European Auto Industry: Autonomous Mercedes-Benz Actros Trucks Travel Through Europe

A convoy of three autonomous Mercedes-Benz Actros heavy-duty trucks began a two-day journey from Stuttgart, Germany to Rotterdam, Netherlands as part of the Netherlands European Truck Platooning Challenge 2016.

The event was initiated by the Netherlands government as part of its EU-Council Presidency.
"Driving in a convoy is one of numerous examples to raise the performance of goods transport extensively with connected trucks," said Wolfgang Bernhard, head of the Daimler Trucks & Buses Division, on the occasion of the departure of the three trucks in Stuttgart. "Today already 365,000 commercial vehicles of Daimler are connected. We are consequently pushing this development."

Bernhard was on hand as the drivers began their two-day journey from the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart. The convoy will travel from the museum to the port of Rotterdam via the A81 Heilbronn highway to the A61 and A67 highways across the German states of Baden-Wurttemberg, Rheineland-Palatinate, and North Rhine-Westphalia towards Venlo for passing the border into the Netherlands.

he challenge is intended to research and improve cross-border convoys of commercial trucks. Via autonomous driving, trucks can transport goods more efficiently, thus driving economic growth. The heavy-duty Mercedes and Daimler trucks feature Highway Pilot Connect, which adds electronic vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) networking cross border technology to the automaker's Highway Pilot autonomous driving systems.

The technology "electronically docks" the trio of trucks on roads and highways to travel together in a convoy or platoon. Each vehicle is separated by only 15 meters (49 feet), instead of the typical 50 meters (164 feet), Daimler says. The closer traveling distance reduces aerodynamic drag similar to drafting in racing for a 10 percent increase in fuel economy, according to the automaker. Additionally, the closer traveling distance reduces the overall length of the three-truck convoy from 150 meters (492 feet) to 80 meters (262 feet), freeing up road space. The system is also said to have a reaction time of just 0.3 second versus 1.4 seconds for the average human, making it a safer form of transport.

 Read more: Autonomous Mercedes-Benz Actros Trucks Travel Through Europe

European Auto Industry:Booming European Electric Car Registrations (March 2015) − by by James Ayre

the electric BMW I3

The European electric vehicle (EV) market is continuing to see strong growth, based on registrations during March — with roughly 18,000 units registered, blowing past the old monthly record (set in December 2013) for the old continent. The old record was 14,197 units registered.

As it stands, more than 36,000 EVs have been registered in the European market this year — putting the market (if things continue this way) roughly on track to top 150,000 units in 2015.

Note that these numbers are not perfect. They don’t actually cover all European countries, and they include a lot of estimates, but much of the data is very usefully gathered (or estimated) through the painstaking work of José Pontes, and it helps to show what the European EV market looks like — quite different from the US market.

Read More: European Electric Car Registrations (March 2015) −

Poland - auto industry: Volkswagen to spend over euro 650 million ($1 billion) on new van plant in Poland

Volkswagen is to spend nearly 3.4 billion zlotys (euro 650 million) on setting up a new plant in Wrzesnia, Poland, which will produce its Crafter large delivery van, the company said on Tuesday.

The plant will employ more than 2300 people, with production expected to start at the end of 2016 following construction of the plant, which is due to begin at the end of this year, Volkswagen said.

"By taking the decision to build the Crafter in Poland, we are setting the course for the strategic realignment of our light commercial vehicles," Leif Oestling, the head of VW's trucks business, said in a statement.

Assembling the vehicle in Poland will allow the German group, which already makes the Caddy and T5 commercial vehicles near Poznan, to significantly reduce its production costs.

Labor costs in Poland's manufacturing industry amounted to an hourly 6.65 euros per worker in 2012, about a sixth of the 36.98 euros in Germany, according to the Cologne-based IW economic institute.

