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Tag: car

  • Ferrari Boss Has No Fears Over Electric Future

    Ferrari Boss Has No Fears Over Electric Future

    Ferrari, the sports car maker synonymous with roaring petrol engines, welcomes the shift to electric powertrains and is confident of retaining its lead in the market for high-performance cars, its chairman said on Monday.

    The European Union last month proposed an effective ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 as part of its measures to combat global warming, posing a challenge to automakers that have made powerful engines a key selling point.

    But Ferrari Chairman and acting CEO John Elkann told analysts on Monday the company known for its ‘Prancing Horse’ logo saw the change in technology as an opportunity.

    “We see the regulation as welcome,” Elkann said, as Ferrari stuck to its main 2021 targets after reporting second-quarter core profits just ahead of expectations.

    “The opportunity set by electrification, electronics, and other technologies that are coming available will allow us to make even more distinct and unique products,” he said.

    Elkann, the scion of Italy’s Agnelli family which controls Ferrari through its investment company Exor, was speaking weeks before new CEO – technology industry veteran Benedetto Vigna – takes the helm on Sept. 1.

    One of Vigna’s tasks could be to forge new partnerships, along the lines of Ferrari’s existing tie-up with Britain’s Yasa, now part of Daimler, to help with the shift to an electric era, Elkann said.

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  • Tesla Updates Mobile App With New User Interface & Features

    Tesla Updates Mobile App With New User Interface & Features

    Tesla has released version 4 of its mobile app which receives a massive overhaul of the user interface and adds a ton of new features. Users can unlock their vehicles using the app and remotely also manage the climate control system of the car apart from many other connected car functions. Version 4 is clearly the most comprehensive update to the app.

    Via the app users can also access the after-sales experience and book the car for servicing and repairs. It also lets users know the charge levels of the car remotely which is quite critical.

    Here are the new features that Tesla lists in its official release notes:

    — Refreshed vehicle and energy homepage
    — Streamlined Summon experience
    — Enhanced phone key support – vehicle no longer needs to be selected
    — Send commands to vehicle immediately upon opening app
    — Use Go Off-Grid to seamlessly disconnect your home from the Grid with Powerwall
    — Shop the Tesla catalog and view and manage your orders (available in select countries)
    — View Supercharging history and ability to pay outstanding Supercharging or service balance (available in select countries)

    Tesla is one of the first automotive companies to push over the air updates and has its own app.

    Tesla has also added support for widgets on iOS which was introduced in iOS 14 last year. Tesla has also added the supercharger billing experience in the app which comes at a time when the manufacturer is opening up the network to third-party vehicles.

    This update comes at a time when Elon Musk has said that it is close to rolling out its full self-driving software to users who opted for the package. Musk estimates after the release of the next beta, in 4 weeks the software update should be rolled out to users.

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  • Tesla Plans To Deploy FSD Software To Public In Four Weeks

    Tesla Plans To Deploy FSD Software To Public In Four Weeks

    Tesla has said that it plans of releasing the final version of its full self-driving software to the public in a month’s time. As of now it is still in a beta stage being tested by internal Tesla employees and members of the beta program. This program has been ongoing for almost a year now. This software is different from AutoPilot as it allows the car to drive by itself using computer vision on highways and city streets. This, however, is still considered to be level 2 autonomous system.

    Recently, Tesla’s CEO revealed that the current beta build of the FSD software 9.2 isn’t great but he has noticed great improvements in the 9.3 software which is he already using. Elon Musk had stated that the program will come out of beta once it hits version 10. The FSD software has been promised to users who have opted for the FSD package. This release has been in limbo for a while.

    Now, Musk has announced plans to accelerate the release stating that v10 of the software will be pushed to early access members in a beta stage next week. Musk expects testing for the v10 build to last 4 weeks before a wider release.

    “We should be there with Beta 10, which goes out a week from Friday (no point release this week). It will have a completely retrained NN, so will need another few weeks after that for tuning & bug fixes. Best guess is a public beta button in less than 4 weeks,” he said.

    This release is going to be an over-the-air update for the folks who have purchased the FSD package and will be downloadable by a push of a button. Tesla has moved to a full vision-based system for its autonomous technology using cameras on its cars that ping back some data to its Dojo supercomputer which trains algorithms using a neural network. Tesla’s process the information based on these algorithms in real-time using a the FSD chip that’s present on many of its vehicles.

