Continue reading “WAFinar no 25 : How to Master Supply Chains in 2022”
CHENNAI – Foreign automakers have indicated an interest to the government of India’s Tamil Nadu state in acquiring Ford Motor Co’s (F.N) plant there, the state industries minister said on Thursday, after inconclusive talks with the Tata Group.
Ford announced plans to stop production in India in September, as it did not see a path to profitability there. The carmaker expected to wind down operations at its vehicle and engine manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu by 2022. Continue reading “Foreign carmakers interested in Ford plant in India – state minister”
Spanish authorities have selected local automotive group QEV Technologies as lead candidate to take over Nissan’s main plant in Barcelona after Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motor (601633.SS) withdrew its interest, Nissan said on Wednesday.
Catalonia-based engineering group QEV plans to turn the facility into a hub for electric vehicles, including participation from Swedish producers Inzile and Volta. Continue reading “Spain picks QEV as frontrunner for Nissan’s Barcelona plant”
Germany’s BMW plans to create up to 6,000 new jobs next year to prepare for growing demand for its electric vehicles, the carmaker’s chief executive told daily Muenchner Merkur.
BMW is on a very good path through the transformation and has its plants prepared for e-mobility, Oliver Zipse was quoted as saying in an interview published on Wednesday. “That is why we will increase our workforce by up to five percent next year.” Continue reading “BMW to create up to 6,000 new jobs next year”
China’s Geely Holding said its premium electric mobility brand, Zeekr, will make electric vehicles for Waymo, Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) self-driving unit, to be deployed as fully autonomous ride-hailing vehicles across the United States.
The vehicles will be designed and developed at Zeekr’s facility in Sweden, and later integrated with Waymo’s self-driving technology, Geely said on Tuesday. Continue reading “Waymo and China’s Zeekr partner to develop driverless taxis”
The U.S. auto safety agency has stepped up its probe into engine fires that have plagued some Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS) and Kia Motors Corp (000270.KS) vehicles for over six years.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it had opened an “engineering analysis” covering about 3 million vehicles to evaluate, among other things, the efficacy of recalls initiated by the two automakers. The agency added that it was aware of 161 fires occurring potentially due to engine failures. Continue reading “U.S. regulators step up probe into Hyundai, Kia engine fires”
Japan’s factory output jumped at the fastest pace on record in November, as easing global supply chain bottlenecks helped car production leap out of its recent slump, lifting prospects for a strong fourth-quarter economic rebound.
But while improved manufacturing conditions provide some relief for policymakers, persistent global semiconductor shortages and new risks from the Omicron coronavirus variant are expected to cloud the outlook for the world’s third-largest economy. Continue reading “Japan’s factory output soars as car production returns”
Electric carmaker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) will stop allowing video games to be played on vehicle screens while its cars are moving, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday.
The move follows an announcement by the NHTSA on Wednesday that it had opened a formal safety investigation on 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 over the automaker’s decision to allow games to be played on the front center touchscreen while they are in motion. Continue reading “Tesla pulls games on moving car screens after U.S. safety probe”
Daimler AG and its Chinese partner BYD Co Ltd (002594.SZ) have signed an equity transfer agreement to restructure their China EV venture Denza, Daimler said on its company website.
Daimler said its holdings in Denza will be reduced to 10%, and BYD will hold the remaining 90% equity interest after the transfer. Continue reading “Daimler, BYD to restructure China EV venture Denza”
Electric vehicle maker One-Moto on Monday said it has launched a new high-speed electric scooter Electa priced at Rs 1.99 lakh (ex-showroom price). The Electa is the third launch of the company after the ‘Commuta’ and ‘Byka’ high speed scooters which were rolled out last month, the company said in a statement.
One-Moto India Partner and Promoter Muzammil Riyaz said the company forayed in the Indian market with the very objective of addressing the EV requirements of “those looking for something chic and unique”. The Electa is equipped with a 72V and 45AH, detachable lithium-ion battery that is fully charged in 4 hours. The e-scooter has a top top speed of 100 km/hr and can cover a distance of 150 km on a single charge, the company said.
Source : PTI
by WAF Think Tank
This has also been featured across 2 pages at the Patriot Newspaper on Dec 24
The 7th India Vehicle After Sales Summit 2021, was organised online on Saturday 11th December by the World Auto Forum in yet another effort of theirs to offer us the opportunity to connect with top automotive heads and experts of the Auto industry for expert knowledge sharing.
In 2020, India was the fifth-largest auto market, with ~3.49 million units sold in the passenger and commercial vehicles categories. It was the seventh-largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in 2019. Vehicle owners today place a significantly high premium on after-sales experience and customer satisfaction.
