Automotive News Europe back issues from May 2008:
Lotus wants car that can run on CO2.
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Tony Lewin Green doesn't have to be boring. Proof of that is the Lotus Exige 270E (shown). If Lotus is successful, rather than producing CO2 the 270E will be powered by methanol recovered from waste CO2. The prototype is just one of many green-but-fun cars at ...
ANE boosts sales team.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Stephan Saremba joined Automotive News Europe as regional sales manager on May 1. Saremba, 33, takes over from Nina Sauer, who earlier this year became ANE's sales and marketing director. In his new role, Saremba will have sales responsibility for southern Germany, ...
Talks aim to ease access to Korean market.(News)(Industry overview)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: Lawrence J. Speer Negotiators say Europe and South Korea may move one step closer to resolving a range of automotive trade issues later this month. Talks between the two sides, which have been in progress since May 2007, could accelerate at a meeting in ...
Booth wants Volvo out of 'in-between land'; Chairman cites progress in upgrading image of Swedish car brand.(News)(Company overview)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Tony Lewin Volvo Chairman Lewis Booth said last week that he is making progress repositioning the Swedish brand. "We're not quite where we want to be, but we're getting there," Booth told a small group of journalists. Booth, who also is chairman of ...
Mercedes plans more parts sharing; R&D boss aims to cut costs, improve product quality and 'secure the Mercedes genes'.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Arjen Bongard Mercedes-Benz models will share more components as parent Daimler looks for ways to boost efficiency and lower costs. "It makes sense to get commonality as high as possible," said Thomas Weber, Daimler's board member for research and ...
Audi, BMW seek to match Lexus with 8-speed transmissions.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: James Franey Audi and BMW want to catch up with Lexus by offering eight-speed automatic transmissions on their top-of-the-range cars, company sources say. Audi is testing vehicles equipped with an eight-speed transmission, a company source told Automotive ...
Renault to manufacture minibus in China; French carmaker will invest about [euro]140 million; initial aim to make 40,000 units a year.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Namrita Chow & Kevin Huang Starting in 2010, Renault will once again build vehicles in China, sources say. The French carmaker plans to produce a new minibus at an existing facility in the eastern Hubei province. Renault will invest 1.5 billion ...
Bosch-Mahle: turbo venture will happen.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Bettina Mayer & Douglas A. Bolduc Mahle's pending 50-50 turbocharger joint venture with Robert Bosch will become a major building block of the company's future growth, Mahle CEO Heinz Junker said. Junker expects the joint venture, if approved by European ...
BMW will increase dealers in China; As market matures, Chinese buyers expect better quality of service.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Arjen Bongard BMW plans to add 30 dealers in China this year to realize ambitious sales goals, a senior executive said. The German premium car maker also wants to provide better service to car buyers and owners. "One of our main focus points is customer ...
Industry would benefit from more women execs.(Opinion)
May 12, 2008 ... With this issue of Automotive News Europe, we present 25 leading women in the European auto industry. We identified a number of them right away. They are high-profile female executives, including several we have honored as the ANE Woman of the Year. We then went to ...
Sometimes rules are OK.(Opinion)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: John Revill I don't like regulations. In fact, I really hate them. Especially when the "brief" introduction comes in 90 pages of legal jargon. So when I tried to understand the European Union's block exemption rules on car retailing, I was instinctively ...
Bosch: Watch out Japanese! World's largest supplier will make battery cells; aims to be leader in hybrid technology.
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Douglas A. Bolduc Five years ago Robert Bosch was hardly thinking about hybrids. Now the German partsmaker expects to be the world's leading supplier of the technology. "We think that the experience we have with powertrain systems and electric and battery ...
Thank you, Bernd Pischetsrieder!(Opinion)(Volkswagen AG)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: Jason Stein Back when he was running the Volkswagen group, the rumor was that Bernd Pischets-rieder used to enjoy sitting outside at his house in the Bavarian countryside smoking his cigars. It's a good bet that he's smoking a few now. Look at the ...
