Headlines for Tuesday, July 17, 2012

New Clio sets tone for Renault's future

The new Renault Clio's bold design and attractive options could help the company regain traction in Europe's biggest segment, where the French automaker has struggled. Read More »

Audi chases BMW with overseas expansion drive

Audi is investing hundreds of millions of euros in Germany and abroad in a bid to take on rivals like BMW and Mercedes. Audi's Ingolstadt plant is being upgraded to build more cars and to become the training ground team that will work in plants in China and Mexico. Read More »

EU opens door to Japan trade talks, new era of deals

The EU is expected go ahead with talks on a potentially groundbreaking free-trade deal with Japan despite opposition from carmakers. The European Commission is set to announce on Wednesday it is ready for talks that it hopes will help start a revival of Europe's stagnant economy. Read More »

Opel picks Thomas Sedran as interim CEO

Opel has appointed Thomas Sedran as its interim CEO. The former restructuring consultant will serve as the money-losing GM unit's boss until a permanent chief executive is found, Opel said. Read More »

VW price cuts help slow Europe sales drop in June

European car sales fell at the slowest rate in eight months as price cuts by VW Group helped counter the effects of the region's sovereign-debt crisis and rising unemployment. Read More »

AutoNews Now: South a carmaking hotbed

Tennessee leading a production wave in the Southern U.S., turnaround expert to take a stab at Opel, Fiat 500 takes a dive. Read More »

French industry minister to quiz Peugeot family

French Industry Minister Arnauld Montebourg plans to summon members of the Peugeot family to explain why PSA/Peugeot-Citroen had continued to pay dividends even as it was facing mounting difficulties, he told parliament on Tuesday. Read More »

First Shift: Hyundai's growing 'family'

Krafcik on why limiting nameplates makes sense, turnaround expert may be next Opel leader, Future Nissan Versa? Read More »

Honda exec maps out North American growth strategy

Honda, seeking to elevate the role of North America in its global operations, plans to move more production here and make the region the center of activity for global vehicle launches -- shifting the responsibility away from Japan, a senior manufacturing executive said today. Read More »

Ford seeks to close $15 an hour Canada labor gap with U.S.

Ford, entering contract talks this summer with the CAW, will try to close a $15 an hour all-in labor cost gap versus what the company pays its U.S. workers, according to a senior company official. Read More »

U.S. launches probe of Ford Escape for possible unintended acceleration

Federal safety regulators opened an investigation today into 730,000 Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute SUVs that may have been improperly repaired after a 2004 recall and could result in unintended acceleration. Read More »

Mitsubishi Motors adds export model to Illinois plant

Mitsubishi Motors said today it launched production of the Outlander Sport compact SUV at its Illinois factory in a move that will eventually double output and turn the plant into an export hub. Read More »

Pension or buyout? GM retirees make the tough call by Friday

Is it better for existing retirees to convert their pension to an annuity or to take a lump sum payout? That is the tricky choice thousands of former General Motors employees must make by Friday, July 20. Read More »

Auto advertising vets Jackson, Topolewski open office in Detroit

Jackson and Partners, a newly formed advertising firm started by industry veterans Michael Jackson and Gary Topolewski, opened a new location last week in downtown Detroit. Read More »

Why the Chevy-Opel crisis in Europe sounds so familiar

The personnel moves at the top of GM in Europe this week may have been surprising, but there was a clear signal of trouble weeks ago. At the Automotive News Europe Congress, then-Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke said GM had moved Opel upmarket too quickly. Read More »

Estimated Europe registrations by country, 6 mos.

This is data compiled by the Automotive News Data Center and requires a Data Center subscription to access. Read More »

Estimated Europe registrations by make, June & YTD

This is data compiled by the Automotive News Data Center and requires a Data Center subscription to access. Read More »

GM union strikes at Brazil plant for 24 hours

A Brazilian union carried out a 24-hour strike at a General Motors factory on Monday to protest dwindling output on an assembly line where workers fear for the future of 1,500 jobs. Read More »

Ford to slash 15 percent of workforce in Australia

Ford's Australian unit said today it plans to cut up to 440 jobs, or about 15 percent of its workforce, and slash production by almost 30 percent to cope with a slide in popularity of its top model, the Falcon. Read More »

Detroit 3 field pitch on natural-gas vehicles from Colorado, Oklahoma

The governors of Oklahoma and Colorado met with executives from General Motors, Ford and Chrysler to ask for more cars and trucks with engines that run on compressed natural gas. Read More »

U.S. medium & heavy truck sales, June & YTD

This is data compiled by the Automotive News Data Center and requires a Data Center subscription to access. Read More »

Dealers can’t count on locals for used-car sales anymore

The Internet has done many things for auto dealers and made more than a few changes to the way they do business. But while new-car pricing and lead-generation sites like TrueCar. Read More »

Chrysler will end production of 3.7-liter V-6, idle Detroit plant

Chrysler Group says it will idle its Mack II engine plant in Detroit in September as it ends production of its 3.7-liter V-6 engine. About 200 employees in the plant received layoff notices but won’t lose their jobs. Read More »

PSA's Varin sees European rivals cutting capacity, paper reports

PSA CEO Philippe Varin said he "would not be surprised" to see other automakers cut European capacity in the wake of his decision to close a plant near Paris, French newspaper Le Monde reported on Tuesday. Read More »

GM to allow drivers with OnStar to rent their own cars

General Motors drivers can rent out their under-used vehicles by using an OnStar service that allows potential renters to unlock the doors using their smart phones. Read More »

PSA plant closure to save 108 million euros, report says

The closure of PSA's factory in Aulnay, France, will reduce the automaker's fixed costs by 108 million euros ($132 million), Le Figaro reported, citing company documents. Read More »

Record auto production at Toyota, Honda boosts U.S. economy

Honda and Toyota's North American plants, stalled by parts shortages a year ago, are leading an industrywide assembly surge buoying cities from the Midwest to the deep South amid a languid U.S. economy. Read More »

Czech car production up but slowing

Car production in the Czech Republic rose in the first six months of the year but at a slower pace than in 2011 as demand for cars in Europe fell, the Association of Automotive Industry said Monday. Production of cars and light utility vehicles rose by 4. Read More »

Land Rover will increase U.S. supply of Evoques by autumn

U.S. dealers say they can't keep up with demand for the Range Rover Evoque -- the reigning North American Truck of the Year -- so Land Rover is stepping up production of the compact SUV in Halewood, England. Read More »