Nov 24 (Reuters) – Global shipping and supply chain bottlenecks are encouraging Canadian firms to bring production back home, but some companies would have to absorb higher costs and build expertise in certain sectors for local manufacturing to pick up pace.

While carefully knitted global supply chains helped sectors from fashion to autos cut costs and boost margins in recent decades, COVID-19 has eroded those advantages and exposed weaknesses like shortages of semiconductor chips. Continue reading “Analysis: Made in Canada: Factories see silver lining in supply chain woes”

LONDON, Nov 26 (Reuters) – British car output fell by an annual 41.4% last month to its lowest October level since 1956 as the global lack of semiconductor chips and a plant closure hit the sector, according to a trade industry body.

A total of 64,729 cars rolled off British production lines, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed on Friday.

Continue reading “Lowest October UK car output since 1956 amid chip shortage”

BERLIN, Nov 26 (Reuters) – Tesla (TSLA.O) said on Friday it has withdrawn its application for state aid for its planned battery factory near Berlin as CEO Elon Musk declared the electric vehicle maker opposed all subsidies.

The European Union in January approved a plan that included giving state aid to Tesla, BMW (BMWG.DE) and others to support production of electric vehicle batteries and help the bloc to reduce imports from industry leader China. Continue reading “Tesla decides against state aid for German battery plant as Musk opposes subsidies”

MUNICH, Nov 26 (Reuters) – Whether buying computer chips directly from manufacturers, reconfiguring cars, or producing them with parts missing, automakers are having to get creative to cope with the global shortage of semiconductors.

The shortage, due to supply problems and a surge in demand for consumer electricals during the pandemic, has hit the auto industry hard, with millions of vehicles worldwide not being produced because important parts are missing. Continue reading “Carmakers get inventive as global chip crisis bites”

SHANGHAI, Nov 27 (Reuters) – Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi Corp (1810.HK) will build a plant that can produce 300,000 vehicles annually in Beijing for its electric vehicle unit, authorities in the capital said on Saturday.

The plant will be constructed in two phases and Xiaomi will also built its auto unit’s headquarters, sales and research offices in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, the government-backed economic development agency Beijing E-Town said on its official WeChat account. Continue reading “Xiaomi to open car plant in Beijing with annual output of 300,000 vehicles – Beijing govt”

AMSTERDAM, Nov 24 (Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc. (UBER.N) said it would halt operations in Brussels from Nov. 26 after a court ruled that a 2015 ban on private individuals offering taxi services also applies to professional drivers.

Uber said the decision by the Brussels Appeals Court on Wednesday will affect around 2,000 drivers, and it urged the Belgian government to quickly change taxi service laws. Continue reading “Uber to halt app in Brussels from Friday after court ruling”

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov 24 (Reuters) – Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell is the first to admit few people had heard of his small town of Taylor in Central Texas before South Korean conglomerate Samsung announced it was building its new $17 billion chip factory there.

The Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) plant, which is expected to produce advanced high-performance chips, is hailed by local, state and U.S. officials as an important step in shoring up domestic chip supply and reducing dependence on Chinese production. Continue reading “How a little Texas town snagged a $17 bln Samsung chip plant deal”

TAIPEI, Nov 25 (Reuters) – Taiwan is looking at cooperating with three Eastern European countries on semiconductors, a minister said on Thursday, a move likely to find favour in Brussels which has been courting Taiwanese semiconductor firms to manufacture in the bloc.

Tech powerhouse Taiwan, home to companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) (2330.TW), has become front and centre of efforts to resolve a shortage of chips that has shut some auto production lines around the world and whose impact is now being felt in consumer electronics too. Continue reading “Taiwan looking at chip cooperation with Eastern European nations”

SHANGHAI, Nov 25 (Reuters) – Chinese tech group Baidu Inc and self-driving startup Pony.ai have won approval to launch paid driverless robotaxi services that will see the firms deploy not more than 100 vehicles in an area in China’s capital Beijing.

