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Category: Automotive

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Auto and Car news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Panasonic To Exit Solar Production At Tesla’s New York Plant As Partnership Frays

    Panasonic To Exit Solar Production At Tesla’s New York Plant As Partnership Frays

    Panasonic said it would exit solar cell production at Tesla Inc’s New York plant, the latest sign of strain in a partnership where Panasonic’s status as the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker’s exclusive battery supplier is ending. The move increases uncertainty over Tesla’s solar business which is already under scrutiny, having been drastically scaled back since the U.S. firm bought it for $2.6 billion in 2016. Tesla has informed New York that Panasonic’s withdrawal “has no bearing on Tesla’s current operations”, the state said in a statement. The company employs over 1,500 jobs in the city of Buffalo, clearing its 1,460 commitment before April – and thereby avoiding a $41 million penalty – the state said.

    Panasonic said in a statement on Wednesday that it would cease production by the end of May and exit the factory by the end of September.

    The withdrawal comes as Panasonic scrambles to divest of unprofitable businesses as its strategic shift to components from consumer electronics struggles to drive profit growth.

    It is also another sign of a fraying partnership with the U.S. EV maker, which is set to diversify its battery supplies to include South Korea’s LG Chem Ltd and China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL).

    Panasonic said it would continue its automotive battery joint venture with Tesla in the U.S. state of Nevada, which just reported its first quarterly profit after years of production problems and delays.

    In the solar business, low demand from Tesla has left Panasonic sending most of the cells it makes in Buffalo to overseas clients, instead of selling them to Tesla for its trademark Solar Roof – cells designed to resemble regular roof tiles – as initially intended.

    When announcing the solar partnership in 2016, Panasonic said it would invest over 30 billion yen ($271.96 million) in the Buffalo plant. Tesla’s long-term purchase commitment was part of the deal.

    Panasonic, which employs about 380 workers at the plant, said that the U.S. partner “hopes to hire as many qualified Panasonic applicants as possible to help fill job openings for its growing operations in Buffalo.”

    The latest decision will have no significant impact on Panasonic’s annual profit forecasts, according to a company spokeswoman.

    Panasonic has already shrunk its own solar business elsewhere as it contends with competition from cheaper Asian rivals, selling its solar panel plant in Malaysia and research arm to China’s GS-Solar for an undisclosed amount last year.

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  • Audi Vietnam recalls SUVs to fix loose fender trims

    Audi Vietnam recalls SUVs to fix loose fender trims

    Audi Vietnam is recalling 618 Q5 SUVs to fix loose rear wheel fender trims that could be a road hazard if they detach.

    The affected Q5 vehicles were manufactured between January 2017 and August 2019 in Mexico, according to Audi Vietnam’s filing with Vietnam Register, the vehicle registration, inspection and quality control agency of the Ministry of Transport.

    Due to errors in the assembly process, a piece of the rear wheel fender trim may loosen during use and eventually detach from the SUV, and could become a hazard to other vehicles on the road, Audi Vietnam said in its filing.

    Audi Vietnam said it has so far not recorded cases of the piece falling off, but urged customers to take their vehicles to Audi Vietnam’s authorized dealers as soon as possible, who will secure the trim piece free of charge. This would take about 30 minutes, the company said.

    The recall program will take place from February 25, 2020 to February 25, 2023. Audi Vietnam said it will also service cars that were not officially imported but brought into the country individually (like diplomatic vehicles, for instance), upon receiving approval from the parent company.

    Audi opened its first dealership in Saigon in 2008, and now possesses three dealerships, the other two in Hanoi and Da Nang. It does not publish official sales figures in Vietnam.

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  • Harley-Davidson Softail Standard Unveiled

    Harley-Davidson Softail Standard Unveiled

    The 1,750 cc v-twin is blacked out, with chrome accents, and dual shotgun exhausts. It’s a single-seat Bobber-styled motorcycle, with steel spoked rims with a 19-inch front and 16-inch rear combination, and a single seat with an exposed rear fender.

    The high ‘ape-hanger’ type handlebar is complemented by a single round headlight, which is an LED unit. The H-D Softail Standard is only offered in black and tips the scales with a 291 kg dry weight. At the front is the teardrop-shaped 13.2-liter fuel tank, which reveals the frame and big Milwaukee-Eight engine.

    The suspension is handled by Harley-Davidson’s dual bending valve cartridge-type front fork, covered with clear-coated fork sliders, and at the rear is a mono-shock. Priced at $ 13,500 the Harley-Davidson Softail Standard will offer an entry-level machine and a perfect platform for customizing the bike further according to individual tastes and choices. Harley-Davidson also offers four dedicated accessory packages for those looking to customize the bike with genuine accessory packages right at the showroom.

