Tag: Electric vehicles

Volkswagen ensures that the production of the group in Spain is assured for “enough time”

Posted 07/12/2018 11: 36: 16CET WOLFSBURG (GERMANY), 7 Dec. (EUROPA PRESS) – The head of Sales and Marketing of the Volkswagen brand, Jürgen Stackmann, has assured that the German automobile consortium is “very happy” with the performance of the company in Spain and that the production in the factories of Landaben (Pamplona) and Martorell (Barcelona… Continue reading Volkswagen ensures that the production of the group in Spain is assured for “enough time”

Pininfarina to launch electric super-SUV using Rivian tech

Automobili Pininfarina will follow its electric hypercar, the PF0, with three SUVs, of which the most powerful one – codenamed PF1 – will rival the Lamborghini Urus.  As first reported by our sister site Autocar India, development work on the PF1 SUV has already begun back in the Mahindra-owned car maker’s headquarters in Munich. “Work… Continue reading Pininfarina to launch electric super-SUV using Rivian tech

Tesla General Counsel Todd Maron is leaving the company

Bobby Yip | Reuters
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk stands on the podium as he attends a forum on startups in Hong Kong, China.

Tesla announced on Friday that General Counsel Todd Maron is leaving the electric vehicle maker, the second high-ranking attorney to do so this quarter. Last month, Phil Rothenberg left his post as Tesla's Vice President of Legal, to become general counsel at Sonder, a hospitality start-up.

The Wall Street Journal reported news of Maron's departure, and Tesla acknowledged the personnel moves in a blog post following the report.

The electric car company said it plans to replace Maron with seasoned Beltway trial lawyer Dane Butswinkas, a chairman at Williams & Connolly, who was also a Co-Chair in the firm's Commercial Litigation, Financial Services and Banking Groups.

Butswinkas will report directly to CEO Elon Musk, and will oversee Tesla's legal and government relations teams, according to Tesla's statement.

Tesla specified, in their announcement, that Maron will stay on through January to ensure a smooth hand-off to his successor.

Maron's leaving Tesla comes as a surprise to many due to his longstanding relationship with Musk. He served as the billionaire's divorce attorney via a boutique family law firm, Jaffe and Clemens, prior to joining Tesla in 2013 as deputy counsel.

Tesla is currently facing a host of lawsuits and regulatory probes.

And the company is working to become compliant with terms of a settlement it struck earlier this year with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, after Musk tweeted that he could take the company private at $420 a share. The settlement requires Tesla to employ an “experienced securities lawyer” to review social media communications by its senior officers, including Musk.

Jaguar Land Rover UK boss: buyers don’t want digital-only car sales

Consumers don’t want to buy a car totally online, according to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) UK managing director Rawdon Glover. “Less than 10% of customers want a completely digital experience,” he said. “Manufacturers that will win in this space will make the car-buying journey as easy as possible.” JLR is one of a number of car… Continue reading Jaguar Land Rover UK boss: buyers don’t want digital-only car sales

Startup Byton will start marketing in 2019

The Chinese startup and Tesla challenger Byton will start marketing the M-Byte SUV in 2019. Some companies, not least those from China, have Tesla challenged in the market with electric cars. Not all succeeded and is a prominent example of a temporary failed challenge Faraday Future, The Chinese startup Byton also relies on e-cars, which… Continue reading Startup Byton will start marketing in 2019

PowerSphyr Raises $4M in Series A Focusing on Automotive “Cockpit of the Future” – PR Newswire

DANVILLE, Calif., Nov. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — PowerSphyr, Inc. today announced an increased investment from Faurecia, one of the world’s leading automotive technology companies. “This is the ultimate ‘smart money’ investment given Faurecia’s commitment to deliver the truly connected car,” said Neil Ganz, President, and CEO. “This investment brings embedded wireless power to the global automotive… Continue reading PowerSphyr Raises $4M in Series A Focusing on Automotive “Cockpit of the Future” – PR Newswire

Ford Cost-Cutting Plans Could Be More Severe Than GM, Says Morgan Stanley Analyst – MSN Autos

© Ford An analyst for investment bank Morgan Stanley predicts that Ford will follow in the footsteps of General Motors and eliminate thousands from its workforce in 2019 as part of a grand cost-cutting campaign said to total $11 billion. The analyst, Adam Jonas, wrote Monday that he forecasts large-scale job eliminations at Ford, which… Continue reading Ford Cost-Cutting Plans Could Be More Severe Than GM, Says Morgan Stanley Analyst – MSN Autos

2019 VinFast Fadil city car – rebadged Viva, RM76k – Paul Tan’s Automotive News

At the Paris Motor Show last month, newborn Vietnamese automaker VinFast unveiled two premium cars, the LUX A2.0 sedan and LUX SA2.0 SUV. The company also revealed plans to make a battery-electric car developed by EDAG, and an electric bus with the support of Siemens, as well as a city car based on a GM.… Continue reading 2019 VinFast Fadil city car – rebadged Viva, RM76k – Paul Tan’s Automotive News

VinFast, Petrolimex ink deal on service chain for vehicles – Viet Nam News

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese automaker VinFast and the Việt Nam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) on Thursday signed a cooperation agreement on building a service chain for all VinFast products. Under the agreement, at Petrolimex’s petrol stations, VinFast will plan to develop a service system for vehicles including charging stations and battery rentals for electric… Continue reading VinFast, Petrolimex ink deal on service chain for vehicles – Viet Nam News