Frankfurt Auto Show – Industry In Crisis, Aggravated By Election Frenzy. “I suspect the underlying theme of the show will be that it marks the point in history when the German automotive industry lost control over its own destiny Security experts safely removed the fuse from a massive 1.4 ton ‘Blockbuster’ unexploded second world bomb […]
Tag Archives | Frankfurt
Frankfurt Auto Show May Perform the Last Rites For Diesel
Frankfurt Auto Show May Perform the Last Rites For Diesel. “There is currently no death of diesel. We still need diesel technology. While the Frankfurt Auto Show will hail the dawn of the electric car, again, conventional wisdom sees the death knell for diesels being sounded next week too. But like electric cars in reverse, […]
Frankfurt Show Sees Europe In Good Short-term Shape
Frankfurt Show Sees Europe In Good Short-term Shape. But Don’t Even Think About Upheavals, Hi-tech Raids. “I expect to see another round of consolidation in the next two or three years” The automotive industry must be hoping that after the German general election is over later this month, its exposure to relentless criticism over dieselgate […]
Seismic Shocks Building For Auto Industry In Frankfurt
Seismic Shocks Building For Auto Industry In Frankfurt. “Frankfurt will be an auto show that shows an industry in transition” The European car industry is showing off its shiny new high technology vehicles at the biennial Frankfurt Car Show, shrugging off any negative thoughts about China and declaring that it is business as usual with […]
CO2 Ignored By Faster, Sexier Frankfurt New Cars
CO2 Ignored By Faster, Sexier Frankfurt New Cars. “Toyota gains brownie points with its new Prius hybrid, which has a dazzling new body” If you question automotive CEOs about the industry outside of car shows, you will get straight-faced, serious-grey suited and responsible talk about downsizing, CO2 reduction, and climate change policies. “Plug-in hybrids and […]
Frankfurt Show Struts Its Stuff, But Can’t Hide The Cracks
Ford, Renault Upmarket Drive Seems A Hard Road. Weak Markets Made Worse By Underlying Changes. “There is still a hell of a way to go with overcapacity. Some has been taken out but not nearly enough” The braggadocio and bombast was still echoing around the Frankfurt car show stands when Volkswagen of Germany reminded everybody […]
Ford Unveils “Upmarket” Vignale To Challenge Germans
Renault Follows Same Blind Alley With Initiale Paris. Ford Europe unveiled an upmarket concept version of its Mondeo family sedan, labelled the Vignale, at the Frankfurt Car Show, and promised at least 25 new models over the next five years. Ford Europe, which expects to lose about $1.8 billion in 2013 after red ink totalling […]
BMW Starts The Revolution With i3 Electric Car Launch
VW Plunges Into Electric Market Too. Declaring that “the revolution has started”, German luxury car manufacturer launched its first electric car at the Frankfurt Car Show, the little i3. BMW has dedicated a new sub-brand to electric vehicles which will all be labelled “i”. It’s next “i” vehicle will be the i8, a plug-in hybrid […]
BMW, Mercedes In Great Shape Right?
Yes, But Foreign Currency Fluctuations Will Eat Into Profits. While U.S. agency Fitch Ratings was cheering BMW, Mercedes and VW/Audi prospects, Bernstein Research had some sobering thoughts, saying currency devaluations by emerging nations and Japan might throw a small spanner in the works. “BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen demonstrate all the attributes of solid investment grade […]
BMW’s Shows i8 Plug-In Hybrid Supercar In Frankfurt
Aims i8 At U.S. Market. BMW unveiled its second electric car at the Frankfurt Car Show today – the i8 supercar plug-in hybrid – and said it will go on sale in America next spring priced at $135,925, before taxes. In a statement also released from its Woodlake, N.J., U.S. headquarters, BMW said the 2+2 […]