Strategy – Page 6814 – I wish I had more to offer

Vietnam: Vingroup sets up new subsidiary Vingroup Ventures, hires CEO

December 14, 2018 Vietnam’s listed Vingroup has established Vingroup Ventures, a 70 per cent-owned subsidiary, with the registered business operation of consultancy and support services. Vingroup has made a spate of announcements recently to boost technology development, including setting up a software unit VinTech, big data and hi-tech R&D centres, partnership with over 50 universities… Continue reading Vietnam: Vingroup sets up new subsidiary Vingroup Ventures, hires CEO

Communication of the Lead Independent Director of Renault

Boulogne-Billancourt, 14 December 2018 – Philippe Lagayette, Lead Independent Director, chairing the Board of Directors of Renault, refutes the press rumors reporting differences of opinion within the Board of Directors at its ordinary meeting of 13 December 2018. The Board clearly noted in its communication that, based on the elements available, it has decided to maintain… Continue reading Communication of the Lead Independent Director of Renault

BMW Group extends mobility service offer in China by launching a Ride-Hailing business based in Chengdu

Munich. Today, the BMW Group announced the launch of its Ride-Hailing service in Chengdu, the capital city of the Chinese province Sichuan as part of its premium mobility brand ReachNow. The BMW Group is the first foreign company in China to obtain a license to operate a Ride-Hailing service. By adding an additional premium mobility… Continue reading BMW Group extends mobility service offer in China by launching a Ride-Hailing business based in Chengdu

Trump says ‘GM is not going to be treated well’

Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
President Donald Trump, left, listens during a Strategic and Policy Forum meeting with business leaders and White House advisors in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017.

President Donald Trump criticized job cuts at General Motors as well as CEO Mary Barra again Thursday, saying the U.S. automaker isn't “going to be treated well.”

“I don't like what she did, it was nasty,” Trump said on Fox News.

The recent decision by the largest U.S. automaker to cut up to 14,000 jobs that span three states has brought the company controversy with lawmakers from the affected areas and drawn the president's ire.

Trump: General Motors won't be treated well
3 Hours Ago | 04:07

“To tell me a couple of weeks before Christmas that she's going to close in Ohio and Michigan, not acceptable to me,” Trump said Thursday on Fox News. “General Motors is not going to be treated well.”

Trump also criticized GM's use of Mexican labor and said the recently signed United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement “really makes it uncomfortable for people to go out of the country, and I think it will be very uncomfortable for them.”

Trump is not the only U.S. politician who has been critical of the decision. Barra met with lawmakers from Ohio, Michigan and Maryland last week over the automaker's plans. Since then, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Sen. Rob Portman, both from Ohio, sent a letter to Barra seeking more information about the company's plans for its assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio, and asking Barra to consider retooling the plant for more popular vehicles.

“As we previously stated, our focus remains on our employees currently working at the impacted plants in Maryland, Michigan and Ohio,” GM said in a statement. “Our announcement was timed to enable interested employees job opportunities that are available at other GM plants beginning in early 2019.”

Mark Fields, Ford's former CEO, said GM is doing what's right for the business and investors, but closing factories always draws attention.

“Any time you close a plant or idle a plant around the world, you are going to get attention from the government because it's so important to the economy and jobs,” he said on CNBC's “Closing Bell.” “When you take these kind of actions, you need to make sure that you are doing it in a way that allows you to tell what the story is and at the same time make sure you have a narrative around why it's good for the business over the medium to long term, why you have to take these short-term painful actions.”

GM's shares closed down 1.6 percent Thursday.

UPDATE 1-Renault finds no irregularities in Ghosn pay audit

(Adds detail, background) By Laurence Frost and Gilles Guillaume PARIS, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Renault said on Thursday an audit launched in the wake of Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn’s arrest in Japan had so far found no irregularities with his pay at the French carmaker. Renault’s statement, issued after a five-hour board meeting, did… Continue reading UPDATE 1-Renault finds no irregularities in Ghosn pay audit

Volkswagen’s Toolmaking unit adds highly advanced 3-D printing center to its facilities in Wolfsburg

Official opening with 3-D scissors: (from left to right) Oliver Schauerte, Head of Research, Materials and Production Processes, Eckhard Ritz, Head of Toolmaking, Volkswagen brand, and Uwe Schwartz, Head of Planning, Volkswagen brand, together open the 3-D printing center.

