Automotive News Europe blogs
Why it won't be easy for global automakers to part with Chinese partners
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, April 23Yang Jian is managing editor of Automotive News China.
YANG JIAN : The Chinese government has announced that it will phase out restrictions on foreign ownership of joint ventures with domestic automakers by 2020. The move bodes well for foreign automakers' future in China as it will allow them to part from joint venture partners and gain full control of local operations. But a complete separation will be hard for nearly all global brands that manufacture in Chin ...
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Schaeffler looks beyond ball-bearings with future urban mobility ideas
Posted 4:52 am U.S. ET, April 19The Schaeffler Mover concept is an electric chassis that can take different bodies such as a robotaxi, shown, or a small cargo van. (Schaeffler)
PETER SIGAL: Schaeffler is looking toward the future with new products and projects that might be considered unconventional for a company whose roots lie in ball bearing production. The German supplier's four focus areas in its 2020 strategic plan are urban mobility; environmentally friendly drivetrains; interurban transportation (trains and airplanes); and the energy chain (sustainable and conventional). Sc ...
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Key takeaways from VW's wild week
Posted 7:13 am U.S. ET, April 13Christiaan Hetzner is Automotive News Europe's Germany correspondent.
CHRISTIAAN HETZNER : If Volkswagen wanted to explain why it just reorganized itself into brand groups that supposedly will better drive forward the company's transformation process, then they did a poor job of it. But there were some key takeaways from Friday’s press conference that answered other open questions including why Matthias Mueller was dismissed from his post as CEO. Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch went ...
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Pininfarina preps H500 concept as Tesla fighter
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, April 13The H500 features a fastback profile and a generous rear passenger compartment. The most unique aspect of this fairly conservative shape: fins on the front fenders that flow into the windowsills.
JAY RAMEY : Pininfarina is giving the world an early peek at a sedan concept set for reveal this month at the Beijing auto show, one of two concepts that the design house will showcase there. The Mahindra-owned consultancy has joined with Hybrid Kinetic Group of Hong Kong with the goal of developing "clean energy vehicles," and if the H500 sedan concept looks like a hopeful Tesla competit ...
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Jaguar said to be planning Porsche Cayenne rival
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, April 12The J-Pace will slot above the F-Pace, shown, in Jaguar's lineup.
WESLEY WREN: It looks like Jaguar’s got another street-minded crossover in the works, one with the Porsche Cayenne in its sights. According to Autocar, the bigger Jaguar crossover will be called J-Pace and will borrow parts and pieces from Land Rover's component bins. As for the sheet metal, designer Ian Callum will pen a new shell for Jaguar's fourth crossover in half a de ...
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Bangle's quest to ban banality
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, April 5Chris Bangle stands in front of the REDS minicar. The tall, boxy model was created by the former BMW executive's Italy-based design consultancy. (Chris Bangle Associates)
DOUGLAS A. BOLDUC : Former BMW chief designer Chris Bangle has strong feelings about the future of car design. He believes companies should be doing more to stand out from their rivals. This includes doing away with something he was once in charge of at his former employer: establishing a common design language for the entire brand. "I would say that was my main job, to maintain that phenomenon for my years at BMW. ...
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New ZF CEO is bullish about plug-in hybrid sector
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 22Scheider wants to leverage ZF's deep and diverse product portfolio.
DOUGLAS A. BOLDUC : New ZF Friedrichhafen CEO Wolf-Henning Scheider's biggest question after fewer than 40 workdays at the supplier is: "How do we push this forward?" He wants to leverage ZF's deep and diverse product portfolio. "No one else has what we have," Scheider said. ZF produces everything from driveline and chassis technology to active and passive safety solutions. Scheider, 55, became CEO on Feb. 1 ...
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BMW, Mercedes win with diesels in Korea
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 16BMW opened a driving center in South Korea in 2014.
CHRISTIAAN HETZNER : It's only been a couple of weeks since the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang concluded, but for two of Germany's major premium brands the hunt for gold in South Korea continues. BMW's and Mercedes-Benz's sales are booming and, unlike Europe, diesels have been a major driver of the success. Models such as the BMW 520d or Mercedes-Benz E 220d routinely rank as the best-selling imports. Typically ...
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Why Israel is winning with autonomous cars
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 14
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Alpine, Fiat, Volvo find subtle ways to show national pride
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 9France's colors can be found inside the doors of the Alpine A110.
DOUGLAS A. BOLDUC : The pride that Europe's automakers have for their homelands was on display this week at the Geneva auto show, but it appeared in very inconspicuous places. Renault's Alpine sports car brand has a French flag in both door panels of the recently revived A110. ...
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Jeep overshadows Fiat brand with bigger Geneva spotlight
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 7Jeep Boss Mile Manley introduces the Wrangler Sahara Edition at the Geneva show. (Bloomberg)
ANDREA MALAN : Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' display at this year's Geneva auto show highlights how diminished the once-dominant Fiat brand is these days. Jeep got the prime position on FCA's stand, ousting Fiat from its traditional spot. Jeep was given the big corner stand while Fiat moved to a much smaller center stand, close to Abarth and Alfa Romeo. Being center stage at an auto show means no big back billboa ...
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Trump's tariff threat could impact PSA's U.S. return
Posted 4:55 am U.S. ET, March 7
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