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☆ China's Great Wall Motor is first EV maker to respond to EU anti-subsidy probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Haval cars produced by Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors are on display for sale at a dealership in Artyom near Vladivostok, Russia, March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Tatiana Meel/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Oct 24 (Reuters) - China's Great Wall Motor said it had formally submitted responses to the European Commission's anti-subsidy investigation of Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), while calling for a fair and open trade environment. Great Wall, which provided its answers to the European Commission on Oct. 11, was the first automaker to have done so, he added. Great Wall Motor plans to build a plant in Europe and Germany was one of the candidates for the site, the German publication Automobilwoche said in May. Great Wall Motor ranked eighth in terms of sales of pure electric and plug-in hybrid cars in China during the first nine months of the year, industry figures show.

Persons: Tatiana Meel, Mu Feng, Mu, Automobilwoche, Ursula von der Leyen, EVs, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: automaker Great Wall, REUTERS, Rights, Weibo, European Commission, Great, European, EV, BMW, Renault, World Trade Organization, HK, Wall Motor, Thomson Locations: Artyom, Vladivostok, Russia, China, EU, Moscow, Ukraine, Europe, Germany, Brussels, China . China

☆ China to be centre of Mercedes-Benz 2025 EV sales drive, Automobilwoche says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, July 23 (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) is making China, the world's top auto market, central to its next electric vehicle (EV) campaign starting in 2025, its CEO told German magazine Automobilwoche. From 2025, all of Mercedes-Benz's new vehicle platforms will only make EVs under a strategy the German luxury automaker outlined in 2021. A senior executive told Automobilwoche the models the company plans to launch in China based on the upcoming MB.EA platform were being reviewed to ensure they better meet the needs of local customers, singling out space and digital content. China remains the most relevant market for Germany's automakers, but local brands are in control with an 81% share of the Chinese EV market in 2022, Counterpoint Research found. China also has a significant stake in Mercedes-Benz, whose top two shareholders are Beijing Automotive Group Co Ltd (1958.HK) and Geely (GEELY.UL) Chairman Li Shufu.

Persons: Ola Kaellenius, Automobilwoche, Li Shufu, Christoph Steitz, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Benz, Mercedes, EV, Research, Beijing Automotive Group Co, HK, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, China, Berlin, Ukraine

☆ German auto association sees 2023 electric passenger car output up 50%
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, April 16 (Reuters) - Germany's auto industry association VDA expects the number of electric passenger cars produced in Europe's biggest economy to jump by 50% to over a million this year, due to rising foreign demand and carmakers ramping up e-mobility production. "We assume that the domestic production of electrically-powered passenger cars will increase by 50 percent to 1.33 million units, of which 980,000 will be purely battery-electric cars," VDA head Hildegard Mueller was quoted as saying by Automobilwoche on Sunday. Some 885,000 electric cars were produced in Germany last year, 300,000 of which were plug-in hybrids, according to VDA. Mueller said the forecast was based on new e-models on offer and rising production at Tesla's Gruenheide and Mercedes-Benz's Bremen plants, adding that demand from abroad was stronger than in Germany due to partial reductions in government subsidies that went into effect this year. Reporting by Riham AlkousaaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Volkswagen not planning new combustion engine Golf, Automobilwoche reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Volkswagen AG FollowBERLIN, April 2 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) does not plan to develop a new combustion engine generation of its legendary Golf car, brand chief Thomas Schaefer told autos publication Automobilwoche on Sunday, marking the end of the line for a vehicle on sale since 1974. The Golf 8, currently in production, will be the last combustion engine version of the hatchback car, with one more series of updates expected next year. The Volkswagen brand, part of the Volkswagen Group, is targeting 80% electric sales in Europe and 55% in North America by 2030. The group is targeting 50% electric sales globally by then. It is due to launch 10 new electric models by 2026, including a battery-electric car for under 25,000 euros($27,000).

☆ Mercedes set to invest billions in e-vehicles plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An electric-powered Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow conception car is seen at the Auto Zurich Car Show 2022 in Zurich, Switzerland, November 10, 2022. Mercedes has said it will be ready to go electric by the end of the this decade, where market conditions allow. The carmaker will start work on the Rastatt plant over the coming months and will produce the first model of the compact vehicle platform MMA from 2024. In addition, Mercedes will invest a low single-digit billion dollar sum in modernising the painting systems at its Sindelfingen, Bremen and Rastatt plants in Germany. Burzer said Mercedes was ready to respond to any further changes in the regulatory environment.

☆ Audi will not cut EV prices to follow Tesla's lead - Audi Europe chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies Tesla Inc FollowBERLIN, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Audi (VOWG.DE) has no plans to cut prices for its electric vehicles, German industry magazine Automobilwoche cited Audi Europe chief Jens Puttfarcken as saying, despite a similar move by market leader Tesla (TSLA.O) that has put pressure on others to follow suit. "We have our very own pricing policy," Puttfarcken was cited as saying. "We take such a step when it is necessary for the Audi brand." Reporting by Kirsti Knolle, Editing by Friederike HeineOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Volkswagen to build own US plant for Scout brand - Automobilwoche
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Volkswagen Group (VOWG_p.DE) will build its own production plant in the United States for its new Scout brand rather than collaborating with a partner, industry publication Automobilwoche reported on Friday, citing company sources. Volkswagen said last May it planned to reintroduce the Scout off-road brand, creating a separate, independent company to build Scout trucks and SUVs starting in 2026 that will be designed, engineered, and manufactured in the United States for U.S. customers. Building its own plant was the least likely option, the publication reported at the time, also citing company sources. Volkswagen is expanding its existing U.S. plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to produce the ID. However, the Scout brand will build off-road electric pick-up trucks and SUVs that require a new platform and the Chattanooga plant does not have enough space to do it all, a source told Reuters last May.

