Monday Morning Auto News, Apr 01, 2019

Tesla boom lifts Norway’s electric car sales to 58 percent market share – Reuters: IndiaAlmost 60 percent of all new cars sold in Norway in March were fully electric, the Norwegian Road Federation (NRF) said on Monday, a global record set by a …
New Alfa Romeo GTV: 2022 hybrid super-coupe leaks – Autocar: Styling of upcoming hybrid two-door seemingly revealed well ahead of official unveiling A leaked image may have given us our best look yet at Alfa Romeo”s forthcoming GTV coupe, which isn”t due to be unveiled until 2021. The single image, purportedly…
Maruti Suzuki sales continue to fall as India car demand slows ahead of elections – Nikkei: Maruti Suzuki India’s sales continued to decline as demand for cars slowed further in March, piling up inventory and forcing …
Buying Lyft stock requires making ‘too many big assumptions,’ analyst warns amid IPO hype – CNBC: Guggenheim restrained its enthusiasm for shares of Lyft on Monday, beginning coverage of the rideshare company’s stock with a neutral rating due to what the firm sees as a hazy outlook.

Volvo XC40 full-electric variant to debut this year – Automotive News: Volvo will reveal the full-electric version of the XC40 before the end of the year. The XC40 will be the first battery-driven model from the brand.
Here’s what Uber can learn from Lyft’s IPO – CNBC: Triton Research co-founder and CEO Rett Wallace joins “Squawk Box” along with guest host Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic advisor at Allianz, …
Uber of Iran Hits Two Million Rides-a-Day Mark Amid Growth Spurt – Bloomberg: Snapp, also known as the Uber of Iran, said its ride-hailing app is generating two million fares a day as young people in Tehran embrace technology …
Skoda, Hyundai, Dacia among winners as French sales fall 2% in March – Automotive News: French new-car sales fell by 2.3 percent in March, with Skoda, Hyundai, Dacia and Seat recording double-digit increases.
For want of a quorum, America’s jobs are being lost – CNBC: … CRRC, China Mobile, SAIC Motor, China Railway, China Aerospace Science and Technology, the list of China’s national champions spans virtually …
Analysis: how to save the city car – Autocar: Cars like the Citroen C1 and Volkswagen Up are under threat Value small cars are at risk of extinction. Profits are slimming, costs are rising. Is there a solution? The message was as bleak as it was clear. “If Europe is pursuing this legal target,…
Hyundai Venue SUV: Launch, features, expected price revealed – Yahoo: Right, Hyundai Venue, I know the name, some more info please? This is a new sub-4m compact SUV by Hyundai and the much awaited rival to the …
Peugeot, Fiat Said to Explore Venture to Build Cars in Europe – Bloomberg: PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler are reportedly exploring a partnership to build cars in Europe. Bloomberg has learned the companies are holding …
The Auto Industry Is Overdue a Bout of Mega-Mergers – Bloomberg: It’s not clear that this necessary process can easily happen. As we’ve seen with the Renault-Nissan saga, the Trump administration’s automotive tariff …
VW, BMW, FCA, others make changes to protect profits in China – Automotive News: “The total market is cooling down, but the premium market is cooling down less,” Audi CEO Bram Schot told Automotive News Europe. “What’s more …
BUZZ-India’s Tata Motors rises; JLR confirms expectations of better Q4 results – Reuters: Automaker Tata Motors Ltd’s shares rise as much as 6.3 pct to 185.2 rupees, in their biggest intraday pct gain since March 5.
Toyota robot can’t slam dunk but shoots a mean 3-pointer – Washington Post: It can’t dribble, let alone slam dunk, but Toyota’s robot hardly ever misses a free throw or a three-pointer.
General Motors seeks dismissal of union lawsuit on closures – Washington Post: Attorneys for General Motors have asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit claiming the automaker sidestepped an agreement with union workers through its …
