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FRANCE: Renault-Nissan alliance inks government battery JV - (5th November 2009)
A letter of intent has been signed in Flins between the Renault-Nissan Alliance, the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and the French Strategic Investment Fund (FSI) to set-up a joint venture company that would develop and manufacture batteries for electric vehicles, under the patronage of Christian Estrosi, the French Minister for Industry.
COMMENT: GM looks to the future over Opel/Vauxhall - (4th November 2009)
So, there you have it – the final twist in the tail. GM has, at the eleventh hour, done an abrupt U-turn in order to avoid doing something that it never wanted to do, but felt that it had to do when adverse financial circumstances dictated that it file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US earlier this year.
US: Ford now predicts 2011 as "solidly profitable" after strong Q3 - (2nd November 2009)
Ford on Monday announced third quarter net income of US$997m, up $1.2bn from the third quarter of 2008, pre-tax operating profit up $3.9bn to $1.1bn – its first pre-tax operating profit since the first quarter of 2008 – and an operating profit of $357m at its North America operations, the first quarter in the black since Q1 2005. It has also revised its full-year 2011 guidance for total company and North American automotive operations from "break even or better" to "solidly profitable", pre-tax.
US/GERMANY: GM delays Opel decision to next week - (26th October 2009)
General Motors' management board will discuss the sale of 55% of Opel and Vauxhall to a consortium led by Magna International at its next regular meeting on 3 November, GM's chief negotiator John Smith has said.
US: Marchionne splits Dodge in two - (5th October 2009)
Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne on Monday announced the “unbundling” of the Dodge brand into separate Dodge RAM truck and Dodge Car organisations.
US: GM's Saturn sale to Penske is off - (1st October 2009)
GM will close Saturn and wind down its dealership network after a proposed deal to sell the brand to Penske Automotive Group collapsed.
UK: JLR to close a plant - (24th September 2009)
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will close one of its plants in the West Midlands after 2014 in a cost-cutting move that follows deep financial losses that have hurt Tata Motors' bottom line.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Frankfurt lite - (18th September 2009)
Given the current auto industry state of play, a slimmed down, eye-on-the-budget, Frankfurt motor show was expected, and so it proved. But, while visitor numbers were estimated off 25% to 750,000, several well-known Japanese brands (not including Mazda, which has long been popular in Germany) stayed away, BMW kept its tent folded and the lavish on-stand hospitality of some previous years was noticeably absent, the show was still the usual sprawl.
FEATURE: Signs of recovery in UK used car market - (15th September 2009)
Although the UK used car market shrank by 5.9% in the first half of this year, that was nothing compared to the 26.6% year-on-year drop in new car sales in the first six months of 2009. The show of relative strength began in the first quarter, when used car sales increased by 17% compared with the previous three months, and then, fell back by only 1.1% in the second quarter.
ANALYSIS: Fear and loathing in Luton - (14th September 2009)
The Luton van plant is at serious risk of closure in the wake of GM’s forced sale of Opel/Vauxhall to Magna and its Russian finance partners, writes Mark Bursa
