Thursday Morning Auto News, Jul 25, 2019

‘Not a lot to like’ – Analysts pan Tesla as the shares are slammed on poor results – CNBC: “We continue to believe Tesla is fundamentally overvalued but strategically undervalued,” Morgan Stanley said. “Overall, we doubt this quarter will …
Tesla Tech Chief’s Exit Is Latest High-Profile Departure – Wall Street Journal: In January, Tesla surprised investors when it announced during another earnings … Mr. Straubel outlasted Martin Eberhard, another founder of Tesla.
Tata Motors posts wider quarterly loss on weak JLR sales – Nikkei:
Diesel Chevy Silverado 1500 pickup blows past Ford F-150, Ram in mpg – Freep: “Any consumer looking for a fuel-efficient, powerful option can find one in the diesel option of America’s favorite vehicle, the pickup truck,” Diesel …
Eight Months After Ghosn’s Exit, Nissan Remains Stuck in a Rut – Bloomberg: A weaker Nissan means less clout for the carmaker in its alliance with … Saddled by aging car models such as the Juke and Murano, Nissan sold 6% …

Four automakers, California strike compromise on vehicle emissions – Reuters: Ford Motor Co, BMW AG, Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) and Honda Motor Co said on Thursday they have reached a …
Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: 3M, Comcast, Raytheon, Southwest, Tesla & more – CNBC: Names on the move ahead of the open.
Jaguar Land Rover posts £395 million loss due to falling sales – Autocar: Jaguar Land Rover recorded a £395 million loss in the last three months, due to declining sales and the impact of a planned Brexit shutdown – but …
VW Q2 operating profit rises 30% as utility vehicle push pays off – Automotive News: VW expects vehicle deliveries in 2019 to exceed last year’s figure and for revenues in the passenger cars and commercial vehicles divisions to grow at least 5 percent.
ABB cautions on China as robotics sales flag – Reuters: ABB Ltd (ABBN. … Demand for cars in Europe is 3.1% down in the year to date while Mercedes maker Daimler this week also …
DiDi, Toyota to set up JV for smart fleet management – Xinhuanet: The two parties announced collaboration on the e-Palette, a self-driving modular store in January 2018, and have piloted vehicle-related services for …
Tata Motors first-quarter loss nearly doubles – Reuters: Tata Motors Ltd reported a bigger quarterly loss on Thursday, as a slump in demand for cars continued at home, while plant shutdowns and delays resulting from issues arising due to Britain’s planned exit from the European Union also hurt earnings.
Earnings tumble at automakers, but VW defies the gloom – Reuters: More evidence has emerged of tough times for the auto sector following weak numbers at Ford, Nissan and Tesla. But Volkswagen is defying the …
Alphabet’s Sales Under Microscope After Last Quarter’s Debacle – Bloomberg: … year and updates on progress in hardware and Other Bets, which includes its self-driving car unit Waymo, according to UBS analyst Eric Sheridan.
The Little Hybrid That Could, and Still Can – New York Times: When Honda introduced the first hybrid vehicle in America, the 2000 Insight, there was technological wonder, but few would call …
Aston Martin Bear Says It Needs to Raise a Billion Pounds to Catch Up With Ferrari – Bloomberg: The only analyst with a sell rating on Aston Martin Lagonda shares says the luxury carmaker will need to raise at least a billion pounds ($1.25 billion) in *fresh* …
Aston Martin fails to sell Vanquish’s tooling, design drawings – Automotive News: Aston Martin has written off 19 million pounds ($24 million) after the sale of the tooling and design drawings of the automaker’s Vanquish …
China exports gasoline to Mexico, Nigeria amid overflowing output – Reuters: … confidence as the trade war continues, reflected also in slumping car sales, said … Gasoline demand growth is also sliding as Chinese automobile sales, … (GRAPHIC: China’s auto sales in 12 months decline – tmsnrt.rs/2MlLS4b).
India’s auto parts makers warn of 1 million job cuts if slowdown continues – Reuters: India’s auto parts industry could be forced to slash a fifth of its 5 million or so workforce if the slowdown in vehicle sales …
Nissan will cut 12500 jobs as Q1 profit nearly wiped out – Automotive News: Nissan said it is axing 12,500 jobs after reporting its quarterly profit was nearly wiped out, hurt by an aging product lineup and a slide in …
Volkswagen to boost SUV sales to 40% of total by 2020 – Reuters: Volkswagen expects the proportion of sports utility vehicle sales to rise to 40% by 2020, from 25% last year, Chief Financial Officer Frank Witter said on …
Nissan to cut 12,500 jobs, more than double initial plan – Nikkei:
Nissan Earnings Sees 99% Profit Plunge – Bloomberg: Nissan reports a 99% plunge in first-fiscal quarter operating profit. Bloomberg’s Dani Burger reports on “Bloomberg Markets: European Open.” (Source: …
Nissan to Cut 12500 Jobs as It Struggles After Ghosn’s Arrest – Wall Street Journal: Nissan Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa is cutting costs as he seeks to … On Thursday, Nissan said it planned to cut global production capacity by 10% …
Nissan to cut 12,500 jobs as first-quarter profit nearly wiped out – Reuters: Nissan Motor Co said on Thursday it would slash 12,500 jobs globally by 2022 and cut output to rein in costs as it suffers from sluggish sales and rising costs and tries to recover from a scandal surrounding ousted Chairman Carlos Ghosn.
Volkswagen Has ‘Strong Foundation,’ CFO Says – Bloomberg: Volkswagen AG Chief Financial Officer Frank Witter talks about the automaker’s financial results and business outlook. Volkswagen’s second-quarter operating …
Toyota Invests $600 Million in Chinese Ride-Hailing Giant Didi – Bloomberg: Their partnership builds on an alliance Didi started last year with a coterie of carmakers including China FAW Group, Dongfeng Motor Group and …
Nissan’s Ignoring the Rot at Home – Washington Post: If you’re looking for a metaphor for how politics has swamped decision-making at Nissan Motor Co., look no further than reported plans to restructure …
Volkswagen first-half operating profit up 10% on higher Volkswagen, Porsche sales – Reuters: Volkswagen Group (VOWG_p.DE) on Thursday said its first half operating profit rose 10.3% to 9 billion euros ($10.02 billion), …
Toyota says to invest $600 million in China’s Didi, new joint venture – Reuters: Toyota Motor Corp said on Thursday it will invest $600 million ( £481 million ) in Didi Chuxing and a new joint venture, as part of an agreement to expand …
As Tesla losses continue, Musk points to global growth – Automotive News: Tesla CEO Elon Musk, after reporting a surprisingly large loss in the second quarter, pointed toward an eventual, if delayed, return to profitability and …
Tesla Breaks Records But Doesn’t Break Even – Bloomberg: Just before the Q&A portion of Wednesday evening’s second-quarter call, CEO Elon Musk announced that JB Straubel, the company’s veteran chief …
SpaceX stops test of Starship prototype rocket during surprise livestream – CNBC: SpaceX was attempting to fly its “Starship” prototype rocket in its first short flight of more than a few feet off the ground on Wednesday.
Space jam? Companies risk clutter, conflict in race for the skies – Reuters: Aerospace companies such as Musk’s SpaceX and Bezos’ Blue Origin are aiming to become the first private firm to launch a human into space.

