Mazda’s 1st-half sales fall 21% on weaker small car demand

Mazda Motor Corp. sold 82,531 vehicles in China in the first six months, down 21 percent from the same period last year. The sales slump was caused by weak demand for the Mazda2 and Mazda3, which are built at Changan Mazda Automobile Co. From January through June, sales of the two compact models dropped 43 percent year-on-year to 25,498 units, according to Mazda

China’s Geely targets Russia sales push with Belarus venture

Geely has signed an agreement with the Belarus government to launch local production that will supply the domestic market as well as Russia and Ukraine

Fiat-Chrysler mull rwd platform for Alfa Romeo, Chrysler and Dodge cars

Fiat and Chrysler are working on a rear- and all-wheel-drive platform for Alfa Romeo, Chrysler and Dodge cars, sources said. Rwd would help Alfa Romeo compete better with German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz

Hyundai mulls further production boost in Turkey

Hyundai may increase production capacity to 300,000 at its plant in Izmit, Turkey, as it starts output of the new i10 minicar in September

Russia’s car market to fall 2-4% in 2013, gov’t official says

Russia’s car market will likely decline by up to 4 percent this year as the economy falters, Russia’s deputy minister of trade and industry said.

Seat CEO Stackmann makes Europe his No. 1 priority

VW Group’s Seat unit will focus on Europe to increase sales, the brand’s new CEO, Juergen Stackmann, said. Previously Seat had sought to expand in developing markets such as China

PSA set to win EU approval for state aid by next week

EU regulators will approve next week a 7-billion-euro French government loan guarantee for PSA/Peugeot-Citroen’s financing arm, sources said. The guarantee is aimed at ensuring the carmaker’s viability.

Ford forecasts smaller loss in Europe after better-than-expected second quarter

Ford forecasts a smaller loss at its European operations in 2013 after a better-than-expected second quarter. The automaker expects a $1.8 billion annual loss in Europe, lower than the $2 billion loss previously predicted.

Daimler sees H2 gains as Europe car market hits bottom

Daimler says profits will rise in the second half as car sales in Europe reach the end of a six-year slump and new and refreshed models such as the CLA compact and S class boost sales.

Italian diesel maker sees big opportunities in N. America

VM Motori’s light-duty diesels were introduced this year in the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 pickup. Their sales success is likely to determine whether Chrysler expands its diesel offerings to other nameplates.

Great Wall volume surges 40% in 1st half

Great Wall Motor Co., China’s largest SUV maker, sold 367,857 vehicles in the first half of the year, up 40 percent from the same period last year. The volume growth was powered by robust SUV sales, which surged 78 percent year-on-year to 186,605 units, according to the company.

Beijing urged to reduce city’s car population

Beijing should step up measures to restrict the number of vehicles in China’s capital and ease traffic congestion, according to a government advisory body. “The government should set up a car exiting mechanism so that there will be zero growth or even negative growth of cars in the next five to 10 years in the central area of the city,” the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference said in a report on its Web site.

Bosch: As many as 30% of vehicles in China will use stop-start systems by 2019

Up to 30 percent of vehicles produced in China will be fitted with stop-start systems by 2019, an executive from Robert Bosch GmbH predicts. Sun Guozhong, vice president of Bosch’s starter and motor business division in China, says the company’s plant in the central China city of Changsha will produce 700,000 stop-start systems this year, up from 200,000 units in 2012.

American Axle wins Qoros driveline business

American Axle & Manufacturing Inc. says it will supply hybrid and electric driveline systems to Qoros Auto Co., a joint venture between Chery Automobile Co. and Israeli investment company Israel Corp. The parts will be used in a future vehicle model that Qoros will produce in China for sales in China and Europe, the U.S. supplier said.

Nissan Europe sales and marketing boss Willcox leaves company

Nissan’s head of sales and marketing in Europe, Paul Willcox, has left the automaker to pursue other opportunities. Guillaume Cartier will succeed Willcox.

VW and Suzuki explore options to resolve legal battle, report says

Volkswagen and Suzuki are exploring options to either revive cooperation efforts or enter a settlement to end a two-year legal battle, sources said. The automakers continue to view the industrial logic for the cooperation as compelling.

Porsche bullish on plug-in Panamera

Porsche expects the Panamera plug-in S E-Hybrid to account for about 10,000 sales, which would be double that of the car’s first-generation full hybrid.

BMW’s i3 hatchback is mark of electric car confidence

BMW will unveil the i3, its first all-electric car, on Monday, hoping to stir demand for an expensive luxury model just as some other makers hit hurdles in selling battery-powered vehicles.

Renault lifts core profit despite Europe slump

Renault increased first-half profitability as reductions in labor costs offset slumping sales in Europe but the automaker’s bottom line was weakened by lost business in Iran and the bankruptcy of Better Place.

Audi targets expansion in smaller Chinese cities

Audi forecast sales in China will increase by about 11 percent this year, driven by rising incomes and the automaker’s expansion into smaller cities.

GM reduces Q2 loss in Europe, helped by new product

GM’s second-quarter losses in Europe narrowed to $110 million from $394 million a year earlier, the automaker said, as it announced that companywide quarterly net income fell 19 percent to $1.2 billion.

Audi likely to hit 1.5 million sales target two years early

Audi will reach its sales target of 1.5 million cars in 2013, two years earlier than planned, CEO Rupert Stadler said. Audi is closer than ever to luxury leader BMW, he said

Daimler confident France will lift ban on Mercedes sales

Daimler said it is “very confident” that the French government will adhere to a court ruling that lifts a freeze on the sale of new Mercedes cars containing a banned refrigerant.