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 »
2013 EUROPEAN SUPPLIER CHOICE SURVEY BMW, VW and Volvo most open to supplier innovation, survey showsJune 10, 2013 06:01 CET  BMW, VW and Volvo have been recognized as the top-ranking automakers based on their openness to supplier innovation in the 2013 European Supplier Choice Survey. The Supplier Choice Survey is a respected industry benchmark that assesses automakers on their ability to adopt and implement suppliers' innovations.... Read More »
VW offers free inspections in Australia over gearbox worries; no recall plannedJune 7, 2013 09:36 CET  Volkswagen has written to car owners in Australia offering free inspections of its vehicles in response to growing worries about potential gearbox problems that have already triggered recalls in China and Japan. The automaker has not ordered a general callback of vehicles in Australia.... Read More »
VW's Mexico plant leads April output in North AmericaJune 7, 2013 06:01 CET  The top 10 assembly plants, ranked by production volume, in North America for April were Volkswagen -- Puebla, Mexico, 54,083 units; Toyota -- Georgetown, Kentucky, 48,746; Honda -- Marysville, Ohio, 43,591; Nissan -- Aguascalientes, Mexico, 41,993; Honda -- Alliston, Ontario, Canada, 37,619; Nissan -- Smyrna, Tennessee, 37,440; Hyundai -- Montgomery, Alabama, 37,372; Ford -- Louisville, Kentucky, 33,962; Kia -- West Point, Georgia, 33,901; and Ford -- Hermosillo, Mexico, 33,874.... Read More »
Brazil auto production sets new record in May 11:42 am U.S. ET | June 6, 2013  Brazil produced a record number of automobiles in May as car makers took advantage of tax breaks on locally made vehicles. Production edged up 0.3 percent from April to 348,100 new cars, trucks and buses, the national automakers association Anfavea said today.... Read More »
Audi reports May sales rise 6% on U.S., China, UK gainsJune 6, 2013 13:20 CET  Audi said global vehicle sales rose 6 percent in May to 137,200 cars with robust growth in the United States, China and the UK helping to offset falling demand in most of Europe's key markets.... 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 »
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 »
Former Porsche CFO Haerter fined 630,000 euros for credit fraud in VW caseJune 4, 2013 13:19 CET  Former Porsche CFO Holger Haerter has been fined 630,000 euros ($824,000) by a German court for credit fraud in a criminal case over the refinancing of a 10 billion euro loan during a failed bid to takeover Volkswagen in 2009.... Read More »
Industry gets back on track in May, snuffs out slump concern 5:27 pm U.S. ET | June 3, 2013  The U.S. auto industry regained its early-2013 sales form in May, but the results were decidedly mixed among major automakers. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales rebounded to 15.3 million from April's 14.9 million, effectively halting worries of a downtrend after the previous five monthly SAARs had topped 15 million.... Read More »
Volkswagen Group sales rise 4% on double-digit Audi, Porsche gains; VW brand slips 4:00 pm U.S. ET | June 3, 2013 Volkswagen Group of America's U.S. sales rose 4 percent in May as the Jetta and Passat each recorded its best May ever and the Audi luxury brand posted a 15 percent gain.... Read More »
Volkswagen faces safety probe in AustraliaMay 31, 2013 10:45 CET  The Australian government is investigating reports of power loss problems in cars built by Volkswagen, amid an inquiry into the death of a woman killed when her VW Golf was hit by a truck in 2011.... Read More »
Red Flag sedans will challenge Audi in ChinaMay 31, 2013 06:01 CET  FAW Group has started sales to the public of its new Red Flag sedans, pitting the symbol of Communist privilege against Audi for China's elite.... Read More »
Germany has complied with ruling on VW Law, EU court adviser saysMay 29, 2013 10:49 CET  Germany has complied with a court ruling over a law that gives the state of Lower Saxony veto rights over Volkswagen, an adviser to Europe's highest court said.... Read More »
DOUGLAS A. BOLDUC Nazi past keeps VW from celebrating landmark event 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 28, 2013  Volkswagen's Nazi past kept it from celebrating the 75th anniversary of a big event in the automaker's history. On May 26, 1938, Adolf Hitler laid the foundation stone for what would become VW's Wolfsburg plant.... Read More »
Audi dealer China Yongda targets 14-fold surge in sales after VW agreementMay 28, 2013 09:19 CET  Audi dealer China Yongda Automobiles Services Holdings said it aims to boost sales by 14-fold in five to six years after signing an agreement with VW Group giving it priority to sell new models and take control of certain dealerships in China.... Read More »
Volkswagen agrees to 5.7% pay raise for German workersMay 28, 2013 08:58 CET  Volkswagen agreed to raise wages for German workers by 5.7 percent over 20 months as the country's biggest manufacturing union helped employees tap into the company's growing profit.... Read More »
LUCA CIFERRI Ralph Lauren's Bugatti shows fascination with cars definitely is not dying 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 27, 2013  We keep hearing that the iPod generation doesn't care as much about cars. That theory was proved wrong over the weekend during the Concourse d'Elegance in Como, Italy. Fashion designer Ralph Lauren's classic Bugatti was voted Best in Show by visitors to the event -- including those under 16 years old.... Read More »
Audi launches program to hire U.S. military technicians for dealer service jobs 10:22 am U.S. ET | May 25, 2013  Audi of America is launching a program targeting military technicians for service department jobs at U.S. dealerships.... Read More »
Q&A Audi plans 90% local sourcing in Mexico, says purchasing boss MartensMay 24, 2013 06:01 CET  Audi purchasing chief Bernd Martens says the automaker aims to buy 90 percent of its components for its new Mexico factory from local sources. So far no other Audi location has done that... Read More »
Lamborghini's Egoista concept highlights edgy designMay 23, 2013 06:01 CET  The Lamborghini Egoista concept shown earlier this month at the company's 50th anniversary celebration in Bologna, Italy, isn't planned for production, but it does have a purpose: countering critics who think Lamborghini has lost some of its design edginess.... Read More »
Daimler may sell company-owned German dealerships to cut costsMay 22, 2013 13:19 CET  Daimler may sell four company-owned Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Germany to cut costs and help close a profitability gap with rivals BMW and Audi. Daimler owns 98 Mercedes car showrooms that account for about half of its car sales in Germany, the brand's second-biggest market after the United States.... Read More »
German brands enjoy sales boom in KoreaMay 21, 2013 06:01 CET  South Korea has become a growth market for BMW, Mercedes and Audi as lower tariffs make their cars cheaper and local buyers abandon a decades-long preference for domestic brands.... Read More »
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