WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Monday said it was in contact with Tesla (TSLA.O) about a tweet Chief Executive Elon Musk wrote about a driver monitoring function.

A Dec. 31 tweet suggested drivers with more than 10,000 miles using Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) software system should be able to disable the “steering wheel nag,” an alert that instructs drivers to hold the wheel to confirm they are paying attention. Musk responded: “Agreed, update coming in Jan.” Continue reading “U.S. asks Tesla about Musk tweet on driver monitoring function”

MADRID, Jan 9 (Reuters) – The European Commission has opened talks with the United States to discuss subsidies on electric vehicles sold in the North American trade bloc, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton said on Monday.

He added that the Commission is also discussing other aspects of the recently approved U.S. Inflation Reduction Act. Continue reading “EU, U.S. start talks on electric vehicle subsidies – Commissioner”

BRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) – EU antitrust regulators will decide by Feb. 13 whether to clear U.S. company Viasat’s (VSAT.O) $7.3 billion takeover of satellite rival Inmarsat, a European Commission filing showed on Monday.

The deal is already the target of an in-depth investigation by the UK competition watchdog, concerned that it could block competition in the aviation connectivity market and potentially result in airlines facing higher prices for on-board Wi-Fi. Continue reading “EU regulators to rule on Viasat’s Inmarsat takeover by Feb. 13”

SHANGHAI, Jan 9 (Reuters) – Chinese carmaker Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC)(601238.SS) said on Monday its joint venture with Honda Motor (7267.T) is no longer producing or selling products under the Japanese firm’s premium Acura brand.

GAC will continue to provide after-sales services to Acura customers in China through the joint venture’s network, it said in a statement to Reuters. The joint venture will continue to produce other Honda brands. Continue reading “Honda’s JV with GAC ends production of Acura brand in China”

LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) – Rolls-Royce on Monday reported record sales last year despite an average price tag of around $534,000 for its luxury cars and a drop in Chinese demand, with orders stretching into 2023.

The British carmaker, which began as Rolls-Royce in Manchester, England nearly 120 years ago and is now owned by Germany’s BMW (BMWG.DE), said that it sold 6,021 cars in 2022, up from 5,586 in 2021, which was also a record year. Continue reading “Rolls-Royce rides ongoing luxury demand to sales record in 2022”

MILAN, Jan 9 (Reuters) – Carmaker Stellantis (STLA.MI) has signed a deal with Australian miner Element 25 (E25.AX) for the supply of manganese sulphite for batteries for its electric vehicles (EVs), the two companies said on Monday.

The agreement marks another step in efforts by Stellantis to secure long-term supplies of raw materials essential for electric vehicles as carmakers prepare for a surge in global demand for EVs in the transition towards cleaner motoring. Continue reading “Carmaker Stellantis seals batteries material deal with Element 25”

SEOUL, Jan 9 (Reuters) – South Korean electric vehicle battery maker SK On said on Monday it has not decided whether to pursue a battery cell venture in Turkey with Ford Motor Co (F.N) and Koc Holding AS (KCHOL.IS), after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in March.

The Dong-A Ilbo daily newspaper earlier reported, citing an unidentified source, that SK On plans to scrap the idea due to a weak macro economic environment. Continue reading “SK On says it is undecided whether to proceed with battery venture with Ford, Koc”

NEW DELHI, Jan 8 (Reuters) – Mercedes Benz (MBGn.DE) expects double-digit sales growth in India this year, despite concerns that a weaker rupee could increase car prices, the head of its local unit said in an interview.

The German luxury carmaker’s sales in India rose 41% last year to 15,822 cars, its highest ever in the country, and it has an order backlog of around 6,000 vehicles, Santosh Iyer, managing director for Mercedes-Benz India, told Reuters. Continue reading “Mercedes expects double-digit growth in India in 2023 despite weak rupee”

India needs to “decarbonise” its transport sector quickly as the country has the potential to be a global torch-bearer in bio-fuels, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Sunday. Speaking virtually at the Sugar and Ethanol Conference organised by Chini Mandi, he said 80 per cent of the energy requirement of the Indian transport sector was being fulfilled through import of fossil fuels like petrol, diesel etc, which was costing the country more than Rs 16 lakh crore annually.

