*/ ]]> Steuermann: Editor-in-chief Roland Korioth has been in charge of Opel Post for more than six years. Dear Opel Post reader, Today, we are launching a new format in the Opel Post, which will provide you with current background stories from Opel in the future. The new expert column “Inside Opel” regularly casts a… Continue reading “Exclusive insights”
Tag: PSA
Pentagon doubles Peugeot representation with acquisition
The Pentagon Motor Group has acquired two additional Peugeot locations, doubling its representation with the brand. The Pentagon site in Barnsley will become the main Peugeot dealership for the area with immediate effect, while its Lincoln multi-franchise site will also add the French brand from the start of September. The acquisition now brings Pentagon’s total… Continue reading Pentagon doubles Peugeot representation with acquisition
French company makes EV conversions easy for old clunkers
Off-the-shelf EV conversions aren't just for classic cars like Prince Harry's Jaguar anymore.
French startup Transition One plans to make it easy to convert a wide variety of average old cars in the country to electric power by building a standard conversion kit. The company says the kit will fit several top-selling models in Europe, including the Renault Twingo II, Fiat 500, Citroën C1, Peugeot 107, Toyota Aygo, and VW Polo.
The kit will sell for about $9,400 (8,500 Euros), and buyers can receive a 3,500 Euro tax credit in France, bringing the equivalent cost down to about $5,500. The company plans to complete each conversion in about four hours, once production is up and running.
The company has started by building a prototype electric car from a 2009 Renault Twingo, a small hatchback about the size of a Toyota Yaris. It uses Tesla battery modules in three packs under the hood, along with the motor and power electronics, and two more battery packs where the gas tank once sat.
Classic Mini Cooper electric conversion by Swind
The packs weigh 265 pounds, giving it about 18 kilowatt-hours of energy, which the company says will deliver about 112 miles of range in the Twingo.
In an interview with Bloomberg, company founder Aymeric Libeau said, “I’m selling to people who can’t afford a brand new 20,000 Euro [$22,200] electric car.”
The plan might be compared to that of Montreal's Ecotuned—aiming to convert old Ford F-150s with dying gas powertrains to electric power for fleets. The types of large, body-on-frame trucks that Ecotuned converts are as plentiful in North America as the small cars that Transition One plans to convert are in Europe. Other conversion companies—and some automakers—have begun focused conversion efforts on certain classics, such as the Jaguar E-Type, Porsche 911, and the original Mini Cooper.
Libeau still needs to get his conversions approved by European regulators, which he says he expects to receive by the end of the year. Transition One is also seeking financing to buy a factory to produce up to 400 of the conversions a year, and plans to open orders in September to test the market demand.
PSA, Dongfeng to drop two China auto plants, halve workforce
Underperforming vehicles will be dropped as the Peugeot and Citroen lineups are streamlined around more profitable models, mirroring the European turnaround strategy now powering record margins in PSA’s home markets. BEIJING/PARIS: Peugeot maker PSA Group and partner Dongfeng Group have agreed to cut thousands of jobs in China and drop two of their four shared… Continue reading PSA, Dongfeng to drop two China auto plants, halve workforce
Exclusive: PSA, Dongfeng to drop two China auto plants, halve workforce – document
BEIJING/PARIS (Reuters) – Peugeot maker PSA Group (PEUP.PA) and partner Dongfeng Group (0489.HK) have agreed to cut thousands of jobs in China and drop two of their four shared assembly plants, according to a document seen by Reuters, in a last-ditch bid to curb mounting losses as the world’s largest auto market loses steam. FILE… Continue reading Exclusive: PSA, Dongfeng to drop two China auto plants, halve workforce – document
Groupe PSA: #aCoffeeWithCarlosTavares Meeting n°5: Sharing Economy – Interview with Philippe Bihouix – Business Wire
RUEIL-MALMAISON, France–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Regulatory News: Groupe PSA (Paris:UG): Excerpts: Philippe Bihouix declares about sharing economy: “The use of raw materials and scarce resources has not decreased. Indeed, gains in efficiency of products are counterbalanced by an increase in consumption. This is true for mobility. With carpooling offers, for example, people travel more. Carsharing is a relevant… Continue reading Groupe PSA: #aCoffeeWithCarlosTavares Meeting n°5: Sharing Economy – Interview with Philippe Bihouix – Business Wire
Dongfeng Motor Is Said to Weigh Options for Peugeot Stake
Dongfeng Motor Corp. is exploring options for its 2.2 billion euro ($2.5 billion) stake in Peugeot owner PSA Group, including a potential divestment, people with knowledge of the matter said, as the companies grapple with a global slowdown in the auto market.PSA fell 0.3% to 19.91 euros at 2:51 p.m. in Paris trading after earlier declining as much as 3.2%.Still, the global auto market has been slowing and proceeds from a sale would give the Chinese carmaker much-needed funds to weather the worst slump in a generation.
New cars can be broken into in 10 seconds
Some of the UK’s newest and most popular cars are at risk of being stolen in seconds, by exploiting weaknesses in keyless entry systems. The systems let drivers open and start their cars without taking their key out of their pocket. What Car? magazine tested seven different car models fitted with keyless entry and start… Continue reading New cars can be broken into in 10 seconds
Osram invests in driverless car AI company – LEDs Magazine
Osram might be in the midst of an uncertain ownership change, but it’s conducting business as usual in that it continues to recast itself as a high-tech outfit. In its most recent example, it has invested in a Silicon Valley firm specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) for driverless cars. The company’s Fluxunit venture capital arm… Continue reading Osram invests in driverless car AI company – LEDs Magazine
Ford CEO: We were disrupting the auto industry long before Elon Musk – CNN
The auto industry is going through massive change — and Tesla and its outspoken CEO, Elon Musk, are seen as the great disruptors. But as Ford CEO Jim Hackett pointed out during a recent interview for CNN Business’ The Table with Poppy Harlow in Detroit, his company caused, arguably, the biggest industrial disruption of the… Continue reading Ford CEO: We were disrupting the auto industry long before Elon Musk – CNN