The state-backed Beijing Daily newspaper reported on the approvals on Thursday, citing a ceremony held by the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, where the 60 square kilometre-large area (23 square miles) is located. Continue reading “Baidu, Pony.ai approved for robotaxi services in Beijing”

Nov 24 (Reuters) – Global shipping and supply chain bottlenecks are encouraging Canadian firms to bring production back home, but some companies would have to absorb higher costs and build expertise in certain sectors for local manufacturing to pick up pace.

While carefully knitted global supply chains helped sectors from fashion to autos cut costs and boost margins in recent decades, COVID-19 has eroded those advantages and exposed weaknesses like shortages of semiconductor chips. Continue reading “Analysis: Made in Canada: Factories see silver lining in supply chain woes”

WASHINGTON, Nov 23 (Reuters) – Detroit’s Big Three automakers are not yet mandating vaccines for thousands of unionized workers even as they said in a joint statement with the United Auto Workers on Tuesday that they will extend requirements for workers to wear masks at work sites.

General Motors Co (GM.N), Ford Motor (F.N), Chrysler-parent Stellantis and the UAW said they have agreed that unionized auto workers will be asked to report vaccination status on a voluntary basis, but not as a requirement. They also agreed to continue mask requirements at work sites. Continue reading “U.S. automakers not yet mandating vaccines for union workers”

FRANKFURT, Nov 24 (Reuters) – BlackRock (BLK.N), the world’s largest money manager, has joined electric vehicle charging (EV) venture Ionity in a 700 million euro ($788 million) funding round, providing a much-needed cash injection to speed up construction of high-power loading sites.

The investment, which also includes contributions from existing shareholders, will enable Ionity to more than quadruple the number of high-power 350 kilowatt charging points to 7,000 by 2025, Ionity said on Wednesday. Continue reading “BlackRock joins e-car charging venture Ionity in $788 mln funding round”

WASHINGTON, Nov 23 (Reuters) – Detroit’s Big Three automakers are not yet mandating vaccines for thousands of unionized workers even as they said in a joint statement with the United Auto Workers on Tuesday that they will extend requirements for workers to wear masks at work sites.

General Motors Co (GM.N), Ford Motor (F.N), Chrysler-parent Stellantis and the UAW said they have agreed that unionized auto workers will be asked to report vaccination status on a voluntary basis, but not as a requirement. They also agreed to continue mask requirements at work sites. Continue reading “U.S. automakers not yet mandating vaccines for union workers”

BERLIN, Nov 23 (Reuters) – Employees at Tesla’s (TSLA.O) huge new factory near Berlin will elect a works council to represent their interests, a German trade union said on Tuesday.

The IG Metall trade union said seven employees had taken the first step towards setting up a works council, planning to choose an election committee on Nov. 29. Continue reading “Tesla employees in Germany plan works council”

LONDON, Nov 21 (Reuters) – Charging points for electric vehicles will be required to be installed in new buildings in Britain from next year under new legislation to be announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

It said the regulations would lead to up to 145,000 extra charge points being installed in England each year in the run-up to 2030, when the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will end in Britain. Continue reading “UK to require charge points for electric vehicles in new buildings”

LOS ANGELES, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Automakers chasing electric vehicle leader Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) revealed new, more affordable and larger electric sport utility vehicles at the Los Angeles Auto Show, racing into one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. market.

Kia Motors (000270.KS) called out Tesla by name at the show, announcing that its upcoming electric crossover EV6 beat Tesla’s previous record for the shortest charging time, while driving across the United States, by more than five hours. Continue reading “In Los Angeles, Tesla’s rivals roll out larger, cheaper electric SUVs”

MILAN, Nov 19 (Reuters) – The transition to electric cars could jeopardise 60,000 jobs in Italy, one of the country’s main metal workers’ unions said on Friday and called on the government to support a sector that is “overwhelmed by changes”.

Industry analysts say the auto sector in Italy could be hit harder than elsewhere because of the small average size of firms in the country and the scale of investment needed to comply with the European Union’s “Fit-For-55” climate plan to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030. Continue reading “Electric vehicle transition puts 60,000 Italian jobs at risk, union says”

WASHINGTON, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned to Ottawa on Friday after failing to convince U.S. President Joe Biden to scrap proposed electric-vehicle tax credits that would favor American-based manufacturers, but said he would keep seeking a solution.

