Shooting brake can run up to 155 miles just on its batteries juice. Electric mobility is allowing lots of defunct brands to raise from the dead. Take Hispano Suiza, but it is not the best example. The company is currently going through a fight for its brand that threatens to kill it again. Let’s get… Continue reading Bergmeister ADR 630 Shooting Grand Plugs Austro Daimler Back To Life
Tag: Honda
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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HONDA E OFFERS ADVANCED CONNECTIVITY FOR MODERN LIFESTYLES
Contemporary interior style creates calm and comfortable cabin Advanced connectivity experience is delivered through a five screen full-width digital dashboard AI-powered ‘Honda Personal Assistant’ delivers voice-accessible services Honda smartphone application keeps owners remotely connected to Honda e for peace-of-mind Digital key enables easy-to-use control of vehicle security remotely The new Honda e features intuitive and… Continue reading HONDA E OFFERS ADVANCED CONNECTIVITY FOR MODERN LIFESTYLES
UPDATE 2-GM Cruise to delay commercial launch of self-driving cars to beyond 2019
(Reuters) – General Motors Co’s self-driving unit, Cruise, said on Wednesday it was delaying the commercial deployment of cars past its target of 2019 as more testing of the vehicles was required. FILE PHOTO: A Cruise self-driving car, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen outside the company’s headquarters in San Francisco where… Continue reading UPDATE 2-GM Cruise to delay commercial launch of self-driving cars to beyond 2019
GM Cruise to delay commercial launch of self-driving cars to beyond 2019
(Reuters) – General Motors Co’s (GM.N) self-driving unit, Cruise, said on Wednesday it was delaying the commercial deployment of cars past its target of 2019 as more testing of the vehicles was required. FILE PHOTO: A Cruise self-driving car, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen outside the company’s headquarters in San Francisco… Continue reading GM Cruise to delay commercial launch of self-driving cars to beyond 2019
Honda plans larger, high-performance platform for US EVs
Honda is stepping up its EV game going forward—well, more than five years forward.
At a “Honda Meeting” company briefing for investors and media in Japan last week, the company revealed that it is working on a new dedicated electric vehicle platform.
The platform, which will first be used by 2025, will provide the basis for mid-size sedans to large SUVs and will add to the new electric lineup taking form with Honda's dedicated electric city car, the Honda E, which arrives in Europe in spring 2020.
At the event in Japan, Honda's managing officer in charge of power unit development, Ayumu Matsuo noted that the Honda E is designed to accommodate larger batteries that could give it a longer range, but that it's also designed for urban use, so the company has not decided to put larger batteries in it yet.
2020 Honda E prototype
2020 Honda E prototype
Although Honda says the Honda E has received 6,500 “expressions of interest” in Britain alone, it isn't big enough to attract many buyers in the U.S.
The new electric platform for mid-size and large cars, “has a different aim from the Honda E,” Honda's general manager and chief engineer for electric vehicle development, Tetsuya Hasebe, told the conference. “This one aims for intercity, long-distance travel,” he said, noting it has room for more batteries.
Honda E powertrain infographic
Like the platform under the Honda E, the larger one will be a skateboard chassis, with batteries housed flat in the floor. Unlike the Honda E platform, which will only support batteries from Panasonic, the new one will be engineered to use batteries from multiple suppliers, including Panasonic and Chinese supplier CATL, to give Honda flexibility in building the car around the world.
The basic format will be rear-wheel drive, to benefit sporty handling and give the cars a tight turning radius, but the Japan-developed architecture will be designed to allow a front motor for all-wheel-drive applications as well, Hasebe said.
In a release from the meeting Honda summed that the platform “will enable flexible product development, including body design, adoption of battery types to accommodate the desired EV range and whether to employ an all-wheel drive system.”
The EV vision also builds on a commitment Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo made in May—that it will expand its two-motor hybrid system, which underpins the company's plug-in hybrids, to its entire lineup in Europe.
The announcement echoes a similar move last month by Toyota, in announcing that it will develop a new large electric platform with Subaru, potentially for an SUV.
As emissions and fuel-economy standards around the world are set to tighten dramatically in coming years, and development of hydrogen distribution has lagged, Japan's big automakers who focused on fuel-cell development, rather than battery-electric cars, are scrambling to come around to build their own BEVs.
Monday Morning Auto News, Jul 22, 2019
UK authorities invest nearly $100 million into electric vehicle research – CNBC: Industry and academia are set to lead the development of the new technologies.