Fiat's Sistino almost became a musician.(Interview)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Luca Ciferri Lorenzo Sistino, Fiat Automobiles CEO As a boy, Lorenzo Sistino had to decide which of his parents' paths to follow. His father worked at contract manufacturer Carrozzeria Bertone. His mother was from a family of musicians. After ...
Confidential.(Briefs)
May 12, 2008 ... Is this smart? For as long as there have been big cars there have been companies keen to make them even bigger. Stretch limos - and even stretch Hummers - are a regular sight on most city streets. But now Carbonyte UK, after already having upset enthusiasts with its ...
How dealers changed since 2002; New EU rules accelerated some trends, but didn't spark a retail revolution.(Special Report)(Industry overview)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: John Revill Paul Williams wanted to believe block exemption would work. As the head of Bristol Street Motors, one of the largest dealer groups in central England, Williams believed that the new auto retailing rules would allow the kind of cross-border ...
Having many brands helps; Multibranding: Good or bad?(Special Report)(Industry overview)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: John Revill Having many brands under one roof is one survival tactic for dealers as the new-car sales business gets increasingly expensive, says a dealer who has embraced the concept. It can also offer a way to help dealers in small countries with limited ...
Why there are rules.(Special Report)(Brief article)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: John Revill The European Community Treaty has a basic rule that bans agreements with anti-competitive effects. But The EU recognized that some industries, including automotive, were special and could be exempted from this regulation - if they met certain conditions. ...
Coming up in our next issue.(Special Report)(Brief article)
May 12, 2008 ... The European Commission is discussing the future of Europe's rules governing sales and service of new cars. The current rules, which run until May 2010, could be scrapped. If that happens, ...
Audi: Half of Q5 buyers will be women; New 4wd mid-sized SUV will compete against BMW X3, Mercedes GLK.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Luca Ciferri Audi expects as many as half of the European buyers of its new Q5 to be women. Frank Hermann, head of product marketing for the Q5 and Q7, said the carmaker believes more women will choose the mid-sized Q5 than Audi's larger Q7 because of the ...
Volkswagen group design director insists on simplicity; Oversees 100 projects for 8 VW group brands.(Interview)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Luca Ciferri These are busy days for Walter de' Silva, VW group design director. Between new designs and restylings for the eight brands he oversees - Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Seat, Skoda, VW passenger cars and VW light commercial vehicles - de' ...
VW's China partners start to cooperate.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Alysha Webb Volkswagen has finally gotten its two partners in China to cooperate on something - sort of. At the Beijing auto show, each of Volkswagen's joint ventures showed a new model designed in China for China. The two cars are built on the same platform ....
Strong women in a man's world.
May 12, 2008 ... Inside this issue of Automotive News Europe we present our 25 Leading Women in the European Auto Industry. Every day, these dynamic and talented executives are making a difference in manufacturing, finance, purchasing and other key ...
China's Chery plans 7 new minicars; Faira models meet European standards; intended for export.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Luca Ciferri Thanks to the help of an Italian design house, Chery Automobile expects to continue to dominate China's minicar market. At the auto show here last month, China's largest domestic automaker debuted its new seven-member Faira minicar family, which ...
Chinese minicar market: Bonanza for European automakers?(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Luca Ciferri Daimler will bring the Smart ForTwo minicar to China in mid-2009. And China is one of the main targets for Volkswagen's new minicar, the Up, which goes on sale in Europe late next year. European automakers have high hopes for their minicars in the ...
Can electric cars save coachbuilders? Many of Europe's struggling contract manufacturers have expertise in niche.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Rebecca Wright Electric vehicles could be a savior for Europe's struggling coachbuilders. Pininfarina, Heuliez and Karmann are all working on EV projects. The trend of automakers doing more niche car production in-house has left coachbuilders and contract ...
