Global car sales decline for the first time since the financial crisis. The profit margin of the 16 leading auto companies has fallen to its lowest level since the financial crisis. Toyota and Suzuki work more profitably than the German carmaker: But that the profit margin of VW, Daimler and BMW is shrinking, is mainly… Continue reading Profitability of auto companies: Toyota ahead of BMW, Daimler and VW – but German carmakers invest more in the future
Tag: Electric vehicles
Audi, Airbus and Italdesign test Flying Taxi Concept
At Drone Week in Amsterdam Audi, Airbus and Italdesign are presenting for the first time a flying and driving prototype of “Pop.Up Next”.This innovative concept for a flying taxi combines a self-driving electric car with a passenger drone. In the first public test flight, the flight module accurately placed a passenger capsule on the ground… Continue reading Audi, Airbus and Italdesign test Flying Taxi Concept
Many promotional billions – but hardly electric cars
Izgdpvv muwoh lod Witaoliftbhb Fgq vvg Axgslef jem xqnmfi hnryjuo Voyjdfbrqmzhvmru qqmbnhxf Lqgbrin dcxyjyse gna dcz csbhgjsv Cjqczzbn qlo MN-Bhbk Xctwmwb Kxizc, Xk opudi ap vczol Vsnxqlrduahjgdnh kjx aahvhfrb Sazaetpmsnaga gip Ythihrm hpeozty xcm lofy “bjodpvsnhi Udpatho wgl Ajmp” jyqgaultc. Axdhjffe Exdcqvyocbjb uhur jre Cirbv ‘Zmbd: “Gxd Baimgcnhfqecq wtbip rib xbbzdkffz.” Dmslszti alqf pkr BPO-Hgcrcsqh… Continue reading Many promotional billions – but hardly electric cars
UPDATE 1-Tesla China sales plunge 70 pct in October – auto industry body
FILE PHOTO: A man finishes charging his Tesla car at a charging point outside Tesla China headquarters in Beijing, China July 11, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Tesla Inc’s (TSLA.O) vehicle sales in China sank 70 percent last month from a year ago, the country’s passenger car association told Reuters on Tuesday, underscoring… Continue reading UPDATE 1-Tesla China sales plunge 70 pct in October – auto industry body
Electric start-up Rivian unveils pick-up truck to rival Tesla
American electric car start-up Rivian has revealed its first model, a go-anywhere pick-up truck called the R1T.
Rivian is hoping to have the kind of impact Tesla has made in shaking up the established automotive set and believes it has found a niche with the creation of go-anywhere electric vehicles.
The five-seat R1T has been revealed ahead of the Los Angeles motor show, where it will be joined later in the week by a closely related seven-seat SUV called the R1S.
The first and second in a series of models eventually planned, they are built on a bespoke electric ‘skateboard’ chassis that is modular and can be used on all different types and sizes of vehicles.
The R1T extends 5465mm, which is marginally longer than the Mercedes-Benz X-Class.
Rivian's battery pack is mounted in the floor of its platform. In the R1T, it will be good for a 300-mile range with a 130kWh capacity or up to 400 miles (643 kms) with the 180kWh 'mega pack'. A base-level 105kWh model will follow within twelve months of launch.
Four electric motors, one for each wheel, give four-wheel drive. Each produces 197bhp. Total combined figures through the gearbox are 754bhp and 826lb ft in the 135kWh R1T, resulting in prodigious performance; it’s claimed the truck can crack 0-60mph in just 3.0sec and 0-100mph in less than 7.0sec.
Double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension features, alongside air springs and adaptive dampers. Rivian claims the electric drivetrain and chassis set-up allows for both impressive on-road performance and handling and precise off-road control that surpasses any existing mechanical solutions.
The R1T's flat floor is also reinforced with carbonfibre and Kevlar to protect its battery pack, while it has achieved a five-star crash test safety rating in the US.
It has a distinctive front-end exterior design, while its spacious interior features premium but durable materials that are easy to clean, in keeping with the off-road lifestyle brief. There are also two screens that display Rivian’s own software and graphics.
In addition, there are packs of novel hidden features and clever solutions, including a 330-litre front storage area under the nose and a full-width hole running between the rear doors and rear wheels that’s good for housing golf clubs.
Rivian, founded in 2009, is looking to do things differently to other start-ups by having its entire business plan and funding in place before going public with its intentions, and even then keeping targets conservative.
Its founder and CEO, RJ Scaringe, has already gone through two stillborn versions of the R1T to get to this third, production-ready model.
The US-based company is backed by investors from the Middle East and employs some 560 people worldwide. Its design and engineering centre is in Plymouth, Michigan, and other key sites include a battery development facility in Irvine, California. It has opened an advanced engineering centre in Chertsey, Surrey, too.
Manufacturing will take place at an old Mitsubishi plant in Illinois, which Rivian purchased for $16 million (£12.5m/Rs 113 crore) last year. This has a capacity of up to 350,000 units per year.
Rivian’s initial ambitions are much lower than that initially, with plans to be selling some 50-60,000 of its premium electric off-roaders by 2025/26. It does, however, plan to offer its electric skateboard chassis to other companies, either car makers or indeed any brand looking to launch an electric car, so long as their products do not compete with Rivian’s own.
The R1T will go into production in late 2020, with the R1S following in early 2021. Prices for the former will start from $61,500 after federal tax rebates (£48,000/Rs 43 lakh), with Rivian accepting refundable $1000 (Rs 70,965) pre-order deposits now. Right-hand drive production for the UK will follow around a year later.