As vehicles age and owners lose interest when the warranty expires – usually four years after the initial sale –is when loyalty created through strong after sales comes into play, enabling vehicle makers to reinforce their ties.
Continue reading “Key Takeaways from Top Leaders at India Vehicle After Sales Summit 2021”
WAF Gurus WAFinar 24
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is one of the biggest health and humanitarian crisis of 21st century. It has placed a significant burden on global health and economic well-being, an estimated 2.7 billion people, or more than four out of five workers in the global workforce have been affected by the lockdown and stay-at-home measures.
Businesses and government leaders have been challenged to both respond to the crisis quickly and rethink their work strategies in real time.
The first priority for most organizations the world over, has been crisis response and emphasizing health, safety, essential services and the virtualization of work and education.
Continue reading “Keeping Workforce Safe and Businesses Running in the Next Normal”
Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) maker Eve, part of Brazilian planemaker Embraer (EMBR3.SA), is planning to go public in the fifth such debut as investors bet on environmentally friendly urban air travel.
That comes after Vertical Aerospace saw its shares surge 19% in a New York debut on Friday Continue reading “Factbox: From San Francisco to Munich, key players developing flying taxis”
WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) – The Biden administration on Tuesday finalized a reversal of a rule issued under then-U.S. President Donald Trump that sought to pre-empt California’s vehicle emissions regulations.
The Department of Transportation said it was issuing final rules rescinding the Trump action, which sought to bar the most populous state in the nation from setting vehicle rules that might conflict with the federal government’s authority to set Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements. Continue reading “U.S. reverses Trump effort to quash California vehicle emissions rules”
LONDON, Dec 23 (Reuters) – British car manufacturers had their slowest November in 37 years as the sector struggled to cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on global supply chains, industry data showed on Thursday.
Car production fell by 28.7% compared with November 2021 to 75,756 units, despite a 53% increase in electric vehicle output, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. Continue reading “UK car plants have worst November since 1984”
Dec 22 (Reuters) – The United States has enough reserves of lithium, copper and other metals to build millions of its own electric vehicles (EVs), but rising opposition to new mines may force the country to rely on imports and delay efforts to electrify the nation’s automobiles.
The tension underscores the dilemma facing the United States going into 2022, a year in which U.S. policymakers hope to see groundbreakings on a raft of EV manufacturing facilities from Ford Motor Co(F.N), General Motors Co(GM.N) and others. Continue reading “U.S. faces tough choices in 2022 on mines for electric-vehicle metals”
WASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) – U.S auto safety regulators said Wednesday they have opened a formal safety investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 over the automaker’s decision to allow games to be played on the front center touchscreen.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said its preliminary evaluation covers various 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y vehicles. This functionality, referred to as “Passenger Play,” “may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash,” the agency said. Continue reading “U.S. opens investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles over game feature”
Citizens for Better India (CFBI), the CSR arm of WAF in partnership with Givers for a Cause Trust are working for the children who have been brought by their parents for treatment and surgeries for serious diseases to AIIMS, New Delhi
These Children are staying at Pagoda Camps or at the Footpath outside AIIMS, New Delhi. If your passing by, please feel free to drop in and lend a helping hand.
In their words of Ms Rachna of Givers for a Cause Trust :
“Presently, insane number of patients are seeking help around A.I.I.M.S.
Continue reading “CFBI, CSR arm of WAF, working for Children with Serious Diseases at AIIMS”
Dec 19 (Reuters) – Electric-car maker Tesla Inc’s (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said on Sunday on Twitter that he will pay more than $11 billion in taxes this year.
Earlier this week, Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren took to Twitter to say that Musk should pay taxes and stop “freeloading off everyone else” after Time magazine named him its “person of the year”. (https://bit.ly/3EbW6eo) Continue reading “Tesla’s Musk says he will pay over $11 bln in taxes this year”
MILAN, Dec 20 (Reuters) – Luxury sports car maker Ferrari (RACE.MI) announced plans on Monday to shake up its leadership structure, in one of new boss Benedetto Vigna’s first major moves, and said three top managers will leave the company.
Those who have decided to leave include Chief Technology Officer Michael Leiters, the carmaker said. Continue reading “Ferrari plans new leadership structure, three top manages to leave”
WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Nikola Corp (NKLA.O) has agreed to pay $125 million to settle civil charges that it defrauded investors by misleading them about its products, technical advancements and commercial prospects, the U.S. securities regulator said on Tuesday.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused the electric vehicle maker of violating U.S. securities laws with numerous misleading statements made from March to September 2020 about in-house production capabilities, reservation book and financial outlook. Continue reading “Nikola Corp agrees to pay $125 mln to settle SEC charges of defrauding investors”
BEIJING, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Geely Holding and France’s Renault are likely to soon announce a deal to jointly produce the Chinese automaker’s hybrid vehicles in South Korea and look at possibly exporting cars duty-free to the United States, three people familiar with the matter said.