Country at a crossroads; Italy's competitiveness gap forces Fiat to invest more outside home market.(News)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: Luca Ciferri Despite its strong reputation for automotive design, Italy has become more important as a market than a car production center. Until 1980, Italy was a net exporter of autos. But despite a resurgence of native automaker Fiat, last year Italians ...
A vehicle importer but parts exporter.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Luca Ciferri Italy imports more finished cars (1,955,884 in 2007) than it exports (374,177 last year), but it is a net exporter of automotive parts and its surplus keeps growing. Exports of car parts rose to [euro]6.49 billion in 2007 from [euro]6.24 billion ...
When it comes to car design, Italy is king.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Luca Ciferri A bright spot for Italy is its successful design and engineering consultancies. As a country with few raw materials, Italy developed a tradition of craftsmanship. Centuries of adding value to finished goods has given "Made in Italy" products a ...
For diesel engines, the future looks bright; Europe sales may slow but VW engine boss says US, China share will grow.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Luca Ciferri Rising fuel prices and more stringent emission regulations will not stop Europe's love affair with diesel vehicles. "Those who bought a diesel model will never return to gasoline," Wolfgang Hatz, head of engine and transmissions at the Volkswagen ...
Daimler cuts Chrysler value.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Bradford Wernle Daimler still owns 19.9 percent of Chrysler, but the German carmaker has slashed the book value of its stake by nearly two-thirds to reflect ongoing losses at its former US unit. Last August, when Daimler sold 80.1 percent of Chrysler to ...
Japanese take lead in carbon fiber; Silvery composite delivers the same strength as steel at just one-fifth the weight.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Hans Greimel Amazingly strong and light, carbon fiber is perhaps best known for its use in golf clubs and jet planes. Yet the silvery checkerboard-textured composite also holds great potential as a steel substitute as automakers race to squeeze every extra kilometer from ...
In career change, VW's former design chief goes green.(Interview)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink After a career in the automotive industry that spanned more than two decades and senior design posts at Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot and Volks-wagen, Murat Gunak has found a new challenge. In August, the acclaimed Turkish-born designer became CEO of Swiss ...
Winners? Losers? Block exemption has both; Six years after new EU rules, new brands have gained but old marques have not.
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: John Revill Who won and who lost as Europe's retail landscape adjusted to new EU regulations? It depends who you ask. Six years after Europe's car-retailing rules changed, sorting out the winners and the losers corresponds directly with the sales ...
BMW workers: Thanks, but no thanks! Company finds few workers interested in accepting voluntary buyout proposals.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Pia Krix Automobilwoche BMW's effort to trim its permanent work force through voluntary buyouts is proving to be a hard sell. Union and works council officials describe response to the plan as "sluggish" at best. In contrast, BMW finance chief Michael Ganal ...
BMW offers full on-board Internet access.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: David Jolley BMW will introduce full on-board Internet access that will allow drivers to copy maps and other information directly to their navigation systems. The service will operate via an EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) mobile connection, ...
Cooper-Standard has big seal deal with the Opel/Vauxhall Agila.(Suppliers)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Steven Wingett The new Opel/Vauxhall Agila is the latest in Opel's minivan range, which also includes the Zafira and Meriva. Cooper-Standard supplies all the seals for the Agila and its platform mate, the Suzuki Splash. The US-based supplier ships the parts from its ...
Bosch races to meet surging demand for gasoline direct injection engines; Auto division CEO Bohr sees stop-start on half of all new cars in Europe in 5 years.(Talk From The Top)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: Douglas A. Bolduc Robert Bosch automotive CEO Bernd Bohr is not fully satisfied with his division's 2007 results. Pre-tax profit jumped 54 percent to [euro]1.7 billion and the division's return on sales increased to 5.8 percent from 4 percent. But Bohr wants ...
