Category: Newswire

Mercedes delays electric vehicle debut after Jaguar & Audi fail to keep up with Tesla

Mercedes-Benz is putting off the US debut of its first electric vehicle by a year in the latest sign of just how difficult a time automakers are having replicating Tesla Inc’.s success.Daimler AG’s luxury brand will start sales of the EQC crossover in 2021 rather than early next year.By contrast, the website estimates that Tesla has sold about 111,650 Model 3 sedans.

GM to invest $1B in Missouri plant

General Motors plans to invest $1.5 billion to bring the “next generation” of midsize pickup trucks to the market.The Wentzville truck plant will receive roughly $1 billion of those funds to upgrade the facility as it prepares for the new line of products, GM announced Friday.Parson, a Republican, signed a bill providing up to $50 million of tax credits if GM invests $750 million to expand the Wentzville plant.

Grab launches electric vehicle roadmap in Indonesia, inks major partnerships

SINGAPORE-BASED tech firm Grab is ramping up its electric vehicle (EV) plans in Indonesia through the launch of a roadmap to drive EV adoption.On Friday, it announced partnerships with automakers Hyundai, Astra Honda Motor and Gesits to launch four- and two-wheel electric vehicle pilots in the Greater Jakarta region.It also partnered Astra Honda Motor (AHM) and Gesits to launch EV bike pilots.

Series production of Aurus luxury cars to start in Q1 2021

/Update/
MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. Series production of the Russian luxury car Aurus will start in the first quarter of 2021 at the Ford Sollers plant in Tatarstan, press service of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Friday.
“Series production of cars will begin in the first quarter of 2021,” the Ministry says.
The full-cycle production comprises forging facility, engine manufacturing, assembly, painting and welding shops, the Ministry added.
The engine manufacturing facility will comprise metalworking and final assembly.
“A robotic facility enables completing technically complex activities. The plant-show room concept is provided for the assembly shop of Aurus cars. Digital production technologies (digital production twin, Industrial Internet of Things, and RFID), autonomous and augmented reality technologies will be employed,” the Ministry added.
Aurus is a Russian brand of cars for senior officials. The car was designed as part of the Cortege project, which has be..

Scott Rafkin Appointed Volvo Group Chief Digital Officer

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Dec. 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Scott Rafkin, currently President of Volvo Financial Services, has been appointed to the new position of Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer for the Volvo Group, effective January 1, 2020. In this role he will be a member of the Executive Board and report to the Volvo… Continue reading Scott Rafkin Appointed Volvo Group Chief Digital Officer

USMCA will lead automakers to choose US: Former Ford CEO

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) could lead to automakers deciding to move production to the United States.Under the USMCA’s rules of origin, 75 percent of auto content must be produced in North America for the finished car to be considered a North American product and therefore be subject to agreement’s tariff exemptions.Current NAFTA rules stipulate that only 50 percent of a car’s value is required to be produced in North America to be subject to the agreement’s free trade protections.