. Steven Beshear has a message for any German carmaker or supplier considering expanding into the South: Labor unions are welcome, at least in his state.... Read More »
UK gives go-ahead to test driverless cars on roadsFeb. 11, 2015 08:28 CET
Britons will be joined on the roads by driverless cars starting in the summer after the government gave the go-ahead for the vehicles to be tested on public roads to encourage companies developing the technology to invest in the country.... Read More »
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE
Premium compact SUV sales forecast to top 500,000Feb. 10, 2015 06:01 CET
Sales of compact premium SUVs in Europe are poised to top half a million for the first time this year because of new model launches from brands such as BMW, Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz. The segment has expanded significantly since 2010, when about 270,000 units were sold.... Read More »
NICK GIBBS
Ford Mondeo hybrid may benefit from diesel backlash 7:53 am U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2015
Ford does not expect its Mondeo hybrid to be a big seller in Europe but the environmentally friendly car could benefit from a backlash in some countries against diesels due to health fears over particulate emissions.... Read More »
German prosecutors drop probe of Daimler, Merkel aideFeb. 10, 2015 11:50 CET
Prosecutors in Berlin have dropped a probe into whether Daimler granted "undue advantage" to a former treasurer of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats when it hired him as chief political lobbyist.... Read More »
Cooper-Standard plans to close factories in Europe in cost-cutting moveFeb. 10, 2015 06:01 CET
U.S. supplier Cooper-Standard Automotive plans to shutter factories and cut jobs in Germany and France as it restructures its European operations.The company, which has 12 factories in western Europe, declined to name which factories will be closed or downsized.... Read More »
Daimler's innovation unit looks to products of the futureFeb. 7, 2015 06:01 CET
Daimler's business innovation unit is figuring out how current customers' children will use the automaker's products. That can mean everything from 3-D printing for classic car parts to package-delivery drones and a driverless concept car that doubles as a luxury lounge.... Read More »
CHRISTIAAN HETZNER
Has VW scored an own goal bankrolling its soccer club? 10:05 am U.S. ET | Feb. 6, 2015
With Volkswagen looking to save 5 billion euros in costs at its core VW brand and key wage negotiations with its German workforce just starting, is it sensible to use shareholder money to subsidize a soccer club's ambitions for a top-flight title?... Read More »
Bollore wins backing for EV charging networkFeb. 6, 2015 13:45 CET
Bollore will invest 150 million euros ($172 million) to roll out a charging network across France after winning government approval for the plan. The company said it will install 16,000 new semi-fast chargers in the next four years.... Read More »
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