German Cars are Least Reliable Says Study
German cars are among the least reliable and some luxury vehicles are particularly bad, says a survey conducted by The Consumers’ Association.
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UK Car Manufacturing and European Car Registrations Fall
NewsIn July UK car production dipped 3.8 per cent or 5500 units, but remains 1.1 per cent up over the course of the year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). At the same time new car registrations fell 4.6 per cent. Meanwhile diesel registrations equalled their highest ever-level occupying 32.5 per cent of the total market.
Dr Karl-Thomas Neumann to be proposed to Conti Supervisory Board
Product NewsThe chairman’s committee of the supervisory board will propose Dr Karl-Thomas Neumann for the executive board of Continenal AG. Dr Neumann is currently head of the Electrics and Electronics unit of the Volkswagen group. In this position he has group-wide responsibility for electronics.
According to the company, Dr Neumann will take charge of Continental Automotive Systems (CAS) at the earliest possible date.
New AA Academy
Product NewsThe AA has opened a new training centre at Six Hills, Leicestershire. The academy will now become the main UK site for AA technical training.
The training school was officially opened by AA managing director, Roger Wood and replaced the previous centre that was situated at Widmerpool, Nottinghamshire, which closed in April.
Shock Absorber Fault causes Passat Recall
Product NewsA possible shock absorber fault has caused Volkswagen to recall approximately 33,000 of its Passat models. The affected vehicles were manufactured between August and November 2003 and had been sold throughout Europe. One explanation for the fault is that a screw could have been tightened to the wrong torque, thereby running the risk it could become detached.
Chinese Car Production Up 30%
Product NewsChinese car manufacturers produced 30.5% more cars in May than they did 12 months ago. In May China produced 215,000 vehicles, 10.2% less than in April. Compared with previous growth rates, 30% looks relatively meager. In April 2003 production went up more than 42% and February 2003 saw a staggering 62% increase. To put number this into perspective, figures for March show that UK car production rose by only 7.4% to 163,123 units.
VW to buy into Lease Plan
Product NewsThis week Volkswagen announced that it will acquire half of Dutch car lenders, Lease Plan. The remaining 50% will be held by the state-owned Mubadala Development Company, Abu Dhabi and the Greek Olayan Group. The deal, which will cost §1 billion, will see VW reissue 26.3 million treasury shares in order to finance the deal.
Britain Outperformed European Markets
Product NewsThe UK continues to lead the way in car sales as dealers throughout Western Europe enjoyed a mild recovery in March. Early sales trends show Britain outperformed other European markets with new registrations for the UK up by 11 % this year. A total of 466, 955 cars were sold in Britain during March. The German car market enjoyed a recovery with sales figures up 8 % to 345,000 units sold while France also saw an improvement of 5.6 % on the previous twelve months. Renault and Ford made the most significant gains within the UK market during March while Volkswagen topped the European market with an increase of 13 % as predicted by market watchers following discounts offered on the new Golf.
Pirelli To Supply Volkswagen Racing Cup
Product NewsPirelli is to be the new official tyre supplier to the Volkswagen Racing Cup in the UK. All competitors in the 2004 championship, which gets underway in April, will run on Pirelli P Zero tyres. The Volkswagen Racing Cup joins the UK’s Seat Cupra Championship and the Pirelli Maranello Ferrari Challenge in using Pirelli tyres. The company also supplies its product to the American Le Mans Series and to GT teams internationally. Since its inception in 2000, the Volkswagen Racing Cup has grown to become one of the best-supported and most successful club championships in Britain. Last season more than 30 drivers took part, handling cars ranging in size from a 1.8-litre turbocharged Lupo to a four-wheel-drive Golf R32.
German drivers happiest driving Japanese cars, says study
Product NewsCar drivers in Germany, long held to be home to some of the best engineered vehicles in the world, are happier driving Japanese cars than German ones, a consumer satisfaction survey has shown. The survey, complied by German drivers association ADAC and the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) group, asked more than 38,000 German car owners how satisfied they were both with the product and the service they received from manufacturers. German industry stalwarts Mercedes, Volkswagen and Opel came in near the bottom of the pile, while Japanese names clinched the top seven places. Porsche, the world’s most profitable carmaker famed for its growling sports cars, was the only German company to make it into the top ten. Japan’s Toyota, maker of the world’s best selling car, the Corolla, and the envy of the auto industry due partly to the efficiency of its plants, topped the list. Subaru, Honda, Mazda and Nissan completed the top five.
Awards for Hayes Lemmerz
Product NewsHayes Lemmerz South Africa was recently named as a Volkswagen “Supplier of the Year”. This is the latest in a string of awards, which includes the Nissan SA Quality Achievement Award, Supplier of the Year nomination from Toyota SA, the Q1 Award from Ford and TUV Rheinland TS16949 quality certification. Located near Johannesburg, the company manufactures cast wheels. Hayes Lemmerz’s facility in Brazil was also recently awarded the Q1 Award from Ford.
Is Volkswagen keen on Ferrari?
Product NewsResulting from a co-operation between the car manufacturers Volkswagen and Ferrari could be an involvement of the Germans in the Italian sports car manufacturer, which also owns Maserati. Should Fiat need more money in order to emerge from its own crisis Volkswagen could be ready for a take-over if the price for Ferrari is right. So writes the German online service Der Spiegel-Online. In the meantime Volkswagen denies the news as an “absolute speculation”.
Bye-Bye Beetle
Product NewsThe last assembly line in the world for the old-style Volkswagen Beetle, at Puebla, Mexico, is to close in the next few weeks. The Beetle was first produced in 1945 and 21 million have been made since. Sales have been hit by competition from imported subcompact cars; almost as cheap, but much more modern in design and technology.
VW’s Turn For Downgrade
Product NewsAnalysts MorganStanley have downgraded Volkswagen from “Equal weight” to “Underweight”, expecting the company to underperform the industry in the near future. Reduced earnings, exchange rate fluctuations, development costs and launch/marketing costs are all factors influencing this decision.
Continental President Wennemer Not Enthusiastic
Product NewsThe economic situation in the Chinese market needs to be evaluated carefully, Continental’s President Manfred Wennemer told the German Press Agency (dpa). Volkswagen as a client is currently more valuable than the entire Chinese market. To supply Volkswagen does not entail building a tyre factory or buying a tyre manufacturer. On the other hand, Continental is interested becoming involved with its brakes technology in this potentially lucrative market and will work together with partners in this area.
