DIRS.INFO top alerts submit data jurnalism about API
login
Top related persons:
Top related locs:
Top related orgs:

Search resuls for: "William Boston"


25 mentions found


☆ Volkswagen Plans Almost $200 Billion in Investment Focusing on EVs, New Tech
  + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BERLIN— Volkswagen AG is planning a spending spree of close to $200 billion over the next five years to fix its struggling business in China and try to hoist the German car maker out of its niche as an also-ran in the U.S. The German auto maker said Tuesday it would target 68% of that investment, or about $131 billion, on the development of electric vehicles and new digital technology, with a particular focus on expansion in China and the U.S. That compares with about 56% in the previous investment plan.
☆ Porsche Plans New Electric Luxury SUV as Profit Rises
  + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
A Porsche 911 Dakar at the AutoMobility LA Auto Show last year. BERLIN— Porsche AG unveiled plans to launch a new all-electric SUV as it reported a rise in sales and profit in its first annual earnings since parent Volkswagen AG took the sports-car maker public last year. The German company said Monday that the new luxury SUV would be a cornerstone of its plan to boost profitability by having a sharper, strategic focus on high-end automotive consumers.
☆ Volkswagen Picks Canada for Site of First Battery Plant Outside Europe
  + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BERLIN— Volkswagen AG chose a site in the Canadian province of Ontario for its first battery plant outside Europe, taking advantage of the country’s rich raw materials—and possibly cashing in on U.S.-legislated incentives aimed at encouraging green-tech investments in North America. The location of Volkswagen’s next battery plant has been a recent flashpoint in the competition between the U.S. and Europe to boost investment aimed at transitioning to a low-emission economy. Last year, the Biden administration passed environmental, healthcare and tax legislation—called the Inflation Reduction Act—that included hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies and incentives aimed at boosting the country’s clean energy industry and encouraging certain investments in North America.
☆ In Nord Stream Probe, German Investigators Search Boat That May Have Carried Explosives
  + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea in September. BERLIN—Germany’s federal prosecutor said Wednesday that investigators looking into the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea have searched a boat they say could have been used to transport explosives for the suspected attack last fall. The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines built to transfer gas from Russia to Europe were damaged in explosions in September, sparking several international investigations into the cause of the blasts. At the time of the blast, both pipelines were filled with natural gas but they weren’t in use. Russia had stopped gas supplies through Nord Stream and Germany had halted certification of Nord Stream 2 days before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
☆ U.S. Probes Whether Pro-Ukraine Group Had Role in Nord Stream Explosions
  + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Bojan Pancevski | William Boston | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
U.S. officials are investigating the possibility that a pro-Ukrainian group was responsible for last year’s attack on the Nord Stream natural-gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, a senior U.S. official said, while Germany said its investigators have searched a ship in connection with the sabotage. The assessment by U.S. intelligence that a pro-Ukrainian group could have been responsible isn’t definitive, the senior official said. But it adds to the growing sense among investigators in the U.S. and Europe that neither Russian-government nor pro-Russian operatives were behind the sabotage.
☆ Germany Reviews 5G Network Safety, Opening Door to Possible Huawei Ban
  + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( William Boston | Bertrand Benoit | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Germany has previously resisted U.S. calls to ban the use of equipment made by Huawei in its critical infrastructure. BERLIN—The German government has launched a review of the country’s 5G high-speed mobile telecommunications networks as part of a broader revamp of its relationship with China, suggesting Berlin is moving closer to banning Chinese suppliers from German networks. The move marks a shift for Berlin, which for years resisted U.S. calls for its European partners to ban the use of equipment made by Huawei Technologies Co. and state-controlled ZTE Corp. in their critical infrastructure. Washington has warned that the existence of Chinese components in its allies’ 5G networks made them vulnerable and could compromise intelligence sharing between Washington and Berlin.
☆ Global Companies Are Finding It Hard to Leave Russia
  + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( William Boston | Jennifer Maloney | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, many companies including British oil giant BP, said they would exit Russia. Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a wave of promises by global businesses to exit Russia. A year later, many of those companies are still there. Hard Rock International closed its Hard Rock Cafe in Moscow but says it is negotiating the end of a franchise agreement with an independent restaurant operator in St. Petersburg. Volkswagen AG, Europe’s biggest auto maker, stopped sales and production of cars in Russia and says it is in advanced discussion to sell its subsidiary there.
☆ Germany, Italy Signal They Could Block EU Combustion-Engine Ban
  + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Kim Mackrael | William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
The auto industry employs 3.4 million people in the European Union. A group of large European Union countries is threatening to block a plan by Brussels to effectively ban the internal combustion engine, endangering the bloc’s ambitious agenda to combat climate change. Germany and Italy said this week they could block the plan’s formal approval at crucial meetings this week and next. Berlin said it would oppose the plan unless Brussels agrees to allow so-called synthetic fuels that can burn like gasoline and diesel but spew fewer climate-damaging emissions alongside fully electric vehicles.