India’s Kotak Mahindra Bank Q1 profit slightly misses estimates – Reuters: India’s Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd reported a 32.7% jump in first-quarter profit, but marginally missed estimates as …
Uber Profit Path Seen Slowed by Riders Taking Cheaper Rides – Bloomberg: Uber Technologies Inc.’s path to profit is likely to be slowed by growing competition as a significant number of customers are willing to wait around for …
Factory strategist Zipse offers BMW a bold way forward – Automotive News: This month, before Oliver Zipse knew that he would be named CEO of BMW Group, he gave an impassioned talk here to the …
Traffic safety agency says its critics are wrong about its lack of toughness – Freep: … defects and must rely too much on car companies, safety advocates say. … “In many cases, we work closely with the manufacturer to raise consumer …
Ford`s Slowing China Business Is Creating Roadblocks for Its Global Ambitions – Wall Street Journal: Ford’s multibillion-dollar push to expand in China this decade has veered off course, leaving it mired in a sales slump that is weighing on its future in the world’s …
Automakers, TRW face US lawsuit over airbag system – Automotive News: Six automakers and supplier TRW face a U.S. federal lawsuit seeking class-action certification over defective airbag control units. The complaint, filed Monday in …
Cummins makes offer for VW’s large engines unit, report says – Automotive News: VW CEO Herbert Diess has vowed to simplify the group which has 12 brands, trucks, buses, motorbikes, cars and electric bicycles as part of its …
Hyundai Motor lays out U.S. recovery plan, places hope on new SUV models – Reuters: South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co laid out its U.S. sales turnaround plan on Monday with an expanded line-up of sport-utility vehicles (SUV), after posting its biggest quarterly profit jump in seven years.
S.Korea’s Hyundai Motor posts double-digit growth in Q2 operating profit – Xinhuanet: South Korea’s biggest automaker Hyundai Motor posted double-digit growth in the second-quarter operating profit on …
China Focus: Auto expo shows fierce competition in Chinese market – Xinhuanet: An Liguo, a sales manager from Changan Automobile, a major domestic brand, said that many consumers in China hunt for bargains and value both …
Korean Boycott Could Spread to Japanese Luxury Cars – Bloomberg: Japanese luxury cars may also take a hit, said Kwon Soon-Woo, an analyst at SK Securities. Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have a …
Hyundai Motor Q2 net profit rises 31.2%, new models boost domestic sales – Reuters: South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co on Monday said second-quarter net profit climbed 31.2%, as a weaker local currency …
Jaguar Land Rover is recycling more plastic – Autocar:
Europe Plans to Use the US Election to Beat Trump’s Trade War – Bloomberg: While the daunting threat of U.S. tariffs on Europe’s auto industry and other measures is very much alive, one line of thinking in the EU is that Trump …
Israeli startup uses artificial intelligence to predict auto crash injuries – Freep: Carmakers are investing millions in an Israeli startup is using big data to predict what kind of injuries drivers have sustained after an accident.
Toyota teases its plans for Olympics in Tokyo – Automotive News: Toyota’s plan to showcase new mobility technologies at next year’s Summer Olympics is still under construction. But more ideas might be in the works.
New Mini crossovers to fortify brand, BMW says – Automotive News: BMW will double down on its Mini brand with new products, even as customers drift away from small cars.
Outside the norm: ZF’s external airbag predicts crash – Automotive News: When ZF demonstrated its new external airbag in Germany, it was more than a variation on a familiar theme. The new game is all about predictive sensing.
Ford’s sales of big trucks surge after shift to U.S. – Automotive News: Moving production to Ohio from Mexico in 2015 made it easier for dealers to sell and service the F-650 and F-750.
ProPilot 2.0 alters Nissan’s curves – Automotive News: The automaker is discovering that as its self-driving technologies become more sophisticated, it will need to rethink some of its vehicle design touches.
GM CEO to blame for Silverado – Automotive News: The Silverado’s weak performance is the fault of GM’s leadership, writes an Automotive News reader in a letter to the editor.
BMW iNext: electric SUV’s innovative steering wheel revealed – Autocar: Autocar
The ritual dance with UAW begins again – Automotive News: and there are plenty – certainly the most difficult has to be the corruption scandal that the UAW and primarily FCA have …
Aluminum’s carbon footprint is dirty – Automotive News: Global sales of electric vehicles surged 63 percent in 2018 to 2 million – a figure predicted to increase sevenfold by 2025. By 2030, total global EV …
More Americans have died in car crashes since 2000 than in both World Wars – Washington Post: Since January 2000, more Americans have died in car crashes than did in both World Wars, and the overwhelming majority of the wrecks were caused …
US-Japan trade and the auto sector will be high on Abe’s agenda as he claims victory at the polls – CNBC: US-Japan trade and the auto sector will be high on Abe’s agenda as he … kept its armed forces from fighting abroad since 1945, when World War II ended. … Japan has been bracing for U.S. curbs on auto imports as its trade surplus …
Truck platoons can save fuel and combat a rising shortage of drivers – Automotive News: In December 2018, a McKinsey study predicted that any platooning solution that allows trucks to operate without a driver in the second truck would not …
Q&A with Red Whittaker – Automotive News: Self-driving vehicles start with Red Whittaker. … than a decade ago, which helped spark the modern-day push to build autonomous-driving systems.
