News

What 2018 holds in store for the global auto industry

2018 will likely see a notable shift in the global auto industry: while vehicles inevitably move towards greater electrification, there might also be an even bigger revolution on the way, not in terms of what vehicles we buy, but how we buy them.

Pickup truck market to heat up in 2018

In 2018 the competition between pickup manufacturers is going to become fiercer than ever as Ford, General Motors and Fiat-Chrysler go head-to-head with new strategies for their truck ranges.

Mini takes customisation to new heights

Mini has long been at the forefront of making it possible for customers to customise their new cars straight from the factory, but now the manufacturer is taking things to an entirely new level with the launch of Mini Yours Customised, allowing customers to transform their car into a uniquely personalised special edition.

Hyundai developing 'Intelligent Personal Assistant' for future connected vehicles

The South Korean automaker has teamed up with Silicon Valley-based SoundHound Inc. to develop its "Intelligent Personal Agent," a voice-enabled virtual assistant system.

Growing family sizes might reshape car manufacturer safety thinking

It's difficult for vehicle manufacturers to react as quickly as they might like to changing trends and demographics as vehicles take such a long time to develop and bring to market. But it seems Peugeot is ahead of the curve right now when it comes to the family-friendly credentials of its all-new 5008 SUV. And it's because the new 5008 is one of the only vehicles of its type to cater for the growing size of families in the UK by having three ISOFIX anchor points for child seats across the second-row seats.

Chinese vehicles headed to US and European markets

It was only ever going to be a matter of time before China stopped being almost exclusively an importer of vehicles from Europe and the USA, and instead started exporting its own models to those lucrative markets. And after a decade spent developing models through buying and studying foreign technology, Chinese automakers such as Geely are now getting close to realizing their ambition of competing in the lucrative American and European markets with their own products.

Toyota aims for 5.5 million electrified vehicle sales per year by 2030

In what amounts to nothing short of a massive U-turn, Toyota now appears to be going all-in with all-electric vehicles. It's not long ago the Japanese automaker dropped its electric RAV4 and stated it didn't see any place in its lineup for all-electric vehicles, and would instead concentrate on hybrids and continue to develop hydrogen fuel-cell technology. Now the company has revealed it is planning to sell as many as 5.5 million electrified vehicles per year, including 1 million zero-emission EVs, by the year 2030.

Renault can now build 6,000 Alpine models per year

Enthusiasts have long dreamed of the day when the Alpine sports car brand is revived, and that dream is now becoming a reality. Alpine's parent company, Renault, has spent 36 million euros ($42 million) upgrading its production facility in Dieppe in northern France to produce new models under the Alpine banner. And at the formal opening of the new production line, the company announced the new facility will be capable of producing up to 6,000 of the sports cars per year.

GM files patent for external airbags to protect pedestrians

As autonomous vehicle development continues at a rapid pace, lots of the component technology needed to make driverless cars a reality is already finding its way into the models we're driving right now. A large amount of it so far is concentrated on safety, and understandably, we're talking largely about the safety of the vehicle's occupants. But it now appears GM is working on a new safety feature aimed at protecting pedestrians.

Hyundai and Kia to offer 38 'green' vehicles by 2025

The way the Hyundai Motor Group has transformed its vehicles and its Hyundai and Kia brands over the last few years has prompted admiration in many quarters and has shown that it's not afraid to venture into segments of the market it's never had a presence in before. However, there's no getting away from the fact the one area where it does lag behind rivals is electrified vehicles, but plans are now firmly in place to rectify that.