Editor's Note: This article is from 36 Krypton's "Future Automotive Daily" (WeChat public number ID: auto-time), written by Zhang Yi.
Organizer | Zhang Yi
lead story (on the news)
Tesla delivers 97,000 units in Q3, sales miss expectations
On October 2, Tesla announced that it delivered 97,000 cars in the third quarter, slightly higher than the 95,200 delivered in the second quarter of this year and much higher than the 83,500 delivered in the third quarter of last year, a double year-over-year increase. But the figure is lower than the latest Wall Street consensus forecast of 99,000 units, as well as Musk's previous 100,000-unit delivery target mentioned in an internal letter. (Future Automotive Daily)
choice (product)
Tesla China signs 5 billion yuan loan agreement with China Merchants Bank
According to Tesla's disclosure on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) website, Tesla China signed a financing agreement with China Merchants Bank on Sept. 26, which includes an unsecured 12-month revolving loan of up to 5 billion yuan. As a rule, every Tesla withdrawal at China Merchants Bank is subject to certain conditions precedent, with Tesla China required to provide a report on its purchasing and importing vehicle needs as well as cash deposit requirements. (Future Automotive Daily)
Volkswagen's truck division to invest €2 billion in electric cars and software
Volkswagen's Traton truck unit will spend more than 2 billion euros ($15.671 billion) on electric cars and digital products over the next five years to keep up with the industry's "fundamental transformation." (Bloomberg)
Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, Honda and many other carmakers see sales fall in U.S. market in September
In September, several automobile companies saw sales decline in the U.S. market. Among them, Toyota's U.S. sales fell 16.51 TP3T to 169,700, Hyundai's sales slipped 91 TP3T to 52,000, Nissan's slipped 17.61 TP3T to 101,200, and Honda's sales declined 141 TP3T, much less than analysts expected. (Bloomberg)
A GM plant shutdown in Mexico involves more than 6,000 workers
General Motors suspended production at a plant in Mexico, affecting more than 6,000 workers, according to Automotive News. General Motors in the United States suffered a worker strike is the direct cause of this incident. Affected by the shortage of parts and other factors, GM's Mexican plant has been in a state of unproductivity, which mainly produces Chevrolet, Saurus and other models. (Motor Home)
Ford to form JV with Mahindra for Ford India operations
Recently, Ford announced that it will form a joint venture with Mahindra worth $275 million, which is expected to be operational by mid-2020. Of this, Ford owns 49% of the JV and Mahindra owns 51%. Ford said it will transfer its Indian operations to the JV, including staff and assembly plants in Chennai and Sunderland. (Future Motors Daily)
Nissan to re-examine UK Sunderland plant due to Brexit fallout
Nissan will review its decision to build Qashqai models at its Sunderland plant if the British side insists on a no-deal exit from the European Union, a move that could ultimately lead to the plant's closure, according to three people familiar with the matter. The plant is the largest in the history of the British automotive industry and Nissan has now invested more than 4 billion pounds in it. Around three-quarters of the plant's cars are exported, more than half of which go to Europe. (Financial Times)
Malaysia proposes $20.5 million fine for ride-hailing software giant Grab
Malaysia's antitrust regulator on Thursday proposed fining Southeast Asian ride-hailing software giant Grab more than 86 million ringgit ($20.5 million) for imposing restrictive terms on drivers in violation of competition laws. Malaysia's Competition Commission ruled that Singapore-based Grab abused its dominant market position by preventing its drivers from serving advertisements to competitors, and that the restrictive terms "distorted competition in the relevant market." (Finance)
Hyundai hires NASA expert as vice president of Air Mobility Mobility Division
Recently, Hyundai Motor released a statement saying that the company has hired Shin Jae-won, former director of NASA's Aeronautics Research Headquarters, as vice president of the "UAM (Urban Air Mobility)" business unit to be in charge of product development and project promotion for urban air mobility. Shin, who has been involved in cutting-edge aeronautical research and development at NASA for 30 years, said, "This field [urban air mobility] is expected to grow into a $1.5 trillion market in the next 20 years. (Future Motors Daily)
U.S. develops lithium-carbon oxide battery with seven times higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries
Recently, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago developed a lithium carbon oxide battery (referred to as Li-CO2 battery), the battery energy density in theory up to 1,876Wh/kg, 7 times higher than the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, which can help to significantly increase the range of pure electric vehicle models. Currently, the battery has been tested for 500 cycles. (insideev)
new products
Porsche Unveils Panamera 10th Anniversary Special Edition
On October 2, Porsche officially released the picture of the Panamera 10th Anniversary Edition model, which, on the basis of the original configuration, adds Park Assist, additional active safety features, matrix LED headlights, heated 14-way power seats and surround-view camera, and electrically-absorbent doors, etc. The Panamera debuted in Shanghai, China on April 19, 2009, and 2018 Panamera sales in China reached 38,443 units in 2018, ranking third in the Porsche family, with cumulative deliveries now exceeding 250,000 units. (Future Motoring Daily)
Volvo's all-electric XC40 comes with advanced driver assistance system, expected to launch October 16th
Recently, Volvo officially released a teaser image of the all-electric XC40, which adds ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) sensors. As previously reported, the system was developed by Zenuity, a joint venture owned by Volvo and Veoneer, and includes multiple radars, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors. The new car is built on Volvo's Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) and is expected to be officially launched on October 16th. (Future Motoring Daily)