Valeo CEO: Russian industry needs us; As firm's overhaul continues, Thierry Morin plans to buy more than he sells.(Talk From The Top)(Interview)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: Lawrence J. Speer Valeo CEO Thierry Morin has been overhauling the French supplier since he took over in 2001. He is in the middle of selling operations with combined sales of [euro]2 billion. Since 2003, he has opened 25 new factories, closed 47, increased ...
GM misses out on medium-SUV boom; Sales of the Antara and Captiva are far behind rivals such as Honda CR-V.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Jens Dralle Automobilwoche General Motors is missing out on a boom in Europe's medium-SUV segment as sales of the Opel/Vauxhall Antara and Chevrolet Captiva trail far behind their competitors. Sales of the Opel, in particular, have been sluggish. In 2007, its ...
Audi launches sportier TT.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: James Franey Audi hopes to win customers away from BMW's Z4 and Mercedes-Benz's SLK class with its new TTS. Audi is looking at all cars in the premium roadster segment, but "these are the main competitors for this car," said Natalia Schwark, Audi executive ...
VW offers free maintenance in US.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Volkswagen Group of America will offer free maintenance for the VW brand beginning with the 2009 model year. VW's plan, the Carefree Maintenance Program, will give owners free scheduled maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles (about ...
Conquest sales are key for Passat CC.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink Volkswagen wants its new coupe-styled four-door car to steal customers from premium automakers as well as from volume rivals such as the Peugeot 407. The German carmaker also hopes the Passat CC (short for Comfort Coupe) will provide a ...
Seat boss: New Ibiza matches Toyota quality.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink Helped by production technology from Volkswagen group sister brand Audi, Seat says it has greatly improved the new Ibiza. "The Ibiza's quality now matches that of Toyota," said Seat President Erich Schmidt. The Ibiza is the first ...
Correction.(Correction notice)
May 12, 2008 ... Oshino Lamps provides the ambient illumination in the door panels and window keyboards of the Jaguar XF. A story on Page 13 of the April 28 edition did not mention Oshino's contribution. According to the Automotive News Europe/PricewaterhouseCoopers Shareholder ...
ACEA doubts EU's eCall launch date; Holland wants to be first to answer eCall.(News)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: Ian Morton It is unlikely that a Europewide emergency call system will be launched in time to meet the European Commission's 2010 target. "It will take years to put a European system in place, 2012 or even longer," Wolfgang Reinhardt, head of regulatory ...
6 key tasks for Ford recovery; Q1 profit is good start, but a lot needs to be done to achieve full-year profit.(News)(Financial report)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Amy Wilson Automotive News Cost-cutting largely drove Ford Motor's surprise first-quarter improvement, but CEO Alan Mulally has a lot to do to achieve a full turnaround. Mulally told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automotive News that it's way too ...
Subaru sees risks, rewards in Toyota JV car.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Hans Greimel Subaru will face marketing opportunities as well as challenges when it starts selling the new sports car being jointly developed with Toyota. Subaru's overseas marketing chief, Masatsugu Nagato, says the car will lure new customers into showrooms ...
VW seeks ways to reward staff.(News)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: Henning Krogh Volkswagen is considering new ways to compensate its employees. "Employee sharing in the productive wealth is always an important issue for Volkswagen," VW personnel chief Horst Neumann said at VW's ...
Europe results are strong for Federal-Mogul in Q1.(News)(Financial report)
May 12, 2008 ... Byline: James B. Treece Thanks to strong results in Europe, Jose Maria Alapont is not as worried about the North American downturn. "Of course, volumes in the US market are a concern," said the CEO of supplier Federal-Mogul Corp., which emerged from six years of ...
Congratulations to our top 25!(Supplement)(Brief article)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: Arjen Bongard When we started our search for 25 leading women in the European auto industry early this year, we didn't know what the outcome would be. Now, five months later, the editors of Automotive News Europe are delighted to present the results of that ...
Breaking the 'glass ceiling'; As women advance, auto industry must be flexible.(Supplement)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: Mary Beth Vander Schaaf The glass ceiling. If you haven't heard the term, you surely will recognize the concept. Simply, it refers to an invisible barrier that prevents someone from advancing past a certain level in a company. That person can see ...
