Europe

MUNICH — Germany has overtaken Norway for sales of full-electric cars since the start of the year, putting Europe’s biggest auto market in position to become the regional leader on an annual basis for the first time. Through November, 57,533 new EVs were registered in Germany, compared with 56,893 for Norway, according to statistics published

Another Tesla vehicle operating on the automakers’s Autopilot driver-assistance system has crashed into a emergency vehicle parked on the side of the road, eliciting fresh warnings about the shortcomings of automated technology on public roads. A Tesla Model 3 sedan hit a parked police cruiser with its hazard lights flashing on a major highway near Norwalk,

Volkswagen is looking for a partner for its Sitech seating business to share development costs for new technologies.  Thomas Schmall, head of VW Group Components division, sees a chance for Sitech to develop seating solutions for autonomous cars, where occupants may not be in the conventional position facing forward when a crash occurs. “It sounds

PSA CEO Carlos Tavares explained why he is pursuing a merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and whether General Motors racketeering lawsuit will derail merger talks Tavares also shared his thoughts on former FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne’s call for industry consolidation and on FCA brands. Tavares spoke with Jason Stein, publisher of Automotive News, a sister

ST ATHAN, Wales — Aston Martin’s two major shareholders are in it for the long term and the company is not actively soliciting participation, the automaker’s CEO, Andy Palmer, said. The comments came after a media report said Lawrence Stroll, owner of Formula One team Racing Point, is preparing a bid for a major stake

LONDON — Aston Martin shares rose 17 percent on a report that Canadian billionaire and Formula One team owner Lawrence Stroll has formed a consortium to take control of the UK sports-car maker. Stroll has used connections he has made as owner of the Racing Point F1 team and through his son, F1 driver Lance

BERLIN — BMW AG is suing two of its suppliers over price fixing on air conditioning components, the German carmaker said on Wednesday. The case was first reported in the Handelsblatt newspaper, which said that BMW was suing France’s Valeo and Japan’s Denso for damages of 141 million euros ($155.4 million). A BMW spokesman confirmed

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen Group’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, was raided by public prosecutors on Tuesday in the latest investigation into the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal. Prosecutors said investigators aimed to confiscate documents. VW said it was fully cooperating with the authorities but the company views the investigation as unfounded. The raids were linked to an

PARIS — Renault’s marketing chief, Francois Renard, is quitting the automaker after just over a year in the post. Company veteran executive Xavier Martinet will replace Renard, Renault said in a statement. Renard joined Renault in November 2018 under previous CEO Thierry Bollore after working for non auto companies including Unilever and skin care products

PRAGUE — In a steamy foundry behind a century-old Czech brewery, a mechanical arm pours molten aluminum into a two-story robotic mold. Within seconds, gleaming pump covers for diesel engines roll out for inspection. The state-of-the-art production line at Motor Jikov Group in Ceske Budejovice, near the border with Germany and Austria, is running at

Many in the automotive industry are talking about the need to consolidate to overcome the challenges of emissions regulations and autonomous cars, but Carlos Tavares is doing something about it. In 2017, PSA acquired Opel/Vauxhall from General Motors and within 18 months the money-losing German/British brands were recording 5 percent operating margins. This year, Tavares

BERLIN — Germany’s VDA car industry association has appointed Hildegard Mueller, a former conservative politician and utilities lobbyist, as its new president. Mueller, 52, takes on the role from former Ford Germany boss Bernhard Mattes as German automakers face tougher emissions rules which are forcing them to invest heavily in electrified vehicles. Mueller was a

MOSCOW — Russia’s government plans to spend around 5 billion rubles ($78.3 million) next year on new auto loan subsidies to support stagnating car sales, Russian news agencies reported. New-car sales in Russia are expected to fall 2.2 percent this year to 1.76 million units, according to the Association of European Businesses lobby group, amid

The automotive industry has come to the conclusions that fully autonomous vehicles are not as close as some people thought three to four years ago. But that does not mean automakers and suppliers have given up on providing vehicles the ability to safely and reliably drive themselves, Nvidia Senior Director of Automotive Danny Shapiro told

MUNICH — Audi plans to eliminate about 15 percent of its German workforce to lift earnings by 6 billion euros ($6.6 billion) as the automaker pushes ahead with a restructuring plan to help adapt to the costly transition to electric cars. The Volkswagen Group premium brand said it will cut up to 9,500 jobs by