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed the $1.75 trillion domestic investment bill that includes the tax credits, sending it to the Senate where negotiations will continue. Continue reading “Canada’s Trudeau comes up short on U.S. EV tax credits, says will keep pushing”

BERLIN, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Several thousand workers at autos supplier Robert Bosch protested in Germany on Friday against planned plant closures and job relocations which the company said are needed to adapt to changing demand in the transition to electric vehicles.

Around 3,000 workers from various plants gathered outside a Bosch plant in Buehl, union IG Metall said, where around 1,000 staff in Germany will lose their jobs by 2025 as a result of relocations, cuts, or new hires, according to the company. Continue reading “Bosch workers protest against factory closures, job cuts”

BARCELONA, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Volkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) Spanish car maker SEAT has recommended unvaccinated and vaccinated employees sit separately in its canteen at its plant outside Barcelona to protect workers and ensure operational activity, the company said on Friday.

The move, which involves having a separate section for workers who have not had a COVID-19 vaccine, has been in place for the past month, a SEAT spokesperson told Reuters. Continue reading “Spain’s SEAT asks unvaccinated workers to eat separately in Barcelona canteen”

WASHINGTON, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Stellantis NV (STLA.MI) will require all of its 14,000 U.S. salaried non-represented employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 5, the automaker said on Friday, as it prepares for a phased reopening of its U.S. offices next year.

Nearly 80% of its salaried U.S. workforce self-reported that they are fully vaccinated, the company said. Continue reading “Stellantis to require 14,000 U.S. workers to be fully vaccinated”

WASHINGTON, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Detroit’s Big Three automakers, General Motors (GM.N), Ford Motor Co (F.N) and Chrysler parent Stellantis lag other automakers in fuel economy performance as they sell a rising number of large trucks and SUVs, a government report released on Friday shows.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said fuel economy for new vehicles hit a high in the 2020 model year at 25.4 miles per gallon but added that projected industry fuel economy for the 2021 model year will decline to 25.3 mpg. Continue reading “Detroit’s Big Three automakers lag industry on fuel economy”

Nov 19 (Reuters) – Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) chief Elon Musk said on Friday that the company’s mobile application was coming back online after an app server outage earlier prevented many owners from connecting to their cars.

Musk was responding to a Tesla owner’s tweet, who said that he was experiencing a “500 server error” to connect his Model 3 through the iOS app in Seoul, South Korea. Continue reading “Tesla app coming back online after server outage, Musk says”

MILAN, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Ferrari’s (RACE.MI) new high octane model, the Daytona SP3, ends a long wait by lovers of its Icona-series cars, although it may not be welcomed by those trying to curb carbon emissions.

With an 840 horse power, 12-cylinder (V12) aspirated mid-rear-mounted engine, the Daytona SP3 pays tribute to the Ferrari 330 P3/4, which dominated the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1967. Continue reading “Ferrari roars out with high octane Daytona SP3 for its Icona fans”

Nov 19 (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co (F.N) and Rivian Automotive Inc (RIVN.O) have dropped plans to jointly develop an electric vehicle, Ford confirmed on Friday.

“We respect Rivian and have had extensive exploratory discussions with them,” a spokesperson told Reuters. “However, both sides have agreed not to pursue any kind of joint vehicle development or platform sharing.” Continue reading “Ford, Rivian dump plans to jointly develop a Ford electric vehicle”

LOS ANGELES, Nov 18 (Reuters) – What a difference two years make. The 2019 Los Angeles auto show featured a parade of vehicle debuts, a flurry of press conferences and other events in the opening two days, along with hundreds of thousands of people eager to see new cars.

Fast forward to 2021. The Los Angeles Auto Show, the first major U.S. auto show since the start of the pandemic, kicked off on Wednesday with a single day of press events, withsome automakers even skipping the show. Continue reading “Are auto shows dead after pandemic? LA shows some life”

MEXICO CITY, Nov 19 (Reuters) – A senior executive of carmaker General Motors (GM) raised concern about the future of renewable energy usage in Mexico, saying that without a solid legal basis for it, automotive investment in Latin America’s no. 2 economy would suffer.