Innovative binder jetting process sets new standards for speed, flexibility and automation
New printer generation can print production parts in addition to prototypes in future
Dr. Andreas Tostmann: “The 3-D printing center takes Volkswagen’s additive manufacturing activities to a new level.”

WOLFSBURG, 13-Dec-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — The Volkswagen brand’s Toolmaking unit is adding a highly advanced 3-D printing center to its facilities in Wolfsburg. With the opening of the center, the unit is bringing the most highly advanced generation of 3-D printers to the Volkswagen Group, which will allow the production of complex vehicle parts in the future. In addition, with the new center, Toolmaking is implementing a key point of the pact for the future concluded in 2016 and expanding its production competences with subsidies from the Innovation Fund II.

“The 3-D printing center takes Volkswagen’s additive manufacturing activities to a new level,” said Dr. Andreas Tostmann, Board Member for Production of the Volkswagen brand. “In two to three years’ time, three-dimensional printing will also become interesting for the first production parts. In the future, we may be able to use 3-D printers directly on the production line for vehicle production,” Tostmann added.

The new generation of 3-D printers developed in cooperation with the US manufacturer HP is the most modern within the Volkswagen Group and is based on the binder jetting process, which supplements the previous selective laser melting (SLM) process. Binder jetting not only makes metallic 3-D printing considerably easier but also faster. In future, it will be possible to manufacture production parts in addition to prototypes.

At the 3-D printing center, which has a floor space of 3,100 m², toolmakers, planners and research team members cooperate closely on the development of new products and processes. Within the framework of the pact for the future, a new additive manufacturing unit providing 11 future-oriented jobs has been established.

At the opening ceremony, the Head of Additive Manufacturing, Oliver Pohl, especially underlined the performance of the entire team which has recorded outstanding achievements for the future since the start of conversion work a year ago. “Here, we have created an innovative center which will be of tremendous strategic importance for Volkswagen in the future.”

“The inauguration of the 3-D printing center underlines the importance of Innovation Fund II, which makes investments like this possible,” said Works Council member Susanne Preuk. “The Works Council welcomes the fact that the company is opening up to new technologies and shaping them in a future-oriented way in the interest of the employees.”

To date, the Volkswagen Group has mainly used the SLM process for 3-D printing with metals. In this process, the material used, such as steel, is applied to a base plate in a thin layer. A laser beam then melts the powder at the points where the component is to be created. The molten powder hardens, forming a solid material layer. The new printers at the center will now allow the use of other 3-D printing processes such as binder jetting. In this additive process, components are manufactured using a metal powder and a binder applied in layers. The metal part which has been printed is then “baked” in a sintering process. In future, the various processes, which each have specific applications, will supplement each other in an ideal way.

Your media contacts

Torsten Cramm
Spokesperson Production Wolfsburg
Tel. +49 (0) 5361 / 9-22880
Send Email

Leslie Bothge
Spokesperson Production / Procurement
Tel. +49 (0) 5361 / 9-21549
Send Email

SOURCE:Volkswagen AG

AUDI AG Supervisory Board appointed Bram Schot as the Chairman of the Board of Management effective January 1, 2019

Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG (temporary) and Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing

Appointed as of January 1, 2019
Audi Supervisory Board Chairman and Volkswagen CEO Dr. Herbert Diess: “We have laid important groundwork for Audi’s future orientation.”
Peter Mosch, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the General Works Council: “Workforce expects further impetus for the new start at the company.”

INGOLSTADT, 13-Dec-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — The Supervisory Board of AUDI AG has appointed Bram Schot as the Chairman of the Board of Management effective January 1, 2019. Schot has headed the company since June 2018 as interim CEO. Schot will continue temporarily to hold Board of Management responsibility for Sales and Marketing from January 1 onwards.

“With the appointment of a new Chairman of the Board of Management, we have laid important groundwork for Audi’s future orientation. As interim CEO, Bram Schot has already done a convincing job in recent months. He is pushing forward with the cultural change in his team and is effectively tackling the current challenges. With the benefit of a strong mandate, he will further accelerate the transformation of the company and lead the Four Rings to new successes,” said the Audi Supervisory Board Chairman and VW Group CEO, Dr. Herbert Diess.

