Geneva Auto Show: EU CO2 Targets Cloud Industry’s Future. “Any forced change will have serious environmental, economic, social and political implications. It is a cruel deception to say that a quick transition to new energy systems is going to be painless” “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”. That old proverb comes to […]
Geneva Auto Show: Stagnation Would Be Good. “The profits will be very thin in 2019. Profit warnings, production cuts and downsizing are inevitable” The European auto industry is under attack from all sides, but major forecasters, a few days ahead of the annual Geneva Auto Show, are still clinging to the hope that maybe just […]
German Carmakers Face Huge Profit Hit If 25% Tariff Imposed. “We estimate a total of about 650,000 of these sales would be lost, with the luxury segment losing 90% of imported sales. The German manufacturers would be the most disadvantaged” If President Trump imposes a 25% tariff on auto imports, European carmakers like BMW, Mercedes, […]
Auto Technology Revolution Looks Unstoppable, But Slow. “This highlights consumers’ hesitation to adopt electric vehicles as the cost comparison with traditional ICE vehicles does not favor them and consumers are not yet convinced about their utility” It’s not saying much to declare that Europe will see more electric cars launched this year than 2018, but […]
Brexit “Crash Out” From The EU Might Be No Bad Thing. “A hard Brexit will cost JLR more than $1.5 billion – it’s horrifying, wiping out our profit, destroying investment in the autonomous, zero-emissions (world) we share” “Trading under the WTO option is my preferred alternative to Chequers, as was – and most certainly is […]
Ghosn Demise Casts Shadow Over Future Of Alliance. Nissan Will Need More Power If Alliance With Renault Is To Continue. The arrest and incarceration of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn on corruption charges shocked shareholders invested in the alliance with Renault. The sudden downfall of such a powerful figure in the automotive business was seized […]
Autonomous Cars Face Hurdles; They Will Succeed, But When? “In the cities where all the software, mapping and knowledge is completed, and that number of cities increases, then you can have an AV of your own” The automotive industry is spending fortunes developing autonomous vehicles with no payback in sight, while the technology required to […]
Paris Auto Show – Significant Launches Led By BMW. “This attempt with DS to challenge the German premium brands does look an uphill struggle” It was the car show that much of the industry avoided, but it still attracted many significant new launches, from trend setting electric vehicles to the inevitable slew of new SUVs, […]
JLR Brexit Bluster Camouflages Underlying Profit Problems. “However JLR has issues beyond Brexit and a best case scenario – one in which the U.K. remains in the customs union – will not answer the fundamental questions surrounding the profitability of the company” Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) was all over the media in Britain saying a […]
Audi Delays E-tron Launch As Investors Ponder Stadler Crisis. Diess, The Outsider, Will Be Stronger. “It’s very hard to see what happens next because of the strange organisational structure of VW” Audi said it has postponed the August 30 launch of its all-electric e-tron following the arrest of CEO Rupert Stadler in connection with the […]
