Auto News 5

Volkswagen has stood by its Seat brand through years of losses, but the spreading diesel-emissions scandal will test the group's loyalty to the Spanish unit as CEO Matthias Mueller seeks to make cuts.

The UK automotive sector's workforce is one of the world's most productive - but action is needed to address a shortage of skilled engineers and operators, according to new research by the Automotive Council.

TomTom has signed a global, multi-year agreement to provide maps and traffic data for the Uber driver app. The data will be used for navigation, accurate arrival times and efficient journeys in about 300 cities.

Supplier Tower International has announced plans to investigate the potential sale of Tower Europe.

GKN Driveline has developed a new family of lightweight constant velocity joint (CV joint) systems that enable rear-wheel drive platforms to save more than 4kg of weight. Higher performance drivelines with less rotating mass are a key element in auto industry CO2 reduction strategies.

Volkswagen has ceased manufacturing diesel versions of the 2016 Passat at its Chattanooga plant in Tennessee, amid the emissions test-rigging scandal.

Ford's European unit is using active noise control in its Mondeo Vignale [US readers, a poshed-up Fusion] with three microphones strategically placed in the cabin, to detect undesirable noises from the engine and transmission. The system counteracts those noises with opposing sound waves from the audio system - without affecting volume levels of music and conversation. Driver and vehicle behaviour is recorded and anticipated, for example when a driver is accelerating in a lower gear.

The decision to redesign the Cadenza, which starts at about $35,000, signals Kia will not abandon its high-end cars despite Hyundai's plan to create a dedicated luxury brand, Genesis.

Fiat is joining Nissan and Mercedes-Benz in targeting a growing market for utility vehicles with its Fullback midsize pickup, which is based on the Mitsubishi L200.

Year to date, sales of EcoBoost-powered Ford vehicles are up 46% in the US and the automaker expects to see 1m sold this year for the first time.

Nashville-area car buyers will soon be able to get their used sedan or crossover in much the same way as they buy a bag of chips: by dropping a coin into a vending machine.

The French government this week stated its wants to increase "operational integration" between Renault and Nissan but confirmed it was not seeking a full merger.

Mazda Motor said it expected sales in the ASEAN region to rise by 24% to 95,000 in the fiscal year ending 31 March 2016, following a 22% rise in first-half sales to 46,000 units.

News 12 Nov, 2015

Cadillac's Audi Q5 rival will make its debut in Los Angeles, and it could eventually come to the UK

Kongsberg Automotive's Driveline unit will supply of shift by wire shifters for B-segment to a Japanese OEM for cars to be sold in Asia.

Ford's market share in Brazil increased from January to October, including both cars and trucks segments. The brand grew 15.2% year on year for market share of 10.6%. Among traditional OEMs in the country, Ford posted the major growth last month.

Shell says gasoline and diesel energy solutions will continue to play a key role in vehicle propulsion for "a very long time," with a rapidly increasing global population driving ever-more efficient ways of mobility.

Sales of new passenger vehicles in China jumped by over 13% year on year to 1.94m units in October, lifted by a sales tax cut at the end of September, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. The data covers sales of passenger cars, SUVs and MPVs but not commercial vehicles.

The Jaguar XE and Alfa Romeo Giulia will find it tough to win market share from German rivals in Europe's premium midsize class as competition from SUVs slowly shrinks one of Europe's core high-end segments.

BMW Group's Dutch contract manufacturing partner has started production of the new Mini Convertible.