Auto News 5

Among those traditional automakers taking space at this year's consumer electronics show (CES) - and stealing much of the limelight - were Audi, BMW, Ford, GM, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Hyundai-Kia and VW. Presentations from new names such as Faraday Future and potential disrupters Google and Apple gave the show an extra buzz. The accent was on personalisation of the driver experience via cloud connectivity, shared autonomous vehicles and even drone technology. In this month's management briefing - the first of two parts - we draw on automakers' plans for partial- and fully-autonomous cars to see what we can learn from it all. Our second part turns the spotlight on supplier ADAS innovations - from Autoliv to ZF TRW - that caught our eye in Vegas and Detroit over the past few weeks.

Acura's latest national ad push will pack a punch. The brand tabbed Michael B. Jordan, star of the hit boxing movie Creed, to do the voiceover for the campaign.

The European Parliament has delayed a vote, due next week, on whether new car pollution testing rules are too lax.

Renault is confirming France's anti-fraud office (DGCCRF) has visited several of its sites, with a view to validating independent technical tests surrounding so-called defeat devices.

Toyota Motor Europe (TME) reported its annual sales for calendar year 2015 and said, despite the lowest petrol prices in five years, sales of its hybrid vehicles have continued their five-year increase to reach 209,000 units, up 17% year-on-year. Sales of Toyota and Lexus-branded hybrid vehicles now represent 24% of the group's sales on the continent, up from 20% a year ago. In western Europe only, hybrids took a third of total sales.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has stopped loans to Volkswagen Group pending an investigation into whether some of its previous funding could been used by the German carmaker to cheat diesel emissions tests.

Hyundai Motor on Thursday said it wants to sell 77,000 of its first dedicated petrol-electric hybrid model globally in 2017, 80% more than its total hybrid car sales in 2015, as it tries to meet emissions regulations in key markets.

News 14 Jan, 2016

Offices of Renault visited by the French anti-fraud police investigating the emissions scandal but no defeat device is present in its cars

Japanese automakers are taking on Detroit's Big Three by trying to expand their share of pickup truck sales in the US as record low petrol prices reduce demand for their once best-selling small and medium-sized sedans.

Renault shares have plunged the most in 17 years after a union said French fraud investigators seized computers from the automaker, apparently as part of a probe into emissions testing.

Renault said fraud investigators had inspected three of its sites in an emissions probe, raising the specter of a Volkswagen-type scandal. Investigations found "no evidence of a defeat device" equipping the company's vehicles, Renault said.

Russia's car sales plunged by 36 percent in 2015 in a disastrous year for Western automakers with operations in the country. The pace of the market's decline is set to slow this year, industry insiders said.

Japanese automakers are taking on the Detroit 3 and scrambling to expand their share of pickup truck sales in the United States, as record low gasoline prices curb demand for their once best-selling small and medium-sized sedans.

Expert sources close to Iranian automaker, Saipa, say the imminent dropping of decades-long sanctions against Tehran could pave the way to collaborating with Western suppliers in as little as six months.

Ferrari once capped annual production at about 7,000 cars in an effort to maintain the brand's exclusivity.

A looming slowdown in global auto demand will test General Motors and Ford as they try to funnel more cash to shareholders while still investing adequately in new vehicles and technology.

Ford CEO Mark Fields said delivering strong results is the best way for the automaker to counter the sceptics on Wall Street.

The replacement for the C-segment Jeeps Compass and Patriot is to have its world premiere at the New York auto show in March. FCA will again employ the same risky strategy that has just seen the big-selling Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan replaced by one model.

German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel wants to commit two billion euros ($2.17 billion) to encourage more people to buy electric cars by providing government subsidies to consumers, a German newspaper reported.

U.S. environmental officials said talks will continue with Volkswagen aimed at reaching an agreement on a fix for nearly 600,000 diesel vehicles that emit up to 40 times legally allowable limits.