Toyota robot can’t slam dunk but throws a mean three-pointer – Washington Post: It can’t dribble, let alone slam dunk, but Toyota’s robot hardly ever misses a free throw or a three-pointer.
In North America’s Biggest Uber Holdout, It Pays to Know Chinese – Bloomberg: Welcome to Vancouver, one of Uber’s most obstinate holdouts — the largest North American metro region without legal ride sharing, where …
Italy Seen Needing Energy Storage to Deliver on Pollution Pledge – Bloomberg: … cars might help balance the grid, since the batteries in those vehicles might … the executive said in an interview at Bloomberg’s European headquarters in London. “Today in Italy, we have a limited number of electric vehicles. … a battery is a…
French interest in Jeep: Deja vu? – Automotive News: Last week’s French drama, in which PSA Group and Renault-Nissan were said in dueling media reports to both be interested in a bid for Fiat Chrysler …
Merger buzz rings with irony – Automotive News: And how odd that with both Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne and former Renault-Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn gone, their companies find …
What a truck”s off-road package really gets you – Detroitnews: Are off-road packages worth the money?
GM brushed off UAW concessions to idle Lordstown plant – Detroitnews: Union workers are angry they agreed to make $118 million in annual concessions to save the plant in mid 2017.
Convicted Fiat Chrysler exec raises questions about former UAW boss – Detroitnews: Retired UAW President Dennis Williams could be questioned about alleged illegal payments amid corruption scandal involving Fiat Chrysler.
Jettisoned Chrysler dealers challenge U.S. in court – Automotive News: Almost 300 of the Chrysler dealers whose franchises were terminated in the 2009 bailout will continue their fight in Washington on April 8, nine years after they sued the U.S. Treasury.
U.S. sales drop with no reason for buying – Automotive News: “Consumers simply haven’t had a compelling reason to buy,” Cox Automotive’s chief economist said.
Sun plays tricks on Cadillac’s Super Cruise – Automotive News: The issue involves a critical part of the system that monitors the driver’s attentiveness.
Toyota’s Lentz: U.S. has a lot to lose in trade fight – Automotive News: If the U.S. and Japan can’t find common ground, tariffs could knock down 2 million new-vehicle sales as quick as a Texas windstorm, the automaker’s North America chief warned.
JLR wins a rare challenge against Chinese copycat Landwind – Automotive News: A Chinese court ruled recently that Jiangling Motors’ LandwindX7 SUV from 2014 was too similar to Range Rover Evoque. In a rare decision, it ordered the …
Survey finds flagging loyalty in the pickup truck market – Automotive News: What does it take to get a truck owner to switch brands?
Cadillac’s next-gen Super Cruise system to address camera’s sunlight issue – Automotive News: The issue involves a critical part of the system that monitors the driver’s attentiveness.
Rakuten says to book $990 million gain on Lyft investment – Reuters: Japan’s Rakuten said on Monday it will book a 110 million yen ($989.74 million) gain in the quarter through March on its investment in Lyft following the U.S. ride-hailing firm’s listing last week.
GRAINS-Corn ticks up after deep cuts; abundant supplies cap gains – Reuters: China’s State Council said on Sunday that the country would continue to suspend additional tariffs on U.S. vehicles and auto parts after April 1, in a …
Porsche looking at subscription model for special models? – Autocar:
Nissan CEO, Ghosn Mulled Fourth Partner for Alliance, Email Says – Bloomberg: Last September, two months before his arrest in Tokyo, then Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn and the carmaker’s chief executive officer considered …
Rakuten to book $990m profit from Lyft IPO – Nikkei: … ($990 million) profit in its first-quarter earnings from a jump in the value of its stake in Lyft, after the U.S. ride-hailing company went public on Friday.