“This is an economic and environment problem. The transport sector also accounts for 90 per cent carbon emissions. There is immediate need to decarbonise the transport sector. The Union government is pursuing bio-fuels and compressed bio gas on mission mode to replace these imports in a cost effective, pollution free way,” he said Continue reading “Nitin Gadkari bats for decarbonising transport sector, push for ethanol economy”

Source PTI : The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is confident of achieving the highways construction target of 12,000 kilometres for the current fiscal as the pace of construction has increased, its secretary Alka Upadhyaya said on Sunday. Upadhyaya further said the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has already realised around Rs 2,850 crore through Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) mode in phase 2, and phase 3 is in the advanced stage to realise the target by the end of the current financial year.

“Extended monsoon has dampened the pace of National Highway construction. Continue reading “MoRTH confident of achieving highway construction target of 12,000 km this fiscal”

WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) – General Motors (GM.N) said Friday it wants the U.S. Treasury to reconsider classification of GM’s electric Cadillac Lyriq to allow it to qualify for federal tax credits.

The Treasury and Internal Revenue Service did not classify the Lyriq as an SUV, meaning its retail price cannot be above $55,000 to qualify for up to $7,500 in federal tax credits. The Lyriq currently starts at $62,990. SUVs can be priced at up to $80,000 to qualify, while cars, sedans and wagons can only be priced at up to $55,000. Continue reading “GM wants U.S. Treasury to reconsider tax credits for Cadillac Lyriq EV”

SHANGHAI, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Hundreds of Tesla (TSLA.O) owners gathered at the automaker’s showrooms and distribution centres in China over the weekend, demanding rebates and credit after sudden price cuts they said meant they had overpaid for electric cars they bought earlier.

On Saturday, about 200 recent buyers of the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 gathered at a Tesla delivery centre in Shanghai to protest against the U.S. carmaker’s decision to slash prices for the second time in three months on Friday. Continue reading “Tesla owners in China protest against surprise price cuts they missed”

Oil companies are selling petrol at a profit of Rs 10 per litre but retail prices haven’t been reduced as they recoup past losses and make up fora Rs 6.5 a litre loss on diesel, a report said. State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd
(HPCL) have for the past 15 months not revised petrol and diesel prices in line with the cost. They have times of low oil prices to recoup losses incurred when rates were high.

“Post record high losses of Rs 17.4 per litre on petrol and Rs 27.7 a litre diesel for the week ended June 24, 2022, margins for petrol are estimated at a positive Rs 10 per litre for Q3 (October-December 2022) while diesel losses too have likely narrowed to Rs 6.5 a litre for the same quarter,” ICICI Securities said in a report. Continue reading “Oil cos making Rs 10 a litre profit on petrol, Rs 6.5 loss on diesel”

Union New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh on Thursday said his ministry will come out with detailed guidelines and standards for making India a global hub for hydrogen manufacturing. The comment comes a day after the Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with an outlay of Rs 19,744 crore

“We will come out with a detailed order after clearance by the Cabinet,” Singh said during a media interaction. Continue reading “Govt to soon bring norms for promoting green hydrogen”

NEW DELHI/PARIS, Jan 6 (Reuters) – Renault (RENA.PA) is considering building a mass-market electric vehicle in India, two people with knowledge of the ongoing review told Reuters, as part of a renewed push into a market where EV adoption is expected to grow quickly from a small base.

