Category: Automotive

The future of BMW’s boss in suspense

Harald Krüger is apparently worried about his future at the helm of Bavarian automaker BMW. His contract, which expires in May 2020, may not be renewed, according to the daily “Handelsblatt”. “An extension is no longer considered within the group as the most likely variant,” writes Friday the German business newspaper, while the supervisory board… Continue reading The future of BMW’s boss in suspense

WABCO Shareholders Approve ZF Friedrichshafen Acquisition

BERN, Switzerland, June 27, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WABCO Holdings (“WABCO”) (NYSE: WBC), a leading global supplier of technologies and services that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles, today welcomed the decision by its shareholders to approve the company’s acquisition by ZF Friedrichshafen AG (“ZF”), a privately held global technology company and… Continue reading WABCO Shareholders Approve ZF Friedrichshafen Acquisition

Faurecia will establish its global center of expertise on hydrogen tanks in the Doubs

Marie-Guite Dufay, president (PS) of the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region mentioned it Wednesday, June 26, 2019 ahead of its plenary assembly, the French group specializing in the engineering and production of automotive equipment, Faurecia, will implement its global center of expertise on hydrogen tanks at its R & D center in Bavans (Doubs). Scheduled to be operational… Continue reading Faurecia will establish its global center of expertise on hydrogen tanks in the Doubs

New 2020 Land Rover Defender: exterior image leaked

A leaked image of the all new Land Rover Defender appears to show the all new 4×4 completely undisgised. The photo, which can be seen in the Instagram post embedded below, gives us a clear look at the new car’s boxy shape months ahead of the car’s planned launch date. The front three-quarter image shows what appears… Continue reading New 2020 Land Rover Defender: exterior image leaked

GROUPE RENAULT INAUGURATES ITS NEW ROMANIAN HEADQUARTERS “RENAULT BUCHAREST CONNECTED”

“Renault Bucharest Connected” is Groupe Renault’s new decision-making centre in Romania. 3,200 employees have been brought together in a building that houses the new Design Centre and also the engineering and tertiary functions. The decision-making centre was inaugurated on 28 June in the presence of Romanian Prime Minister, Viorica Vasilica Dancilă, Thierry Bolloré, Groupe Renault’s CEO, Laurens… Continue reading GROUPE RENAULT INAUGURATES ITS NEW ROMANIAN HEADQUARTERS “RENAULT BUCHAREST CONNECTED”

Statistics: Stock of commercial vehicles, total motor vehicles and trailers by manufacturer, 1 January 2019 (FZ 19)

Date 28.06.2019 The following statistics are now available for download in the PDF file format on the website of the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA): Vehicle registrations – Duration on commercial vehicles, motor vehicles in total and motor vehicle trailers manufacturers, January 1, 2019 (FZ 19) publications Go to source

Statistics: New registrations and transfer of ownership of commercial vehicles and trailers by manufacturer, year 2018 (FZ 20)

Date 28.06.2019 The following statistics are now available for download in the PDF file format on the website of the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA): Vehicle registrations – registrations and title transfers of commercial vehicles and trailers manufacturers, Year 2018 (FZ 20) publications Go to source

Statistics: Stock of motor vehicles and trailers by federal states, vehicle classes and selected characteristics on April 1, 2019

Date 28.06.2019 The following statistics are now available for download in the XLSX file format on the website of the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA): Duration on motor vehicles and their trailers by Länder, classes of vehicles and selected characteristics on 1 April 2019 (FZ 27) publications Go to source

Reports: Tesla working to develop its own batteries

Unlike other electric automakers, Tesla has long had a lock on its own battery supplies through an exclusive deal with Panasonic and the companies' jointly owned battery Gigafactory in Nevada.

Now the company is working to develop its own batteries at a skunkworks near its main car factory in Fremont, California, according to multiple reports, including CNBC.

As increasing numbers of established automakers ramp up production of electric cars, supplies of batteries and the materials to make them have grown scarce in recent months, and Tesla has expressed concern about obtaining enough raw battery materials to meet production targets for its electric cars.

CEO Elon Musk has said that battery supplies from Panasonic were a constraint on production of its popular Model 3.

In May, Tesla bought Maxwell Technologies, a San Diego company that builds ultra-capacitors that can fill some of the needs for lithium batteries in electric cars at lower cost by charging and discharging quickly. Some observers also noted they could provide a bridge to solid-state battery technology. Musk has also long said he believes supercapacitors are superior to lithium-ion batteries.

The CNBC report cites multiple current and recent employees who say that Tesla has set up a skunkworks a few blocks from the Fremont factory, to work on the project.

It notes that Musk is trying to move as much of Tesla's operations in house as possible to insulate the company from possible disruptions outside its control, Tesla is also seeking new battery suppliers in China for the cars it plans to build at its new factory there. Musk has said that factory will start production on some Model 3s by the end of this year.

It's not clear how close Tesla may be to producing its own batteries, but at a Technology Day in May where it revealed its self-driving plans, Musk told investors to watch for two things from Tesla: its self-driving features, and its efforts to lower the cost of batteries for its cars. He said at the time he wasn't willing to “let the cat out of the bag” yet on the second effort.