    As of now, we’re not sure if the new Softail Standard will be offered on sale in India. But it could very well be introduced, as a new 2020 model in the coming months.

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  • New-Generation Honda City Unveil Date Revealed

    New-Generation Honda City Unveil Date Revealed

    The 5th generation Honda City is all set to be launched in India in the next couple of months. We can now tell you that Honda Cars India will officially take the wraps off the new Honda City on March 16, 2020, and probably begin taking bookings for the new car the same day onwards. The launch date of the new Honda City is yet to be confirmed. The all-new Honda City will be quite similar to the Thailand-spec model, which was unveiled in Thailand, late last year. The car will have some India-specific changes incorporated into it, of course.

    he new Honda City gets a sharper design and the front end too wears a fresh new look. There is a thick chrome bar on the grille and the headlamp cluster has been completely redesigned, having a jewel eye design. The front bumper gets a redesign as well and so do the tail lamps, carrying a signature u-shaped element.

    The 2020 Honda City has grown in size as well and is now over 100 mm longer, while the width has increased by 53 mm. The height though is now lowered by a good 28 mm, making it look a bit sportier. Honda has shortened the wheelbase on the new City by 11 mm, despite the overall increase in length.

    There will be 1.5-liter mild-hybrid petrol engine along with a 1.5-liter diesel unit and they will be BS6 compliant, right from day 1. Expect Honda to offer manual and automatic gearbox options as well!

    The Honda City will go up against its traditional rivals, which are the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Rapid, and the Volkswagen Vento.

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  • Bentley Continental GT Mulliner Revealed

    Bentley Continental GT Mulliner Revealed

    Bentley took the wraps off the Continental GT Mulliner and will be showcasing it at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show as well. It will be a limited edition model and it will also be the flagship of Continental GT range. We all know Bentley for making uber-luxurious cars, but the Continental GT Mulliner is the next level, as far as comfort and exclusivity is concerned. Bentley says that this car is made for those who want an “even greater focus on beautiful details”. The new Continental GT Mulliner gets a new double-diamond grille, which looks gorgeous and is complemented by ‘Mulliner’ branded side vents with the silver-on-black diamond scheme.

    Apart from that, the interior too gets the typical Bentley diamond-on-diamond quilting on the seats, door panels, and the tonneau cover as well. The threads are of different colors so as to accentuate the stitching. Each diamond gets exactly 712 stitches. There will be eight three-color combinations, all of which are custom made. The center-piece is the Breitling timepiece on the dashboard, which is finished in brushed silver and gets a quartet of chrome bullseyes offering a lovely bejeweled look. Other features include 7 different themes for mood-lighting along with illuminated tread plates and LED welcome lamps that project the Bentley logo on the ground as you step inside.

    Each Continental GT Mulliner gets a ‘Naim for Bentley’ premium audio system which includes 18 speakers and two active bass transducers, driven by a 2,200 watt, 20-channel amplifier and also gets eight DSP sound modes with an active bass.

    The Bentley Continental GT Mulliner can be specified with either the V8 or the W12 powertrains. The 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 motor enables the car to do a 0-100 kmph sprint in 3.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 333 kmph. The 4.0-liter Twin-turbo V8 Mulliner model does the 0-100 kmph sprint in 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 318 kmph.

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  • Renault Files Civil Claim Against Carlos Ghosn

    Renault Files Civil Claim Against Carlos Ghosn

    French car giant Renault said Monday it was filing a civil claim for damages against former CEO Carlos Ghosn over alleged financial misconduct.

    “Renault has filed a legal action to assert its rights” the company said in a statement, adding that it reserved the right “to solicit damages with interest” from an investigation into numerous claims of financial misconduct in France.

    On December 29, former Nissan, Renault boss Carlos Ghosn, who was under house arrest facing charges of diverting millions in company funds for his personal use, walked out of his house in Tokyo wearing a hat and a surgical mask.

    Lawyers for Brazilian-born Ghosn, who jumped Japanese bail in December and is now in his native Lebanon, on Friday delayed a lawsuit seeking a hefty retirement payout for their client from Renault, saying the company had not given them enough time to prepare arguments.

    Ghosn is seeking a 250,000 ($270,000) retirement payout, which Renault refuses to pay because it says he was forced to quit after his shock November 2018 arrest in Japan on multiple charges of financial wrongdoing.