The study by Renault underscores how the French automaker is pushing ahead with electrification plans even as it extends unresolved negotiations with its partner Nissan Motor (7201.T) about investing in an EV unit it plans to carve out from its other operations. Continue reading “Exclusive: Renault considers making mass-market EVs in India -sources”

Jan 6 (Reuters) – Tesla (TSLA.O) cut electric car prices in China and other Asian markets on Friday, part of efforts to stoke demand for output from its Shanghai plant, a person with direct knowledge of the plan said. read more

Following are details of the price cuts: Continue reading “Factbox: Details of Tesla price cuts in China, other Asian markets”

Jan 5 (Reuters) – Chrysler parent Stellantis NV (STLA.MI) Chief Executive Officer Carlos Tavares said on Thursday that more auto plant closures will happen if high prices for electric vehicles (EV) cause vehicle markets to shrink from pre-pandemic levels.

Automakers will risk losing pricing power as chip supplies recover, Tavares said at the CES technology trade show in Las Vegas. Continue reading “Stellantis CEO warns of more auto plant closures”

LAS VEGAS, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Chinese electric vehicle brand Zeekr aims to double sales in 2023 to about 140,000 vehicles and plans to expand sales in Europe, Chief Executive Andy An told Reuters on Thursday.

Zeekr, a brand created by Chinese automaker Geely (0175.HK), sold 72,000 vehicles in 2022, mostly in China. Its 001 model, priced at about 300,000 yuan ($43,600), competes with Tesla Inc’s (TSLA.O) Model Y crossover and other luxury models in the increasingly competitive Chinese market. Continue reading “Geely’s EV brand Zeekr aims to double sales in 2023, expand in Europe”

Jan 5 (Reuters) – The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) said on Thursday that German carmaker Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) can deploy advanced automated driving systems on its roads after it completed a self-certification.

The automaker said the Nevada DMV approved its application and is preparing the certificate of compliance that will be issued within the next two weeks. Continue reading “Mercedez-Benz to deploy advanced automated driving system in Nevada”

LAS VEGAS, Jan 5 (Reuters) – What started out as a novelty offered by Elon Musk to Tesla (TSLA.O) owners has turned into table stakes in the next generation of electric vehicles.

Automakers from Sony Honda to Hyundai are introducing ways at the CES 2023 technology trade show this week to reshape the in-car entertainment experience, including offering video games during the rides. They are positioning themselves to take advantage of the time people spend in their cars as a source of potentially lucrative, recurring revenue. Continue reading “Got game? Automakers show off in-car entertainment options at CES”

LAS VEGAS, Jan 5 (Reuters) – BMW AG (BMWG.DE) has unveiled a prototype for a car that talks like a human being, changes colors to suit the driver’s mood and has no screens on its dashboard.

The German luxury automaker’s BMW i Vision Dee, revealed at a splashy kickoff on Wednesday evening for the CES conference here, previews technology that Chief Executive Oliver Zipse said would be put into production in 2025. BMW plans to launch a new lineup of electric vehicles, which it is calling the Neue Klasse, or new class. Continue reading “BMW teases a talking car that shifts colors like a chameleon”

Jan 5 (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co (F.N) on Thursday posted a smaller decline in annual U.S. sales compared with a year earlier, as an improvement in inventory levels allowed the automaker to ship more sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and trucks to dealers.

The company sold 1,864,464 vehicles in 2022, down about 2.2%. In contrast, sales in 2021 fell about 7%. Continue reading “Ford reports smaller drop in 2022 U.S. sales as inventory levels improve”

• Chinese EVs cheaper than gasoline cars – JATO
• U.S. duties likely to keep Chinese market share there low
• Forvia supplies many Chinese automakers

LAS VEGAS, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Chinese automakers can build an electric vehicle (EV) for 10,000 euros ($10,618) less than European automakers, an overwhelming cost advantage that will put pressure on European manufacturers in their home market, the head of auto supplier Forvia said. Continue reading “China has a 10,000 euro cost advantage in small EVs, auto supplier says”

BENGALURU, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Retail sales of vehicles in India could take a hit in the final quarter of the fiscal year, an automobile dealers’ body said on Thursday while reporting a more than 5% year-on-year fall in sales for December at 1.62 million units.

