Category Archives: auto news

GM to Invest $24m Expanding Full-Size Truck Production

Combined sales of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab pickups, which launched in the second half of 2018, were up a claimed 20% in Q1 of 2019 versus a year ago. However, total sales of Silverado and Sierra were off 15%. Continue reading

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Ferrari SF90 Stradale – a New Production +$500,000 Supercar

The SF90 is immoderate on every level because it delivers unprecedented performance for a production car. Figures such as 1000 horsepower with three electric motors helping and 390 kg of downforce at 250 km/h not only put the SF90 Stradale at the top of its segment, but also means that a V8 is the top-of-the-range model for the first time in the marque’s history. It can travel up to 15.5 miles (25 km) in zero-emissions electric power only – making legal in cities that ban use of conventional gasoline engines.  Continue reading

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INFINITI Leaves Hong Kong for Yokohama in EV Reorg

The relocation is an attempt to address a disconnect with
global design, research and development and manufacturing functions based in
Japan. This connection is said to crucial as INFINITI ramps up development of
its battery electric and e-POWER offerings. Continue reading

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BMW North America Appoints Uwe Dreher to VP Marketing

 A 17-year employee of the BMW Group, Dreher is said to have a wide range of marketing expertise with positions both at headquarters in Munich and abroad. He started with the company in 2002 working on brand management with MINI at the time of the relaunch of the brand. Continue reading

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Hyundai Shows Performance Control for Commercial EVs

The ability to calculate the gross weight of a moving vehicle in theory means that an electric vehicle’s torque output can be optimized to maximize estimated remaining range. This reduces potential wheel spin and reduced traction when a vehicle is carrying less payload, increasing commercial efficiency. The new technology also allows for changes in torque output based on topography, altering the amount of torque needed to propel a vehicle uphill based on its gross. Continue reading

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BMW Honors Designer Marcello Gandini

Like many Italian show cars of the 1960s and 1970s, the original BMW Garmisch was developed by Bertone as an independent design proposal intended to demonstrate the studio’s creativity. Continue reading

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Groupe Renault Board Meeting Now on FCA Merger Bid

Based on FCA and Groupe Renault’s 2018 global sales, the combined company would be #4 in North America, #2 in EMEA and #1 in Latin America and would have the increased resources necessary to grow its footprint in the APAC region. On a simple aggregated basis of 2018 results, the combined company’s annual revenues would be nearly €170 billion with operating profit of more than €10 billion and net profit of more than €8 billion. Continue reading

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Carvana Ups Size, Price of Common Offering. Results Unknown

The offering is subject to customary closing conditions. Wells Fargo Securities, Citigroup and Deutsche Bank Securities acted as book-running managers for the proposed offering. Continue reading

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Department of Self Interest: American Millennials Love Sedans

According to a survey, respondents who don’t currently own a sedan,would consider buying one (78%), and younger respondents reported an even higher like for the body style. Nissan recently unveiled its latest sedan, the all-new Versa, which is new inside and with technology not generally seen in the sub-compact class. It’s a large investment in what is a fading segment. Continue reading

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Aston Martin DBS Superleggera. A £300K Movie Prop

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bond films, 50 On Her Majesty’s Secret Service DBS Superleggera special edition cars will be sold. Painted Olive Green to match the original 1969 Aston Martin DBS driven by James Bond in the movie, DBS Superleggera has (marketing babble alert) “a new level of brutish elegance.” Continue reading

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European Reservations Open for Electric Honda e

Honda claims the official naming and the opening of the reservation process is the next step in the Honda e journey and the path to 100% electrification of Honda’s model range in Europe by 2025. Continue reading

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Rachel Portman at Chichester Cathedral Roof Restoration Appeal

Portman’s numerous credits include Emma, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, for which she won an Oscar in 1996, and her Academy Award nominated scores for Chocolat and The Cider House Rules. In 2015, she received an Emmy for her work on HBO’s record-breaking TV movie Bessie, a biography of blues singer Bessie Smith. Continue reading

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GM Digital Vehicle Platform Debuts

The technology powers an electronic system, capable of managing up to 4.5 terabytes of data processing power per hour, a five-fold increase in capability over GM’s current electrical architecture. Continue reading

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Mercedes-Benz – New Safety Ideas for New Mobility

Even farther out the untested by real customers this brave new world is trust. The acceptance of self-driving vehicles will require initially holding an untested belief that they will be safer than conventional vehicles. Moreover, other road users must be able to recognize what an automated vehicle intends to do, because there will be no driver to communicate this. Continue reading

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Nissan opens The Box, a Latin America Design Studio

With the motto “Disruption through Fusion,” its mission is to merge and translate Latin American and Japanese cultures as it develops new Nissan projects targeting both Latin American and global markets. Continue reading

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