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Pashley Morgan

The Morgan Motor Company are excited to collaborate on two concept bicycles with a fellow British company, Pashley Cycles. Founded in 1926, Pashley Cycles are the longest established British cycle manufacturer, famed the world over for their range of traditionally built and impeccably styled cycles. With centuries of combined heritage, craftsmanship and passion for their… Continue reading Pashley Morgan

Transport app FlixMobility gets Germany’s biggest tech funding round to drive growth

FRANKFURT/MUNICH (Reuters) – Transport app FlixMobility has raised around 500 million euros ($561 million) in Germany’s biggest tech funding round to date to back investments in its expansion, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Jochen Engert, founder and CEO of German mobility platform FlixBus that runs bus and train services, poses for a… Continue reading Transport app FlixMobility gets Germany’s biggest tech funding round to drive growth

Union hack: British company offers electric classic Mini conversion

The Mini Cooper SE revealed last week and the planned electric Mini Rocketman city car represent a new push from the official owner of the Mini brand, BMW.

While neither of those models has arrived quite yet, the UK-based company electric bicycle company Swind has already started making a limited number of electric conversions of classic Minis for British customers.

The specs read like something of a cross between the Mini Cooper SE and the electric Rocketman: The classic Minis get a 24 kilowatt-hour battery (about 2/3 the size of the modern Cooper SE) that delivers a potentially similar 125 miles of electric range. An internal estimate from Mini pegged the upcoming Cooper SE at 114 miles on the EPA cycle.

It has 110-horsepower electric motor, which is significantly short of the Cooper SE's 181 horsepower, but in the smaller, lighter original Mini, the effect is only slightly slower acceleration of 0-60 mph in 9.2 seconds. Swind limits the top speed of the electric Mini to 80 mph, which is perhaps wise, since the chassis was never designed to go that fast with its original gas engine.

Classic Mini Cooper electric conversion by Swind
Classic Mini Cooper electric conversion by Swind
Classic Mini Cooper electric conversion by Swind

Swind installs the battery underneath the floor, which it says improves the classic Mini's balance. It's still nose-heavy, with 57 percent of its weight in the nose, versus 68 percent for the original. Taking out the gas tank even leaves 7 cubic-feet of trunk space.

The original Mini is even smaller than the Mini Rocketman concept, which was designed to be a city car to compete with the modern Smart. It's just over 120 inches feet long, 55 inches wide, and 53 inches tall. The tiny Rocketman is more than a foot longer and wider.

