Audi - automotive industry company news 
CHINA: Anti-corruption campaign hitting premium brands – analyst
17 May 2013
Although the Chinese car market is expected to see growth of around 10% this year, prospects for premium brands have deteriorated as a result of the Chinese government's anti-corruption campaign, according to LMC Automotive.
CHINA: Volkswagen JV breaks ground for Changsha plant
16 May 2013
Volkswagen's joint venture with Shanghai Automotive has broken ground for a 300,000-unit plant in Changsha in the province of Hunan, south-central China.
COMMENT: Is Tesla really worth twice as much as Fiat SpA?
16 May 2013
We live in strange times. As Fisker, a rival with supposedly superior range-extending technology falls apart, the value of Tesla rises yet again, this time by almost two percent on Wednesday to US$9.7bn.
UK: Western Europe's main dealer count declined in 2012 (but only by 3%)
14 May 2013
Research by the UK-based ICDP shows that the collapse to demand in Western Europe is leading to a decline in the number of main dealer sales networks across the region.
Q&A with Lear Corporation: Review of vehicle seating
10 May 2013
Back in the 1970s, a car seat was a functional component with few or no added value features. Nowadays, with drivers spending more time in their car on longer commutes, they expect a comfortable ride. Matthew Beecham caught up with three top executives of Lear Corp to hear how the seat has become an integral part of the car’s overall design and appeal in the showroom. Here, Ryan Burns, Lear’s Vice President of Global Seat Engineering led the discussion with contributions from Karl Henn, Director of Seating Engineering and R&D and Mandy Sarotte, Vice President of Global Trim Sales.
PRODUCT EYE: Now entering new niche - BMW's 3 GT
8 May 2013
There's lots of talk these days from auto industry executives about entering new segments or niches. From BMW - and arch-rival Audi - there's less talk and more action; we've seen a vast expansion of both luxury brands' offerings over the last three decades and, especially from BMW, there is more to come after this latest: the 3 Series GT.
MEXICO: Audi starts construction on NAFTA plant
8 May 2013
Audi has started construction work at its planned Mexican production plant in San José Chiapa.
GERMANY: Audi grows sales in Q2
8 May 2013
Audi has started the second quarter with further sales growth, up 6.6% year on year to 133,500 cars. The automaker said there was particular demand for the new A3 family and the Q3, Q5 and Q7 SUVs.
CHINA: General Motors wins $1.3bn Cadillac plant approval
7 May 2013
General Motors which, through its local joint ventures, is the largest foreign automaker in China, announced it had won regulatory approval to build a new Cadillac factory to boost local sales.
US APRIL SALES: Detroit grows market share
3 May 2013
US light vehicle sales continued their upward swing in April, finishing up 8.5% year on year at 1.29m for the month. Year to date (YTD) results were 6.9% ahead of the first four months of 2012.
TOKYO PREVIEW: Global debuts list [Toyota fuel cell vehicle added]
2 May 2013
The media days for the Tokyo motor show are 20 & 21 November (the same as those for the LA show). Each time a vehicle or concept world premiere is confirmed for this biennial event, our preview list is updated.
AUSTRIA: VW hails natural gas, plug-in hybrids and is to add 10-speed DSG
29 April 2013
Volkswagen has set out some views on future powertrain and drivelines at a symposium in Vienna, including an upbeat assessment on prospects for natural gas and plug-in hybrids, but with an emphasis on future alternative powertrains co-existing with the internal combustion engine.
PRODUCT EYE: Audi A3 Sportback
29 April 2013
It seems hardly a month goes by when there isn’t one new form or another of the new Audi A3 being announced. Glenn Brooks, who attended the UK launch of the Sportback, looks at what's ahead for the local importer's best selling model.
ROMANIA: TRW opens new steering wheel facility
29 April 2013
TRW has held the opening ceremony for a new steering wheel facility that will supply Audi, in Baia Mare, Romania.
GERMANY: Daimler lowers earnings forecast as Q1 profits slump
24 April 2013
Daimler has said it now expects earnings to fall this year, following a 60% slump in first quarter profits and a 3% decline in revenue.
COLOMBIA: Sales fell 23% YTD in Q1 but recovery is expected
24 April 2013
The government announcement about reducing credit interest rates came as Colombian new car sales fell 23% YTD though month on month sales in March rose 2.9% to 22,888 units, the best month in 2013 so far.
SHANGHAI: Mixed messages from German premium brands
23 April 2013
Germany’s premium brands appeared confident about further growth in sales in China, but it will be slower than it has been in the past.
SHANGHAI: GM to launch 17 models in China this year
22 April 2013
General Motors will launch 17 new or updated models in China this year as it seeks to maintain dominance in the world's largest car market, the automaker's China president Bob Socia said.
SHANGHAI: Global debuts list [Final version with additional cars & updated descriptions]
22 April 2013
Details of concepts and new models which made their global debuts on Saturday 20 April at Auto Shanghai's media preview day.
AUSTRALIA: MG relaunched 'down under'
17 April 2013
MG has been officially relaunched in Australia with the MG6 sedan and fastback range shipped from SAIC in China.
PRODUCT EYE: Dacia Sandero
16 April 2013
Just how good can a sub-GBP 6,000 car be? A lot better than you would expect, Glenn Brooks finds, as he tries out the Dacia Sandero.
CHINA: BMW JV names new EV brand
15 April 2013
BMW's Chinese joint venture with Brilliance has unveiled a new brand in China in a bid to tap the nation's fledgling electric car market.
BRAZIL: Inovar-Auto programme discussed at auto industry forum
9 April 2013
The federal government of Brazil has again postponed restoring the full rate of IPI tax on cars by 1 July. Having kept the secret well, it announced the current two-thirds discount will be maintained until the end of the year.
INDIA: Volvo plans to boost sales
9 April 2013
Geely's Volvo is looking to increase its presence by introducing new models and increasing its sales network in India.
GERMANY: Audi sets new Q1 sales record
9 April 2013
Volkswagen group's Audi brand has reported a record first quarter with worldwide deliveries reaching around 369,500 units in the first three months of this year.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: US stays on the up
5 April 2013
Some good sales numbers out of the US this week as new models get favourable reactions and a degree of cautious optimism prevails. Soon we'll get a reality check in the form of the first quarter financial results.
US: Car sales continue to rise
3 April 2013
US light vehicle sales continue to grow last month. Automakers delivered better than 1.4m cars and trucks, a 3.5% improvement over March 2012. This translated into a seasonally adjusted annualised rate (SAAR) of 15.27m sales, slightly below analysts’ expectation of 15.4m, but more than 1m sales higher than the mark from last March. March 2013 was the fifth consecutive month the SAAR was above 15m.
QATAR: VW in dispute with former importer
3 April 2013
Volkswagen has got into a legal wrangle with its former Qatari distributor Saad Buzwair Automotive (SBA) over the cancellation of import licences.
ITALY: Rumours of Alfa-for-sale talks with VW Group resurface
2 April 2013
Rumours of discussions between Fiat and VW Group over the possible sale of Alfa Romeo have surfaced yet again, this time involving Audi on the VW side.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Showtime in New York
28 March 2013
Award for the most cleverly orchestrated hype this week has gotta go to Tata Motors' Land Rover which unveiled its long-awaited Range Rover Sport in New York this week, a superb case study of how much the method of launching new cars has changed in the digital age.
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