    The former industry titan claims he retired in due form of his own accord.

    He faces a French inquiry into two parties he threw at the Palace of Versailles, including his opulent 2016 wedding, allegedly financed in part by Renault funds.

    A party for his 60th birthday two years earlier, replete with musicians, a top chef, period costumes for attendees and a firework display ostensibly to mark 15 years of the Reault-Nissan alliance allegedly cost 530,000 euros.

    Ghosn is also under investigation by France’s tax fraud office over suspicious financial transactions between Renault and its distributor in the Gulf state of Oman, and over contracts signed by Renault and Nissan’s Dutch subsidiary RNBV, the public prosecutor said last week.

    In Japan, he still faces multiple charges including a claim he under-reported millions of dollars in salary as chairman of Nissan.

    He has denied all the charges but fled while on bail before he could face trial.

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  • Nissan, Honda Delay Restart Of Some China Plants Due To Coronavirus

    Nissan, Honda Delay Restart Of Some China Plants Due To Coronavirus

    Japanese automakers delayed on Friday the restart of plants in China near the epicenter of a coronavirus outbreak, complying with authorities’ directives, but raising the risk of further supply disruptions that could hit global car production. Nissan Motor Co said it would keep its plants in Xianyang in the central province of Hubei, and Zhengzhou in the neighboring province of Henan, shuttered after Monday, when it had planned to resume operations, but did not set a new date.

    Honda Motor Co said operations at its plants in Wuhan, Hubei’s provincial capital in which the outbreak began, would remain suspended until March 11.

    Toyota Motor Corp said it would resume production on Monday at its plant in Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan, returning all four of its China assembly plants to operation from next week, but output would be limited at some.

    In an email, Nissan said its delay was due to a directive by government authorities in Hubei asking firms to keep operations shut through March 10. Output issues at suppliers were also affecting vehicle production, it said.

    The virus, which has killed more than 2,200 in mainland China, has wreaked havoc on the global automotive supply chain, stalling production at plants there and leaving automakers scrambling to source the roughly 30,000 parts each car needs.

    “Wuhan is a city which produces virtually every type of component used in vehicles,” said Takeshi Miyao, managing director of consultancy Carnorama.

    “So not only are vehicle assembly plants in the city unable to source parts, vehicle plants all over the world which source parts from Wuhan are being affected.”

    He added that, where possible, automakers were securing parts from suppliers’ plants elsewhere.

    Some automakers were taking more direct approaches to procurement. This week, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said it had flown Chinese parts in suitcases to Britain to maintain production, and could run out of components in two weeks.

    China’s manufacturing sector is struggling to restart after an extended Lunar New Year break, hindered by travel and quarantine curbs across the country.

    The suspension of output at Nissan’s two plants, which make the X-Trail SUV crossover and the Altima sedan in a joint venture with China’s Dongfeng Motor, comes as the automaker struggles to recover profitability after the arrest of its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, in 2018.

    Nissan has also cut output at some Japan plants over issues with procuring components, but said there had been no impact on other global plants.

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  • Vietnam loosens regulations for car imports

    Vietnam loosens regulations for car imports

    Vietnam has scrapped the requirement for vehicle type approval certificates for car imports and eased customs clearance procedures.

    On February 5 the government amended provisions of Decree 116, which had imposed stringent conditions on the assembly, import and maintenance of automobiles since 2018.

    Importers no longer need to produce vehicle type approval certificates (VTAs) issued by authorities in the country of origin. VTAs, which confirm that production samples of a design meet specified performance standards, had been made compulsory by Decree 116.

    Besides, imported cars no longer need to undergo rigorous quality tests if they are identical to previously imported vehicles that had been tested in the last 36 months.

    Decree 116 had required each individual batch, without exception, to be tested at the time of import.

    “Decree 116 was enacted to tighten quality control of imported cars,” the owner of a Japanese car dealership said. “But once it has fulfilled its mission to get businesses in line with Vietnam’s quality standards, VTAs and other such certificates become redundant.”

    Immediately after Decree 116 came into effect on January 1, 2018, car imports plummeted 85 percent year-on-year in the first quarter as importers scrambled to procure the document.

    Governments in Vietnam’s major car supplying countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, which had never issued this type of document before, had to start doing so to prevent losing exports.

    According to industry insiders, Decree 116 was enacted as a non-tariff barrier to protect the domestic industry against a potential flood of car imports as a result of zero tariffs under the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in 2018.

    Businesses quickly adapted to the new regulations, and car imports picked up again in the second half of the year, and have been rising until now.