India has mandated automakers to comply with stricter fuel efficiency norms from April 2023, aimed at reducing carbon emissions. This, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) said, would trigger further price hikes and result in weaker sales for the quarter ending March 31. Continue reading “India’s retail vehicle sales dip in December, to take hit in Q4 – dealers’ body”

German automotive group BMW on Tuesday reported record sales of its luxury cars and motorcycles in India at 19,263 units in 2022. Customer deliveries of cars of both brands BMW and MINI registered a growth of 35 per cent at 11,981 units last year, which was the highest-ever, BMV Group India said in a statement.

BMW India registered sales of 11,268 units at a growth of 37 per cent and MINI India of 713 units, up 11 per cent from 2021, it added. Sports Activity Vehicle range, including the X1, X3, X5 and X7 grew at over 60 per cent, while luxury sedans such as the 3 Series, 5 Series and 6 Series continued their strong run, the
company said. Continue reading “BMW India posts record sales at 19,263 units in 2022”

State-owned Convergence Energy Services Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), on Tuesday said the prices discovered for the 6,465 electric bus tender were 29 per cent lower than what it costs to operate diesel buses. This unified tender constitutes demand for electric buses from six Indian states & UTs – Delhi, Telangana, Haryana, Surat (Gujarat), Kerala & Arunachal Pradesh, a statement said.

This is the first tender under the National Electric Bus Programme (NEBP). The lowest price discovered for a 12-meter bus (intra-city) was Rs 54.3/km, & 12-meter bus (intercity) was Rs 39.8/km Continue reading “E-bus tender discovers 29 pc lower price than diesel ones: CESL”

Jan 4 (Reuters) – General Motors Co (GM.N) on Wednesday posted a 2.5% rise in U.S. new vehicle sales in 2022, outselling Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), aided by an easing of inventory shortages and strong demand for its cars and trucks.

The U.S. automaker said its 2022 sales rose to 2,274,088 vehicles in the country, beating Toyota’s annual sales of 2,108,458 units. Continue reading “GM outsells Toyota in U.S. with 2.5% rise in 2022 auto sales”

Jan 4 (Reuters) – Japan’s Sony (6758.T) on Wednesday unveiled a prototype of the new “Afeela” electric vehicles it will build together with Honda (7267.T), saying it would harness its vast entertainment content as it looks to become a player in next-generation cars.

Sony gave a glimpse of the Afeela, which sports rounded corners and a sleek black roof, at the CES 2023 technology trade show in Las Vegas. The car will use technology from hardware maker Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O), including its “Snapdragon” digital chassis. Continue reading “Sony, Honda roll out prototype of ‘Afeela’ EV that uses Qualcomm tech”

TOKYO, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) President Akio Toyoda has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be absent from a series of New Year events to be held by Japanese business lobbies on Thursday, a company spokesperson said.

Toyoda had been due at events in Tokyo hosted by Japan’s top trade organisations where business and political leaders including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will be in attendance. Continue reading “Toyota chief tests positive for COVID, cancels business event attendance”

PARIS, Jan 4 (Reuters) – Stellantis (STLA.MI) will ultimately cut about one in five retail outlets in France, the automaker said on Wednesday, as it seeks to restructure its distribution network to reduce costs and prepare for the era of electric cars.

The Franco-Italian group, whose brands include Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat, is racing to gain more flexibility in its sales network to adapt to new trends and customer demands as cars are becoming increasingly electrified and software-driven. Continue reading “Stellantis plans to cut one in five French outlets in dealership revamp”

Jan 4 (Reuters) – Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) and French automaker Renault SA (RENA.PA) have agreed to restrict the use of the intellectual property they developed together in a new company established by Renault, a report by Nikkei said on Wednesday.