☆ Carmaker Stellantis upbeat about future of German brand Opel - magazine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The logo of Stellantis is seen on a company's building in Velizy-Villacoublay near Paris, France, February 1, 2022. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesBERLIN, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Franco-Italian carmaker Stellantis is upbeat about the outlook of its German subsidiary Opel which it believes will be able to keep operating as a separate brand, the company's Europe chief Uwe Hochgeschurtz told magazine Automobilwoche. "I'm happy with the brand and with its array of products," Hochgeschurtz was quoted as saying in the interview published on Sunday. Hochgeschurtz blamed Opel's loss of market share largely due to inadequate transport capacity to deliver the cars to sellers. "Given the lack of truck drivers, there is only limited transport capacity.

☆ There's a growing chance your next electric car will be built by the same company as your iPhone
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It's making deals to build cars for electric-vehicle startups — and someday wants to build cars for Tesla. Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics giant that assembles all manner of popular devices including the iPhone, iPad, Kindle, and Nintendo Switch, is diving head-first into the world of electric vehicles. Foxconn unveiled an electric pickup truck prototype in October. Lordstown Motors just recently started shipping out Foxconn-made electric pickup trucks to customers. Volkswagen is considering hiring Foxconn to build its new Scout-branded electric SUV and pickup truck destined for US buyers, Germany's Automobilwoche reported in November.

☆ Volkswagen's Skoda considers withdrawing from China, Automobilwoche reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Czech carmaker Skoda Auto, part of Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), is considering withdrawing from China and will make a final decision next year, CEO Klaus Zellmer was quoted as saying by the weekly magazine Automobilwoche. "The competition is very intense there, so we will consider, together with our Chinese joint venture partner, how we want to proceed," Zelmer was quoted as saying. "If we want to focus our energy, it's worth checking all scenarios and then deciding." The chief executive said the company could consider simply selling cars in China rather than also producing them there. Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Additional Reporting by Jan Schwartz; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Credit Agricole is weighing foray into German car-sharing: media report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, Nov 27 (Reuters) - French bank Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA) is weighing plans to offer car-sharing financial services in Germany because the growing market offers opportunities to challenge incumbent players, an executive told trade publication Automobilwoche. "We are testing car-sharing in smaller towns in France with a population of up to 30,000. The German membership-based car-sharing market is undergoing a transformation as Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) is selling its all-electric car-sharing unit WeShare to Berlin-based Miles Mobility. Germany's Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) and BMW (BMWG.DE) sold their car-sharing venture Share Now to Stellantis (STLA.MI). Car rental firm Sixt has branched out into car-sharing.

☆ Audi supports one-off staff payments over permanent wage hikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Oct 30 (Reuters) - German carmaker Audi is in favour of offering employees one-off tax-free payments instead of permanent wage increases, its human resources director said, as unions across Europe's biggest economy demand higher wages in light of rising inflation. Workers' purchasing power in Germany has already taken a hit, with consumer price inflation at 11.6% in October. Employers, however, do not see much scope for wage increases due to the rising costs of material and energy. But such payment could be a way to reach an agreement, Audi HR Director Xavier Ros said, adding that responding to rising consumer prices with significant wage increases would harm the economy in the long-term. Audi, a Volkswagen Group (VOWG_p.DE) brand, is not itself a direct partner in the wage negotiations, but it adopts the talks outcomes in a collective wage agreement.

☆ Volkswagen: we have never had supply chain shortages like today
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Victoria Waldersee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) is entering into direct purchase agreements in unprecedented areas to tackle the worst supply chain shortages the company has seen, its purchasing chief Murat Aksel said on Tuesday. The carmaker was also building a database to help predict geopolitical, natural and supply chain risks ahead of time, as it did for financial risks after the 2008 financial crisis, Aksel added. "We never used to talk to mining operators - now we know their business model," Aksel told a conference in Berlin. "It is no longer enough to rely on Tier 1 suppliers - we need to look behind the curtains ourselves." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Victoria Waldersee, Editing by Miranda Murray and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Volkswagen does not see chip shortage ending in 2023, Automobilwoche reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Volkswagen logo is seen as it launches its ID.6 and ID.6 CROZZ SUV at a world premiere ahead of the Shanghai Auto Show, in Shanghai, China April 18, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoBERLIN, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) no longer sees chip shortages ending in 2023, and the German carmaker is preparing for the "new normal" of supply chain disruptions, Murat Aksel, head of procurement on the Volkswagen board, told German weekly Automobilwoche. However, Aksel warned that "what we've seen in the supply chains over the past two years, this is the new normal," adding that Volkswagen is investing heavily in early detection. "With the new geopolitical issues, if anything, it's going to get even more complex and challenging," added Aksel. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWriting by Miranda Murray, editing by Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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