The Kia logo is seen on a vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 14, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Kia Motors Corp (000270.KS) said on Wednesday it would recall 68,000 U.S. vehicles at risk of fuel leaks after it previously recalled them in 2017 for engine fire… Continue reading Kia issues new U.S. recall of 68,000 vehicles for fire risks
Category: Automotive
Press Releases – Steel import restrictions now definitive, leaving EU auto manufacturers “extremely disappointed”
Brussels, 16 January 2019 – The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) is extremely disappointed by the decision of EU member states to support the European Commission’s proposal to adopt definitive measures that will continue to restrict imports of steel into the EU. These measures do not take into account the needs of downstream users of… Continue reading Press Releases – Steel import restrictions now definitive, leaving EU auto manufacturers “extremely disappointed”
GM’s Cruise self-driving car venture plots a course to get its Seattle team up and running
Cruise Automation self-driving Chevy Volt took a scenic tour of Seattle, including the Pike Place Market, over the weekend. (Cruise Automation Photo / Stephen Brashear) The Seattle “tech talk” sponsored this week by GM’s autonomous-vehicle subsidiary, Cruise Automation, had all the hallmarks of a recruiting event for software engineers, plus an extra twist: the self-driving… Continue reading GM’s Cruise self-driving car venture plots a course to get its Seattle team up and running
Motorbikes and scooters in Rome: accidents decrease, but holes and manholes are scary
Motorbikes and scooters in Rome: accidents decrease, but holes and manholes are scary 01/16/2019 400,000 vehicles travel the streets of the capital every day, but 1 in 2 is not in compliance with the revision. Over 24% of interviewed motorcyclists use their smartphone to drive. January 23rd Safe Guide for 150 young people from Roman… Continue reading Motorbikes and scooters in Rome: accidents decrease, but holes and manholes are scary
Faconauto supports Anfac’s complaint to the European Commission
The dealers ‘association, Faconauto, today showed its support for the complaint filed by the employers’ association, Anfac, before the European Commission and before the Council for the Market Unit of the Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition of the Government of the Balearic Islands, by which diesel cars can not circulate on the islands… Continue reading Faconauto supports Anfac’s complaint to the European Commission
Thomas Müller – Biography
Thomas Müller was born on the 30th of May 1976 in Brazil. After studying mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich he entered the International Trainee Program of the AUDI AG in 2001. Following several positions in the development of braking control systems he was appointed executive assistant to the member of the board… Continue reading Thomas Müller – Biography
LEVC announce management changes following successful TX eCity launch
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[Exit factory] When Volkswagen customers assemble their future car themselves
In the factory in Dresden (Germany), built in 2001, buyers of Volkswagen Golf Electric can now attend the assembly of their future vehicle … and even participate. Volkswagen opens the doors of its “transparent factory” (“Gläserne Manufaktur” in VO) from Dresden, the capital of Saxony, to the east of Germany. This production site inaugurated in… Continue reading [Exit factory] When Volkswagen customers assemble their future car themselves
Nissan e-Power hybrids for the US will aim for performance, not just mpg
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Nissan Note e-Power hybrid
Considering how much of a commitment Nissan has made to electric vehicles over nearly a decade—mass-producing them on three continents—the lack of any parallel commitment to plug-in hybrid models, or even hybrids, has been baffling.
Nissan finally remedied that in 2016, with the introduction of its e-Power hybrid system, on the Japan-spec Nissan Note. At that time it was claimed to be the first series hybrid system in a mass-produced compact car.
Nissan then said that e-Power, which harnesses some know-how from the Leaf, promised to offer the driving characteristics of a fully electric vehicle, and that it was quieter than other hybrid configurations in comparable vehicles.
DON’T MISS: Nissan Gripz Concept uses Note e-Power series-hybrid system
Just after the launch of e-Power, Nissan had said that it was studying the technology for use in the U.S., with a stronger motor/generator and different tuning to suit the higher-speed higher-demand situations that American drivers encounter, versus Japan. Many years ago Honda considered a similar series-hybrid layout and after examining those driving differences, opted instead for its series/parallel two-motor hybrid system that—as with GM’s Voltec, clutches the internal combustion mechanically into the system.
Nissan Note e-Power hybrid
Still studying—but Japan, China, and Europe are the priority
That appears to be where Nissan remains today—still studying the technology, still not committed to it for the U.S. on any large scale, and not arriving soon, according to Ivan Espinosa, Nissan’s corporate VP for global product strategy and product planning. When it arrives—or if it does—it may be presented as more of a performance system, he says.
Part of the issue in why the U.S. is waiting longer for the system, Espinosa says, comes down to demand. Japan, China, and Europe are going to be the prime markets for e-Power for now because of regulatory concerns and environmental awareness.
CHECK OUT: Nissan e-Power series hybrid builds on electric-car expertise
Globally, Nissan is taking a patchwork approach with its powertrains. As Espinosa underscores, some markets will remain somewhat dependent on internal combustion, while others will prioritize e-Power and others will push harder on EVs. “For Nissan, the priority is battery electric vehicles, combined with our e-Power technology, which has been very successful in the markets in which it has launched.”
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Faraday Future funder writes its own Saab story
NEVS 9-3 concept, 2017 CES Asia
Chinese health insurer Evergrande Health really wants in on electric cars.
After backing Faraday Future and running into a feud with its Chinese founder Jia Yueting, Evergrande on Tuesday bought a controlling interest in National Electric Vehicles Sweden, the Chinese company that bought the rights to what was Saab, and continues building electric versions of the last Saab 9-3.
READ THIS: With cease-fire agreement, spark flickers toward Faraday's Future
NEVS has 500 employees in Sweden at Saab's former headquarters in Trollhätten, along with a factory in Tianjin, China, that builds electric 9-3s for the Chinese market. NEVS is one of 10 Chinese automakers with permits for mass production in China and is one of the main providers of cars for Chinese ride-sharing service Didi, according to the British Auto Express.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post, Evergrande paid $930 million for 51 percent of NEVS. Following its long-running dispute with Faraday Future, Evergrande still owns 32 percent of that startup company as well.
Faraday Future FF 91
In June, Evergrande agreed to invest $2 billion to revive Faraday Future. It invested the first $800 million at the time to acquire the first 32 percent of the company. In lawsuits and countersuits launched throughout October and November, Evergrande and Faraday Future argued over whether Faraday had met the terms to receive a second $700 million installment from Evergrande and it became clear that Faraday Future had spent the first $800 million earlier than planned on hiring employees and building several prototypes of the company's first car, the FF91.
DON'T MISS: Faraday Future sues investor claiming takeover “plot”
In subsequent weeks, Faraday Future was forced to furlough most of the workers it had hired, and most of the senior management resigned, including the five founding executives credited with designing and engineering the car.
On Dec. 31, the two sides agreed to a cease-fire on the lawsuits, Evergrande agreed to restructure its investment and freed Faraday Future to seek new investors. So far, none have been announced.
That opened the door for Evergrande to seek a new investment in electric cars that was farther along the path to production, such as NEVS.