Why Level 3 automated technology has failed to take hold – Automotive News: Two summers ago, Audi stood on the precipice of an automated-driving breakthrough. Its redesigned A8 sedans contained a system called Traffic Jam ..
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VW pounds another nail in the coffin of the station wagon, drops Golf SportWagen and Golf Alltrack
Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen Alltrack seen at the New York International Auto Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Michael Brochstein | LightRocket | Getty ImagesAs it gets ready to wrap up the 2019 model year, Volkswagen says it will drop both the Golf SportWagen and Golf Alltrack models from its lineup.
The move announced Wednesday comes as a major blow to station wagons, a body style that was ubiquitous in the years when baby boomers were still in knee pants, but which has all but vanished in today's SUV-crazed market.
“SUVs have definitely assumed the mantle of family haulers from the station wagons and minivans we remember from our childhoods,” said Scott Keogh, president and CEO of Volkswagen of America.
2018 Buick Regal Tour XSource: General MotorsNot a wagonThe list of wagons has grown steadily thinner over the last several decades, with only one now offered by the Detroit-based manufacturers that produced them by the millions in the 1950s, 1960s and into the 1970s. Buick has a station wagon it doesn't even call a wagon, hoping it can generate more enthusiasm by dubbing it the Regal TourX.
Volvo, a brand long associated with wagons, has taken the same approach with some of its models. If you want the V60 it announced last year, you will have to special order the compact wagon. It has had more success by taking some models, boosting their height, adding SUV-style cladding and dubbing them with names like the V90 Cross Country.
The luxury market was one of the last bastions for wagon fans. But even there, the market is fading out. BMW decided not to bring the new wagon version of its updated 3 Series to the U.S. this year, and Jaguar is widely expected to phase out its XF Sportbrake which got little momentum out of using the British term for wagon.
Demand tumblesVolkswagen had been intent on remaining in the segment but the sales numbers just couldn't support a sound business case.
For all of 2018, the German automaker sold a grand total of just 14,123 Golf SportWagens, a 47% decline. Demand tumbled another 36% for the first seven months of this year, averaging out to barely 750 of the wagons a month. The Alltrack faced a similar decline.
By comparison, U.S. sales of Volkswagen's various SUVs rose 12% through the end of July, despite the phaseout of the original Touareg model. And it is planning to add three more SUVs by 2021, including the five-seat Atlas Cross Sport, the all-electric ID. Crozz and a subcompact that has not yet been named.
“Consumers want utility vehicle and so, for the U.S. market, automakers are adding more of them while taking wagons away,” said Stephanie Brinley, principle auto analyst with IHS Markit.
The 2020 Subaru Outback is revealed at the 2019 New York International Auto Show in New York City, April 17, 2019.Shannon Stapleton | ReutersSubaru's committedThere still are some options for wagon fans, including the Buick Regal TourX, Volvo V90 and, for the moment, the Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Mercedes-Benz offers several versions of the E-Class, including the high-performance AMG E63 S Wagon. Porsche has a wagon version of the four-door Panamera, the Sport Turismo, and Mini offers the Cooper Clubman /S.
But no manufacturer remains more committed to the body style than Subaru, with three different models: the Outback, Crosstrek and Impreza.
With the vultures circling around the Jaguar, observers are wondering which of these current offerings might be the next to fall by the side of the road. Brinley doesn't see much life left in the segment, but she doesn't think automakers are ready to give up entirely.
They've tried coming up with more appealing names, like TourX and Sportbrake. But they've also been tinkering with hybrid designs that are meant to blend the best of wagon and utility vehicle. So far, that hasn't worked very well, with models like the Accord CrossTour, Acura ZDX, BMW 5-Series GT and Toyota Venza failing to click with consumers.
“They haven't found the right answer to that fill-in-the-gap question,” she said, “but they're likely to keep trying.”
Honda is bringing electric cars to the US, with modular platform allowing bigger vehicles
Honda is releasing its first electric car that was built to be electric from the ground up this year, but it is only for the European market. Now the Japanese automaker says that it is coming to the US with electric cars through a new platform that allows bigger vehicles. But it may take some… Continue reading Honda is bringing electric cars to the US, with modular platform allowing bigger vehicles
VW and Ford in self-driving and electric car pact
Volkswagen and Ford have said they will work together on developing self-driving and electric cars in an attempt to reduce costs on new technologies. VW plans to invest $2.6bn (£2.1bn) in Ford’s self-driving unit, which is valued at $7bn. The move comes after the duo said in March they would build vans together. The two… Continue reading VW and Ford in self-driving and electric car pact