The advertising a-gender: Why the ASA is targeting sexist stereotypes? September 9, 2019 Gender stereotyping is a minefield. What one person thinks is offensive is perfectly fine to someone else. The scope of this division came into focus last month, when the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) – the ad industry’s independent regulator – upheld complaints against two commercials that broke new rules about gender stereotypes. One ad for [...]
Volkswagen retains access to US public sector contracts after dieselgate probe September 2, 2019 Volkswagen will reportedly still be allowed to bid for public sector contracts in the US, after concerns a watchdog probe into its diesel emissions cheating scandal may result in a ban. Instead of being excluded, Volkswagen will be made to install a second US monitor at its Wolfsburg headquarters in Germany, after an investigation by [...]
Volkswagen turnaround boss Ferdinand Piech dies aged 82 August 27, 2019 Former Volkswagen boss Ferdinand Piech, who has been credited with turning the firm into the global powerhouse in the 1990s, has died aged 82. The grandson of Beetle pioneer Ferdinand Porsche, Piech became Volkswagen chief executive in 1993, transforming it from a medium-sized car maker to an international power. Read more: Former VW boss Martin [...]
Ex-Audi chief Rupert Stadler faces criminal charges for his role in dieselgate scandal July 31, 2019 Former Audi boss Rupert Stadler has been charged for his part in Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal, known as dieselgate. Read more: Former VW boss Martin Winterkorn faces criminal charges for emissions scandal The Munich public prosecutor’s office said this morning that it has charged Stadler and three others with false certification and criminal advertising practices. [...]
Renault board examining £28bn merger proposal from Fiat Chrysler May 27, 2019 The board of French carmaker Renault are studying a proposed £28bn merger plan put to them by American-Italian rival Fiat Chrysler (FCA) today. The deal would create the third-largest car company worldwide behind Japan’s Toyota and Germany’s Volkswagen with sales of 8.7m per year. Investors in both companies welcomed the proposed deal which aims to [...]
Global stocks reverse falls after reports Trump will delay auto tariffs May 15, 2019 Global stock markets have rallied after US President Donald Trump was reported to be planning to delay tariffs on car imports by up to six months. Read more: US stocks fall as industrial sector contracts for third time in four months Investors had been in sell-off mode amid heightened trade tensions between the US and [...]
Dieselgate: Porsche hit with €535m fine after selling cars with emissions cheating Volkswagen and Audi engines May 7, 2019 Prosecutors in Germany have slapped a €535m (£485m) fine on sports car maker Porsche, as punishment for lapses in supervision which let the company cheat diesel emissions tests. Read more: Former VW boss faces criminal charges for emissions scandal The company’s development department neglected its legal obligations, said prosecutors in Stuttgart, which ultimately led to [...]
BMW profits crash 76 per cent as it gears up for €1.4bn EU antitrust fine May 7, 2019 German car manufacturer BMW has posted a steep fall in first-quarter profits after it put aside €1.4bn (£1.2bn) for a possible EU antitrust fine. Read more: BMW flashes warning lights as mounting costs hit forecasts The figures Group revenues slipped a marginal 0.9 per cent to €22.5bn in the first quarter. Pre-tax profit plunged 76 [...]
Car maker shares fall on Donald Trump tariff hike threats as US – China trade war escalates May 6, 2019 Shares in European car makers tumbled today after Donald Trump threatened to hike up tariffs on Chinese imports to the US, marking an escalation in the ongoing trade war between the two countries. The Stoxx Europe 600 Automobiles and Parts index was down 3.3 per cent following Trump’s remarks as all of its 16 component [...]
Volkswagen squirrels away €1bn contingency fund to pay emissions scandal legal fees May 2, 2019 Volkswagen has set aside €1bn (£858m) for the ongoing legal battle surrounding its emissions cheating scandal, it revealed this morning. Read more: Volkswagen to build Tesla-style gigafactories for electric car batteries Europe’s biggest car maker said the contingency fund had hit its operating profit in its first quarter trading update, adding that it expects the [...]