    Tesla will deploy the next generation of its FSD hardware next year with a new chip and camera system that Musk says will debut with the Cybertruck.

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  • 95 pct made-in-Vietnam auto parts for foreign brands

    95 pct made-in-Vietnam auto parts for foreign brands

    Nearly 95 percent of auto parts produced in Vietnam are for foreign brands, showing a lack of localization in the industry.

    Of the 287 items that have been approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology as of Aug. 17, 15 were registered for VinFast cars.

    The rest were all for foreign brands. A total 226 were for Toyota, 15 for Ford and 10 for Honda.

    This means Toyota accounts for nearly 79 percent of the registered items.

    None of these items include parts for Hyundai and Mazda vehicles, although TC Motor (which assembles Hyundai cars) and Thaco (which assembles Mazda cars) have both previously affirmed they had “high” localization rates.

    TC Motor claims the rate at around 20 percent.

    Most parts are frames, chairs, and wires that are considered basic. There are no complicated parts like engines and gearboxes.

    Vietnamese officials have been calling for a higher localization rate of cars produced in the country for over two decades but the target has not been achieved.

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  • Honda Swings To Q1 Operating Profit

    Honda Swings To Q1 Operating Profit

    Honda Motor Co swung on Wednesday to a first-quarter operating profit of 243.21 billion yen ($2.23 billion) from a 113.7 billion loss a year ago as car sales recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Operating profit at Japan’s No.2 carmaker by sales for the three months ended June 30 was double the average profit estimate of 119.2 billion yen based on nine analysts surveyed by Refinitiv.

    Honda raised its full-year forecast by 18% and now expects an operating profit of 780 billion yen in the current financial year, having previously forecast in May a 660 billion yen operating profit.

    The new forecast is higher than an average forecast of a 764 billion yen operating profit from 19 analysts polled by Refinitiv.

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  • Toyota Slashes September Output Amid Chip Crunch, COVID Resurgence

    Toyota Slashes September Output Amid Chip Crunch, COVID Resurgence

    Toyota said it will slash global production for September by 40% from its previous plan, becoming the last major automaker to cut output due to a global chip crunch, but it maintained its annual sales and production targets. Toyota’s success in navigating the chip shortage better than rivals has come down to its larger stockpile of chips under a business continuity plan adopted after the 2011 earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The world’s largest automaker by sales volumes reiterated on Thursday its global production target of 9.3 million vehicles for the year ending in March, as well as its plan to sell 8.7 million cars in the period.

    “The 9.3 million global production plan takes into account certain risks,” executive Kazunari Kumakura told reporters. “We want to achieve the numbers.”

    Toyota said the September cuts included 14 factories in Japan and overseas plants, and that the company would reduce its planned global production that month by around 360,000 vehicles.

    Of these, 140,000 will be at Japanese plants, with the rest in the United States, China, Europe and other Asian countries.

    Car makers worldwide have been cutting production due to the months-long chip shortage, but a resurgence in COVID-19 cases in Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia – home to auto factories and chip plants – have led to stricter curbs and compounded the crisis.

    Germany’s Volkswagen said on Thursday it may need to cut production further and that it expected the supply of chips in the third quarter to be “very volatile and tight.”

    Ford Motor Co said Wednesday it will temporarily shut its Kansas City assembly plant that builds its best-selling F-150 pickup truck due to a semiconductor-related part shortage as a result of rising cases in Malaysia.

    Earlier this month, Toyota had flagged an unpredictable business environment due to fresh COVID-19 cases in emerging economies, the semiconductor shortage and soaring material prices.

    The carmaker had already halted assembly lines at some Japanese factories between late July and early August, including its Tahara plant, due to a surge in infections in Vietnam which had constrained the supply of parts, the Nikkei reported earlier.

    A person familiar with the matter told Reuters this month that Toyota had also suspended production at one assembly line in Guangzhou, China, which it operates with its Chinese joint-venture partner Guangzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd.

    In Thailand too, Toyota suspended production last month at three factories due to a pandemic-related parts shortage.