LONDON — Uber was stripped of its London operating license on Monday for the second time in just over two years after the city’s regulator said a “pattern of failures” on safety and security meant the company’s taxi app was not fit and proper. A change to Uber’s systems allowed unauthorized drivers to upload their

SAN FRANCISCO – Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company has amassed 146,000 orders for its Cybertruck, less than 48 hours after the polarizing vehicle was first shown amid shattered glass. The electric-car maker has a history of unveiling future products to throngs of excited customers, taking deposits, and then delivering years later. Two years ago,

Tesla’s launch of its futuristic Cybertruck pickup suffered a setback when its “armored glass” windows shattered, but it was the overall look of the electric vehicle that worried Wall Street on Friday. In the much-anticipated unveiling to cheering fans on Thursday, Tesla boss Elon Musk had taken aim at the design, power and durability of

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen Group’s premium unit Audi wants to cut thousands of jobs to fund a costly transition to electric vehicles, but talks with powerful labor representatives have hit a logjam, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Volkswagen tapped former BMW executive Markus Duesmann to take the helm at Audi from April next

General Motors’ surprise racketeering lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has raised the risks for FCA’s plan to combine with Peugeot-maker PSA Group. The suit filed in federal court in the U.S. alleges Fiat Chrysler inflicted billions of dollars in damages by bribing United Auto Workers’ officials for competitive advantages that the union denied to GM.

DETROIT — General Motors on Wednesday filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and three former FCA executives who have pleaded guilty in an ongoing federal corruption probe involving the United Auto Workers union. GM says FCA engaged in a “multiyear pattern of corruption … to undermine the integrity of the collective bargaining

WASHINGTON — Uber Technologies’ self-driving vehicle unit lacked an effective safety culture at the time when one of its test vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, last year, U.S. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt said Tuesday. “The inappropriate actions of both the automatic driving system as implemented and the vehicle’s

Bugatti Automobiles is looking to broaden its appeal by flanking the 2.5 million-euro ($2.7 million) Chiron supercar with a slightly more accessible alternative. The potential second model line would be an electric-powered grand tourer or crossover that could seat up to four people and would cost between 500,000 and 1 million euros. The French boutique

As recently as March, Daimler promised to put 10,000 autonomous taxis on the streets by 2021.  But this week, Daimler chairman Ola Kallenius announced that the company was taking a “reality check” on the project and focusing on self-driving long-haul trucks instead. It’s fine that self-driving cabs aren’t coming as fast as some expected –

Italian executive Luca de Meo, who heads Volkswagen Group’s Seat brand, is the favorite candidate to become Renault’s next CEO, French newspapers reported. Another top contender is Didier Leroy, a Frenchman who is global No. 2 at Toyota, according to the reports. De Meo, 52, and Leroy, 61, denied interest in the Renault job. “Luca

PARIS — Renault’s interim CEO Clotilde Delbos has applied to take the job on a permanent basis, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the French carmaker edges towards a shortlist likely to also feature several external candidates. Financial chief Delbos was propelled to the job on a temporary basis after CEO Thierry Bollore’s

Daimler has taken a “reality check” on self-driving taxis, acknowledging that making them safe is proving harder than first thought amid questions over their future earnings potential. Daimler will “rightsize” its spending level on robotaxis and self-driving technology will more likely be applied to commercial vehicles for freight companies on long haul routes, CEO Ola

MILAN — Ferrari is rolling out the Roma, the fifth new model this year for the ‘Prancing Horse,” as it expands its stable to help sustain its profit and share price growth. The Roma will be a 2+2 coupe, meaning it has two small rear-seats, Ferrari said on Wednesday, without disclosing its price. The Roma

FRANKFURT — Tesla plans to build its next factory near Berlin, CEO Elon Musk said, sending a stark message to Germany’s automakers that he is headed for their home turf. Tesla also will establish an engineering and design center in Berlin near the Germany capital city’s new airport, Musk said Tuesday. He made the announcement

LONDON — Sales of Aston Martin’s new SUV could exceed expectations, becoming the “ultimate catalyst” for the luxury automaker’s beaten-down stock, according to analysts at HSBC Holdings. “After months of underperformance and the future of the company at stake, we believe the launch of the DBX is potentially game-changing,” the bank said in a note