The sharing of technology had emerged as a sticking point between Renault and Nissan as the pair negotiated an overhaul of their decades-old partnership, Reuters reported in October. Continue reading “Renault’s new venture to limit use of IP developed by Renault and Nissan -Nikkei”

OAKLAND, Calif., Jan 4 (Reuters) – Mobile chip maker Qualcomm Technologies, Inc (QCOM.O) on Wednesday unveiled a processor chip for the car called Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC that handles both assisted driving and cockpit functions, including entertainment.

Previously those functions were handled on different chips and merging them can help bring down costs, said Nakul Duggal, Qualcomm’s head of automotive. Continue reading “Qualcomm launches auto chip to handle both assisted driving and entertainment”

Jan 4 (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) is in advanced talks to invest in Gatik, a California-based autonomous driving startup, as part of its cloud partnership with the company, two people familiar with the discussions told Reuters.

Microsoft plans to invest over $10 million in a financing round that values Gatik at more than $700 million, the sources added. As part of the deal, Gatik will use Microsoft’s cloud and edge computing platform Azure in developing autonomous delivery technology for trucks. Continue reading “Microsoft to invest in autonomous trucking startup Gatik -sources”

Jan 4 (Reuters) – More U.S. consumers want to buy an electric vehicle (EV) but are concerned about rising prices, while fewer aimed to purchase gasoline-powered vehicles, a survey by consulting firm Deloitte showed on Wednesday.

Nearly 7 in 10 prospective EV buyers in the United States expect to pay less than $50,000 for their next vehicle, according to the survey conducted between September and October 2022. Continue reading “More U.S. consumers want EVs but prices are a concern – Deloitte survey”

MEXICO CITY, Jan 3 (Reuters) – General Motors (GM.N) discussed plans to produce only electric vehicles at its Ramos Arizpe plant in northern Mexico, the country’s economy ministry said in a tweet on Tuesday, following a meeting with the U.S. carmaker.

(This story has been corrected to remove reference to 5,000 new jobs after the government officially clarified these were 4,500 jobs already created at separate plants over the course of the past four years) Continue reading “General Motors, Mexico economy ministry talk EV production – ministry”

Jan 3 (Reuters) – (This Jan. 3 story has been corrected to fix the period of the reduced production forecast from midyear to March 2022, in the fourth paragraph)

Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive (RIVN.O) barely missed its full-year production target of 25,000 vehicles in 2022, the company said in a filing late on Tuesday. Continue reading “Rivian stock less bruised than Tesla as both miss EV targets”

Jan 3 (Reuters) – Chipmaker Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) and electronics manufacturer Foxconn (2317.TW) announced a partnership on Tuesday to develop autonomous vehicle platforms.

Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn said it will manufacture electronic control units (ECUs) for cars based on Nvidia’s DRIVE Orin chip made specifically for computing in connected and autonomous vehicles. Continue reading “Foxconn to use Nvidia chips to build self-driving vehicle platforms”

SEOUL, Jan 3 (Reuters) – South Korea’s antitrust regulator said it would impose a 2.85 billion won ($2.2 million) fine on Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) for failing to tell its customers about the shorter driving range of its electric vehicles (EVs) in low temperatures.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said that Tesla had exaggerated the “driving ranges of its cars on a single charge, their fuel cost-effectiveness compared to gasoline vehicles as well as the performance of its Superchargers” on its official local website since August 2019 until recently. Continue reading “South Korea fines Tesla $2.2 mln for exaggerating driving range of EVs”

Source : PTI : New Delhi: Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles on Tuesday sought extension of subsidies for EVs under the FAME II scheme and also include light to heavy commercial vehicles in it to promote electric mobility. In its pre-Budget recommendations, the industry body also called for a uniform 5 per cent GST on spare parts for electric vehicles.

“The validity of FAME I is set to expire on March 31, 2024. We believe FAME’s validity needs to be extended since we have yet to meet the penetration the subsidy was supposed to catalyse,” Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) said in a statement. Continue reading “SMEV seeks extension of subsidies for electric vehicles under FAME-II in Budget”