Peter Mosch, Deputy Chairman of the Audi Supervisory Board and Chairman of the General Works Council, said: “The Audi workforce wants clear conditions at the top of the company. That’s why we employee representatives are committed to doing the job properly and appointing Bram Schot as Chairman of the Board of Management. During his interim period, he has already shown that he can give great impetus to the new start we have called for and initiated. He must now continue along this path and lead Audi back to the top. That’s what the workforce expects.”

Bram Schot will become Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, which includes Ducati, Lamborghini and Italdesign Giugiaro as well as the Audi brand, on January 1, 2019. Temporarily, he will have Board of Management responsibility for the area of Sales and Marketing. The 57-year-old has been AUDI AG Board of Management Member for Sales and Marketing since September 2017. On June 19, 2018, he was additionally appointed as the Interim Board of Management Chairman.

Born in the Netherlands, Bram Schot had previously been responsible for Marketing and Sales on the Board of Management of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles from 2012 onwards. In 2011, he left his position as President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Italia to move to the Volkswagen Group, where he was at first responsible for strategic projects in the Group’s Sales division.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Susanne Herr
Spokeswoman Sales and Marketing
Tel. +49 841 89-92760

Johannes Hofsommer
Spokesman Works Council AUDI AG
Tel. +49 841 89-34794

SOURCE: AUDI AG

Plastic Omnium floats on the stock market after reassuring markets

Plastic Omnium back in favor of investors this Thursday. After losing more than 45% on the stock market since the beginning of the year, the title of the automotive supplier jumped nearly 10% at the opening before falling to + 3.78%, to 20 euros at midday. A rise linked to a series of ads. On… Continue reading Plastic Omnium floats on the stock market after reassuring markets

Mahindra Electric and SmartE enter into Strategic Partnership to transform last mile connectivity in India

Set to introduce first 1,000 Treo range of Electric Three Wheelers in Delhi-NCR by March 2019 to drive clean, shared and affordable mobility

New Delhi, December 12, 2018: Mahindra Electric Mobility Ltd, part of the USD 20.7 billion Mahindra Group, and SmartE, India's largest electric vehicle fleet operator, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive electric mobility forward in India. Under the MoU, SmartE will introduce the first 1,000 Mahindra Treo and Treo Yaari electric three wheelers in Delhi-NCR by March 2019. The company also plans to deploy a total of 10,000 Mahindra electric three-wheelers across the country by 2020.

The MoU was signed by Mr. Mahesh Babu, CEO, Mahindra Electric & Mr. Goldie Srivastava, Co-Founder and CEO, SmartE, in New Delhi.

The two leading companies in the electric mobility market have come together, to offer convenient, affordable and zero-emission last-mile connectivity, not just for the NCR region but also for major cities around the country. The partnership is an example of collaboration between companies to address India's growing need for clean, shared and public mobility solutions, and it aims to rapidly transform the overall EV adoption rate in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Mahesh Babu, CEO, Mahindra Electric, said: “As the pioneers of electric mobility, we are happy to join forces with SmartE to accelerate the adoption of electric mobility. India is witnessing rapid urbanization and metros are driving the multi-modal mobility needs of the large working population in urban cities. Our Treo range of three wheelers will address the demand for first and last mile connectivity and transform the way urban India travels. Associations with partners such as SmartE will make it easier to adopt electric mobility and enable our cities to be more environment friendly.”

Goldie Srivastava, Co-Founder and CEO, SmartE, said, “We are excited to embark on this journey with Mahindra Electric in our efforts to make the last-mile commute convenient, safe, affordable and eco-friendly for everyone. We look forward to shifting to the zero-emission, cost-efficient, and more comfortable Mahindra Treo range of electric three-wheelers.”

“As a pioneer in the electric mobility service space, SmartE plans to roll-out 100,000 vehicles by 2022. We believe Mahindra Electric's solutions will play a critical role in our growth strategy,” he added.

