Renault-Nissan Alliance and Transdev have agreed to jointly explore development of mobility services with fleets of electric driverless vehicles for public and on-demand transportation. The companies will collaborate to develop a comprehensive, modular transportation system to enable clients to book rides, and mobility operators to monitor and operate self-driving car fleets. As part of its … [Read more...]
EV sales collapse after incentives end – warning
Sales of plug-in hybrid cars have collapsed in the Netherlands after the government withdrew buying incentives and it's a warning about what could happen in Britain. The country was the European sales leader for plug-in hybrids in 2015, thanks to government tax cuts for company-car drivers, but last year those tax cuts were scaled back. Sales in 2016 halved to below 20,000, and the … [Read more...]
New mobility era is dawning
The role and way we use cars is changing forever. New mobility services represent the latest area of exploration and expansion for automotive companies as they seek to understand potential long-term threats to their core business. The Mobile World Congress will be held in Barcelona this week. Mobility services including ride-hailing and car-sharing fulfill some transportation needs for … [Read more...]
This year global sales to top 93M light vehicles
Total 2017 global light vehicle sales will reach 93.5 million units, a growth rate of 1.5 percent over 2016, according to the most recent forecast from IHS Markit, a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions. However, industry risk in mature markets is at the highest level it has been since the Lehman Brothers collapse and global industry downturn from 2008 through 2010, and … [Read more...]
Newslines 24 February
The UK automotive sector demonstrated its commitment to developing the latest low emission vehicles during a special display in London yesterday. Set against the backdrop of London’s Tower Bridge, 26 vehicles from 16 different brands underlined the diversity and appeal of alternatively fuelled vehicles now on sale across the UK, where there are currently some 83 different alternatively fuelled … [Read more...]
Diesel can still play a useful role
Diesel still has an important role to play for many fleets despite calls for a scrappage scheme designed to improve air quality by removing older vehicles, says Arval. The vehicle leasing and fleet management company believes that such initiatives can be very effective in removing old and inefficient vehicles, but there is a risk that all diesel vehicles become incorrectly perceived as … [Read more...]
Newslines 21 February: Vauxhall pensions mountain
The pensions deficit at Vauxhall stands at about £1 Billion, Reuters has been told. Peugeot is considering taking over GM's European divisions Vauxhall and Opel, and many multinational companies including Tata Steel have had to deal with increased pension spending, and it could be a factor which influences Peugeot in where to make any possible cuts following a deal being reached after talks … [Read more...]
UK concerns over Vauxhall plants
Britain has contacted the president of General Motors to express concerns after the American firm opened talks to sell its European operations, including the Vauxhall plants in England, to France's PSA Group. The Department for Business said the government remained in close contact with GM and was monitoring the situation after the two companies said on tuesday that they were in talks over a … [Read more...]
Tradelines 15 February
Mitsubishi has named its all-new SUV “Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross” before it appears next month at the Geneva motor show. As befits its sharp, coupé-like contours, the Eclipse Cross name references the Eclipse sports car which amassed more than 1.4 million sales, mainly in North America between 1989 and 2012, while also referring to the cross-functional SUV nature of this new car. South Korea … [Read more...]
Profits pushed back at JLR by rising spending
India's Tata Motors reported a 96 percent fall in net profit for its third quarter, citing sharply lower earnings at its British luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover and losses in its domestic business. Consolidated net profit for the three months to Dec. 31 fell to 1.12 billion rupees from 29.53 billion a year earlier, the company said on Tuesday. Total income from operations fell 4.3 percent to … [Read more...]