Daimler to add 75 dealerships in China

Mercedes-Benz wants to grab a bigger share of China’s luxury market by opening 75 dealerships this year, nearly half in third- and fourth-tier cities, said China sales chief Nicholas Speeks.

“We are a little bit lagging behind our principal competitors in terms of outlets opening,” Speeks told reporters at the Chengdu auto show. “In the past we have been concentrating on Beijing, Shanghai and other major markets along China’s coast. We recognize one of our shortcomings is the fact that we need to expand our dealer network.”

VW, UAW organizing talks move forward, report says

Top executives at VW started high-level negotiations with the United Auto Workers on Friday on how the union might represent workers at VW’s U.S. assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a German newspaper reported today.

Spanish car sales drop 18% in August

Spanish car sales dropped 18 percent in August compared with the same month last year when sales were boosted by a September rise in sales tax.

Former Audi technology chief Duerheimer will leave VW Group, report says

Audi’s former technology chief, Wolfgang Duerheimer, will leave Volkswagen Group after refusing his old job as Bentley CEO, a German newspaper reported.

Jaguar C-X17 concept said to preview a new SUV/crossover

The Jaguar C-X17 concept, which will be unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show, is said to preview a SUV/crossover vehicle planned by the brand to rival the BMW X3 and Audi Q3

VW opens plant in Xinjiang region as part of western expansion

Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive Co. has opened an assembly plant in Urumqi in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region, part of the company’s campaign to penetrate China’s fast-growing western provinces. The plant, which builds vehicles from semi-knockdown kits shipped from Volkswagen plants in coastal China, is the first auto assembly plant in the remote region. The plant has started assembling its first product, the Volkswagen Santana. VW says it will build as many as 50,000 vehicles a year starting in 2014.

Geely’s Uruguay plant to export vehicles to Brazil

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., a major private Chinese automaker, plans to export vehicles to Brazil from its assembly plant in the neighboring South American country of Uruguay by the end of year. The vehicles to be sold in Brazil are the EC7 compact car and the GC2 and GX2 subcompacts, according to Geely. The vehicles are currently assembled at the company’s Uruguay plant with complete knocked-down kits imported from China.

Chrysler introduces Pentastar V-6 in China

The last of Chrysler’s old V-6 engines has been replaced with a 3.0-liter version of the Pentastar V-6 that is being launched first in China. Chrysler introduced the new engine last week in the 2014 Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee at the Chengdu auto show. The new engine is rated at 230 hp and 210 pounds-feet of torque. Chrysler makes the new engine in Trenton, Mich., and ships it to China. Production started July 3, and the first engines were shipped to China on July 22.

Hyundai scales back growth goals in Europe

Hyundai Europe is scaling back its growth goals due to the economic crisis, Chief Operating Officer Allan Rushforth told Automotive News Europe in an interview

Renault adapts management structure after COO Tavares exit

Renault will appoint a chief performance officer and a chief competitiveness officer to replace Chief Operating Officer Carlos Tavares, who stepped down last week

Daimler promotes AMG boss to head Mercedes sales and marketing

Daimler named Ola Kaellenius, who leads Mercedes’ AMG unit and is a former director of the automaker’s U.S. factory, as its new head of sales and marketing. He will replace Joachim Schmidt, who will retire next month

Daimler deal allows Hankook Tire to expand into premium market

Hankook Tire said it has begun supplying tires to Daimler AG for the new Mercedes-Benz S-class and E-class sedans — a step up in brand recognition for South Korea’s top tire maker which has been eager to expand further in the premium tire market

Daimler, Nissan to jointly build small luxury cars in Mexico, report says

Nissan and Daimler will build small Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz luxury cars at a Nissan plant in Mexico, two sources told Reuters today.

BMW said to let PSA cooperation on engines expire after 2016

BMW and PSA will end cooperation on small gasoline engines when the project agreement lapses in 2016, a person familiar with the matter said.

Ford joins race upscale in Europe with Vignale line

Ford of Europe will launch a badge called Vignale for upscale cars at the Frankfurt auto show with a concept based on the new Mondeo. With Vignale, Ford joins mass-market rivals such as PSA and Renault in creating specially badged vehicles aimed at luring buyers away from BMW, Audi and Mercedes.

Audi’s 700-hp Sport Quattro concept revives classic nameplate

Audi’s 700-hp Sport Quattro plug-in hybrid concept previews a possible technological flagship for the brand.

Turkey’s August sales rise 12%

Turkish automotive sales rose 12 percent to 65,043 units in August, in another sign of recovery after a difficult year in 2012, the Automotive Distributors’ Association (ODD) said.

Volvo sales up 5% in August on China, Europe gains

Volvo said on Wednesday it sold 26,998 cars in August, a 5 percent increase over the same period a year ago, citing growth in China and Europe.

BMW names Goller next boss at Mini

BMW promoted Jochen Goller to head its Mini brand. Goller will move from his current role as Mini’s UK boss, succeeding Kay Segler, who will focus on expanding the group’s communication activities in Asia.

VW’s Piech rebuffs claim he will quit as chairman, report says

VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech has rejected a newspaper report that says he plans to step down from his post in the coming months for health reasons.

Ford’s Mulally says he’ll remain CEO through 2014

Ford CEO Alan Mulally said he intends to lead the automaker through next year, following reports that Microsoft may seek to recruit him.

Top-of-the-line Golf pushes 300 hp

Volkswagen has taken the Golf R hatchback in a more aggressive styling direction, according to photos and details released before its debut at the Frankfurt auto show.

Porsche braces for flat profit as spending to boost capacity grows

Porsche is bracing for flat underlying earnings this year as the sports-car maker steps up spending to expand production capacity at German factories in Stuttgart and Leipzig.

Halla Visteon starts HVAC output in Russia

Halla Visteon Climate Control has begun manufacturing operations for heating, ventilation and air conditioning units in Togliatti, Russia.

Fast cars compete for attention with striking designs and key mainstream launches

At this year’s Frankfurt auto show, fast but fuel-efficient supercars from German premium brands will compete for attention with striking design concepts from Jaguar and Lexus against a backdrop of key mainstream launches from European brands aiming to move upscale.

2014 Honda Accord Hybrid rated at 50 mpg in city, 47 combined

The 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid will carry an EPA rating of 50 mpg in the city, 45 on the highway and 47 combined — putting the Accord back in the battle among mid-sized sedans over fuel economy.