Category: Automotive

GM’s Cruise partners with DoorDash to test autonomous food delivery

Cruise Automation, the self-driving unit of General Motors, is teaming up with DoorDash to test a food delivery service in San Francisco using autonomous vehicles. The pilot will commence in “early 2019,” the companies said, but it will only be available in the section of the city where Cruise has been testing its vehicles. The… Continue reading GM’s Cruise partners with DoorDash to test autonomous food delivery

Truckmaker Volvo to take $778 million emissions hit

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Swedish truck maker Volvo is pictured at the IAA truck show in Hanover, September 22, 2016. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer (Reuters) – Sweden’s Volvo is setting aside 7 billion Swedish crowns ($778 million) to cover costs related to its admission in October that its truck and bus engines could be exceeding limits… Continue reading Truckmaker Volvo to take $778 million emissions hit

Major automakers bullish on U.S. market despite rising interest rates

DETROIT (Reuters) – Major automakers on Thursday shrugged off declines in U.S. new vehicle sales in December and said they were bullish about 2019 even as economists warned that rising interest rates will discourage consumers from buying cars in the year ahead. FILE PHOTO: New vehicles sit in a parking lot at the General Motors… Continue reading Major automakers bullish on U.S. market despite rising interest rates

UPDATE 6-Major automakers bullish on U.S. market despite rising interest rates

DETROIT (Reuters) – Major automakers on Thursday shrugged off declines in U.S. new vehicle sales in December and said they were bullish about 2019 even as economists warned that rising interest rates will discourage consumers from buying cars in the year ahead. FILE PHOTO: New vehicles sit in a parking lot at the General Motors… Continue reading UPDATE 6-Major automakers bullish on U.S. market despite rising interest rates

UPDATE 2-UAW sues GM over use of temporary workers at Indiana plant

DETROIT (Reuters) – The United Auto Workers union sued General Motors Co (GM.N) in federal court on Thursday, claiming the automaker’s use of temporary workers at a plant in Indiana violates its labor deal and escalating a fight over GM’s plans to possibly close U.S. factories. FILE PHOTO: Assembled trucks are ready for delivery at… Continue reading UPDATE 2-UAW sues GM over use of temporary workers at Indiana plant

China annual auto sales fall for first time in about two decades with more pain on the way

Fred Dufour | AFP | Getty Images
This picture taken on November 22, 2018 shows vehicles at a Hongqi car dealer in Beijing.

Auto sales in China fell 3 percent in 2018 — their first decline in about two decades and a mild introduction to even more pain coming for automakers doing business in Asia this year, according to China auto consulting firm ZoZoGo.

The slowdown is especially painful for U.S. automakers operating in China, which dwarfs the U.S. as the world's largest car market. Automakers sold roughly 28 million automobiles in China in 2018, compared with about 17 million in the U.S. — the second-largest auto market.

A combination of trade tensions and consumer jitters have stalled sales in a country that has historically been a considerable source of growth for the industry.

“Look for the market to fall another 5 percent in 2019 because consumer confidence remains shaky,” said Michael Dunne, the CEO of ZoZoGo, which advises automakers doing business in China. Dunne is the former president of GM Indonesia. “There's simply too much uncertainty amidst a slowing economy, job security worries and then there is the big cloud of angst about US-China trade tensions. ”

U.S. automaker General Motors has said it is doing well in the country, despite what it calls a challenging business environment. Ford has been less fortunate, due in part to automaker's failure to churn out product fast enough in the highly competitive Chinese market.

U.S. stocks fell sharply on Thursday following a dire quarterly warning from Apple and the release of weaker-than-expected manufacturing data. The iPhone maker blamed a slowing Chinese economy for the shortfall, intensifying fears that the global economy may be slowing down.

Hyundai Debuts a Walking Car With Four Legs

Walk This Way Hyundai’s CES 2019 press conference on Monday might just end up being standing-room only. During the event, the South Korean automaker will reveal more information about Elevate, a walking car — and it just might represent an entirely new category of vehicles. Rise Above Hyundai teased Elevate with a short news release and… Continue reading Hyundai Debuts a Walking Car With Four Legs

Futuristic Hotel Suite Would Drive You Around While You Sleep

On the Road Again So much time is lost in transit, from spending hours in line at airport security to getting stuck in traffic. But Toronto-based design studio Aprilli has cooked up a futuristic solution that could turn those lost hours into valuable time. The firm’s “Autonomous Travel Suite” concept combines the ease and comfort of a… Continue reading Futuristic Hotel Suite Would Drive You Around While You Sleep