BMW hedges its bets on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, launching a test vehicle in South Africa as the automaker seeks a path to a mass-market model in 2030. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | BMW has claimed its place as the breakout star in Africa’s race for commercial hydrogen mobility …
Read More »Why is electrification an uphill task for German automakers?
Frankfurt, Germany | Xinhua | BMW and Daimler, two of Germany’s auto giants, have been sued by activists on charges that they fall short on their commitments to a more ambitious goal of emission reduction. The lawsuit was filed by German non-governmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe e. V. (DUH, Environmental Action Germany …
Read More »BMW partners Jaguar Land Rover to develop electric engine
Berlin, Germany | AFP | German high-end car giant BMW and British group Jaguar Land Rover announced Wednesday they are teaming up to develop a new generation of electric motors. A joint team will be based in Munich and tasked with developing the “next generation electric drive units” which BMW will …
Read More »EU accuses BMW, Daimler and VW of breaking antitrust rules
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The European Union warned German car giants BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen on Friday that a preliminary inquiry has concluded they colluded to avoid competing on emission control technology. Already reeling in the wake of the devastating “dieselgate” emissions cheating scandal that broke in 2015, the German …
Read More »US report calls car imports national security threat: source
New York, United States | AFP | A US Commerce Department report has concluded that American auto imports threaten national security, setting the stage for possible tariffs by the White House, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday. The investigation, ordered by President Donald Trump in May, is “positive” …
Read More »No-deal Brexit ‘could cost 600,000 jobs worldwide’: study
Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | A British departure from the European Union without a deal could put 600,000 jobs around the world at risk, with Germany the hardest hit, a study published Monday found. Researchers at the IWH institute in Halle, eastern Germany, examined what would happen if UK …
Read More »Daimler, BMW win green light for car-sharing merger
Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | German carmakers Daimler and BMW said Wednesday they had won final approval to merge their car-sharing services Car2Go and DriveNow, paving the way for the creation of a European giant to challenge the likes of Uber. In a joint statement, the companies said …
Read More »BMW is sick of bad 3 Series reviews
“I do not want to hear that shit anymore!” declares BMW development boss Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | Negative media reviews of recent BMW 3 Series generations have motivated the German car-maker to aim for new driving benchmarks with its latest mid-size luxury sedan. Speaking at the Paris motor show recently, …
Read More »TECH: Big cars with ridiculously tiny engines
There’s no substitute for cubic capacity, or so they used to say. Used to. With the development of technologies such as turbocharging and direct-injection over the past decade and some impressive weight-saving, many carmakers have been pursuing the concept of engine-downsizing with a passion. Downsizing does not mean losing power …
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