GM Makes Hamtramck an All-EV Plant
It’s alive! EVs give GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck plant a new life
Bill Hampton
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Daily
Antitrust Issue Raised Over Fiat Chrysler-PSA Merger
Partner must address van market share worries this week
Coronavirus Auto Industry Roundup for May 15
Carmakers juggle production, search for funding
Buick to Drop Regal Sedan in U.S.
Buick will drop the Regal, the only conventional sedan in its U.S. lineup, at the end of the 2020 model year to focus exclusively on SUV/crossovers.
Mazda CX-30 Sets Top Mark in Euro Safety Tests
Mazda Motor Corp.’s all-new CX-30 compact crossover vehicle earned a top five-star rating from the European New Car Assessment Program and scored a record-high 99% in the Adult Occupant Protection category.
Merged FCA-PSA Would Maintain Current Brands
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group plan to maintain all current brands under their proposed merger, PSA CEO Carlos Tavares tells French television station BMF Business.
PSA Readies Electric Vans
PSA Group will launch all-electric variants of its Citroen, Peugeot and Opel/Vauxhall compact vans next year in Europe.
A Scary Look at the Auto Industry
A witch, a clown, a masked vigilante, and a doctor go into a studio. . . .
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Group
Sales of Electrified Cars to Quadruple in Europe
Deliveries of plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles across Europe will jump fourfold to 1 million units in 2020, predicts Europe’s Transport & Environment group.
Investment in British Auto Industry Plunges 74%
New investment in Britain’s automotive sector plummeted 74% in the first half of 2019, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
PSA May Close Vauxhall Plant over Messy Brexit
PSA Group says it will move production of Astra and Vauxhall cars out of Ellesmere Port, England, if the U.K.’s exit from the European Union makes local production unprofitable.
PSA Says Brexit Will Determine Future for U.K. Plant
PSA Group says its decision about making the next-generation Opel/Vauxhall Astra in England will depend on favorable tariff terms when the U.K. exits the European Union.
Cadillac’s Andrew Smith on Design
“A Cadillac wants to be a simple, memorable statement,” says Andrew Smith of the brand he leads design for. And another characteristic: “Americanness.”
PSA Boss Affirms Interest in Adding Luxury Brand
PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares he is evaluating all opportunities, including buying or partnering with a luxury brand such as Jaguar Land Rover.
What to Do In an R&D Overcapacity Situation
Opel is making a big change in staffing in Rüsselsheim
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Group
Carmakers to Begin Brexit Plant Shutdowns in U.K.
Carmakers will begin long-planned Brexit-related plant shutdowns in the U.K. this month, despite a last-minute delay in Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Opel’s Union Okay Employee Transfers at German Tech Center
As many as 2,000 workers at PSA Group’s Opel engineering center in Russelsheim, Germany, will be allowed to transfer to a French engineering company.
PSA Hires Ex-Renault Chief to Head Sales, Marketing
PSA Group has appointed Thierry Koskas to take over as senior vice president of sales and marketing for the group’s five brands—Citroen, DS, Opel, Peugeot and Vauxhall—on March 26.
Opel Helps PSA Post Record Sales, Net Income
PSA Group reports record unit sales, revenue and both operating and net income for 2018, largely because of its acquisition of Opel/Vauxhall from General Motors Co. in 2017.
PSA Factory in France Adds Opel Mini-SUV
PSA Group says its assembly plant in Poissy, France, will add a next-generation Opel/Vauxhall-branded mini-crossover model later this year.
Fiat Chrysler, PSA Extend Van Partnership
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and PSA Group have agreed to continue joint production of large commercial van at FCA’s factory in Sevel, Italy.
The First Half in the U.K.
Not even the language is the same between the U.S. and the U.K.
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Group
Peugeot EV: 78 Years Ago
Although you’ve not been able to get a new Peugeot in the U.S. since 1991, PSA Group is methodically working to bring back PSA products to the market.
Car Colours in the U.K.
When it came to U.K. registrations for 2018, black, which was #1 in 2017, fell to second place, usurped by grey.
PSA Opens Powertrain R&D Center
PSA Group is opening a powertrain center of excellence in Carrieres-sous-Poissy, France.
Ford: Brexit with No Trade Deal Would Be “Catastrophic”
If the U.K. exits the European Union in March with no trade deal in place, the results would be “catastrophic” for the British auto industry, says Ford Motor Co.
Opel Names Cobo as Production Chief
PSA Group’s Opel/Vauxhall unit has appointed Antonio Cobo as vice president of manufacturing and supply chain, effective Jan. 1.
Opel to Launch Three EVs by 2020
PSA Group’s Opel unit says it will introduce all-electric variants of three models by 2020, starting next year with the Corsa subcompact hatchback.