Cristina Siletto.(Supplement)(Occupation overview)(Interview)
May 12, 2008 ... What was your first automotive job? I was responsible for self-diagnosis systems for engine management systems at Fiat Auto. What is your proudest professional achievement? Having started production of the Fiat Grande Punto at the planned cost and two ...
Birgit Behrendt.(Supplement)
May 12, 2008 ... What was your first automotive job? Apprentice at Ford-Werke in Cologne, Germany. My parents suggested that I apply at Ford. I was surprised to get the job. What is your proudest professional achievement? To be where I am today. It is an excellent ...
Anja Kleyboldt.(Supplement)(General Motors Europe AG)(Interview)
May 12, 2008 ... What was your first automotive job and why were you interested in the industry? I was a planning engineer in the bodyshop in Russelsheim after I did an apprenticeship with a car mechanic after high school. I was always interested in the auto industry and my friends ...
Fiat builds a second Tychy; With Polish plant full, Italian carmaker looks to Serbia for more output.(News)(Company overview)
May 12, 2008; ... Byline: Luca Ciferri Slightly more than half a century ago Fiat signed an historic licensing agreement that permitted Zavodi Crvena Zastava - or Red Flag Plant in English - to begin automobile production in Serbia. That was 1954. Today, the Italian ...
Telling numbers.(Supplement)
May 12, 2008 ... Not many of Automotive News Europe's 25 leading women have had a female boss, but it looks like that will not be the case for long in the auto industry. ...
Barbara Richmond.(Supplement)(Inchcape Bhd.)(Interview)
May 12, 2008 ... What was your first automotive job? Group finance director of Inchcape. What is your proudest professional achievement? In a previous position I was involved in selling off some of the company's businesses. The financial success of this project was central ...
Martina Merz.(Supplement)(Robert Bosch Corp.)(Interview)
May 12, 2008 ... What was your first automotive job? My first job was to work on the manufacturing technology of car diagnostic systems at Bosch. I was only 22 when I started, and 25 when I got my first management job. My career in the auto industry was the result of my decision to go to a ...
Glenda Minor.(Supplement)(Visteon )(Interview)
May 12, 2008 ... What was your first automotive job? With GM working at a manufacturing plant on an executive- rotation program. Why did you seek a job in the auto industry? It had to do with a love of cars. I had brothers who worked on cars, and one of the requirements of ...
Lena Olving.(Supplement)(AB Volvo)(Interview)
May 12, 2008 ... What was your first automotive job? Manufacturing engineer at Volvo Car Components. What is your proudest professional achievement? Winning the J.D. Power silver quality award when I was plant manager in Torslanda. I am also proud of my time outside the ...
Liliane Lacourt.(Supplement)
May 12, 2008 ... Did you need any persuading to enter the auto industry? Jacques Calvet, who hired me, was the most famous CEO in France at the time. I was anxious but everyone around me said, "You cannot refuse such a challenge." What surprised you most when you joined PSA from the ...
Sara Cummings.(Supplement)(Interview)
May 12, 2008 ... What was your first automotive job? I was brought in to run the Jaguar F-Type program and develop it. This was a mid-price sports car based on the concept that had just been shown at the Detroit auto show. It was designed to compete with the Porsche Boxster. The whole team was ...
Isabel Marey-Semper.(Supplement)(Interview)
May 12, 2008 ... Why did you seek a job in the auto industry? I didn't actually go looking for a job in the automotive sector. I went looking for a job with PSA, which is a very large French company, and whose values - sharing, working in a team environment, being results-oriented - are similar ...
Beatrice Foucher.(Supplement)
May 12, 2008 ... What was your first automotive job? With Renault, in 1989, in the quality control division. Why did you seek a job in the auto industry? I wanted to work for a large firm, which is why I tried the packaged food sector. What I found was that Nestle was a ...