- Commission endorses £8.7 million government training aid to Vauxhall Motors
- The European Commission has authorised under EC Treaty state aid rules a UK grant of £8.7 million (€11 million) for a staff training programme at the Vauxhall car plant at Ellesmere Port. Following an in-depth investigation, opened in July 2007, the Commission is satisfied that the aid will be used for additional training and will not subsidise training that Vauxhall would have provided in any case.
- EC Environment Commissioner raises new criteria for biofuels
- The European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas raised new conditions on Tuesday for the use of biofuels in road transport, saying social concerns such as food prices and food security must be taken into account. Dimas did not explicitly question the EU's Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) target of 10% by 2020, but the issues he raised were not included in the biofuels criteria proposed by the EC in January this year, which focused on GHG emissions reduction and impacts on non-agricultural land use. (Planet Ark, 16 April)
- JATO charts shares in March European market
- JATO Dynamics reports that Volkswagen continued its dominance of the European new-car market in March, heading the sales league in both March and year-to-date, ahead of Ford, Opel/Vauxhall, Renault and Peugeot.
- GAZ appoints new Russian CEO for LDV
- With immediate effect, GAZ Group has appointed a new CEO for LDV Group. Evgeniy Vereshchagin, who joined the board of LDV in December 2007, has been appointed as the company’s new CEO, succeeding Steve Young who left late last year.
- Petrol Retailers Association expects prices to drop by mid-year
- “Forecourt retailers are not responsible for the current high price of fuel, which is the result of normal seasonal demand being exacerbated by financial speculators investing in the oil market, and the Government's refusal to cut the UK's high fuel taxes,” according to Ray Holloway, Director of the RMI Petrol Retailers Association (PRA).
- UK two-wheeler registrations down 3.2% in March
- Powered two-wheeler registrations last month were 3.2% down on the same month last year at 18,624, the Motorcycle Industry Association reports. Over the first quarter the market was 2.2% down with a total of 30,694 registrations. Although the March 2008 volume was down year on year, it was still over 10% up on March 2006 and over 140,000 PTW registrations for the full year are expected.
- Smith Electric Vehicles launches battery-electric Transit Connect conversion
- The Smith Ampere van based on Ford’s Transit Connect was launched at this week’s CV Show by Smith Electric Vehicles, part of the Tanfield Group. Smith already produces an electric version of the Transit and this latest addition to its range follows the same principles that Smith adopted for the larger van.
- Oil Drum launches on-board, on-demand hydrogen electrolyser for trucks at CV Show
- The ‘ON DEMAND HYDROGEN GENERATOR™’ shown by the Kent University Canterbury Enterprise Hub-based start-up Oil Drum Ltd. at the CV Show this week is claimed to enable petrol and diesel engines to work more efficiently by adding hydrogen to conventional hydrocarbon or biofuel.
- NAC confirms Longbridge MG TF production still planned
- Nanjing Automobile Corporation has insisted that plans to produce the MG TF and other new models in the UK are still on track, responding to autocar.co.uk’s suggestion that the withdrawal of Stadco from planned pressings supply meant that the roadster’s future at Longbridge was over.
- Car Parts Direct: “A new car is the worst investment most people will ever make”
- Choosing an older vehicle could be a home-saver for the UK’s cash-strapped mortgage holders, and buying a new car could make the difference between “home ownership” or “repossession” claims Car Parts Direct.
- Remy International, Inc. announces 2007 results
- Remy International, Inc., the US manufacturer, remanufacturer, and distributor of heavy duty systems, starters and alternators, locomotive products and hybrid technology, emerged from ‘Prepackaged Reorganization’ effectively on December 6, 2007, and adopted ‘fresh-start’ reporting, so its consolidated financial statements on or after 30th November 2007 are not comparable to its previous consolidated financial statements.
- Johnson Controls reports record sales and profits in Q2 2008
- Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI) increased sales by 11% to a record $9.4bn in the second quarter of its current financial year, reflecting growth in each of its businesses. Profit from continuing operations was $289 million, 28% up year on year.
- Johnson Controls-Saft and Maxwell Technologies to collaborate on li-ion battery electrodes
- The Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions JV and Maxwell Technologies have announced a development collaboration through which Maxwell will produce lithium-ion battery electrodes for testing and evaluation by Johnson Controls-Saft. The electrodes will incorporate Maxwell's proprietary process demonstrated in ultracapacitor applications.
- Valmet considers Russian production site – report
- The Finnish contract assembly firm Valmet Automotive is looking at potential sites for a 10,000-unit car plant near St. Petersburg, Russia, reported Automotive News Europe yesterday. The company itself has not confirmed the story, in which ANE quotes an official from the Leningrad regional government. He says Valmet has been offered four possible sites, and suggests Valmet could build a 50,000-unit capacity plant.
- AAA Auto restructures
- The Management Board of the Czech Republic-based AAA Auto Group N. V. motor retailer approved at a recent board meeting a plan for restructuring the Group to restore profitability, including the sale of non-core businesses and some of the company’s properties.