Francisco Garza, chief executive of GM Mexico, spoke as debate rages over a Mexican government proposal to give priority to the state-run power utility in the electricity market at the expense of private investors, particularly in renewable energy. Continue reading “GM flags concern over renewable energy in Mexico, sees investment risk”

BERLIN, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Daimler (DAIGn.DE) will produce the first in-house electric motor at its oldest plant in Berlin from 2022, the carmaker said on Thursday, providing relief to workers worried that the diesel motor production site was on the brink of deep job cuts.

Workers who feared for their positions after Daimler said in September 2020 its Berlin site would end production of the 6-cylinder diesel motor within a year would also be offered retraining in software and coding, the German company said. Continue reading “Daimler to produce first in-house electric motor at Berlin plant from 2022”

SHANGHAI, Nov 18 (Reuters) – WeRide, a China-based autonomous driving startup, said on Thursday it plans to make its robotaxis available for booking by the public on Guangzhou Automobile Group’s (601238.SS) Ontime ride-hailing app by next year.

Backed by Nissan Motor (7201.T), WeRide said in a statement it plans to offer test rides for the public at the Guangzhou Auto Show, which begins in the southern Chinese city on Friday. It added that its robotaxi has been integrated into the Ontime platform and they were conducting testing. Continue reading “China’s WeRide to launch robotaxis on GAC’s Ontime ride-hailing app”

TOKYO, Nov 18 (Reuters) – The Japanese automotive lobby said on Thursday it has chosen Toyota President Akio Toyoda to serve a rare third term as its chairman to lead the industry through a time of seismic change and zero-emission challenges.

Toyoda, a member of Toyota Motor Corp’s (7203.T) founding family, has served as the head of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association since 2018. Most past chairpersons have served a single two-year term.  Continue reading “Toyoda gets rare third term as head of Japan’s auto lobby”

LONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) – Switch Mobility, a British unit of commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland Ltd (ASOK.NS), said on Tuesday it would provide 300 electric buses to Indian city Bengaluru’s public transport agency.

Switch will supply, operate and maintain the buses for the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation under a 12-year contract. Switch said the 300 buses should reduce fossil-fuel consumption by around 5.5 million litres annually. Continue reading “Ashok Leyland’s Switch to provide 300 electric buses to Bengaluru”

Nov 16 (Reuters) – The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved a three-year $1.4 billion plan to help California achieve its electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling goals.

The CEC said the plan, approved on Monday, will support California Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order phasing out the sale of new gasoline-powered passenger vehicles by 2035. Continue reading “California OKs $1.4 bln plan for car chargers, hydrogen refueling”

BERLIN, Nov 17 (Reuters) – German online used car seller Auto1 (AG1G.DE) raised its full-year revenue and earnings targets on Wednesday after reporting record third-quarter results thanks to strong demand, sending its shares sharply higher.

The Berlin-based company is benefiting from the increasing digitalisation in the used car trade with its platform “wirkaufendeinauto.de” and also its focus on growth in sales to private customers through its Autohero unit. Continue reading “German online car dealer Auto1 raises 2021 targets on strong demand”

FRANKFURT/DUESSELDORF, Nov 17 (Reuters) – Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) plans to double staff numbers at its charging and energy division, roll out new payment technology next year and strike more alliances to take on Tesla (TSLA.O) in a key electric vehicle (EV) battleground: power infrastructure.

By ensuring there are enough fast-charging plugs – and enough power – for the EVs it wants to sell, Europe’s biggest carmaker hopes to convince drivers worried about battery ranges that they can ditch their fossil fuel cars for good. Continue reading “Volkswagen powers up the grid to take on Tesla”

DETROIT, Nov 17 (Reuters) – General Motors Co’s (GM.N) “Factory Zero” in Detroit is on the front line of a battle for the U.S. electric vehicle market between ageing, unionized factories, and new, non-union plants run by young electric vehicle companies.

President Joe Biden’s administration wants to give the older part of the American auto industry a boost. Continue reading “Retooling auto plants for EVs will cost billions. Biden wants to help”