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CHINA: Dongfeng takes stake in MMC partner Fujian
16 May 2013
Dongfeng Motor has taken a shareholding in MMC's joint venture partner Fujian Motor. The deal gives China's second largest OEM new access to manufacturing capacity in the country's south east.
GERMANY: New top Merc has all-LED lighting
16 May 2013
Daimler's new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, launched on Wednesday at the Airbus delivery centre in Hamburg, is claimed to be the first vehicle without a single conventional light bulb - all lighting is LED.
US: GM to sell Nissan NV200 van as a Chevrolet
14 May 2013
Echoing a similar model-sharing deal with the Renault-Nissan alliance in Europe, General Motors is to rebadge Nissan's NV200 van to sell in the US and Canada as the Chevrolet City Express.
Q&A with Thatcham: Autonomous Emergency Braking
13 May 2013
An autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system uses sensors tucked behind the rearview mirror to work out if you are about to have a crash and apply the brakes automatically to either prevent the crash at lower speeds or reduce its severity at higher speeds. Although some luxury segment cars are already equipped with an AEB system, we are seeing some volume producers fitting it as standard on certain models. That seems hardly surprising given that from next year automakers hoping to get a five star NCAP rating will have to put in an AEB system. Matthew Beecham asked Matthew Avery, Head of Research at the UK-based Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre (Thatcham) for his views on AEB. Thatcham has been a member of the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) since 2004.
GERMANY: Daimler in supply deal talks with Aston Martin
9 May 2013
Daimler is reportedly in early talks with Aston Martin over a supply arrangement to Aston Martin that is thought to involve Mercedes engines.
US: Chevrolet claims economy benchmark for Spark EV
30 April 2013
Chevrolet claims that the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV is the "industry benchmark in retail electric vehicle efficiency" with a combined city/highway EPA estimated range of 82 miles when fully charged and an EPA-estimated combined city/highway 119 MPGe fuel economy equivalent.
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.
GERMANY: Daimler plans transmission plant in Romania
24 April 2013
Daimler said it is planning to build a factory in Romania to assemble transmissions for Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
US: Nissan and New York City launch Leaf taxi pilot
24 April 2013
Nissan and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg have launched a new electric vehicle taxi pilot with the Leaf. The programme, which puts six EV taxis into service beginning this spring, will help the automaker, the city, the taxi industry and the public understand how zero emission vehicles can be integrated into future taxi fleets.
GERMANY: Daimler reportedly plans transmission factory in Romania
23 April 2013
Daimler plans a large investment to build transmission components in Romania at the site of an existing joint venture in Cugir, Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing company sources.
SHANGHAI: Dongfeng & Kia announce Horki brand
22 April 2013
DYK, China's Dongfeng Yueda Kia joint venture, has revealed the Horki Concept-1 at the media preview day of the Shanghai motor show. The first car for this new brand will be built in one of DYK's three Yancheng plants from 2015.
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.
CHINA: BYD-Daimler JV builds Denza EV production line in Pingshan, Shenzhen
18 April 2013
Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology is setting up a new production line in Pingshan, Shenzhen, which will have a capacity to build 40,000 Denza-brand electric cars per year, reported China Auto Web, citing the company's CEO Lian Yubo. The BYD-Daimler joint venture will complete installation of the line by the end of June.
DETROIT PREVIEW: First car for global debuts list
17 April 2013
Daimler is the first manufacturer to have revealed plans for a vehicle world premiere at the 2014 North American International Auto Show.
ANALYSIS: Demand for in-car connectivity to surge
15 April 2013
Research carried out by just-auto.com forecasts that global demand for vehicle connectivity will surge over the next ten years.
FRANCE: Nissan to move van production to Sandouville
12 April 2013
Nissan is planning move production of the next generation Primastar commercial van from Spain to Renault's Sandouville plant in France, a move that will help alliance partner Renault keep a pledge to raise domestic output in return for union concessions.
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.
INTERVIEW: Keno Kato, Corporate VP of Product Planning for Nissan & Infiniti
2 April 2013
Keno Kato is corporate vice president of Global Product Strategy and Product Planning for Nissan and Infiniti. Glenn Brooks recently met him and took the opportunity to ask a variety of questions concerning future model plans.
US: VW workers will decide on unionisation
2 April 2013
Workers at Volkswagen's plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, are to decide whether they want union representation.
NEW YORK SHOW: Electric Mercedes B-Class set for global launch in US early 2014
28 March 2013
The Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive will gets its global launch in the US market from early 2014 with European sales to follow.
SLOVAKIA: BMW plant would be welcomed
26 March 2013
BMW may open a factory in Slovakia, joining German rival Volkswagen group which already builds a variety of group brands there.
SOUTH AFRICA: Johnson Controls expands interiors facility
20 March 2013
Johnson Controls has announced the expansion of its interiors plant in East London, South Africa.
EXCLUSIVE: No SEAT or Skoda versions of VW e-up! plug-in planned
14 March 2013
A spokesperson for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars division of VAG has told just-auto that no versions of the VW e-up! are planned "for now". The brand's first all-electric car was announced earlier on 14 March.
FRANCE: Renault decision on extra production "within weeks"
14 March 2013
Renault will announce what extra vehicles it will build in France for alliance partners Daimler and Nissan "within weeks"’, chief executive Carlos Ghosn said in Paris.
GERMANY: Volkswagen to use CO2 as future refrigerant for air-con
14 March 2013
Volkswagen plans to introduce carbon dioxide-based air conditioning systems throughout its cars instead of the Honeywell refrigerant HFO-1234yf, which was created to meet tougher environmental standards.
GERMANY: Mercedes-Benz February sales slip
13 March 2013
Mercedes-Benz sold 90,083 cars in February 2013, down from 95,647 a year ago but up 1.3% year to date to 184,978.
GERMANY: Daimler Trucks' first half outlook gloomy
13 March 2013
Daimler Trucks has forecast a weak first quarter due to falling orders in Europe and the US with improvement expected only in the second half, division chief Andreas Renschler said.
GERMANY: Mercedes ponders Audi A1 rival
12 March 2013
Mercedes-Benz is again considering building a supermini wearing its own badges, rather than smart.
GERMANY: Daimler chief calls China February "tough"
8 March 2013
Daimler chief executive Dieter Zetsche said Mercedes-Benz had taken several steps to overcome its weakness in China after business in February was "tough" in the world's largest car market.
GENEVA 2013 PRESS PREVIEW DAYS REVIEW: Part One
7 March 2013
As our list of vehicle and concept world premieres attests, this year’s Geneva motor show media preview days saw a bumper crop of new models revealed. Glenn Brooks, our man at the Palais des Expositions, reports his observations.
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