News By Topic: Automobile Manufacturers

Ricardo Consulting Acquires the IFT Group

Jul 7, 2003

VAN BUREN TWP., Mich., July 7 -- Ricardo Inc. -- one of the world's foremost independent automotive engineering consulting companies -- has acquired the IFT Group, an automotive engineering group based in the southern German automotive cluster cornered by Stuttgart, Munich and Ingolstadt. The IFT companies provide engi ... Continue reading

Volvo Mobility Systems, a telematics unit within the Volvo Group has together with Norwegian system integrator Mobitech a/s delivered the first Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and Real-time Passenger Information (RTPI) system in Norway

Jul 7, 2003

Telematics Update: Volvo delivers Intelligent Transport System to Norway The customer, Tromso City, uses the system to provide travel information in real time to its passengers, and to monitor and control its city bus operations. The city of Tromso operates a bus fleet of around 100 buses. The project includes the inte ... Continue reading

BMW WilliamsF1 Team-French GP-Race

Jul 6, 2003

French Grand Prix - RACE 6th July 2003 Weather: dry, overcast, air 24-25°C, track 28-31°C Magny-Cours (FRA). For the second time in a row, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team today secured their second one-two victory. As at the Nürburgring, Ralf Schumacher crossed the line first, ahead of team mate Juan Pablo Montoya. Ralf¹s ... Continue reading

Poll finds public wants SUVs to get better gas mileage, divided over their safety

Jul 6, 2003

WASHINGTON July 4, 2003; Will Lester writimng for the AP reported that the majority of Americans say SUVs should have to meet the same fuel economy standards as cars, says an Associated Press poll. But they're split on whether SUVs are safer - people tend to think they're safer for those inside them and more dangerous ... Continue reading

Kia Motors cuts '03 domestic sales target

Jul 6, 2003

SEOUL, July 6, 2003; Reuters reported that Kia Motors Corp, South Korea's second-largest auto maker, has cut its domestic sales target for this year by more than 10 percent to 440,000 vehicles, citing sluggish demand, local media reported on Sunday. Kia, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest auto mak ... Continue reading

New Model BMWs to Go on Sale in Europe

Jul 6, 2003

FRANKFURT, Germany July 5, 2003; David McHugh writing for the AP reported that auto maker BMW launches its new-model offensive in earnest Saturday as its redesigned 5-series cars go on sale in Europe - a make-or-break product launch that will determine profits for years to come. The 5-series, wedged between the smaller ... Continue reading

Renault 1st Half Russian Sales +47.5% On Year At 5,290 Cars

Jul 6, 2003

MOSCOW July 4, 2003; Dow Jones reported that French car maker Renault said Friday that its sales in Russia rose 48% in the first half of 2003 to 5,290 compared with the same period last year. Renault said that, while other European auto producers have suffered from the falling value of the ruble, Renault reaped benefit ... Continue reading

Venezuela car sales drop nearly 52 pct in June

Jul 5, 2003

CARACAS, Venezuela, July 4, 2003; Reuters reported that car sales in Venezuela fell by 51.85 percent in June compared with a year before, reflecting the impact of the country's deep recession on the national auto industry, the Venezuelan Automobile Chamber (CAVENEZ) reported Friday. A total of 5,185 cars were sold last ... Continue reading

VW Mexico Union Seeks Shorter Work Week To Avoid Layoffs

Jul 5, 2003

MEXICO CITY July 4, 2003;Amy Guthrie writing for Dow Jones reported that workers at Volkswagen AG's Mexico plant asked the German automaker Friday to consider shortening their work week by one day in order to avoid roughly 2,000 layoffs. "We're talking to the company today to see if we can change their position. Right ... Continue reading

NHTSA Publishes List of May 2003 Recalls

Jul 4, 2003

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today released a list of auto safety recalls announced in May 2003 and urged consumers to have the problems fixed promptly. This list identifies the make and model of the vehicle or equipment involved, with a brief description of the safety problem. NHTSA said ... Continue reading

Nissan North America Announces New Sales and Marketing Leadership

Jul 4, 2003

CARSON, Calif.--July 3, 2003--Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today announced several executive appointments, effective July 20, 2003, to maintain the momentum of Nissan and Infiniti sales and marketing gains during upcoming product launches under the NISSAN 180 plan. "As we continue our aggressive product launches fo ... Continue reading

Mazda and Isuzu Agree on OEM Supply of Isuzu Small Truck

Jul 4, 2003

JapanCorp: <http://www.japancorp.net/?page_num=1> Mazda and Isuzu Agree on OEM Supply of Isuzu Small Truck Tokyo, Japan, July. 04, 2003 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation and Isuzu Motors Limited have signed a basic agreement on OEM supply of the Isuzu "Elf" small truck series to Mazda. Mazda will sell the vehi ... Continue reading

S Korea May Restructure Domestic Car Taxes To Spur Demand

Jul 3, 2003

SEOUL July 3, 2003; Dow Jones reported that to spur domestic auto demand, the South Korean government may implement new excise tax rates for cars ahead of schedule, said the Ministry of Finance and Economy Thursday. The government didn't say when the new tax rates will go into effect, but said it will try to decide on ... Continue reading

Nissan Announces Production of Two New Vehicles and a New Engine in Spain

Jul 3, 2003

JapanCorp: <http://www.japancorp.net/?page_num=1> Nissan Announces Production of Two New Vehicles and a New Engine in Spain Tokyo, Japan, July. 03, 2003 - (JCN Newswire) - Nissan today announced an investment of 400 million euros in its Nissan Motor Iberica SA (NMISA) plants for the production of two new vehicles - a 4 ... Continue reading

Porsche Cayenne and 911 Win AutoWeek's 'America's Best'

Jul 3, 2003

The Results Are in for the 14th Annual AutoWeek Magazine Survey ATLANTA, July 3 -- The Porsche Cayenne and 911 were awarded Best SUV/Off-Road Vehicle and Best Sports Car, respectively, in AutoWeek Magazine's 14th Annual "America's Best" Survey. The survey by America's largest weekly car magazine was conducted entirely ... Continue reading