Auto News 5

The head of the UK distribution arm of SsangYong tells Dave Leggett that he expects the Korean brand to double its UK sales in 2015, boosted by the impact of the upcoming small SUV, Tivoli.

Magna Closures designs, engineers and manufactures a range of vehicle closure modules, systems and components for the automotive industry. In this interview, Matthew Beecham spoke to David O'Connell, Vice President - Global Engineering and R&D, Magna Mirrors & Magna Closures about the company's SmartLatch, PureView sliding window and how it strikes a balance between providing a door which improves side-crash safety yet reduces overall vehicle weight.

Takata's airbag crisis linked to five fatal auto accidents threatens to shake confidence in Japanese manufacturing and the country's auto industry, the nation's transport minister said.

Audi randd boss Ulrich Hackenberg provided a concise answer when asked why the carmaker's fuel cell also needs plug-in hybrid technology.

Michelin will nearly double the proportion of budget tires in its global sales mix to as much as 30 percent to counter the huge rise in Chinese imports sold in Europe and the U.S., CEO Jean-Dominique Senard told Automotive News Europe.

Michelin will nearly double the proportion of budget tires in its global sales mix to as much as 30 percent to counter the huge rise in Chinese imports sold in Europe and the U.S., CEO Jean-Dominique Senard told Automotive News Europe.

A severe slump in Russian car demand is making it harder for Skoda to meet its 2018 vehicle sales target. Skoda also must decide whether to reduce its investment budget for the country to protect overall profitability, a top executive said.

A severe slump in Russian car demand is making it harder for Skoda to meet its 2018 vehicle sales target. Skoda also must decide whether to reduce its investment budget for the country to protect overall profitability, a top executive said.

Hyundai Motor Group President Peter Schreyer gave Kia a fresh, familywide look after being hired from Volkswagen Group in 2006. Now he's doing the same for Hyundai, for which he took design responsibility in 2012.

Allegations of rampant bribery at China FAW Group Corp.'s joint venture with VW should provide an urgent wake-up call to the government to abandon the country's JV rule for foreign automakers.

The latest issue of the Automotive News Europe monthly e-magazine goes live on Monday, Dec. 1. This month's edition looks at how German premium automakers plan to profit from plug-in hybrids.

The European Commission next month will outline progress on future emission targets for new cars sold in the EU, giving automakers a clearer look at the billions of euros in investment that will be needed to meet tougher goals.

Michelin will nearly double the proportion of budget tires in its global sales mix to as much as 30 percent to counter the huge rise in Chinese imports sold in Europe and the U.S., CEO Jean-Dominique Senard told Automotive News Europe.

Mexico's relationship with German car production began nearly 50 years ago with output of VW's mass-market Beetle. Now it's becoming a place where luxury BMW, Audi and Mercedes cars roll out of billion-dollar factories.

Mercedes owners in China are likely successful and wealthy entrepreneurs, a brand study of eight major luxury carmakers found. China will probably overtake the U.S. as the biggest premium auto market in 2016, analysts predict.

Mexico's booming automobile industry is generating more export dollars than oil, building more cars than Brazil and giving a job to Esmeralda Velazquez. What it isn't doing is raising her living standards.

Drivers of new vehicles from Jaguar Land Rover soon will be able to get a restaurant tip using voice-recognition instead of opening an app on the dashboard.

Audi is dipping its toe into car sharing, but with a premium twist. The automaker has started two pilot programs in Europe -- one in Stockholm and another in Berlin.

ZF, which agreed to buy TRW, expects the combined company's sales of driver-assist safety systems to grow by up to 25 percent a year. The technology will be the "major" part of the combined firm's $2.1 billion randd budget, ZF CEO Stefan Sommer said.

From GMM

The F1 Commission this week failed to act on the issue of the sport's struggling small teams.

A report at Italy's specialist Autosprint described the Geneva meeting as a "fiasco", as 29 items were on the agenda "but only six were actually discussed".

It added: "The idea to give the customer teams a discount on the supply of their engines was rejected.

"Bernie Ecclestone was ready to make a contribution if the biggest teams also did, but instead the 'status quo' was maintained," said Autosprint.