Electric Car Sales Rise, But Too Slowly To Meet German Targets “We see that further subsidies are necessary. We must speak with the German states about that” – Merkel Sales of electric cars in Europe might be gathering pace, but are still too slow to threaten targets for their adoption in Germany, and are undermining […]
Archive | Industry Analysis 2014
U.S. Sales Will Advance Again; Could Hit 18 Million By 2017.
U.S. Sales Will Advance Again; Could Hit 18 Million By 2017. Falling Oil Price Might Do More Harm Than Good Though. Electric Vehicles, Plug-in Hybrids Will Tread Water. Weak Yen Might Prove Big Fillip For Japanese At Detroit Expense. The good times will keep on rolling in the U.S. in 2015 for the sixth year […]
Mercedes, BMW, VW Chiefs Make Way For Younger Generation.
Mercedes, BMW, VW Chiefs Make Way For Younger Generation. Some Older Leaders Move On, With One Notable Exception. The German auto industry has freshened up its leadership by promoting new CEOs and signalling that the younger generation is ready to take over the top jobs. Experts said leadership changes this month at Volkswagen, BMW and […]
Ferrari Spin-Off Triggers Speculation About Value
Ferrari Spin-Off Triggers Speculation About Value. Investors Undercut Marchionne Valuation By €4 Billion. FCA’s decision to sell 10 per cent of its Ferrari subsidiary and spin-off the rest to shareholders has triggered a debate about how much this storied luxury sports-car maker is worth and valuations are varying in a spectacular way. CEO Sergio Marchionne […]
Jeep Scores Big Sales Gains In Europe While Ford, GM Stumble
Jeep Scores Big Sales Gains In Europe While Ford, GM Stumble “Jeep’s biggest seller is the Grand Cherokee, followed by the Compass” Jeep had a spectacular November sales month in Western Europe, while Ford and GM Europe performed poorly, although both of the latter could claim mitigating circumstances. FCA subsidiary Jeep more than doubled sales […]
Fuel Cells A Long Way From Mainstream, Despite Toyota Launch
Fuel Cells A Long Way From Mainstream, Despite Toyota Launch “We struggle to understand the rationale for fuel cells electric given the performance capabilities already achieved by battery electric vehicles” You would think that when an automotive giant like Toyota declared its fuel cell car ready for prime time, questions about hydrogen technology had been […]
Europe Car Sales Will Slow, But Profits Will Benefit From Cost Cuts
“combined operating margin will increase to more than six per cent in 2015, from 5.6 per cent in 2014” Europe car sales growth will slow next year, but profits will improve as restructuring benefits kick-in, according to a report from Fitch Ratings. Fitch said sales growth in Europe will slow to between three and four […]
VW Should Employ More American Chiefs For Success In U.S.
VW’s Range Limited, Uncompetitive, Poor Quality; Dealers Weak. “Few Americans have got anywhere near the VW management cadre at any point” Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest car maker currently failing in its bid to find success in the U.S., needs to employ more Americans in top management posts and find a consistent brand message. VW, which wants […]
Tesla, BMW Speculation Ratchets Up
Tesla, BMW Speculation “a carbon fibre EV powered by Tesla, manufactured by BMW would currently be the ultimate must-have vehicle” Speculation that Tesla Motors is cosying up to BMW gathered pace, with the latest talk concerning a link up concentrating on the U.S. company’s battery technology and the German’s expertise in carbon fibre. German weekly […]
Falling Yen Poses Big Threat To U.S. Car Manufacturers
Falling Yen Poses Big Threat To U.S. Car Manufacturers Morgan Stanley Sees Content, Rather Than Price War. Could Europe Be Hit Hard Too? The U.S. light vehicle market is expect to grow modestly again this year and perhaps peak sometime at 18 million, but this healthy-sounding scenario masks a cloud hanging over the domestic industry; […]