The joint venture (JV) deal, in the works since early this year and which also involves joint operations in China, will allow Renault (RENA.PA) to shore up its struggling business in South Korea and more broadly its presence in Asia. Continue reading “EXCLUSIVE Geely, Renault to soon announce hybrid-focused auto JV for Asia – sources”
LUXEMBOURG, Dec 16 (Reuters) – Italian carmaker Fiat Chrysler need not pay 30 million euros ($33.95 million) in back taxes to Luxembourg, an adviser to Europe’s top court said on Thursday.
The Fiat case was part of European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager’s crackdown on sweetheart deals between European Union countries and multinationals, the most high profile of which were Apple’s Irish deal and Amazon’s Luxembourg deal. Continue reading “Italy’s Fiat need not pay $30 million in back taxes, EU court adviser says”
Dec 16 (Reuters) – New car sales in the United States are expected to rise next year, driven by pent-up demand as automakers in 2021 cut production due to pandemic-driven supply chain issues and semiconductor shortages, industry consultant Edmunds said on Thursday.
The online car shopping guide estimated that 15.2 million new cars will be sold in 2022, representing a 1.2% increase from its 2021 vehicle sales estimate. Continue reading “U.S. new car sales to rise in 2022 on pent-up demand – Edmunds”
MOSCOW, Dec 17 (Reuters) – Russia’s largest truckmaker Kamaz (KMAZ.MM) is considering bringing in prisoners to work at its largest factories to compensate for a workforce deficit, CEO Sergei Kogogin said on Friday.
“We are assessing how to apply the (work) programme developed by the Federal Penitentiary Service,” Kogogin told reporters. Continue reading “Russian truckmaker Kamaz looks to prisons to plug workforce deficit”
MILAN, Dec 17 (Reuters) – Carmaker Stellantis is in exclusive talks with BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA), Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA) and Santander (SAN.MC) over the reorganisation of its leasing and financing operations in Europe, it said on Friday.
The group plans to create a 50-50 long-term leasing company with Credit Agricole Consumer Finance, and to reorganise its financing activities through exclusive joint ventures with BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Santander Consumer Finance. Continue reading “Carmaker Stellantis reshuffles European financing operations”
by WAF Think Tank
The Pandemic has triggered big challenges like Managing Supply Chains, ensuring High Productivity & Earnings, ensuring up time of Equipments, Workshops, meeting commitments of Quality, Cost and Time. Well, List goes on…!
Focus Engineering Middle East and India have been busy training, coaching, consulting, providing digital and video tools to empower not just the Mega Automotive Businesses and Workshops but even the smaller garages and thereby keeping the wheels of the Industry and economy moving…
NEW DELHI, Dec 15 (Reuters) – India has approved a $10 billion incentive plan to attract semiconductor and display manufacturers, its technology minister said on Wednesday, as part of a deepening push to establish the country as a global electronics production hub.
Under the plan, India’s government will extend fiscal support of up to 50% of a project’s cost to eligible display and semiconductor fabricators, the government said in a statement. Continue reading “India outlines $10 bln plan to woo global chip makers”
TOKYO, Dec 16 (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co Ltd (7201.T) plans to build new battery recycling factories in the United States and Europe by the end of fiscal 2025, the daily Nikkei reported on Thursday.
Nissan hopes that recycling batteries and re-using them in electric vehicles (EVs) would help lower production costs as the price of rare metals rise, Nikkei said. Continue reading “Nissan to build new battery recycling factories in U.S., Europe by 2025 -Nikkei”
BERLIN, Dec 16 (Reuters) – Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) expects to produce even fewer cars in 2022 than this year due to ongoing semiconductor supply troubles, Manager Magazin reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The carmaker, which reduced its forecast for 2021 vehicle deliveries last week to 9 million from 9.3 million, is preparing for the possibility that the current chips shortage could last until at least early 2023, the report said. Continue reading “Volkswagen to produce even fewer cars in 2022 than this year – Manager Magazin”
Dec 15 (Reuters) – Aurora Innovation Inc (AUR.O) on Wednesday said it had launched a pilot program with the freight unit of Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) to transport goods in Texas and to integrate autonomous trucking into Uber Freight’s shipping platform.
Aurora said it began autonomously transporting loads for Uber Freight customers between Dallas and Houston last week. The company plans to launch its commercial autonomous trucking business by the end of 2023, starting in Texas. read more Continue reading “Self-driving truck company Aurora launches pilot with Uber Freight”
MG Motor India on Thursday has announced the launch of non-fungible token (NFT). With this, the British automobile brand becomes the first carmaker in India to launch NFTs. As the carmaker claims, fund collected from the brand’s inaugural NFT collection will go towards community service.