Related

PEUGEOT successfully launches new models: PEUGEOT 508 – PEUGEOT RIFTER and PEUGEOT Partner in France

In the first quarter of 2019, the PEUGEOT brand almost stabilized its market share in PC + LCVs at 17.9%. Sales momentum continues to be driven by the SUV range, which represents 7.8% of the market, but also by new models such as the PEUGEOT 508 and the PEUGEOT Rifter, which are leaders in their… Continue reading PEUGEOT successfully launches new models: PEUGEOT 508 – PEUGEOT RIFTER and PEUGEOT Partner in France

Hyundai Mobis Secures the First Deep Learning Image Recognition Camera Sensor in Korea

SEOUL, South Korea–(BUSINESS WIRE)–On March 31, Hyundai Mobis (KRX:012330), announced during its meeting at the KINTEX Seoul Motor Show that the company would be the first in Korea to secure the global-caliber ‘deep learning-based high-performance image recognition technology’ for recognizing vehicles, pedestrians and geographical features of the road by the end of the year, and… Continue reading Hyundai Mobis Secures the First Deep Learning Image Recognition Camera Sensor in Korea

Lyft IPO Values Company at $24.3B

With Lyft going public, all eyes turn to Uber, which is expected to have its IPO on April. Photo via Lyft. Lyft became the first ride-hailing startup to go public, with its Thursday initial public offering valuing the company at $24.3 billion, Reuters reports.  Lyft’s stock began trading on the Nasdaq today under the ticker… Continue reading Lyft IPO Values Company at $24.3B

Allison Transmission Closes $500 Million Senior Notes Offering

INDIANAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ALSN) (“Allison” or the “Company”) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Allison Transmission, Inc. (the “Issuer”), completed its previously announced offering of $500 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.875% Senior Notes due 2029 (the “Notes”) in a private placement (the “Offering”) exempt from registration under the Securities… Continue reading Allison Transmission Closes $500 Million Senior Notes Offering

Aptiv to share its self-driving car data to help other researchers – CNET

Aptiv operates self-driving vehicles in partnership with Lyft in Las Vegas. Aptiv Automotive technology company Aptiv wants to help advanced research into computer vision and autonomous-driving technologies by sharing some of the information it has already gathered in the real world. Aptiv announced this week it will share what it’s calling the largest public dataset… Continue reading Aptiv to share its self-driving car data to help other researchers – CNET

Ford Takes Further Actions to Improve European Business; Confirms End of Ford C-MAX Production at Saarlouis

Ford-Werke GmbH Supervisory Board approves measures to create a sustainably profitable business in Germany and Europe, including ceasing production of FordC-MAX and Grand C-MAX MAV at Saarlouis by end June 2019 Cessation of night-shift and move to two-shift operating pattern will reduce structural cost and increase efficiency, supporting Ford’s transformation strategy aimed at near-term profitability… Continue reading Ford Takes Further Actions to Improve European Business; Confirms End of Ford C-MAX Production at Saarlouis

Berlin-based automotive AI startup Teraki raises €2 million and launches DevCenter for customers

Berlin-based automotive AI startup Teraki has developed a platform that promises to bring a more than tenfold increase in efficiency to components used in automotive electronics, a €350 billion industry. Founded in 2014, the startup has now raised €2 million from Hong Kong-based Horizon Ventures and American Family Ventures, bringing its total funding to €4.7 million.

Teraki’s software allows for the scaling of insurance, predictive maintenance, and autonomous driving applications by providing access to more qualitative data. When embedded in automotive electronic systems, the software enables hardware to process more than 10 times more data – without loss of information to train – and run machine learning methods of its customers.

By applying techniques originally developed for quantum computing, Teraki is able to condense data to as little as two percent of its original size. This means that with Teraki pre-processing, applications run more than 10 times faster than implementations..

A revived traditional brand: Borgward changes owner – and continues to torment himself

The idea had quite a charm, but was spiced with a pinch of Irrwitz: After decades of slumber, the car brand Borgward should resume from 2015 a revival in the turbo-pace. Finished financially for decades, the former Borgward boss Karlheinz Knöss sounded March 2015 opposite manager-magazin.de, An “affordable premium brand” was to become Borgward, by… Continue reading A revived traditional brand: Borgward changes owner – and continues to torment himself