  • Gojek launches car service in HCMC

    Gojek launches car service in HCMC

    Gojek on Thursday debuted its four-wheel ride-hailing service GoCar, first prioritizing healthcare workers before expanding to the public later this year.

    The Indonesian ride-hailing company started the service with 50 vehicles in Ho Chi Minh City dedicated to serving healthcare workers from five hospitals and medical command centers.

    All driver-partners are required to test Covid-19 negative before their first trip and on a weekly basis after that.

    Gojek has arranged for drivers to stay at hotels from now until late September when the city’s social distancing campaign is set to end.

    “We have made all the necessary preparations to launch GoCar this year,” said Duc Phung, Gojek Vietnam general manager.

    “When the pandemic escalated in HCMC and social distancing regulations were put in place, we pivoted quickly, adjusting the service to focus on supporting healthcare workers.”

    GoCar is the latest addition to Gojek’s line-up of offerings in the Vietnamese market, which include on-demand services for motorbike-hailing (GoRide), parcel delivery (GoSend) and online food delivery (GoFood).

    Its competitors Grab and Be have been offering car services for years.

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  • MG Motor India Partners With Microsoft And L&T For Data Security For New Astor SUV

    MG Motor India Partners With Microsoft And L&T For Data Security For New Astor SUV

    MG Motor India has announced a raft of features with the launch of the new compact SUV, the Astor, and one of the key aspects of the announcement has been the partnerships MG has closed with tech giants like Microsoft and L&T. Particularly with Microsoft, MG Motors has closed a deal for its Azure cloud computing service which has many local data centres in India – in cities like Mumbai and Noida. This means, MG’s cloud-connected features will not be pushing the data to its servers in China but will be localised.

    “With data playing such a critical part in enhancing the in-car experience, we are doing our best to ensure that it is safe and protected. All the data from the car systems that we are using to power these personalized services are securely stored on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform in India,” said MG Motor India MD, Rajeev Chaba.

    “MG Motors India is using our cloud computing service to store the data they collect from their customers within India itself. All customer driving data is stored on cloud servers which come with high levels of security so that you can rest easy,” said John Stenlake, Director, Automotive, Mobility and Transportation Industry, Microsoft, highlighting the security benefits.

    Apart from the obvious security benefits, this also is a performance boost for the cloud-connected features as they will be more responsive thanks to the geographic proximity of the servers as they are now in India which reduces latency.

    Microsoft Azure has the most localised cloud regions of any cloud computing service in the world. It has even more local regions than market leader and category inventor Amazon Web Services (AWS). Microsoft Azure trails AWS in overall global cloud compute market share but has been gaining market share over the last decade under the leadership of CEO Satya Nadella.

    Nadella was the man entrusted to start Azure in 2008 and its success propelled him to the top spot of the American giant when he replaced long time CEO Steve Ballmer in 2014. Nadella has made many partnerships in India with regards to Azure, including Flipkart.

    MG Motor India has also partnered with L&T Technology Services for the security and privacy of the data that’s parsed through the vehicles.  Chaba highlights that the best data privacy practices are being leveraged thanks to this partnership as the Astor generates troves of data.

    “In the connected world we live in, cybersecurity, privacy and data usage are questions that occur to each one of us. This also applies to connected cars. We at L&T Technology Services are happy and excited to collaborate with MG India to provide security auditing services for your vehicles. We also ensure that any communication that happens from and in-between, the vehicle, the network and the mobile app is secure,” said Nitin Jain, global head of digital products and services L&T Technology Services.

    Jain also highlighted that L&T technology services also ensure that MG Motor India complies with the latest security standards. The Astor gets level 2 autonomous driving capability and also gets a new virtual assistant which also leverages AI, apart from an assortment of unique services.

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  • Government may halve registration fees for locally produced automobiles

    Government may halve registration fees for locally produced automobiles

    The government has instructed the Ministry of Finance to assess the impact of a 50-percent cut in registration fees for locally produced automobiles.

    Thanh Cong Motor Vietnam Joint Stock Company had called on the government to cut the fee to support an industry affected by Covid-19.

    The ministry has been told to complete the task this month.

    In June, the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) had proposed a similar 50-percent cut in registration fees, but the ministry had rejected it.

