OEM CoverageTALK FROM THE TOP: MARK REUSS, NORTH AMERICAN PRESIDENT, GENERAL MOTORS GM seeks clean launch, regular updates for pickups 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  Mark Reuss, president of General Motors North America, says GM is staying vigilant on the June launch of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-sized pickups, its most important rollout since the company's 2009 bankruptcy. He says GM is closely monitoring suppliers to avoid bottlenecks that could delay the launch or hurt quality.... Read More »
TALK FROM THE TOP: JIM LENTZ, CEO, NORTH AMERICA REGION, TOYOTA MOTOR CORP. Toyota streamlines decision-making for North America 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda restructured the company's management this year to give more authority and autonomy to local regions. Nowhere was this more evident than in North America, where Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., was placed in charge of all Toyota sales and manufacturing for the region.... Read More »
TALK FROM THE TOP: LUDWIG WILLISCH, CEO, BMW OF NORTH AMERICA BMW counts on new models to keep luxury sales crown 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  Mercedes-Benz led the U.S. luxury-brand sales race through April of 2013, but BMW of North America CEO Ludwig Willisch expects BMW to repeat as No. 1 for the year. Willisch says help is on the way in the form of three models debuting this fall: the 3-series GT crossover, 4-series coupe and a redesigned X5 crossover.... Read More »
Kogai takes reins of Mazda's comeback 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  Mazda Motor Corp.'s CEO designate, Masamichi Kogai, had a big hand in creating the more stable, profitable carmaker he inherits. But formidable challenges lie ahead.... Read More »
Cost is key to fate of talking cars 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  Cars that communicate with each other to avoid crashes or traffic jams will save lives, but the cost of the systems will determine consumers' acceptance, the U.S. transportation secretary said last week.... Read More »
Acura seeks image boost by reviving NSX in Ohio 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  Honda officials hope the revived Acura NSX, an advanced hybrid sports car scheduled to arrive in 2015, will strengthen Acura's luxury footing. Honda said last week that it will invest $70 million in Ohio to assemble the NSX.... Read More »
Small BMW team rethought electric cars for huge cities 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  Nearly six years ago, BMW AG's Project i began to position the automaker for the future. In an interview with Automobilwoche, a German language sibling to Automotive News, Project i chief Ulrich Kranz explained how the idea of a carbon-body car for megacities emerged from his team.... Read More »
PRODUCTION LINE Chafing against engine friction 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013 Friction is enemy No. 1 for powertrain engineers striving to meet rising fuel-economy standards. Lower friction enables engines to efficiently produce more horsepower per liter of displacement.... Read More »
PRODUCTION LINE Q&A: AUDI'S BERND MARTENS Audi plans 90% local sourcing in Mexico 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  In September, Bernd Martens took over Audi purchasing as a member of the Audi management board. Martens, 47, gave Automotive News' German-language sibling publication, Automobilwoche, a look at how he and his team explored sourcing in Mexico.... Read More »
Chevy will get a version of small Nissan cargo van 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  General Motors will sell a restyled version of Nissan's four-cylinder NV200 commercial van as the 2015 Chevrolet City Express in the fall of 2014.... Read More »
Akerson's global goal: Rebuild GM into an IT powerhouse 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013 General Motors is hiring thousands of workers and spending hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild the in-house information technology capability it began dismantling nearly two decades ago.... Read More »
Toyota plans big hike in lithium ion battery output 12:22 pm U.S. ET | May 19, 2013  Toyota is planning to increase production of lithium ion batteries by six times, as the automaker prepares to eventually use them in its flagship Prius gasoline-electric hybrid cars, the Nikkei business daily reported on Sunday.... Read More »
Hyundai, Kia losing ground to luxury imports at home as tariffs fall 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 19, 2013  Foreign brands have seen their share of South Korea's market for premium vehicles surge to 41 percent from 28 percent in the past two years, according to Korean industry groups, as lower tariffs make their cars cheaper and local buyers abandon a decades-long preference for domestic brands.... Read More »
Audi overtakes BMW as India's top-selling premium brandMay 18, 2013 06:01 CET  Audi has overtaken BMW as India's top seller of luxury vehicles, and Audi executives say the success is due to the automaker's rapid expansion outside large urban centers, as well as the Q3 SUV introduced last year.... Read More »
Behind the scenes, Straubel keeps Tesla running at pivotal time 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 18, 2013  Elon Musk was fresh off the sale of PayPal and starting another business, commercial rocket service Space Exploration Technologies, when he met kindred spirit JB Straubel. Their shared belief that consumer electronics advances could be applied to more earthly modes of transport is a cornerstone of Tesla Motors.... Read More »
PSA workers end 4-month strike over car plant closureMay 17, 2013 15:05 CET  Workers at a PSA factory near Paris have agreed to end a four-month strike in protest against the planned closure of the plant.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE 2 million extra doors was the best call Daimler made during 'marriage of equals' 12:35 pm U.S. ET | May 17, 2013  It's easy to criticize the way Daimler AG ran and ultimately left Chrysler during the disastrous "marriage of equals" era. I know because I've done it on a regular basis. But even the worst marriages can produce spectacular kids -- or in this case, products.... Read More »
GM shares return to $33 IPO price on optimism for truck sales 10:19 am U.S. ET | May 17, 2013  Shares in GM topped its $33 initial public offering price for the first time in more than two years as the automaker prepares to introduce redesigned full-sized pickups.... Read More »
UAW study chides Nissan for tax breaks at Miss. plant 3:37 pm U.S. ET | May 17, 2013  A research study commissioned by UAW labor organizers claims that Nissan could receive four times the previously reported level of state and local incentives and tax breaks to operate its assembly plant in Canton, Miss.... Read More »
BRADFORD WERNLE In the Land of Many Buicks, one in particular stood out 3:59 pm U.S. ET | May 17, 2013  If you were an alien from another world and your spaceship landed in Shanghai, you would immediately conclude that Buick is a planetary titan among automotive brands.... Read More »
Tesla expands share, debt offering to repay U.S. loan, hike cash 10:34 am U.S. ET | May 17, 2013  Tesla Motors increased the size of its equity and debt offerings by 30 percent to as much as $1.08 billion to repay its U.S. loan and build up cash reserves.... Read More »
Cadillac to offer new twin-turbo V-6 on XTS for 2014 8:11 am U.S. ET | May 17, 2013  Cadillac is adding a new 410-hp, twin-turbo 3.6-liter V-6 engine as an option on the XTS sedan for 2014.... Read More »
Dow Chemical ordered to pay $1.2 billion in urethane price-fixing probe 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 17, 2013 A federal judge in Kansas City, Kansas, ordered Dow Chemical to pay $1.2 billion in a price-fixing case involving chemicals used to make foam products in cars, furniture and packaging, according to court documents.... Read More »
In boost to GM and VW, China resumes incentives for foreign auto investment 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 17, 2013  A surprise policy shift in China is expected to give a boost to GM, Volkswagen Group and other foreign automakers planning to expand in the world's largest car market.... Read More »
ANALYSIS New S class key to boosting Mercedes profit margins, China salesMay 17, 2013 06:01 CET  Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche was leaning back in the rear seat of a prototype Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan in 2010 when he realized it didn't recline far enough.... Read More »
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