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. [...]
Coronavirus: UK car registrations decline more than during 2008 financial crisis April 6, 2020 The total number of registrations of new cars fell 44.4 per cent in March, a steeper decline than during the financial crisis of 2008-2009, as car showrooms closed in line with the government’s guidance for tackling coronavirus. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 203,370 fewer cars were registered this year than [...]
Coronavirus: Car industry warns UK could produce 200,000 fewer cars this year March 27, 2020 The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has warned that the coronavirus outbreak could see the UK produce 200,000 fewer cars in 2020, a fall of 18 per cent on last year’s total output. All of the UK’s car manufacturing factories are now on shutdown as the country complies by stringent restrictions designed to [...]
Brompton Bikes boss: long-term thinking is needed after coronavirus March 25, 2020 Coronavirus may have stopped everyday life in its tracks, but the boss of one of London’s manufacturing success stories says employers must adopt long-term strategies now for when the wheels start turning again. Will Butler-Adams, the boss of Brompton Bikes, says this applies to macro: the future of transport, as well as the micro: the [...]
Electric cars can transport Britain to a greener future March 25, 2020 As the UK lockdown begins, now is a chance to pause, to take a step back, and consider how our world moves forward when the Covid-19 crisis is over. Right now, we are all staying at home, but when we can travel once again, what does the future of transportation look like? Britain is still [...]
Jaguar Land Rover boss says Greta Thunberg’s criticism ‘not justified’ March 8, 2020 The boss of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has hit out at Greta Thunberg, saying that climate activists like the Swedish teenager and Extinction Rebellion make “no contribution” and have “no ideas”. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Ralf Speth, JLR’s outgoing boss, described Thunberg’s campaigning as “doing wrong in many areas” by raising issues but not [...]