European Commission set to scrutinise Fiat-PSA mega-merger June 8, 2020 The European Commission may seek concessions in order to clear the proposed $50bn (£39.6bn) merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot owner PSA over competition concerns. Reuters reported that the body’s antitrust regulators were worried by the potential size of the two firm’s market share in small vans. According to sources, the two firms must dispel [...]
UK car industry flatlines as just 197 cars built in April May 29, 2020 The UK car industry made just 197 cars in April as the shuttering of factories due to the coronavirus pandemic sent production flatlining. Total production dropped 99.7 per cent, with the lowest number of cars built in one month since the Second World War, according to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and [...]
McLaren to cut 1,200 jobs as coronavirus forces group restructuring May 26, 2020 Supercar giant McLaren today announced it would cut 1,200 jobs across all of its operations due to the combination of the coronavirus pandemic and the new F1 price cap. The redundancies, which were first reported by Sky, will account for about a quarter of the Surrey-based firm’s workforce of 4,000. Jobs will be cut across [...]
Exclusive: Car industry calls for coronavirus stimulus to jumpstart recovery May 4, 2020 The UK car industry has called for a government stimulus package and extended furlough support to help it recover from the coronavirus crisis. Speaking to City A.M., Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said the government will need to jumpstart the sector in order to get demand going [...]
Coronavirus: UK manufacturing sector books record drops in ‘ruinous’ April May 1, 2020 UK manufacturing sector activity plunged at a record pace in April during lockdown, a closely followed measure of industrial output showed today. Factories saw output slump to 32.6 in April, according to IHS Markit’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data. Anything below 50 represents a contraction. Output, new orders and employment all plummeted at the fastest [...]
Elon Musk labels lockdowns ‘fascist’ as Tesla offsets automotive slump April 30, 2020 Outspoken Tesla chief executive Elon Musk labelled the US’ coronavirus lockdowns as “fascist” as the firm surprised investors with another profitable period of trading despite the current market disruption. Speaking on a conference call last night, Musk said that the measures posed a serious risk to Tesla’s business and said he did not know when [...]
SMMT: UK car production falls 38 per cent, 10 times worse than Brexit drops April 30, 2020 The coronavirus crisis hammered British car manufacturing in March, with the total number of vehicles produced falling 37.6 per cent compared to a year ago. Just 78,767 vehicles left factory gates last month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). That is 47,428 fewer than the previous year, as the coronavirus crisis [...]
Renault quits China partnership to focus on Nissan alliance April 14, 2020 French car giant Renault has scrapped its joint venture with Chinese firm Dongfeng Motor Group due to weak sales at the loss-making partnership. A general slowdown of sales in the world’s biggest auto market will be compounded by this year’s coronavirus pandemic, which has led to a widespread shuttering of factories and showrooms across the [...]
Renault to seek loans of up to €5bn to protect against coronavirus April 10, 2020 The chairman of French car giant Renault has said that the firm could seek loans of up to €5bn to protect it against damage from the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking on French radio, Jean-Dominique Senard said: “We are working on the idea of bank loans that would be guaranteed by the state and later reimbursed. This [...]
Coronavirus: BMW sales fall over 20 per cent due to retail closures April 6, 2020 BMW’s sales dropped over 20 per cent in the first quarter of the year due to the coronavirus outbreak, the German car giant said today. Due to the widespread closure of showrooms across Europe and the rest of the world, the automotive firm sold only 477,111 vehicles in the first three months of the year. [...]