☆ Ford to Cut 3,800 Jobs in Europe in EV Shift
  + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Ford is resizing its European workforce in the midst of a global push to invest in EVs. BERLIN— Ford Motor Co. is planning to slash 3,800 jobs in Europe over the next three years to lower costs and boost profit as it continues to shift toward electric vehicles, the auto maker said Tuesday. The bulk of the job cuts would primarily hit Ford’s European product-development staff, reducing the number of Europe-based engineers as the company relies more heavily on U.S. development and electric-vehicle technology it has licensed from Volkswagen AG.
☆ EU Lawmakers Vote to Ban Sale of New Gasoline-Powered Cars From 2035
  + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Kim Mackrael | William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
The deal reached allows for the possibility that vehicles run exclusively on carbon-neutral fuels could be sold after 2035. BRUSSELS—European Union lawmakers approved a law that will effectively ban the sale of new gasoline- and diesel-powered cars in the bloc from 2035, one of the most aggressive moves yet by a major economy to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. In setting a date to wind down sales of new passenger vehicles using internal combustion engines, the EU’s move will likely further fuel a global shift that is already having a huge impact on investment and product development by car manufacturers and their suppliers.
☆ Siemens Profit Falls, but Electronics Company Raises Outlook for Year
  + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Siemens said it expects full-year revenue growth in the range of 7% to 10%. BERLIN— Siemens AG, the German electronics and mobility firm, said net earnings in the first three months of its business year fell, but that it was raising its outlook for the current fiscal year on the back of strong revenue and orders. The Munich-based industrial and technology company said digital industries and infrastructure businesses, which provide equipment, software and services for factories, buildings, electricity grids, and other infrastructure, made a big contribution to revenue and earnings growth in the company’s fiscal first quarter. Siemens’s business year ends on Sept. 30.
☆ Bayer Hires Former Roche Executive to Succeed CEO Werner Baumann
  + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( William Boston | Patrick Thomas | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Bill Anderson is set to join Bayer’s management board in April and become CEO in June. BERLIN— Bayer AG said it is replacing the company’s embattled chief executive, Werner Baumann , with Bill Anderson, a 56-year-old American pharmaceuticals executive. Mr. Baumann, 60 years old, has served as CEO since 2016 after previously serving as the company’s finance chief. His current term was due to expire in April 2024. He led the company’s acquisition of Monsanto for $63 billion in 2018, which left Bayer mired in litigation and saddled with about $43 billion in debt.
☆ VW Says 2022 Sales and Profit in Line With Forecasts
  + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BERLIN— Volkswagen AG said Tuesday that 2022 sales and operating earnings were largely in line with forecasts, but that cash flow, a key measure for investors, fell short of expectations as supply-chain woes led to higher unsold inventory at the end of the year. VW and other auto makers have struggled over the past year with continued disruptions to supply chains in the wake of the war in Ukraine and amid a resurgence in Covid-19 infections in China that hit supply chains, making it difficult to maintain production at constant levels.
☆ Putin Gives Mercedes Approval to Sell Russian Financial-Services Business
  + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( William Boston | Georgi Kantchev | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BERLIN—Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his approval for Mercedes-Benz Group AG to sell its Russia-based financial-services subsidiaries, bringing the German auto maker a step closer to selling its Russian businesses after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Mercedes has been negotiating the sale of its financial-services subsidiaries and auto-assembly operations to Avtodom , a Russian auto dealership. Before the war, Mercedes assembled E-Class sedans and sport-utility vehicles at its Moscovia plant, about 25 miles from Moscow, the Russian capital.
☆ Putin Gives Mercedes Approval to Divest Itself of Russian Financial-Services Business
  + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( William Boston | Georgi Kantchev | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Mercedes-Benz halted the sale and assembly of vehicles in Russia after Moscow invaded Ukraine. BERLIN—Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his approval for Mercedes-Benz Group AG to sell its Russia-based financial-services subsidiaries, bringing the German auto maker a step closer to selling its Russian businesses after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Mercedes has been negotiating the sale of its financial-services subsidiaries and auto-assembly operations to Avtodom , a Russian auto dealership. Before the war, Mercedes assembled E-Class sedans and sport-utility vehicles at its Moscovia plant, about 25 miles from Moscow, the Russian capital.
☆ SAP to Cut 3,000 Jobs After Profit Plunges
  + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BERLIN—Software company SAP SE joined the ranks of tech companies announcing job cuts this year, saying it would shed up to 3,000 positions after a steep profit drop in late 2022. After growing rapidly at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, technology companies have been laying off workers mainly in the U.S., with large employers such as Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. shedding thousands of jobs last year.