    Last year too the government had cut the fee by half, and it cost VND6 trillion ($260.9 million).

    In the first six months of this year VAMA members, who account for more than 95 percent of the market, saw sales fall 30 percent year-on-year to 102,720 vehicles.

    Car manufacturers fear the global effects of Covid would have a long-term impact on people’s incomes and auto demand.

    VAMA expects sales to decline by more than 15 percent this year. Last year, they had risen by 11.7 percent to 322,322 units.

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  • Ford Mustang Mach-E Production Delayed Because Of Global Semiconductor Shortage

    Ford Mustang Mach-E Production Delayed Because Of Global Semiconductor Shortage

    Ford is delaying shipments of Mach-E electric vehicles due to the global chip shortage that’s causing problems across all manner of industries. The company told affected owners their deliveries will be delayed by at least six weeks.

    In an effort to make up for the delay, Ford is offering an additional 250kWh worth of charging on the house, which should be good for around 700 miles of driving. That doubles the complimentary charging Mach E owners receive with their EV. The delay affects EVs that were scheduled for production between July 5th and October 1st.

    “We’d like you to know that while we’re working nonstop to deliver your very own Mustang Mach-E vehicle, we project your vehicle delivery will be delayed by a minimum of six weeks,” Ford wrote in an email to customers. “Once your vehicle receives the required chip, your vehicle status will be updated, and you’ll receive an email with an estimated week of delivery.”

    The semiconductor shortage has impacted production of a broad range of products in recent months. Along with EVs and other vehicles, game consoles, graphics cards, smartphones, Apple products and other goods have been affected. Ford cut vehicle production earlier this year due to the problem.

  • July auto sales hit five-month low

    July auto sales hit five-month low

    Auto sales in July fell by 33 percent year-on-year to 16,035 units, the lowest in the last five months, dragged down by mobility restrictions in major cities.

    Monthly sales have experienced a downward trend since March as the fourth Covid-19 wave forced dealers to shut down during social distancing in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, according to data from Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA).

    But in the first seven months, sales still rose 27 percent year-on-year to over 166,500 units thanks to a surge in the first quarter.

    During this period, Thaco led with over 56,900 units, up nearly 34 percent year-on-year. Toyota followed with 32,800 units, up nearly 8 percent.

    Mitsubishi, Ford and Honda make up the rest of the top five.

    The best-selling model in July was the hatchback VinFast Fadil with over 2,928 units shifted, followed by Toyota Vios with 1,344 units and Ford Ranger, 1,310.

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  • Chip Shortage Prompts Production Halt At Volvo Cars In Gothenburg

    Chip Shortage Prompts Production Halt At Volvo Cars In Gothenburg

    Volvo Cars, owned by China’s Geely Holding, will temporarily stop production at its Swedish plant in Gothenburg due to the shortage of semiconductor chips, it said on Wednesday. A global chip shortage has hit manufacturing, with automakers cutting down on production and electronic device makers struggling to keep up with a pandemic-led surge in demand for phones, TVs and gaming consoles.

    “Production at Torslanda will be paused temporarily from this evening due to a material shortage linked with the semiconductor issue,” Volvo Cars said in an emailed statement.

    “Production will restart as soon as possible, at the latest before next week,” the Swedish carmaker, which in June halted production at its Belgian plant in Ghent for a week, said.

    Volvo Cars, which last month reported a return to profit in the first half as demand for electric cars grows, is considering listing on the Nasdaq Stockholm stock exchange this year.

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  • Toyota Launches Virtual Showroom To Further Digitize Customer Experience

    Toyota Launches Virtual Showroom To Further Digitize Customer Experience

    Toyota Kirloskar Motors has launched its virtual showroom to further expand the digital experience for its customers in India. Calling it a step towards the new normal, the Indian arm of the Japanese carmaker says that the virtual showroom will allow customers to have an in-depth look at Toyota’s vehicle line-up online. Customers can also book their new Toyota directly from the virtual showroom, as it’s fully integrated with a payment gateway. The carmaker says that the virtual showroom will facilitate offers, finance options, loan applications and other value-added services in the future.

