Auto News 5

Kobe Steel's JV, Kobelco Automotive Aluminium Rolled Products (China), has opened a new factory in Tianjin, China. The company, established in 2014, produces and sells automotive aluminium panel material.

Signs are that GM, sometimes referred to as 'Global Motors', is having a strategic rethink and tactically withdrawing from markets where the chances of making a decent buck, and consequent return to investors, are slim. Only recently, The General finally threw in the European towel: after years of good effort but continuing losses, it announced in March - eve of the Geneva show, no less, it would sell the loss-making European Opel operations to PSA Group in an EUR2.2bn deal expected to close by the end of this year. This week, GM announced cuts to its international operations which it said would save it around US$100m a year.

Dana has announced that the company will build a new 7,500 square-metre (80,000 square-foot) manufacturing facility in Chongqing, China.

News 19 May, 2017

VW's up! city car finally gets the GTI treatment, with 113bhp, 200Nm of torque and a reveal at the Worthersee GTI fan festival

BMW said its annual production capacity in China will reach 450,000 vehicles once an investment plan to upgrade its local factories is completed.

BMW said its annual production capacity in China will reach 450,000 vehicles once an investment plan to upgrade its local factories is completed. The figure is nearly 150,000 more than last year.

BMW said its annual production capacity in China will reach 450,000 vehicles once an investment plan to upgrade its local factories is completed. The figure is nearly 150,000 more than last year.

Aston Martin may consider an initial public offering as early as next year as the British automaker seeks to capitalize on the success of Ferrari's listing to lure investors, sources told Bloomberg.

Senators from states with major auto plants are trying again to pass legislation designed to encourage investment in zero-emissions randd, and advanced fuel-reduction and safety technologies.

Tesla Motor's anticipated electric semi truck helped the company grab first place in Twitter engagement among brands for April, according to ListenFirst Media.

Volkswagen will likely pick a new CEO from within the carmaker's own ranks, CEO Matthias Mueller told a German newspaper.

News 18 May, 2017

The Skoda Karoq has just been revealed but a hot Karoq vRS version could be hot on its heels along with Sportline, Scout and PHEV models

For its first attempt at a bespoke hybrid car, Kia came up with a crossover. Even if sales are nowhere near the level of the Prius, the Niro does seem to have found itself an ever expanding pool of keen buyers.

Skoda is making big money and ever more vehicles, while extra models - including more SUVs - are on the way. There is no doubting the steady rise in sales and ROI, but the question needs to be asked: does the new Kodiaq offer the value for money which has hitherto been one of the main reasons for the company's success?

BMW Group, which built 2.37m vehicles in 2016, has an internal target of expanding this to three million by 2020 and in so doing outpace Mercedes-Benz. Mini has a supporting role in the plan but the heavy lifting will have to be done by the BMW brand. Which means the heavy lifting will fall mainly on the shoulders of multiple as yet unseen SUVs.

Due to Audi's now resolved dispute with its Chinese dealer network, BMW Group recently became the biggest premium manufacturer in the world's largest market. Cash-rich yet needing to be cautious due to its relatively small size compared to Volkswagen AG and Daimler AG, BMW is pouring money into renewing both its global model range and trying to create sub-segments which it could dominate in the 2020s.

This is the second BMW Group feature on the topic of current and future models. The first looked at BMW brand passenger cars. Now, it is the turn of Mini, Rolls-Royce and a joint venture Chinese brand, Zinoro. The third feature will concentrate on BMW SUVs as well as the brand's electric models.

Four automakers agreed to a $553 million settlement to address class-action claims covering owners of nearly 16 million vehicles with potentially defective Takata airbags.

The Trump administration took its first formal step toward renegotiating NAFTA, setting the stage for talks that could have a major impact on automakers and suppliers.