SWITZERLAND: Nissan announces major expansion in Russia

SWITZERLAND: Nissan announces major expansion in Russia

Nissan has announced major plans for further significant localisation of production in Russia including doubling output at its St Petersburg plant.

JAPAN: Toyota hybrid sales pass 4,000,000

JAPAN: Toyota hybrid sales pass 4,000,000

Total global sales of Toyota and Lexus full hybrid vehicles passed the 4m mark at the end of April with cumulative sales in Europe reaching 423,000.

GERMANY: Opel CEO has no Bochum news after 2014

GERMANY: Opel CEO has no Bochum news after 2014

Unlike staff at the English Vauxhall plant in Ellesmere Port, whose recent win of the next generation Astra guarantees work until the early 2020s, workers at GM's Bochum plant in Germany were on Monday (21 May) told no decision had been made.

US: Ford starts selling C-Max hybrid

US: Ford starts selling C-Max hybrid

Ford has begun taking orders for the C-Max hybrid in the US, claiming it is America's most affordable, fuel-efficient hybrid utility vehicle.

US: GM reshuffles sales team ahead of product blitz

US: GM reshuffles sales team ahead of product blitz

General Motors has reshuffled its US sales team "in preparation for numerous product launches in the coming months".

US: Chevrolet confirms Holden-built SS for MY2014

US: Chevrolet confirms Holden-built SS for MY2014

Chevrolet has confirmed an open secret - return of an Australian-made V8 powered, rear-wheel-drive performance sedan to the US lineup, the Holden Commodore-based Chevrolet SS.

UK: Audi A3 range adds sedan

UK: Audi A3 range adds sedan

The redesigned Audi A3 will offer buyers greater choice than either of the previous two versions, including a four-door sedan for the first time.


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SWITZERLAND: Nissan announces major expansion in Russia

22 May 2012

Nissan has announced major plans for further significant localisation of production in Russia including doubling output at its St Petersburg plant.

JAPAN: Toyota supplier eyes developing markets

22 May 2012

Toyota Boshoku is considering constructing an autoparts plant in Myanmar, company president Shuhei Toyoda told reporters.

JAPAN: Toyota hybrid sales pass 4,000,000

22 May 2012

Total global sales of Toyota and Lexus full hybrid vehicles passed the 4m mark at the end of April with cumulative sales in Europe reaching 423,000.

 

THE WEEK THAT WAS: Vauxhall workers get a reprieve

That huge collective sigh of relief you probably heard from Merseyside (and very likely Westminster) yesterday would have been Vauxhall management, workers and politicians greeting the news from General Motors' European unit that the Ellesmere Port Astra plant is good to go.

Hot issue

General Motors grapples with Europe

General Motors grapples with Europe's problems

As Europe's auto industry faces up to overcapacity in a falling car market, attention is turning to General Motors. With its European operations currently in loss, GM is looking to reshape its European manufacturing footprint and adjust plant-model mix to raise capacity utilisation. As ever, the possibility of plant closures is proving controversial.

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Latest interview

Ambixtra believes that its technology could replace conventional spark plug technology and result in higher efficiency, lower CO2 emissions

Q&A with Ambixtra Sustainable Technologies

South Africa’s Ambixtra Sustainable Technologies believes that its so-called Variable Spark Ignition system can replace conventional spark plug technology. To find out how, Matthew Beecham talked with Deon Smit, CEO and James Mackenzie, vice president of development, Ambixtra Sustainable Technologies.

Read more here / View all interview articles

 

May 2012 management briefing: European car market forecasts (France)

As the financial crisis in Europe swirls, we bring you exclusive extracts from LMC Automotive's suite of quarterly European national market sales reports and forecasts. The reports cover forecasts for car and light commercial vehicle sales by make and model over the next seven years.

Hot issue

Quarterly results season rolls around again

Quarterly results season rolls around again

It's quarterly results time and we've been slicing and dicing the reports to remove the bumpf, claimed 'highlights' and so on to bring you just the facts. Analysis, where applicable, courtesy of Rob Golding.

Read more here / View all hot issues

Latest automotive interview, analysis, comment and insight articles RSS feed

Q&A with Ambixtra Sustainable Technologies

21 May 2012

South Africa’s Ambixtra Sustainable Technologies believes that its so-called Variable Spark Ignition system can replace conventional spark plug technology. To find out how, Matthew Beecham talked with Deon Smit, CEO and James Mackenzie, vice president of development, Ambixtra Sustainable Technologies.

INTERVIEW: BMW UK MD Tim Abbott on Olympic sponsorship

21 May 2012

As one of seven Tier 1 partners of the Olympic Games, BMW is banking on massive exposure for the brand during this summer's jamboree in London, not the least through the automaker's sponsorship of 150 athletes. BMW UK managing director, Tim Abbott, is not revealing what the cost will be, but outlined his Olympic thoughts to Simon Warburton.

THE WEEK THAT WAS: Vauxhall workers get a reprieve

18 May 2012

That huge collective sigh of relief you probably heard from Merseyside (and very likely Westminster) yesterday would have been Vauxhall management, workers and politicians greeting the news from General Motors' European unit that the Ellesmere Port Astra plant is good to go until at least around 2020.

PRODUCT EYE: Heads-up on BMW's 640d Gran Coupé

18 May 2012

BMW tends to do things in style and with just a month or two before this year's Tour de France, they turned on a bit of that glamour with the press drive yesterday (17 May) of its 640d SE Gran Coupé west of Strasbourg in the Vosges mountains.

May 2012 management briefing: European car market forecasts (France)

17 May 2012

As the financial crisis in Europe swirls, we bring you exclusive extracts from LMC Automotive's suite of quarterly European national market sales reports and forecasts. The reports cover forecasts for car and light commercial vehicle sales by make and model over the next seven years. This first extract from the quarterly series is France.

RESEARCH SNAPSHOT: Taiwan's auto industry

14 May 2012

Taiwan has, due to its geographic position, political stance and population size, traditionally had both its import and export potentials defined by external factors. This quarterly report from Business Monitor International assesses prospects for its automotive market and industry.

COMMENT: GM and PSA's plans to share plants and architectures

14 May 2012

The past few days have seen all sorts of rumours and supposed leaks from plant managers, union officials and senior executives at Opel and PSA. What should we believe?

THE WEEK THAT WAS: Autonomous motoring

11 May 2012

Most popular news article this week: an interview with Nady Boules, director of General Motors' electrical and control integration research skunkworks. He told how the automaker sees the pathway, timeframe and costs in moving through semi- to fully autonomous driving - the automaker has begun road testing prototype Cadillacs capable of semi-autonomous driving. GM calls the system ‘Super Cruise’.

COMMENT: Germany can afford it

11 May 2012

Well, that was unexpected. Normally, the last thing safe, conservative, can we even say staid, German politicians do is pitch head first into domestic wage negotiations, preferring to stay grandly above the fray until the dust settles.

 

just-auto's research round-up

Here's a brief run-down of reports available in our research store that caught our eye over the past week or so...

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