The updated cars will offer USB charge ports and heaters for the front seats, windshield and rear windows, and under-floor radiant heat. Buyers can opt to add a navigation system, power steering, air conditioning, and a full-length cloth sunroof in addition to performance upgrades and custom paint colors—but of course these conversions are lacking most modern safety features. Swind offers a one-year warranty.

The classic electric Mini conversion is the latest in a cottage industry of electric-car conversions in Britain, including Jaguar E-Types that the automaker has begun to sell, Porsche 911s, Aston Martins, and Morgan roadsters.

Swind started building the electric Minis in February and plans to make up to 100 of the Mini electric conversions in customers' choice of right- or left-hand drive.

The conversions cost 79,000 British pounds (almost $88,000). With new Mini Cooper SE prices expected to start around $30,000 before tax credits, you could buy three of them for about the price of a converted original.

A Ford-VW alliance with Argo could redraw self-driving sector

DETROIT, July 11 (Reuters) – An expanded alliance between Ford Motor Co and Volkswagen AG that includes a partnership in Ford self-driving unit Argo AI could redraw the balance of power in autonomous vehicles. A Ford-VW collaboration with Argo, the Pittsburgh-based start-up that has spearheaded Ford’s self-driving development since 2017, could help reduce the engineering… Continue reading A Ford-VW alliance with Argo could redraw self-driving sector

Tesla proved it can hit production targets. Now investors want to see profits

Workers assemble cars on the line at Tesla's factory in Fremont.David Butow | Corbis News | Getty ImagesTesla CEO Elon Musk proved to analysts Tuesday that he can hit his lofty production and delivery targets, but now investors want to know if he can do the same with profits.
The company's second-quarter production and delivery numbers, released late Tuesday, eased investors' concerns about demand for its electric cars and SUVs with the company delivering a record 95,200 vehicles in the last quarter. Tesla's stock shot up by as much as 8% in after-market trading Tuesday and was up by about 5% Wednesday afternoon.
“While there were a good amount of 'leaked' emails and reports prophesizing a potential 'record quarter' for deliveries, we had not spoken to any investors that expected deliveries to be this high,” Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said in a research note.
The results mark “a turning point for the Tesla story,” Gene Munster, an analyst Loup Ventures, said in an interview on CNBC. “The key takeaway here is there is an undeniable truth that is starting to happen, and that is that demand of EVs is starting to go up.”
VIDEO6:2706:27Tesla reported 2nd-quarter numbers—Here's what 6 experts say to watchTrading NationInvestors want to know whether the quarter's performance is repeatable, especially after losing several key production executives ahead of the announcement. They also want to see whether Tesla sacrificed profit margins in its efforts to ramp up production.
“Tesla may/is likely to overproduce in a quarter or two this year, and investors will have no sense if the excess production ended up entirely in inventory, or is legitimately destined for customers,” analysts at Bernstein research wrote in a note to investors Wednesday.
The company delivered 77,750 of its best-selling Model 3 sedan, beating analysts' estimates by 3,650, according to data compiled by FactSet.
Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, called the Model 3 results the “linchpin of the Tesla growth story for the coming years.”
To be sure, Tesla's buyers lost part of a key tax credit that subsidized the cost of the electric cars and the company cut prices on several models throughout the quarter to boost demand. The federal tax credit for Tesla's cars was cut from $7,750 last year to just $1,875 on Monday. Musk even took to Twitter to remind people to take advantage before the credit shrank. That's something that could “weigh on profitability” when the company reports its earnings in a few weeks, analysts said.
“The Q2 delivery beat does not change our cautious view on Q2 earnings,” UBS analyst Colin Langan said in a note to investors. “Price reductions, the wider availability of cheaper versions of the Model 3, and the phase out of the US EV tax credit ($1,875) helped Q2 deliveries. The price cuts will likely result in margin pressure.”
The company is also facing increased competition in the high-end electric sports car market as automakers from Ford to Jaguar invest billions of dollars to develop their own electric lineups. It's something analysts at Goldman Sachs pointed to as they saw Tesla's competitive lead beginning to wane in the face of other EV launches. Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz began taking orders in May for new battery-electric vehicles with plans to roll out more models in the coming years. Jaguar's I-Pace all-electric SUV swept industry awards at the New York Auto Show in April.
The report however, gave some analysts reason for optimism.
“After what's been, in my opinion, the darkest chapter in the company's history, finally some good news for Tesla going into a holiday weekend,” Ives said.

It Appears Electric Bus Maker Proterra Is Preparing For An IPO

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MG Motor UK adds Cinderford dealership to its network

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Electric bus maker Proterra hires banks for IPO -sources

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Cummins To Acquire Hydrogenics

COLUMBUS, Ind.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, all the issued and outstanding shares of fuel cell systems provider Hydrogenics Corporation (NASDAQ: HYGS: TSX: HYG) for US$15.00 per share in cash, other than shares already owned by The Hydrogen Company, representing… Continue reading Cummins To Acquire Hydrogenics