Tag: VW

South America resists electric vehicles as local fuels remain in favor

SAO BERNARDO DO CAMPO, Brazil (Reuters) – Meeting in Brazil this week, auto executives from Toyota to GM talked up traditional fuel sources like ethanol, natural gas and diesel, underlining how South America’s protected auto market is likely to resist a broader global move toward electric vehicles for years to come. FILE PHOTO: A man… Continue reading South America resists electric vehicles as local fuels remain in favor

Volvo to boost plug-in hybrid production to 25 percent of fleet

2020 Volvo XC90
While other automakers are moving away from plug-in hybrids to electric powertrains, Volvo is finding unexpected success with its lineup of plug-in hybrids.

At a recent roundtable with journalists in Sweden, Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said the company is disappointed that it underestimated demand for its plug-in hybrids.

DON'T MISS: Volvo XC90, XC60 T8 plug-in hybrids add electric miles for 2020

“We are not happy because we could sell more [plug-in hybrids],” he said, according to Automotive News (subscription required.) “We underestimated the demand.” He said the company did not have a big enough supply of batteries, motors, and other electrical components to build more of its plug-in hybrids, which sell for about 30 percent more than non-hybrid versions of the cars.

Samuelsson said the company will boost its capacity for those plug-in hybrid components for 2019, from its current 10 or 15 percent worldwide, up to 25 percent of its sales.

READ THIS: Audi plans new plug-in hybrid Q5, A6, A7, and A8 for Geneva reveal

Last year in the U.S., Volvo sold a little less than 1,500 XC90 T8 PHEVs, a little more than 2,100 XC60 T8 PHEVs, and fewer than 500 S90 T8 sedans, but it sold almost 27,000 plug-in hybrids in Europe, combined.

At the same time, the company announced an upgrade to upcoming XC60 and XC90 T8 hybrids to boost their plug-in range by about 15 percent.

CHECK OUT: Fiat Chrysler lays groundwork to build electrified Jeep models

The new models haven't been rated by the EPA, but current models have an estimated 17 miles of electric range, which would put the new ones up around 20 miles. The Volvos use a 2.0-liter turbo-4 and an 8-speed automatic transmission to drive the front wheels, and an electric motor to provide another 87 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels.

Volvo also announced a new B5 line of mild-hybrid SUVs for Europe.

Other automakers, such as Audi, BMW, and Jeep have also announced plans to boost their lineups of plug-in hybrid SUVs, earlier this month at the Geneva auto show, so the new Volvos will have plenty of competition.

Lidar and perception startup Innoviz raises $132 million

Innoviz, the Israel-based startup developing solid-state lidar sensors and perception software for autonomous vehicles, has raised $132 million in a Series C funding round that includes major Chinese financial institutions. The round, which makes Innoviz one of the better capitalized lidar startups, includes China Merchants Capital (SINO-BLR Industrial Investment Fund, L.P.), Shenzhen Capital Group and… Continue reading Lidar and perception startup Innoviz raises $132 million

VW has no plan to produce electric vehicles in Brazil in next few years

A worker makes final checks on an e-Golf electric car at the new production line of the Transparent Factory of German carmaker Volkswagen in Dresden, Germany March 30, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Volkswagen AG does not plan to produce electric or hybrid vehicles in Brazil in the next few years, although it… Continue reading VW has no plan to produce electric vehicles in Brazil in next few years

New management at Volkswagen Group Components

The new Volkswagen Group Components brand is using its cross-brand and international structure to fill some of its management positions. As of 1 March 2019, Heiner Lanze has taken over as Head of Procurement of the newly independent business unit. He succeeds Stephan Beyse, who, as part of a regular rotation, now holds the position… Continue reading New management at Volkswagen Group Components

U.S. auto sales seen falling in March: J.D. Power, LMC Automotive

FILE PHOTO: Automobiles for sale are seen at Serramonte Volkswagen in Colma, California, U.S., October 3, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (Reuters) – U.S. auto sales are expected to drop about 2.1 percent in March from a year earlier, partly due to bad weather, mixed economic data and lower tax refunds, according to industry consultants J.D. Power… Continue reading U.S. auto sales seen falling in March: J.D. Power, LMC Automotive

Innoviz Technologies Raises $132M in Series C Funding to Accelerate Solid-State LiDAR Production, Expand Team and Further R&D Efforts

This significant raise will support Innoviz’s commercialization of its leading InnovizPro and InnovizOne solid-state LiDAR solutions and address growing demand for cutting-edge autonomous vehicles (AV) technologies worldwide. View a live demonstration of Innoviz’s solid-state LiDAR solution in action here. The company is focusing expansion efforts in key automotive markets including the U.S., Europe, Japan and… Continue reading Innoviz Technologies Raises $132M in Series C Funding to Accelerate Solid-State LiDAR Production, Expand Team and Further R&D Efforts