MG Mortor India will start selling the NFTs from 28th December, 2021. The carmaker will introduce 1,111 units of digital creatives as part of the launch collection. MG Motor India will introduce its maiden NFT on KoineArth’s NgageN platform that has been especially customised for MG’ transactions. Continue reading “MG becomes first carmaker in India to launch NFTs”
TVS Motor Company Joint Managing Director M Sudarshan Venu announced on December 15 that the brand will be extending its partnership with BMW Motorrad to co-develop “new platforms and future technologies”, chiefly electric vehicles. According to TVS Motor, the brand will be tasked with “designing and developing future BMW Motorrad products and delivering world-class quality, supply chain management”, among other things.
The two brands entered a long-term strategic partnership in 2013 with the aim of manufacturing entry-level performance motorcycles in the sub-500cc category. The BMW G310 R and its ADV counterpart – the 310 GS – were the first two products to emerge from this partnership. The powertrain was shared with the TVS Apache RR310, a fully-faired entry-level performance motorcycle, which consistently outsold its BMW-badged counterpart due to its lower pricing. Continue reading “TVS Motor and BMW Motorrad to co-develop electric two-wheelers”
Gurpratap Boparai, the managing director of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL) has stepped down from his position. Christian Cahn von Seelen, the chairman of the company, will take interim charge of the role from January 1, 2022.
Gurpratap Boparai joined Skoda Auto as the managing director in April 2018. He was subsequently promoted to the post of managing director of the three VW entities – Skoda Auto, Volkswagen Auto, and Volkswagen Sales that year itself. Overall, he was overlooking all of the VW Group’s brands in India, including Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Lamborghini. Continue reading “Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Managing Director Gurpratap Boparai Steps Down”
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 13 (Reuters) – A California regulator on Monday said it has suspended a driverless testing permit for startup technology firm Pony.ai following an accident – the first time it has issued such a suspension.
On Oct. 28, a Pony.ai vehicle operating in autonomous mode hit a road center divider and a traffic sign in Fremont after turning right, showed the technology firm’s accident report filed with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Continue reading “California halts Pony.ai’s driverless testing permit after accident”
MOSCOW, Dec 14 (Reuters) – Russian car-sharing company Delimobil on Tuesday reported an 89% jump in revenue in the third quarter to 3.9 billion roubles ($53 million), and said it was still eyeing a public market listing after postponing its U.S. IPO plans last month.
At least 10 Russian firms could hold IPOs in 2022, extending a listing spree that started a year ago, if their plans are not thwarted by geopolitics, including Ukraine tensions, or other risks, according to bankers and advisers. Continue reading “Russian car-sharing firm Delimobil, still eyeing IPO, reports revenue jump”
SHANGHAI, Dec 14 (Reuters) – WeRide, a China-based autonomous driving startup, said on Tuesday that it had received a strategic investment from Guangzhou Automobile Group (601238.SS) which will deepen their partnership that is focused on developing and making robotaxis.
It did not disclose the size of the investment. The two plan to build a fleet of tens of thousands of robotaxis in the coming years, WeRide said in a statement. Continue reading “China’s WeRide receives strategic investment from GAC Group for robotaxis”
Dec 14 (Reuters) – Electric vehicle leasing startup Hive Technologies Inc said on Tuesday it closed a $30 million funding round to expand its fleet for ride-hail drivers who can otherwise not afford the vehicles’ higher upfront costs.
Backed by environmental, social and governance (ESG)-focused investors, the company leases EVs to Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) and Lyft Inc (LYFT.O) drivers on a per-mile cost basis offering a potentially cheaper option than taking out a loan to buy a new EV. Continue reading “EV ride-hail leasing company Hive raises $30 mln in funding round”
TOKYO, Dec 14 (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) on Tuesday committed 8 trillion yen ($70 billion) to electrify its automobiles by 2030, half of it to develop a battery electric vehicle (BEV) line-up, as it looks to tap a growing market for zero-emission cars.
But the world’s biggest carmaker, which is a relative latecomer to full electric cars, said it expected annual BEVs sales to reach only 3.5 million vehicles by the end of the decade, or around a third of its current vehicle sales. Continue reading “Toyota commits $70 bln to bolster electrification, shares rally”
PARIS, Dec 14 (Reuters) – Leading Paris taxi company G7 has suspended the use of Tesla (TSLA.O) Model 3 cars in its fleet after a fatal accident involving one of the vehicles over the weekend.
G7 Deputy Chief Executive Yann Ricordel said an off-duty taxi driver was taking his family to a restaurant when the accident happened on Saturday evening. Continue reading “Paris taxi firm suspends use of Tesla cars after fatal accident”
