The primary reason behind the increase in loss is its British luxury arm Jaguar Land Rover which has reported a pre-tax loss of 395 million pounds compared with 264 million pounds loss in the same period a year ago. NEW DELHI: Home-grown automaker Tata Motors on Thursday said that it has doubled the losses to… Continue reading JLR pushes Tata Motors Q1 losses to double at Rs 3679 cr
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Jaguar Land Rover swings back into the red as sales fall
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Wednesday Morning Auto News, Jul 24, 2019
Gloomy day for Daimler, Nissan, but PSA roars – Reuters: Daimler and Aston Martin struggle, Nissan plans yet more job cuts – but Peugeot owner PSA is one automaker to defy gloom in the sector. Francis Maguire …
GM’s Driverless-Car Unit Cruise Delays Robot-Taxi Service – Wall Street Journal: General Motors’ driverless-car business, Cruise, will delay the roll out of an autonomous ride-hailing *service* scheduled for late this year, underscoring the …
Porsche tops J.D. Power study of most appealing new vehicles – Automotive News: Ram was the most improved brand and ranked highest in the mass-market segment while Ford Motor Co.’s brands received five model-level awards in the annual study of new-vehicle appeal.
European car giants Peugeot SA and Daimler show signs of fighting back amid global auto slowdown – Barrons: Peugeot maker PSA defied the global auto slowdown with a 10.6% profit rise in the first half of the year, while Mercedes owner Daimler’s stock rose on a more …
German carmaker BMW considers China as very strong driver of technology – Xinhua | English.news.cn – Xinhuanet: China is a very strong driver of technology, a spokesperson of German carmaker BMW told Xinhua on Wednesday. “We strongly …
PSA seeks European company legal status following Opel/Vauxhall takeover – Automotive News: Automaker says move will reflect group’s European scope following the takeover of Opel/Vauxhall.
Man jailed for 15 years for driverless car bomb plot – Guardian: A man who plotted a terrorist attack involving the use of a bomb inside a remotely controlled vehicle has been jailed for 15 years. Counter-terrorism …
Uber Drivers Lose Suit Over ‘Racist’ UK Environmental Fee – Bloomberg: It’s the latest stage of a long-running battle between those working for the ride-hailing firm and traditional cabbies, which has spilled from the city’s …
Brexit auto industry fears heightened with Boris Johnson becoming UK prime minister – Automotive News: Britain’s incoming prime minister has shown little sign that he takes the car industry seriously, having once said he knows about how to run an automaker than …
Why the UK auto industry will not welcome a Boris Johnson gov’t – Automotive News: … radio interview that he knew more about how to run an automaker than Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth, who had just warned about job losses.
Daimler’s Q2 loss triggers more cost-cutting, product review – Automotive News: Daimler is battling slower demand in China and the U.S., along with huge costs to develop electric cars and regulatory scrutiny over its diesel emissions.
NHTSA says it is reviewing complaints of faulty Ford transmissions – Freep: Congressional leaders urged the review after a Free Press investigation found Ford sold the vehicles knowing their transmissions were faulty.
Nissan Braces for More Pain as Weak Profits Force Restructuring – Bloomberg: Nissan Motor Co. confirmed reports of a 90% drop in quarterly operating profit and a broader restructuring a day before posting results, underscoring the …
Tesla`s Ability to Make Money Is Under Spotlight as Results Loom – Bloomberg: Tesla Inc. sold a record number of cars during the second quarter. But did the company make enough money while doing so?
Breakingviews – If only James Bond could rescue Aston Martin – Reuters: If only James Bond could rescue Aston Martin Reuters(Reuters Breakingviews) – If only James Bond could come to the rescue of Aston Martin. The British maker of 007’s legendary sports car is struggling. With the …
German Car-Parts Maker Put Up for Sale Amid Spat Between Owners – Bloomberg: German auto parts maker Weber Automotive GmbH has been put up for sale as part of insolvency proceedings that started this month, according to a …
Uber Freight launches in Germany, taking on local competition – Reuters: U.S. ride-hailing company Uber is launching a freight platform in Germany, taking on local technology startups in a race to grab a share of Europe’s $500 billion trucking market.
Daimler CEO says there are no plans to pursue a merger or spin-off – Reuters: Daimler has no plans to spin off its trucks division or to pursue a merger with BMW as a way to raise the company’s share price, Chief Executive Ola Kaellenius said on Wednesday.
Toyota’s Thailand unit retains domestic car sales forecasts – Reuters: (Corrects date in dateline). BANGKOK, July 24 (Reuters) -. * Thailand’s total domestic cars sales for 2019 are still projected at 1 million units, down 3.8% from …
Aston Martin Plunges After Cutting Vehicle Sales Forecast on Challenging Outlook – Bloomberg: Aston Martin Lagonda cut its full-year sales forecast by as much as 14% after weakness in key markets intensified, joining a range of carmakers to warn of a …
Aston Martin cuts 2019 forecasts on UK, Europe weakness – Reuters: IndiaLuxury carmaker Aston Martin on Wednesday lowered several of its forecasts for this year, saying it had been hit by macro-economic uncertainty and weakness …
Nissan to Report 90% Plunge in Profit, Report Says – Bloomberg: Nissan Motor Co. will report a drop of about 90% in its fiscal first quarter … global alliance between Nissan, Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
Carmaker PSA defies gloom in auto sector with record profits – FT: French carmaker PSA posted record profits for the first half of 2019, bucking the gloom across the sector, as cost controls and the rollout of new models …
PSA Group profit jumps on pricing, Opel synergies – Reuters: French carmaker PSA Group delivered a sharp increase in first-half profit, as new models and the integration of Opel-Vauxhall more than made up for weaker emerging-market sales.