SmartE already has an ongoing partnership with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, among other organizations and delivers nearly 80,000 rides to commuters daily. SmartE has completed over 30 million pollution-free rides in the past three years since its inception and is India's largest electric vehicle operator today. The MoU with Mahindra specifically addresses the last-mile connectivity needs of Delhi Metro commuters. SmartE, which has already built a captive EV charging network for 800 vehicles (concurrently) will be ramping up its EV Charging set-up to support the additional 1,000 vehicles in Delhi. With this addition, SmartE's fleet of EVs will cross 2,000 vehicles by March 2019 and will help serve over 200,000 commuters per day.

As the global pioneer in the development and production of electric vehicles, Mahindra Electric currently has over 5,000 electric vehicles on road, which have clocked more than 95 million ekms. The Treo range of electric three wheelers uses Mahindra Electric's home grown powertrain and maintenance-free Lithium ion battery. The variants include the Treo electric auto and Treo Yaari electric rickshaw, both available in industry first, hard top, weather proof variants. With the use of exceptional light weighting technologies and composite body panels, the Treo boasts a certified* best in class range of 170 km (eAuto) and 129 km (eRickshaw) directly addressing range anxiety in the market.

Treo is the first range of vehicles to offer connected vehicle features as an optional value addition to the customer. It also offers best in class comfort for passengers with one of the most spacious interiors in the segment, and for the driver through its clutch-less, noiseless and vibration free drive, thereby reducing overall fatigue during the journey.

*Certified in test conditions

For more details visit www.mahindraelectric.com. Twitter: @MahindraElctrc

Please use the following hashtags for social media updates:

#GoElectricWithME
#MahindraTreo

About Mahindra Electric

Mahindra Electric, a part of the USD 20.7 billion Mahindra Group is a global pioneer in the development and production of electric vehicles. Mahindra Electric is India’s only EV manufacturer with indigenously developed EV technologies that have won global accolades. The Mahindra Group has one of the most diversified portfolios of electric vehicles with the e2oPlus hatch, the eVerito sedan and the eSupro mini-van and panel vans.

Pushing the limits of technology and innovation, Mahindra has acknowledged the need to redefine mobility at every step. This has led to a vision with a desire to transform; a vision which provides an imagination which is more sustainable and more dependable. Venturing into the paradigm of alternative technology has helped Mahindra enable a clean, green and a smarter tomorrow.

About Mahindra

The Mahindra Group is a USD 20.7 billion federation of companies that enables people to rise through innovative mobility solutions, driving rural prosperity, enhancing urban living, nurturing new businesses and fostering communities. It enjoys a leadership position in utility vehicles, information technology, financial services and vacation ownership in India and is the world's largest tractor company, by volume. It also enjoys a strong presence in agribusiness, aerospace, commercial vehicles, components, defense, logistics, real estate, renewable energy, speedboats and steel, amongst other businesses. Headquartered in India, Mahindra employs over 2,40,000 people across 100 countries.

Learn more about Mahindra on www.mahindra.com/ Twitter and Facebook: @MahindraRise

Media contact information

Mohan Nair
Vice President (Communications)
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
Landline – + 91 22 28468510
Email– nair.mohan@mahindra.com

About SmartE

SmartE is India's first shared electric mobility service and is the largest electric vehicle operator in the country. It has served over 30 million commuters since its launch more than three years ago. Apart from building an ecosystem of partners in the electric mobility space, SmartE has also set up India’s largest EV charging infrastructure with a captive capacity to charge more than 800 vehicles concurrently. Currently operational in Delhi, Gurugram and Faridabad with a fleet of nearly 1000 vehicles on its platform, SmartE is looking to bring over 100,000 vehicles on its platform by 2022. For more details visit:www.getsmarte.in

For further information, contact:

Edelman India Pvt. Ltd
Ridyum Madan
+91 7506730640
ridyum.madan@edelman.com

Research project “FastCharge”: ultra-fast charging technology ready for the electrically powered vehicles of the future.

This press release is also being published by the project-partners Allego, Phoenix-Contact, Porsche und Siemens. Jettingen-Scheppach. The industrial companies involved in the research project “FastCharge” yesterday presented the latest advancements in the field of fast and convenient energy supply for electrically powered vehicles. The prototype of a charging station with a capacity of up to… Continue reading Research project “FastCharge”: ultra-fast charging technology ready for the electrically powered vehicles of the future.