Tag: VW

Asian automaker shares hit as Trump threatens Mexico with tariffs

General Motors Co is the biggest car producer and exporter in Mexico, and its global peers Ford Motor Co, Volkswagen AG and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV also have manufacturing presence there. TOKYO: Shares in Asia’s major automakers and their suppliers sank on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on Mexican imports… Continue reading Asian automaker shares hit as Trump threatens Mexico with tariffs

Mate Rimac Presents Rimac Automobili Episode 1: Video

Croatia’s Rimac Automobili is a great example of the huge potential of countries that previously were not associated with the automotive industry Following the recent presentation of the Rimac Automobili by Shmee150, Mate Rimac started a new series of 4 episodes, in which he thoroughly takes us through Rimac facilities. The EV startup from Croatia… Continue reading Mate Rimac Presents Rimac Automobili Episode 1: Video

Audi works with Fleetonomy to monitor and manage fleet utilization for its on demand program

Audi just completed a trial with Israeli company Fleetonomy as part of a potential wider rollout of the Israeli company’s fleet monitoring and management services designed to improve utilization. Using Fleetonomy’s tools that provide predictive analytics of fleet utilization, Audi was able to improve the overall efficiency and utilization of its on-demand services. “Audi has… Continue reading Audi works with Fleetonomy to monitor and manage fleet utilization for its on demand program

Volkswagen Group inaugurates Tools Library in Pune

The group has invested Rs 17 million in setting up the infrastructure of the tools library New Delhi: Volkswagen Group India on Thursday has inaugurated a ‘Tools Library’ near its manufacturing facility in Pune, Maharashtra under the Skoda led ‘India 2.0’ project. The group has invested Rs 17 million in setting up the infrastructure of… Continue reading Volkswagen Group inaugurates Tools Library in Pune

Brexit shutdown cuts car output by 45%

Factory shutdowns designed to cope with disruption from a 29 March Brexit, slashed UK car production in April by almost a half. Even though Brexit is delayed the factories still closed and production fell 44.5% according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). In what it called “an extraordinary month”, the SMMT said… Continue reading Brexit shutdown cuts car output by 45%

Sytner Group opens new Mercedes-Benz dealership in Carlisle

Sytner Group is to open a £6.5m flagship Mercedes-Benz showroom and workshop at Kingmoor Park in Carlisle. Replacing a previous facility in Rosehill Industrial Estate, the dealership includes an 18-bay workshop and an approved used display area for 90 cars. John Buchan, group project manager at Sytner Group, said: “We are delighted with our new… Continue reading Sytner Group opens new Mercedes-Benz dealership in Carlisle

FCA, Renault face tall odds delivering on cost-cutting promises in merger

FRANKFURT/DETROIT (Reuters) – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Renault SA promise huge savings from a mega-merger, but such combinations face tall odds because of the industry’s long product cycles and problems translating deal blueprints into real world success, industry veterans told Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) sign is seen at the U.S.… Continue reading FCA, Renault face tall odds delivering on cost-cutting promises in merger

$50 billion VW battery plan could need revamp after Samsung cuts back

VW ID family
Volkswagen, with its plan to build 22 million new electric cars across 70 models by 2030, is ground-zero for concerns over battery supplies.

As more automakers get serious about building lots of electric cars, there are indications that supplies of batteries to power all those cars aren't ramping up as quickly, leading to shortages of batteries, increased competition, restricted sales of some EV models, and potentially rising prices (or at least flattening their trend toward affordability).

READ THIS: VW boosts electric car plans with more models, 22 million EVs in 10 years

Now Bloomberg reports that VW's deals for $56 billion worth of batteries for all those upcoming electric models are in jeopardy as Samsung cut its supply agreement with the automaker after disputes over timing.

Samsung was slated to supply batteries for up to 200,000 or more electric VWs based on assumptions by Bloomberg of 100-kilowatt-hour battery packs, a little bigger than those in the Audi e-tron that just went on sale, and the size of the largest batteries in Teslas. Since many of VW's will use smaller battery packs of 48 kwh, the change could affect many more cars.

2019 Audi e-tron battery pack

VW had named Samsung a supplier for electric models it plans to build in Europe, along with LG Chem (which supplies batteries for the Audi E-tron quattro), and SK Innovation—and for other markets, CATL. Reports have persisted since last fall of battery shortages and price disputes between VW and LG Chem that have affected production of the E-tron at Audi's factory in Belgium.

DON'T MISS: Could battery lawsuits, material shortages delay some EVs?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also named limitations of battery supplies from its partner Panasonic as a constraint on production of the Tesla Model 3.

A report from Benchmark Minerals in April showed that lithium-battery supplies could increase by 50 percent a year between now and 2023—that is, if the supply of battery materials can keep up.

CHECK OUT: Report: Battery shortages lead to Audi E-tron production delays

Last year the Trump administration named lithium, cobalt, and other materials for electric-car batteries among “critical minerals” that the U.S. needs to develop domestically and for which it hopes to speed up mining permits.

Following the E-tron from VW's upscale Audi brand, the first electric car in VWs' new lineup of EVs is expected to be the ID 3, which is expected to go on sale late this year.

Audi Opens 1.9 MWh Second-Life Battery Energy Storage In Berlin

The new 1.9 MWh ESS will be used to compensate fluctuations in the grid, counteract local peak demand and help prevent blackouts. Audi is preparing for the utilization of old electric car batteries in energy storage (second-life use) through a series of pilot installations. The latest one launched in EUREF Campus in Berlin, Germany is… Continue reading Audi Opens 1.9 MWh Second-Life Battery Energy Storage In Berlin