BRAZIL: 2014 model leadership goes down to wire
In the first year of new safety rules here in Brazil, aged models were phased out - VW Kombi, Fiat Mille and Gol Mk IV so 2014 year kept rivals Fiat and Volkswagen on tenterhooks until 31 December to see who had the market leader.
US: Visteon records US$295m full-year loss
Visteon has posted a US$295m net loss, including a US$343m loss on discontinued operations.
UK: BMW 2 Series Convertible launched
BMW has launched its 2 Series Convertible in the UK car market. The new model directly replaces the 1 Series Convertible and is significantly larger than that car (72mm longer and 22mm wider).
SWEDEN: NEVS estimates reorganisation exit "very likely"
National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) says it considers it "very likely" it will secure approval for a compensation plan from 60% of creditors and exit the current reorganisation status.
SOUTH AFRICA: BMW's Rosslyn plant builds 1m
BMW South Africa's Rosslyn, Pretoria plant has built its millionth vehicle, a 3 Series sedan.
Latest Automotive Insights
Briefing: 48V mild hybrids (3)
Moving to a 48V architecture in hybrid and electric vehicles offers plenty of promise. It provides about four times the energy recuperation...
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Hobnobbing with the A-listers
A highlight for the Z-list 'trade site' peasant this week was - courtesy of right place, right time - to sup down at the A-listers' table on...
Volvo UK specs up seven seat XC90 redesign
Volvo's UK unit is keeping one card up its sleeve when it launches the redesigned XC90 SUV starting in June....
ANALYSIS: Suzuki's new brand flagship - Vitara
As a car brand, Suzuki is not one of the big beasts of the auto industry. It's something of a niche player but is now planning to cement its...
ANALYSIS: Mercedes smart brand's last chance?
Mercedes-Benz has struggled for 18 years to make profits from smart. Platform sharing with Renault may be the brand's last chance, writes Ra...
ANALYSIS: Europe's fragile recovery continues
Car sales in January were off to a good start and it was the seventeenth successive month of growth. It's good that the market is growing ag...
VEHICLE ANALYSIS: SEAT León Cupra 23 Feb 15
Once the Volkswagen Group’s biggest underachiever, SEAT is succeeding at last. The evidence? In Germany it’s now a top-ten brand, and in the UK, it was just 47 cars behind Fiat in January.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Lifting the hood on sales data 20 Feb 15
ACEA's monthly reports on European car sales are always interesting and this week we decided to drill down a bit and see if there was anything interesting in the January data - and that for 2014 - worth keeping an eye on during the rest of 2015. There was.
Thought Leaders
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Join Bloomberg Intelligence for an informative webinar on the automobile industry led by Kevin Tynan, BI Senior Analyst. As the...
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As vehicles and parts become ever more reliable, demand for replacement parts is diminishing and Original Equipment Man...
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One question is increasingly vexing OEM's: whether or not to invest in either a Second Tier parts or an All Makes Parts Progra...
Top Auto News
NEVS estimates reorganisation exit "very likely"
Simon Warburton | 27 Feb 15 
National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) says it considers it "very likely" it will secure approval for a compensation plan from 60% of creditors and exit the current reorganisation status.
2014 model leadership goes down to wire
Fernando Calmon | 27 Feb 15 
In the first year of new safety rules here in Brazil, aged models were phased out - VW Kombi, Fiat Mille and Gol Mk IV so 2014 year kept rivals Fiat and Volkswagen on tenterhooks until 31 December to see who had the market leader.
BMW 2 Series Convertible launched
Dave Leggett | 27 Feb 15 
BMW has launched its 2 Series Convertible in the UK car market. The new model directly replaces the 1 Series Convertible and is significantly larger than that car (72mm longer and 22mm wider).
Recent News - (Updated: 11:52am 28 Feb 2015)
Visteon records US$295m full-year loss
GM to axe Sonic output in Thailand
Nissan has plant capacity for 10% US share
Yokohama signs five-year Chelsea sponsorship deal
GM Brazil workers end six day strike
Latest Auto Interviews
Q&A with Eugenio Toccalino, Director of Strategic Marketing, Dow Automotive 23 Feb 15
Dow Automotive Systems is a provider of polyurethanes, elastomers, films, fluids, adhesives, emissions solutions and acoustic-management materials to the global transportation industry. Matthew Beecham spoke to Eugenio Toccalino, Director of Strategic Marketing, Dow Automotive about structural foams and adhesives and the ways in which the supplier is helping OEMs make cars lighter.
Q&A with Rajus Augustine, Director HALOsonic Business Development, Harman 16 Feb 15
At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Harman presented some updates to its HALOsonic suite of noise management solutions. Matthew Beecham spoke to Rajus Augustine, Director HALOsonic Business Development to find out what it means for OEMs.
Autonomous driving: Q&A with Chris Hoyle, Technical Director at rFpro 10 Feb 15
We are continually told that driverless cars are tomorrow's world. Already the idea that they will feature at the 2020 Olympic Games is a given. In the meantime, an engineering team at rFpro have been looking at the ways in which to test these vehicles accurately in a safe, virtual environment using a simulator. To find out more, Matthew Beecham spoke to Chris Hoyle, Technical Director at rFpro.
Automotive Blog
Toyota Mirai - more than meets the eye
Dave Leggett | 25 Feb 15
The short films available on YouTube showing Toyota's Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell being made are well worth a look (as noted by previous blog). The Motomachi plant in Toyota City is churning out three Mirais a day.
Watch the Toyota Mirai being made
Glenn Brooks | 24 Feb 15
Here's a chance to see details of Toyota's Mirai fuel cell car being manufactured at its Motomachi plant in Japan.
Dave Leggett | 12 Feb 15
Interesting development in the news at Audi. There's a robot on the assembly line that works with the humans.
Hot Automotive Issues
Russia's automotive sector facing crisis
Russia's automotive market and manufacturing industry is facing major difficulties this year as Russia's economy reels under the impact of collapsed oil prices and sanctions related to the Ukraine crisis. The falling car market is facing accelerated decline as car prices rise on a weak currency amid ebbing consumer and business confidence. And there is little immediate sign of improvement to the underlying causes of Russia's current malaise.
Valuable cars perch periously above the drink
Barely had the car carrier Hoegh Osaka left the port of Southampton and entered the Solent, something went horribly wrong and the ship listed hard over before the pilot and crew beached her on a sandbank. At risk are 1,200 JLR vehicles, 65 Minis, one Rolls-Royce and a bunch of JCB machines. We're following the salvage saga.
All our coverage is here
Our coverage from this year's LA auto show is gathered together here.
Auto Market Research
Global vehicle lightweighting - technology, trends and the f
Global vehicle lightweighting - technology, trends and the future
New to just-auto this quarter, this report has been extracted from QUBE and provides a comprehensive overview of the vehicle lightweighting megatrend, the technologies, materials and suppliers involved, and material content forecasts out to 2029... Read more
Published: January 2015 - ($1500.00)
Future Technology for Hybrid and Pure Electric Cars 2015-2025
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