Global vehicle sales grew by 3.4% between January and April 2018 to 28.8 million units. The data for 53 markets from JATO (around 90% of the global total) indicates that the growth pace continues thanks to the positive economic indicators and good mood among consumers in most of the key markets. Even if almost two in three of the vehicles were sold in China, USA and Europe, most of the growth was driven by emerging countries like India, Brazil and Russia. All three of these m

BEIJING -- China unveiled late Thursday a long-anticipated easing of foreign investment curbs in the auto industry and other key sectors as Beijing moves to open its markets further. China's National Development and Reform Commission published on its website a new version of the so-called negative list, which sets out industries where foreign investment is limited or prohibited, that will take effect July 28. In addition to confirming already announced pledges to fully remove

China will end foreign ownership caps on local auto companies by 2022 and will remove restrictions on new-energy vehicle ventures this year, a major shift that will open the market wider to carmakers such as Nissan and Tesla. The country will remove limits on companies making full electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2018, commercial-vehicle companies in 2020 and the wider passenger vehicle market by 2022, China's state planner said in a statement. The move, which comes am

The Renault-Nissan alliance has announced plans to build electric cars in China in a new venture with Dongfeng Motor, joining the scramble by global automakers to meet Beijing's stringent quotas for zero-emission vehicles. The venture, eGT New Energy Automotive Co, will develop an electric mini-SUV to go into production in 2019 by Dongfeng, the carmaking alliance said, for sale under the partners' own brands. Dongfeng already builds conventional vehicles with Nissan and its F

Considering these disparate pressures on costs, there is no easy formula that OEMs or suppliers can use to improve their return on capital. The solution will likely come from a combination of actions. Part of the answer lies in consolidation, which reduces industry capital requirements by eliminating competition and combining two manufacturing and design footprints into one. To a degree, these goals explain 2016’s robust supplier M&A volume, continuing the trend of the previo

SHANGHAI - Elvis Presley, not lost in China! At the biggest-selling Cadillac dealership in China, customers react to the brand's image the way Cadillac hopes customers everywhere will. Famous names in imposing silver lettering adorn a "wall of honor" at Shanghai Brilliance Hutong Auto Sales Co. There is Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali, Cindy Crawford, Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II and, of course, one of history's most famous Cadillac customers -- Elvis. It is a message the br