Read  more: Volkswagen to spend over $1 billion on new van plant in Poland - Yahoo News

European Auto Shows: The 27 Coolest Cars At The Geneva Motor Show

Renault Twingo 2014

For those who can make it through the mountains to get to the show, here are 27 cars you can't miss.

They include the outrageously powerful Koenigsegg One:1, the new Lamborghini Huracán, BMW's first front-wheel drive car, and the hybrid beast Porsche built to earn some glory at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The show is open to the public until March 16.The new California T is powered by a turbocharged engine, the first time Ferrari has done that in decades. The fresh design will cut the car's fuel consumption and generate more power.

Read moreThe 27 Coolest Cars At The Geneva Motor Show - News - The Chronicle Express - Penn Yan, NY

European car market begins rebound as economy improves

Renault Fluence

The European car market is showing the first signs of improvement as a recession ends in the 17 countries using the euro and deliveries in key regional markets begin to improve.

Ford Motor Co.'s deliveries last month in its 19 main European markets increased 9 percent from a year earlier to 90,000 cars, the company said today. "The worst is over," Roelant de Waard, head of sales and marketing for the Ford of Europe division, said in a phone interview on Wednesday from the unit's headquarters in Cologne, Germany. "It's a bit early to say that we're now on a way up. Certainly the outlook has improved."

In July, new-car sales rose 2 percent in Germany and 1 percent in France. Both the UK and Spain reported double-digit rises at 13 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Even the monthly decline in Italy was the smallest this year, following a drop across the region in June to the lowest demand since 1996.

Gross domestic product in the euro area rose 0.3 percent in the three months through June, led by expansions in Germany and France, ending a six-quarter streak of contractions, the European Union statistics office in Luxembourg said on Wednesday.

Even so, new-car sales in Europe, including the non-EU countries of Switzerland, Norway and Iceland, are still projected to reach a two-decade low for the full year in a sixth annual drop.

"Markets are stabilizing in Europe and we will see some positive numbers in the second half," Christoph Stuermer, a Frankfurt-based analyst at analyst IHS Automotive, said today. "The second half of the year will be better than the first as markets are bottoming out, yet the total year will remain negative."

Read more: European car market begins rebound as economy improves

European Auto Industry: First official 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class exterior image leaked

Mercedes S class 2014

Thanks to some quick-triggered spy photographers in the right place at the right time, we've already seen our first undisguised images of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Now, BlogAutomobile from France has managed to get a hold of what appears to be the first official image showing the exterior design of the big luxury sedan. Of course, Mercedes-Benz has already released a select batch of images showing the car's interior.

The car in this image appears to be identical to the car photographed back in March right down to the color, multi-spoke wheels and even the license plate. With the extra effect added into this image, it practically confirms that it is a leaked press photo. 

Read more: First official 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class exterior image leaked

European Car Industry: Fiat First-Quarter Profit Falls on Chrysler Earnings Drop - by Tommaso Ebhardt & Mark Clothier

Fiat the Italian automaker that controls Chrysler Group LLC, said first-quarter profit fell 23 percent on costs for new Jeep model rollouts.

Trading profit, or earnings before interest, taxes and one- time items, declined to 618 million euros ($809 million) from 806 million euros a year earlier, the Turin, Italy-based company said today. That missed the 691 million-euro average of six analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer for both automakers, said today he’s leaning toward a primary listing in New York once the Italian carmaker buys the 41.5 percent Chrysler stake it doesn’t own. “It’s the most efficient capital market I can get my hands on,” Marchionne said on Chrysler’s earnings call when asked about the likelihood of a main listing in New York and a secondary listing in Milan after the combination.

Fiat stuck to a target to increase full-year profit to between 4 billion euros and 4.5 billion euros from 3.81 billion euros in 2012, even after the European auto market plunged 9.7 percent in the first quarter. The automaker expects deliveries in the region to decline 3 percent to 5 percent in 2013.

Read more: Fiat First-Quarter Profit Falls on Chrysler Earnings Drop - Bloomberg