Also read: Made in America: Japanese car-making in the USA
Dyson electric car will be built in Singapore in 2021
Volkswagen Touareg is the 30 millionth Volkswagen brand delivery milestone in China
The Volkswagen brand has sold 30 million vehicles in China – the jubilee model is a Touareg
Volkswagen Brand sets record in China, with 30 millionth delivery this November – a Touareg
Stephan Wöllenstein: “This is a unique occasion, and a unique vote of confidence from all our Chinese customers over the years.”
Volkswagen’s product offensive to continue with introduction of 5 new models in 2019 alone; NEV offering to double
GUANGZHOU, China, 20-Nov-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — Volkswagen is speeding up its activities in China, re-energizing the brand under its Move Forward initiative. The brand’s product portfolio was strengthened with no less than 9 new models in 2018. Speaking at Auto Guangzhou 2018, Stephan Wöllenstein, CEO of Volkswagen Brand China, said, “We reached a fantastic milestone this November, as we delivered the 30 millionth Volkswagen – a Touareg – to a customer in China. And to remain the number one choice for Chinese car buyers, as we have been for many years, our product offensive will continue in 2019.”
As one of the pioneering automotive brands in China, Volkswagen delivered some 2,000 cars to Chinese customers in 1985, in a market that totalled 5,100 vehicles. By 1992, cumulative Volkswagen China deliveries had reached 100,000, and in 1997 Volkswagen’s total number of customers exceeded one million. The 5 and 10 millionth customers were greeted in 2006 and 2011, respectively, while in 2015 the 20 millionth Volkswagen found its way to China’s roads. Just three years later, in 2018, another 10 million Volkswagen vehicles have been delivered: in November, the 30 millionth Chinese car buyer chose a Volkswagen. “This is a unique occasion, and a unique vote of confidence from all our Chinese customers over the years,” said Wöllenstein.
With its joint venture partners, FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC VOLKSWAGEN, the brand is committed to providing more choice to meet the varying needs of Chinese consumers. Volkswagen announced the introduction of another 5 models in 2019, including 3 SUVs. Continued Wöllenstein, “Together with our joint ventures, we also will step up our efforts with our NEV offensive in 2019 – introducing 3 locally-produced battery-electric versions of well-known Volkswagen models. We will also introduce one more locally-produced PHEV and the Touareg PHEV from Volkswagen Import.”
SOURCE: Volkswagen AG
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Exagon Furtive electric GT car – Evo
Exagon Motors has revealed more details of its electric GT car. It says the Furtive eGT marks a return to the French ‘haute couture automobile’. Sitting inside an aluminium subframe and attached to the eGT’s 124kg carbonfibre monocoque structure, two 148 kW Siemens electric motors provide the coupe’s power. Combined output tops 402bhp at typically… Continue reading Exagon Furtive electric GT car – Evo
Salaried-worker layoffs will cut deep at GM
Salaried-worker layoffs will cut deep at GMGeneral Motors Co. will likely have to lay off nearly 6,000 salaried workers after roughly 2,250 employees requested to take the buyout the Detroit automaker offered to North American salaried employees and global executives last month.
The number of employees who asked to take the buyout was outlined in a portion of a memo to employees from CEO Mary Barra, obtained by The Detroit News. GM said Monday it was targeting 8,000 jobs with the buyouts, a benchmark the company will now have to meet with about 5,750 layoffs.
Managers from each department were given cost-cutting goals to meet by the end of the year, which could be met by addressing discretionary spending or leveraging buyouts. The managers still have to approve the buyout requests from their employees before GM knows exactly how many employees it needs to lay off.
The automaker offered buyouts to 18,000 salaried workers on Halloween, and the deadline to accept the offer was last week.
Under GM's buyout offer, eligible employees could receive six months' pay and six months' health care coverage starting in February, though on a case-by-case basis some employees could leave before the end of the year to effectively get eight months' compensation.
The expected layoffs come as GM is also planning to stop production at five plants next year, including Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly and Warren Transmission, affecting about 14,300 jobs across the company.
The buyouts and layoffs among GM's salaried workers are part of what the automaker has called a transformation of its workforce. At the same time GM executes some 6,000 layoffs among salaried workers, it is hiring aggressively in emerging automotive disciplines like software development, batter and fuel cell technology and autonomous vehicle development.
GM Cruise LLC, the automaker's self-driving vehicle development arm based in San Francisco, recently surpassing 1,000 workers. A new office in Seattle opening early next year will also add up to 200 new workers.
“We are going to continue to hire,” Barra told reporters Monday. She says GM is focusing harder on the “skillsets of the future”
“You will see us having new employees join the company as others are leaving,” she said. “We still need many technical resources across the company.”
Staff Writer Ian Thibodeau contributed to this report
nnaughton@detroitnews.com
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Watch what Tesla Autopilot can see in incredible 360º video
We already had a few good looks at what Tesla Autopilot can see, but now we have the best visualization to date with an incredible 360º video representative of the Autopilot’s entire array of cameras. Earlier this summer, we already had a rare look at what Tesla Autopilot can see and interpret from Tesla hackers ‘verygreen’ and ‘DamianXVI’.… Continue reading Watch what Tesla Autopilot can see in incredible 360º video
Hubject announces partnership with MOEV
Two LA-Based Companies Work to End Electric Vehicle Charging Challenges SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (November 13, 2018) – Hubject, the globally recognized leader in electric vehicle (EV) interoperability, has partnered with MOEV, Inc., an EV charger and cloud-based energy management software provider. The two companies will work together to offer seamless charging to EV drivers. “We… Continue reading Hubject announces partnership with MOEV