    Unlike importers of Japanese vehicles, who took a lot of time to get VTAs, German carmakers such as Mercedes, Porsche, Truong Hai (BMW), Volkswagen, and Audi were not affected much since their country already issued the document.

    However, stricter customs clearance procedures did slow down luxury car imports from Europe, and dealers had to delay delivery to customers.

    “The removal of the VTA requirement and other customs procedures will not affect us too much other than reducing the time it takes to get our cars cleared by customs,” a German car dealer said.

    The new regulation only applies to the import of unused cars, and Decree 116 still applies in full to second-hand imports.

    According to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA), 4,281 completely built-up (CBU) cars worth $111 million were imported in January this year, down 35.4 percent year-on-year.

    Overall car sales were down 52 percent from the previous month and 53 percent year-on-year to 15,787 units.

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  • Tesla Gets Court Approval To Clear Forest For German Gigafactory

    Tesla Gets Court Approval To Clear Forest For German Gigafactory

    Tesla got approval from a German court on Thursday to continue to cut down forest near the capital Berlin to build its first European car and battery factory, in a defeat for local environmental activists.

    The court said in a statement it had rejected urgent applications to stop the land being cleared of trees from several environmental groups, adding its ruling was final. It had temporarily halted the tree felling earlier this month.

    The U.S. electric carmaker announced plans last November to build a Gigafactory in Gruenheide in the eastern state of Brandenburg that surrounds Berlin, a decision that was initially lauded as a vote of confidence in Germany.

    However, local and national lawmakers were caught out by the strength of opposition to the Gigafactory, with hundreds of demonstrators protesting over what they say is the threat it poses to local wildlife and water supplies.

    Lawmakers from Germany’s pro-business Christian Democrat and Free Democrat parties had warned that the legal battle waged against the Gigafactory would inflict serious damage on Germany’s image as a place to do business.

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  • Daimler Slims Down Mercedes Management In Efficiency Drive

    Daimler Slims Down Mercedes Management In Efficiency Drive

    German cars and trucks maker Daimler said it would revamp the management of its finance, production and development portfolios to remove duplicate layers between Mercedes-Benz and Daimler AG.

    As a result, Daimler’s Chief Financial Officer Harald Wilhelm will take over responsibility as finance chief at Mercedes-Benz AG from April 1 and Mercedes-Benz Chief Financial Officer Frank Lindenberg will leave, the company said.

    Wolf-Dieter Kurz will take on responsibility for product strategy and steering at Mercedes-Benz Cars. He is currently responsible for the business cases of product projects.

    Daimler Chief Executive Ola Kaellenius will take over responsibility for Mercedes Vans from Wilfried Porth, who retains his role as head of human resources, Daimler said.

    Markus Schaefer, currently a management board member for Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars development, will become a chief operating officer at Daimler AG, the Stuttgart-based company said.

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  • Great Wall Motor To Purchase GM’s Thailand Manufacturing Plant

    Great Wall Motor To Purchase GM’s Thailand Manufacturing Plant

    Great Wall Motor announced that it has signed an agreement for the purchase of General Motors’ manufacturing facility in Rayong, Thailand. This announcement is subject to government and regulatory approvals. Under a signed binding term sheet, GM Thailand and GM Powertrain Thailand legal entities, which include the Rayong vehicle assembly and powertrain facilities, will transfer to GWM. GM and GWM are targeting the end of 2020 to close the deal and hand over the site.

    The acquisition of GM’s Thai Rayong plant will help the business development of Great Wall Motor in Thailand and the ASEAN market. Great Wall Motor will expand through the entire ASEAN region with Thailand as the center, and export its products to other ASEAN countries as well as Australia. Great Wall Motors’ investment will create more jobs in the local area, including direct and indirect employment and further enhance skill development in the automotive industry. GWM will also promote the development of the local supply chain, R&D and related industries, plus contribute more to the exchequer of both the local Rayong and Thailand governments.

    Parker Shi, Vice President, GWM India said, “This agreement marks an important milestone in the overall scheme of things for Great Wall Motor in the ASEAN Region and is a testimony of our global expansion strategy that is now focused on South East Asia including India.”

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  • Beijing Auto Show Delayed Due To Coronavirus

    Beijing Auto Show Delayed Due To Coronavirus

    Organizers of Beijing auto show, which is scheduled to be held in late-April, said on Monday the event will be delayed event due to the coronavirus outbreak.

    Across mainland China, officials said the total number of coronavirus cases rose by 2,048 to 70,548, with 1,770 deaths.