    Commenting on the new initiative, V. Wiseline Sigamani, Associate General Manager (AGM), Sales and Strategic Marketing, TKM, said, “Owing to the pandemic and growing access to technologies, customers increasingly prefer digital and contactless experience. Last year, as COVID-19 disrupted the purchase lifecycle, we took immediate steps to digitalize our sales process by making available pricing, offers and booking in the online realm. The virtual showroom further simplifies all the elements of car buying by digitizing and integrating the key touchpoints in a customer’s purchase cycle as a one-stop-shop solution. The core idea behind the virtual showroom is to empower our customers to access our world-class cars from wherever they want to. Moving forward, we will continue to listen to our customers keenly and introduce new solutions and tools leveraging digital technologies to further improve their buying experience.”

    Customers visiting Toyota’s virtual showroom will be able to select any model and get a 360-degree external and internal view of the car. They can even check out all the available variants and colour options, switch on the lights, open and close the doors, virtually experience the top features in the day or night modes and get variant-wise prices. The platform also comes with an augmented reality mode for smartphones, which allows customers to see how a Toyota vehicle will look when parked in their garage or portico.

    The virtual showroom also gives you the option to schedule a test drive. Customers can also book their Toyota vehicle directly from the virtual showroom and get it delivered to their nearest dealership or their homes. In fact, Toyota says that it has also integrated all its dealer partners onto the new platform, and soon the virtual showroom will be made available on the websites of all its dealer partners as well.

  • Porsche SE Faces U.S. Lawsuit Over Dieselgate Scandal

    Porsche SE Faces U.S. Lawsuit Over Dieselgate Scandal

    Porsche SE, Volkswagen’s largest shareholder, is facing a lawsuit in the United States over claims related to the carmaker’s diesel emissions scandal. The suit, filed with the Supreme Court of the state of New York in April, targets Porsche SE as well as former members of the management and supervisory boards of Volkswagen, Porsche SE said in its half-year report. Porsche SE, which holds 31.4% of Volkswagen, did not identify the plaintiffs and did not detail or quantify possible claims, saying the action had not yet been served.

    “The plaintiffs claim to be shareholders of Volkswagen AG and assert with their action alleged claims of Volkswagen AG on behalf of Volkswagen AG,” Porsche SE said.

    The lawsuit marks the latest chapter in the “dieselgate” saga since Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 to using illegal software to rig diesel engine emissions tests. The scandal has cost the carmaker more than 32 billion euros ($38 billion) in fees, fines and legal costs so far.

    Volkswagen and Porsche SE are already subject to 4.1 billion euros worth of shareholder claims in relation to the crisis, but it could take years before they are resolved.

    Last month, Volkswagen shareholders approved a deal to settle claims against four former executives, including long-time CEO Martin Winterkorn, related to the crisis.

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  • All-New Lamborghini Countach Teased

    All-New Lamborghini Countach Teased

    The Lamborghini Countach is said to be one of the most beautiful cars to have ever been designed. Pre-dating the iconic Lamborghini Diablo, the Countach was designed by the legendary Italian car designer Marcello Gandini and production of the Countach LP 400 started in 1974 and lasted till 1990, when the 25th anniversary edition of the model was manufactured. Its wedge-shape and the scissor doors are considered to be some of the most iconic automotive design to have ever been created! But why are we harping about the Countach? That is only because Lamborghini has teased a brand-new Countach and we can’t keep calm.

    All that we know is there’s a wedge-shaped car, shrouded in mist and kept under covers. There is absolutely no other detail available! Whether it will have a V12 or will it be a hybrid. Will it be a one-off concept model or will it be a full-fledged production car? There are a lot of questions that are begging to be answered, but all in due time, says Lamborghini!

    The model under wraps reveals a roofline, which seems to be higher than that of the old Countach. Also, there is a pronounced cut back towards the rear. The front windscreen seems to be really angular, but not as much as the old model. Whether, it is a concept car, a one-off model or a production car, we believe it to be a modern interpretation of the Countach. Now that sportscar was a global icon, a masterpiece in its own right and a reinterpretation/follow-up of the Countach over three decades after the last model was manufactured is something that Lamborghini must carefully tread upon.

    Nonetheless, we are waiting with bated breath for Lamborghini to unveil the all-new Countach!

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