The AE Files

Renault, Nissan sign up for Indian joint venture
The pair are linking with Bajaj to make a low cost car for the Indian market from 2011
Read more... May 2008

Toyota issues profit warning as costs soar
Japanese group expects first falls in profits and sales revenues for nine years as costs and exchange rates rise
Read more... May 2008

ZF claims European first with hybrid drives factory
Drivetrain group says its new facility at Schweinfurt is the first to make hybrid drives on an industrial scale
Read more... May 2008

Nanjing announces August start for MG production
Now owned by SAIC, Nanjing says the MG TF LE500 sportscar will start up from Longbridge again by the end of summer
Read more... May 2008

Daimler buys controlling stake in off-highway firm
It's taking back a 22.3 per cent share of Tognum, the off-highway engines business that it used to own
Read more... April 2008

ZF wins first automatic transmission order in US
It'll make the six-speed box for a new Nissan light commercial vehicle at its Georgia plant
Read more... April 2008

VW will put low-NOx diesel into US Jetta this summer
Announcement in Vienna of the Blue TDI which cuts more than 90 per cent of nitrogen oxides
Read more... April 2008

Ford upbeat after first quarter sees profits return
Europe and South America were the stars as Ford turns in a $100 million pretax in Q1 2008
Read more... April 2008

Continental puts its fuel supply business up for sale
It's not a core activity for us, says the group, which wants to focus on powertrain
Read more... April 2008

Toyota sales rise worldwide despite Japanese slowdown
The carmaker makes more vehicles outside Japan than it does in its home country now
Read more... April 2008

US makes CAFE fuel economy targets tougher Cars and trucks must improve by 4.5 per cent a year between 2010 and 2015
Read more... April 2008

Vectra's successor revealed We talk to Opel's chief engineer about his plans for the car
Read more... April 2008

Delphi shakes up its top European management
Parts group puts a new chap in charge of the European operations
Read more... April 2008

Nissan and Chrysler extend their product swapping deal
Nissan will build a small car for Chrysler and Chrysler supplies a pickup for Nissan
Read more... April 2008

Mercedes' four-cylinder diesels add power, torque
But they also cut emissions and highlight a range of new technologies, says the German group
Read more... April 2008

Johnson Controls sets up interiors plant with Chery
The Chinese factory at Wuhu will provide components and manufacturing know-how to the Chery carmaking group
Read more... April 2008

Ford sells North American glass business to buy-in
Disposal takes Automotive Components Holdings past the halfway mark in its programme of divestment
Read more... April 2008

Commission threatens legal action over Volkswagen law
Internal market commissioner says Germany has failed to amend law to stop VW takeover being blocked by minority
Read more... April 2008

Toyota to build second carmaking plant in India
New plant outside Bangalore will virtually triple its production of Corollas and other vehicles for the Indian market
Read more... April 2008

Subaru and Toyota plan a rival for the MX-5 roadster
The two Japanese OEMs will work together on a compact rear-wheel drive platform that will use Subaru's boxer engine
Read more... April 2008

Delphi's recovery plan hit as investor pulls out
Parts maker's hopes for emergence from Chapter 11 hit as biggest investor walks away from the deal
Read more... April 2008

Daimler to spend €14 billion on research to 2010
CEO Dieter Zetsche tells annual meeting spending will grow in search of "sustainable" mobility technologies
Read more... April 2008

Nissan plans to build light commercial vehicles in US Nissan will base production in Missouri. It's not clear yet what will happen to the plant's current products
Read more... April 2008

Volvo puts its hybrid
ideas into a dustcart
Swedish truckmaker comes up with concept of refuse collection vehicle with diesel and electric hybrid
Read more... April 2008

BMW order is press manufacturer's biggest
More than €100 million of presses are going into three plants, and Schuler's known nothing like it before
Read more... April 2008

GM tests plug-in Volt
GM has finished the aero work on its plug-in Volt and is preparing to put the Li-ion cells into mule vehicles for road tests Read more... April 2008

Volvo Trucks puts pulp power to the test
Volvo is planning field tests of trucks that will run on a fuel made from paper mill waste
Read more... April 2008

Ford pulls purchasing into product development setup
Global purchasing organisation is brought into line with the product development business
Read more... April 2008

Volvo order puts crash sensor into production
Continental's infrared sensing system for collision avoidance goes into series production with order for XC60
Read more... March 2008

Mitsubishi puts SUV production into Dutch plant
It 's concentrating production of SUVs for Europe into Nedcar, including the cars it builds for other people
Read more... March 2008

Seat returns to profits "one year ahead of schedule"
VW's Spanish subsidiary is a year early with profits in 2007 based on strong sales for Leon and Ibiza models
Read more... March 2008

Continental restructures its powertrain activities
It is bringing its businesses together in a single engine systems division
Read more... March 2008

India gives go-ahead to Daimler trucks JV
German automotive giant links with local firm Hero to build range of trucks for Indian market
Read more... March 2008

Tata buys Jaguar and Land Rover for $2 billion
The firm behind the Nano low-cost car has bought luxury car brands Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford
Read more... March 2008

Mercedes promotes Wagener to top design job
He's replacing Peter Pfeiffer who is retiring after 40 years with the group
Read more... March 2008

Nissan pickup regains its safety stars in retest
EuroNCAP gives the Navara an improved rating after earlier criticism over airbag deployment
Read more... March 2008

McLaren dismisses spy-case engineer, says report
The BBC reports that McLaren has parted company with Mike Coughlan, the engineer at the centre of the Ferrari spying row
Read more... March 2008

Mercedes puts low-NOx diesels on sale in US
Three SUVs with the AdBlue diesel injection system are unveiled for sale from this autumn
Read more... March 2008

UK bus builder agrees investment fund takeover
The Optare company is to be bought by an entrepreneur and will get an injection of funds
Read more... March 2008

Honda to build new car plant for mini vehicles
Honda moves its smaller vehicle operations around in Japan to create better product flow and more of them
Read more... March 2008

VW takes control of Swedish truckmaker...
The German firm has taken charge of Scania by buying investment groups' shares
Read more... March 2008

... and Porsche wants control of Volkswagen
Supervisory board gives the go-ahead for the sportscar firm to take a majority stake
Read more... March 2008

BMW spends $750 million to put X models into US plant
It's centring production of X3, X5 and X6 in its Spartanburg factory as part of its global strategy
Read more... March 2008

Upmarket carmaker aims for biofuel benefits
Bentley says all its vehicles, even the very posh ones, will run on biofuels by 2012
Read more... March 2008