Nissan shares edge up on reports it will cut 10000 jobs – FT: … come as Hiroto Saikawa, Nissan’s chief executive, has struggled to stem the fallout from the arrest and ousting of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn.
Peugeot Maker Improves Profit Margins on More Costly Models – Bloomberg: Peugeot maker PSA Group’s profit margin widened to a record in the first half of the year through the sale of more expensive models, although the French …
Daimler Q2 hammered by Takata, diesel charges – Reuters: Luxury carmaker Daimler said it would intensify cost cuts after legal risks for diesel-related issues and the cost of replacing Takata airbags triggered a 1.56 …
Augmented Reality Is Now in Your Phone, Eyeglasses and Car – Washington Post: If you dodged real-world trash cans to chase virtual monsters during the Pokemon Go craze, you experienced augmented reality. Sixty years after …
US Truck Driver Shortage Is On Course to Double in a Decade – Bloomberg: Women make up less than 7% of drivers, and the industry is pushing to entice more with technology that makes trucks easier to drive and more …
Japan’s Nissan to double global job cuts to over 10,000 – source – Reuters: Nissan Motor Co Ltd plans to expand job cuts to over 10,000 to help turn around its business, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday, showing the tough road ahead for an automaker grappling with management upheaval.
Lyft makes self-driving research public to speed development – The Detroit News: It”s the largest such trove of data made available to researchers and rivals, Lyft said
Uber, Lyft Rides May Be Taxed Under San Francisco Measure – Bloomberg: Uber, Lyft Rides May Be Taxed Under San Francisco Measure. By … Ride-hailing customers may be forced to pay a new tax in the city where the …
Corrected: Nissan plans to cut over 10,000 jobs globally – Kyodo – Reuters: Nissan Motor Co Ltd is planning to cut more than 10,000 jobs globally as part of efforts to turn around its business, Kyodo News reported on Tuesday, citing company sources.
In win for Ford, Fed Circuit won’t extend ‘functionality’ defense to patent law – Reuters: The doctrine of aesthetic functionality, which limits the trademarking of the functional features of a product, does not extend to design patent law, a federal …
Harley-Davidson gets EU approval for plan to dodge $100 million tariff hit – Latimes: Harley-Davidson Inc.’s highly contentious plan to dodge tariffs by shifting some production overseas has been green-lighted just as the iconic …
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Tata Motors Delivered 40 EV Buses In India. More Orders Coming
Orders are now coming quickly – six agencies already placed orders for a total of 255 electric buses. Tata Motors is waking up in the electric bus segment in India. The company recently delivered 40 9m buses to Jammu and Kashmir. The Ultra Electric buses for Jammu & Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation are rated… Continue reading Tata Motors Delivered 40 EV Buses In India. More Orders Coming
Apple’s latest Tesla hire specializes in car interiors
Another high-level Tesla engineering executive has hopped over to Apple. Steve MacManus, who was vice president of engineering at Tesla, is now a senior director at Apple, according to an update on his LinkedIn profile. Bloomberg was the first to report MacManus had taken the position at Apple. MacManus, whose was in charge of interior… Continue reading Apple’s latest Tesla hire specializes in car interiors
Inchcape sells Volkswagen dealerships in Essex to Group1
Inchcape has disclosed of Volkswagen car and van franchises in Essex to US giant Group 1 for an undisclosed sum. The acquired dealerships are located in Chelmsford, Colchester, Romford and Southend. This acquisition is expected to generate approximately $115m (£93m) in revenues for Group1. The addition of these stores increases Group1’s UK operations to 49… Continue reading Inchcape sells Volkswagen dealerships in Essex to Group1
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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Sinclair Group acquires Pendragon’s Stratstone JLR Swansea dealerships
Sinclair Group has added its first Jaguar franchise and a second Land Rover dealership to its growing portfolio with the acquisition of Pendragon’s Stratstone Jaguar Land Rover Swansea businesses. The South Wales-based AM100 group joined the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) fold in December last year with the acquisition of Likes Land Rover at Hay-on-Wye from… Continue reading Sinclair Group acquires Pendragon’s Stratstone JLR Swansea dealerships
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.”
Toyota locks in more than a supply of EV batteries in deal with China’s CATL
Toyota needs more than a secure and steady supply of batteries if it hopes to meet its ambitious global sales goal for electric vehicles. If it hopes to compete, the Japanese automaker will need better quality lithium-ion batteries that don’t squeeze profit margins. The automaker is turning to Chinese EV battery supplier CATL for the… Continue reading Toyota locks in more than a supply of EV batteries in deal with China’s CATL