☆ Ford in Talks to Sell German Plant to China’s BYD
  + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BERLIN— Ford Motor Co. is in talks with Chinese electric-vehicle maker BYD Co. over the sale of a manufacturing plant in Germany, according to people familiar with the discussions. Officials from Ford’s management in Germany are planning to travel to China next week to discuss the potential sale of a plant in Saarlouis, where vehicle production is slated to end in 2025. Ford produces its Focus compact model there. Terms of the deal, including a price, couldn’t be learned.
☆ Carl Hahn Boldly Advanced Volkswagen’s Global Reach
  + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( James R. Hagerty | William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Carl Hahn used his morning commute to test drive VW cars rather than relying on a chauffeur. Carl Hahn helped sell Americans on the Volkswagen Beetle in the 1960s and later, as head of the German auto maker, expanded boldly into manufacturing in China, Spain and Eastern Europe. After earning a doctorate in economics in Switzerland, the German-born Mr. Hahn worked in Italy and France. He joined VW in 1954 as an assistant to the chief executive officer, Heinrich Nordhoff. He was sent to head VW’s U.S. unit in 1959 and used clever marketing to expand sales of the Beetle, soon embraced by the peace-and-love generation.
☆ EVs Made Up 10% of All New Cars Sold Last Year
  + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BERLIN—Electric-vehicle sales surged worldwide last year, driven mainly by strong growth in China and Europe, according to fresh data and estimates, providing relief to a broader car market that suffered from economic worries, inflation and production disruptions. While EVs still make up a fraction of car sales in the U.S., their share of the total market is becoming substantial in Europe and China, and they are increasingly influencing the fortunes of the car market there as the technology goes mainstream.
☆ VW Posts Lowest Sales in Over a Decade on Supply-Chain Issues
  + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BERLIN— Volkswagen AG reported its lowest sales in more than a decade, but said it was confident business would improve this year as supply-chain blockages ease and semiconductors become more easily available. VW, which also includes passenger-car brands Skoda and Seat, luxury-car maker Audi, and sports-car maker Porsche AG, said Thursday that global sales dropped 7% to 8.3 million vehicles, as supply-chain constraints shut down some factories in Europe in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Covid-19 measures in China.
☆ Germany Detains Iranian Suspected of Planning Chemical Attack
  + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
A man is led to a police van with a coat concealing his face during the arrest. BERLIN—German authorities said Sunday that police had arrested a 32-year-old Iranian citizen suspected of obtaining deadly toxins to allegedly carry out an Islamist-motivated attack. The man was detained overnight after police raided the Iranian’s apartment in Castrop-Rauxel, a town near Dortmund in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
☆ Rising Power Prices in Europe Are Making EV Ownership More Expensive
  + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BERLIN—Rocketing electricity prices are increasing the cost of driving electric vehicles in Europe, in some cases making them more expensive to run than gas-powered models—a change that could threaten the continent’s electric transition. Electricity prices have soared in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in some cases eliminating the cost advantage at the pump that EVs have enjoyed. In some cases, the cost difference between driving both types of cars 100 miles has become negligible. In others, EVs have become more expensive to fuel than equivalent gasoline-powered cars.
☆ Giant Aquarium in Berlin Holding 1,500 Fish Bursts, Injuring Two
  + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BERLIN—A giant cylindrical aquarium that had become a landmark in the years since the fall of the Berlin Wall burst on Friday, sending one million liters of water and 1,500 exotic fish onto a busy crossing opposite the city’s recently rebuilt royal palace. Witnesses described hearing what sounded like a loud explosion around 5:45 a.m. local time, when police said the glass tank burst. The wave wreaked havoc as it crashed through doors and windows and flooded the street outside.
☆ Giant Aquarium in Berlin Bursts, Injuring Two
  + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
BERLIN—A giant cylindrical aquarium that had become a landmark in the years since the fall of the Berlin Wall burst on Friday, sending one million liters of water and 1,500 exotic fish onto a busy crossing opposite the city’s recently rebuilt royal palace. Witnesses described hearing what sounded like a loud explosion around 5:45 a.m. local time, when police said the glass tank burst. The wave wreaked havoc as it crashed through doors and windows and flooded the street outside.
☆ Fusion Industry Suddenly White-Hot After U.S. Lab Breakthrough
  + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jennifer Hiller | William Boston | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
The target chamber of the facility where 192 laser beams delivered the energy to create fusion ignition. Michl Binderbauer is chief executive of a southern California firm that aims to create almost limitless energy through nuclear fusion, a starry goal that at times struck some prospective investors as futuristic. That all changed this week.
<< prev 1 next >>
Total: 25