Auto News 5

Motus Integrated Technologies has selected Gadsden, in Etowah County, as the location for its new manufacturing facility.

Genuine Parts Company (GPC) has announced an acquisition for its European automotive business.

PSA Group has appointed Master Group Corporation Asia (MGC) as the sole authorised importer and distributor of Peugeot brand vehicles in Thailand.

Following its June 2018 acquisition by Swedish EV manufacturer NEVS, British in-wheel motor technology company Protean Electric has launched an electric-drive corner module designed for urban mobility pods.

Sanctions, what sanctions? Iran has launched Peugeot 301 production at the Iran Khodro (IKCO) plant in Tehran.

Australian new vehicle sales fell in June reflecting, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) said, "tough market conditions".

It's the middle of southern hemisphere winter and the heat came off the New Zealand new vehicle market in June, according to the local Motor Industry Association (MIA).

Opinion 17 Jul, 2019

What does the Evija mean for Lotus? John McIlroy thinks it's important but mainly as a sign of things to come...

Spanish suppliers association CEO, José Portilla has had many years experience in manufacturing sectors such as steel and automotive, while he is now CEO of Spanish suppliers association, Sernauto. Simon Warburton caught up with him as Spain looks to address the twin challenges of slowing global demand and the transition to new mobility.

Spain's automotive supplier association (Sernauto) says it is "hungry" for a new government to be formed in Madrid as long-running political horse-trading raises the prospect of a further general election later this year.

Those who wondered what former Jaguar design director Ian Callum might do after ending his 20-year career with the automaker on 1 July need wonder no more.

It has to be the frankest statement we at just-auto have seen from a company in a long time: "The introduction of new company software in January has turned Liqui Moly into a permanent building site."

There is so much change going on in the European market just now it can be hard to keep up. Imagine that the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 Series were outsold by the Audi A1 in June, and that the little hatchback was only 31 units behind the A6.

For decades, Daimler was slow to see how it could link the G-Class to other four by fours and SUVs. That time seems long ago even if the M-Class didn't become the GLE until relatively recently. Now the range of models starting with G is broader than even Audi's Q-models. And is being expanded still.

Is there a future for the Mondeo? At the moment, Ford of Europe isn't saying either way as speculation suggests there are plans to replace this model, the S-Max and Galaxy with a new global crossover. Considering the age of the design, sales are holding up well, with 20,800 delivered during the first half of 2019.

Does endlessly extending vehicle lines mean ever-expanding sales? Not if you're Audi, or now, Mercedes-Benz too. The brand is hardly embattled but recently things haven't been going as well as they might, with several profit warnings and slightly disappointing global deliveries for H1 having been announced in recent times. Can the next wave of passenger cars remedy some of the company's current ills?

Has the decline in demand for large luxury saloons plateaued? If it's the USA we're talking about, then the answer is no, with the S-Class (6,155, -27%) and LS (2,697, -38%) still falling. Yet business is good in China, with retail sales of the Audi A8 numbering 6,288 in H1 (compared to just 1,330 in the US) and the BMW 7 Series seemingly holding up well on 9,653 units. The arrival of an updated '7 couldn't come at a better time.

News 17 Jul, 2019

The Mercedes has revamped its GLC 43 performance SUV range, with fresh styling and more power

Mitsubishi Motors North America said it had completed construction of Lewisville Autoplex Mitsubishi, the brand's first ground-up build US dealership to use the new global dealer visual identity.

As noted in our recent analyst forecast of future Proton and Lotus models, the English company has now launched its electric hypercar, called Evija ('ev-eye-a'), co-developed by Lotus and Williams Advanced Engineering.