  • Nissan’s New CEO Says Willing To Be Fired If No Turnaround

    Nissan’s New CEO Says Willing To Be Fired If No Turnaround

    Nissan’s worsening performance has heaped pressure on Uchida, formerly Nissan’s China chief who became its third CEO since September, to come up with aggressive steps to revive the company. On Tuesday, Uchida, who was repeatedly heckled by shareholders, said he was ready to face dismissal if he failed to improve profitability at the company, which is on course to post its worst annual operating profit in 11 years.

    “We will make sure that we steer the company in an effective way so that it is visible in the eyes of viewers. I will commit to this: if the circumstances remain uncertain you can fire me immediately,” he said.

    Uchida, 53, did not give a timeframe for improving Nissan’s performance. The new boss must prove to the board he can accelerate cost-cutting and rebuild profits at the 86-year-old Japanese giant, and that he has the right strategy to repair its partnership with France’s Renault, sources have told Reuters.

    Uchida pleaded with shareholders to be patient while he comes up with a plan by May to recover from crumbling profits and a corporate shake-up following Ghosn’s arrest in Japan in late 2018 over financial misconduct charges.

    “If you can be patient a little bit longer, on a day-to-day basis you will be able to sense we are changing,” he said.

    Ahead of the meeting, some shareholders demanded more clarity about Uchida’s plan.

    “I just want to know what the plan for recovery is. At the moment, the share price has dropped again, and the value of the company has plummeted,” said a 70-year-old former employee who owns shares in the company.

    “If this is the situation, part of me thinks that we would be better off with Ghosn … If we don’t get a clearer vision of the path the company is taking, it will be a worry.”

    Nissan’s shares are trading around their lowest level in more than a decade following its latest earnings.

    Last week, Nissan cut its dividend outlook to its lowest since the 2011 financial year, after dwindling car sales drove the company to post its first quarterly net loss in nearly a decade.

    Shareholders gathered at the extraordinary meeting in Yokohama to vote in new directors including Uchida and Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta.

    Their appointments highlight a changing of the guard at Nissan, as shareholders were also voting on motions for former company stalwarts, CEO Hiroto Saikawa and COO Yashuhiro Yamauchi, to leave their board director positions.

  • Auto sales plummets in January

    Auto sales plummets in January

    January automobile sales fell by 52 percent over the previous month and 53 percent year-on-year, according to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA).

    A total of 15,787 vehicles were sold last month, including 12,807 passenger cars, 2,757 commercial vehicles and 223 special multi-purpose vehicles.

    The sales figures were compiled by VAMA, an association of all auto manufacturers in Vietnam except Hyundai TC. The 5,944 units sold by Huyndai TC last month would take the total to 21,731.

    VAMA attributed the decline in sales to the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, when the country took a week off (January 23-29). The holiday is usually a quiet period for the car market, it noted, adding that people tend to buy cars at the end of the year, about a month before the Tet holiday, and sales in the days leading up to the break would usually fall.

    Of the vehicles sold, domestically assembled cars still accounted for nearly two-thirds of sales, reaching 9,599 units, down 51 percent over the previous month. Imported completely-built-up (CBU) cars made up the remaining 6,188 units, down 54 percent over December last year.

    Domestic carmaker Truong Hai Auto (Thaco) retained the top spot in January, accounting for over 33 percent of sales by all VAMA members. Trucks and sedans made up most of its sales.

    Toyota Motor Corp. retained its second spot at 25.8 percent, followed by Honda and Mitsubishi, with 12.6 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

    Vietnam saw car sales of 322,322 in 2019, up 11.7 percent year-on-year, according to VAMA.

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  • Tesla Seeks Approval To Build Longer Range Model 3 Cars In China

    Tesla Seeks Approval To Build Longer Range Model 3 Cars In China

    Tesla Inc is seeking approval from Chinese regulators to offer a new China-made Model 3 variant, a government document shows.

    The variant would have a longer driving range, a source familiar with the matter said.

    Tesla shares overvalued: strategist

    National Securities’ Art Hogan says don’t buy Tesla at current levels because the stock has “gotten ahead of itself.

    Like the current China-made Model 3, which has a standard driving range of more than 400 kilometers, it would be a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, the source said, who was not authorized to talk about the matter and declined to be identified.

    Tesla, which started delivering cars in December from its $2 billion Shanghai factory, also sells longer-range imported Model 3s with an all-wheel-drive in China.

    The electric vehicle maker restarted production in Shanghai on Monday after the government ended an extended holiday that had been put in place due to the new coronavirus outbreak.