Third quarter/second fiscal quarter results continued to flow in all week so, if your life is incomplete without knowing how a particular automaker or supplier did in Q3, there’s a good chance it’s already here in our compilation pack (or coming next week).
Notable with Nissan’s Q2 announcement was a management shake-up with more regions of responsibility created and some new job titles – like chief performance officer – not unlike those announced for alliance partner Renault a little while back.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Special items clobbered the GM bottom line, despite regional improvements and there was an air of disappointment over the Honda numbers.
Down in Australia, Toyota indicated it needed to change its deal with its factory workers if it is to stay in business in a country from which Ford exits manufacturing in 2016 and GM’s Holden is considering all options from about 2020.
PSA opened a new engine line at Douvrin in France and Toyota’s Lexus earned another reliability gong in its favourite market, the US. When I read, on the likes of this consumer site, of the ‘fun’ some owners have with European luxury brand quality and reliability, I do wonder why more Continental buyers don’t go for Toyota’s premium brand.
Meanwhile, the general European malaise has forced Ford to take a few days’ production of both engines and the B-Max out in Romania.
That said, the global autobiz is picked to screw together just short of 82m units this year. So some people are still buying new vehicles.
Have a nice weekend.
Graeme Roberts, Deputy Editor, just-auto.com
