Auto News 5

Opinion 4 Dec, 2015

Cars from General Motors, Ford and Chrysler look "too American" to appeal worldwide, says Mike Rutherford

Japan banned Takata airbag inflators that use ammonium nitrate propellant from future cars and set time frames for the components to be phased out from existing models, taking measures nearly identical to a U.S. regulator's order one month ago.

Jaguar Land Rover workers reportedly have questioned owner Tata's commitment to the UK after the Indian conglomerate cut thousands of jobs at its British steel making operation as a result of the crisis in that industry.

As automakers search for novel ways to improve fuel efficiency, technology partnering with universities remain popular. Matthew Beecham spoke to Pascal Tribotté and Frederic Ravet from Renault in France and Francisco Payri and Ricardo Novella from CMT Motores Térmicos at the Universitat Politècnica de València in Spain to learn how industry-academia collaboration can deliver some powerful results.

Mercedes brand sales rose 7.4 percent last month, the highest-ever level for November, as demand in China offset a plunge in U.S. sales.

Volkswagen has told banks supplying it with a one-year EUR20bn bridging loan that it could sell assets if other repayment means falter, according to a Reuters report citing people 'familiar with the matter'.

News 4 Dec, 2015

After a fall in October, new car registrations are up 3.8% in November

Following October's decline - the first in 44 months - registrations of new cars in the UK returned to growth in November, according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) data out today (4 December).

Geely has plans for its own app to join the rush for China's ride-on-demand services, according to a Xinhua news agency report.

The Volkswagen group 'emissions scandal' rumbled on this week as more skeletons were rattled out of closets. There's bound to be a few more when the automotive equivalent of the Spanish inquisition starts internally, following this week's report that "around 50" employees have come forward just ahead of the deadline to testify in the group's internal investigation into the emissions controls cheating scandal. Employees had been given until Monday to come forward to testify without fear of repercussions - on the part of VW.

Sales of VW brand cars in the UK fell 20 percent in November in the wake of its emissions-rigging scandal, but strong gains for other brands contributed to an overall 4 percent rise in the market's monthly registrations.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn hopes to resolve a rift in the alliance caused by the French government by Dec. 11. Talks between the government and Nissan have made "significant progress," French media reports said.

Opel has strongly denied a German media report that suggested it has understated CO2 emissions on a diesel variant of its Zafira model range by 15%.

The latest issue of the Automotive News Europe monthly e-magazine goes live on Monday, Dec. 7. This month's edition looks at why Hyundai and Kia are shifting their focus in Europe.

Clarity Services, a subprime credit reporting agency based in Florida, agreed to pay $8 million in a consent order with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which said the company illegally obtained consumer reports.

Audi appointed VW Group CEO Matthias Mueller to replace Martin Winterkorn as chairman and Stefan Knirsch as development chief to succeed Ulrich Hackenberg.

Ulrich Hackenberg, Volkswagen's suspended top engineer, has left the German group after 30 years, Audi said, as VW pushes ahead with the search for employees behind diesel emissions violations.

Honda has been spotted testing a CR-V mule that looked like it's flirting with a third row of seats for the next-generation model. But don't bet on that coming to the U.S.

Automakers can count on robust vehicle sales in 2016, but will be challenged to produce the right mix of cars and trucks as consumers gravitate to larger and roomier vehicles, Toyota executives said today.