Industry

Europe’s car makers predict stronger sales

6 June 2016

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association has revised its forecast for 2016 car registrations upwards from its initial January forecast of 2% growth. “Looking ahead, we now forecast growth for EU passenger car sales in the region of 5% this year. Commercial vehicle sales should also grow substantially,” stated ACEA President, Dieter … [Read more...]

JLR sue Chinese copy-cat Evoque maker

6 June 2016

Jaguar Land Rover is suing Chinese automaker Jiangling Motor for allegedly copying the Range Rover Evoque. It’s a rare move by a foreign automaker to fight copycats in the world's biggest auto market as it could be viewed as bullying by a foreign manufacturer of a home producer. Despite widespread and often blatant copying, automakers generally don't … [Read more...]

British buy more UK made models

1 June 2016

UK engine plants produced over 14% more units in April compared to a year ago. A total of 231,628 engines were built , including 99,041 destined for vehicles to be sold in the UK and that is over 50% above the 2015 figure. It has been a good start to the year with four months’ production up 6.2% overall despite a very small decline in export … [Read more...]

UK car makers enjoying share of Euro boom

27 May 2016

British car production rose 16.4 percent year-on-year in April, boosted by strong demand from overseas. Total car production reached 149,334 vehicles last month, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said, with production for export jumping 23.7 percent while those built for domestic demand slipped 7.8 percent. New car registrations in the 29 … [Read more...]

Fuel cell first in British motor sport

26 May 2016

Motorsport history will be made at Gurston Down Speed Hill Climb outside Salisbury on the bank holiday weekend. The most unusual, certainly the quietest and probably the “greenest”, of the cars taking part in the British Hillclimb Championship event will be a Toyota Mirai, which has no engine but produces energy for it's electric motor through a hydrogen … [Read more...]

Makers, dealers and society must face issue of robo-cars

25 May 2016

There are long term implications for the automotive industry and suppliers with the advent of driverless cars, says a new report by Moody’s Investors Service. The report entitled “Autonomous Vehicles Will Drive Change from Auto Manufacturing to Insurance”, looks at the potential impacts of autonomous driving in a number of areas. While the widespread … [Read more...]

Governments & makers failing to hit green car targets

23 May 2016

Governments and industry are failing to achieve targets for electric vehicles, says the European Climate Foundation. The future Renewable Energy Directive should actively promote the electrification of transport. This is the key message from the Platform for Electro Mobility in its response to the public consultation on a new Renewable Energy Directive … [Read more...]

Women champions being sought

21 May 2016

The UK motor industry is on the search for the most influential British women in the sector this summer, after research by the Automotive Council found that women working in automotive manufacturing are outnumbered by men three to one. In the UK as a whole, just 9% of UK engineering employees are female, the lowest proportion in Europe, while fewer than … [Read more...]

Big five European car markets’ sales rise

18 May 2016

Led by strong growth in Spain and Italy, new car registrations in Europe’s Big 5 markets grew by 8.6% to 958,400 units in April 2016. After the UK’s traditional volume peak in March, which saw registrations rise to 1.36 million, April produced further gains across the top five European markets with SUVs driving higher volume and counting for 24.4% and … [Read more...]

Nissan plan to revive Mitsubishi