Auto News 5

The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) was set up six years ago in Coventry, the once centrepiece of the British car industry. It channels investment from government and industry to accelerate the development of greener technologies for engines. Its funded projects go beyond automotive too. We spoke to Jon Beasley, APC's director of technology and projects, to find out what has been achieved to date.

News 29 Apr, 2019

New rules will allow motorists with standard category B driving licenses to drive alternatively fuelled vans weighing up to 4.5 tonnes

Katrin Adt, currently head of Daimler's Smart unit, is taking over management of the newly created Mercedes-Benz Cars Own Retail Europe (Passenger Cars and Vans) from July 2019.

News 29 Apr, 2019

Junction numbers on motorway signs are obscured too often, forcing drivers into dangerous manoeuvres, according to Transport Focus

Lear Corporation has reported results for the first quarter 2019 showing a 10% dip to revenues .

Goodyear's says it first quarter 2019 sales were US$3.6bn, down 6% from $3.8bn a year ago, driven by unfavourable currency translation and lower volume in its international businesses, partially offset by improvements in price/mix. It was also tipped into loss in Q1.

Continental says it has managed a solid start to the new business year. Thanks to its technology portfolio, the company has been able to distance itself from the substantial downward trend on the market. At EUR11.0bn (US$12.3bn), sales were on par with the prior year level. The adjusted EBIT margin was 8.1?% (adjusted EBIT: EUR884m).

Japan's Nidec Corporation said it plans to spend US$500m to expand production capacity for electric traction motors for battery powered vehicles in China, according to the Nikkei business daily.

China's leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, BYD Auto, announced plans to build a new manufacturing hub for battery-powered passenger vehicles and key components in the city of Changzhou, in China's Jiangsu province.

China's leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, BYD Auto, has announced plans to build a new manufacturing hub for battery-powered passenger vehicles and key components in the city of Changzhou, in China's Jiangsu province.

News 29 Apr, 2019

JLR's ‘Smart Wallet’ software will provide drivers with monetary rewards for sharing information on traffic jams and potholes

Autoliv has reported first quarter operating down 29% at USD173m as it said a labour conflict in Mexico caused temporary costs of over USD20m - although the issue is now 'resolved and production returning to normal levels'.

Valeo has reported consolidated first-quarter sales of EUR4,841m down 1% (or 3% on a like-for-like basis).

News of a 200 mile range electric DS drew a lot of reader interest this week. When PSA Group adds a fully electric variant to its new DS 3 Crossback range later this year, the car will come with a claimed range on full battery charge of 200 miles (on the WLTP drive cycle, 267 miles on NEDC). The car (the variant will be called E-Tense) will be equipped with a 50kWh lithium-ion battery and a system for recovering energy during deceleration and braking.

Daimler has posted first-quarter profit down 16% on last year and warned that its financial targets have become harder to achieve.

Gilles Le Borgne, executive PSA Group's vice president of quality and engineering has decided to leave on 2 May "for personal reasons".

Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) has produced its four millionth Subaru branded vehicle - the plant has previously also assembled the Camry under contract to Toyota.

Tesla production in China could reach 2,000 vehicles a week by the end of the year, CEO Elon Musk has said.

Features 27 Apr, 2019

To celebrate 20 years of the BMW SUV, we take a tour of BMW's gigantic Spartanburg factory in the US