Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Marketplace'.
Found 6 results
-
Last year, the State of Michigan signed a bill that banned an automaker from doing direct sales. This meant an automaker like Tesla couldn't sell any of their vehicles in the state. The move was widely applauded by the likes of GM and the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association. Tesla wasn't impressed by this and since then has been working on trying to change this. But it hasn't been going well. While the company has been trying to educate lawmakers and state officials, it seems everyone in the state doesn't want to bring up the debate. “There doesn’t seem to be much interest from not only the dealers, but manufacturers like GM that want to continue to shut us out of the market entirely,” said Jim Chen, Tesla’s vice president of regulatory affairs to The Detroit News. “We’re an American company that is building cars in the United States that is using over 55 Michigan suppliers — that is spending over $120 million in parts and components from Michigan suppliers to build American-made cars. Why shouldn’t we be allowed to sell in Michigan?” Chen went on to say. Terry Burns, executive vice president of the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association says Tesla is welcomed to the state, but they have to go through dealers. “They’re an automotive manufacturer, and the Michigan law says that manufacturers need to use dealers in order to sell vehicles. That’s Michigan law. We would welcome Tesla here. But we would think that as with all the other businesses that come into Michigan, they would want to follow the law,” said Burns. Interestingly enough, the state senate introduced a bill back in April to allow direct sales of three-wheeled “autocycles” to consumers in Michigan. A key automaker who stands to benefit from this is Elio Motors. In response, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a statement that criticized the move. "Automobile manufacturers have an economic incentive to respond to consumer preferences by choosing the most effective distribution method for their vehicle brands," FTC officials wrote. Tesla plans to continue their lobbying efforts in the state. “We have the majority of next year to lobby, discuss and debate the merits of what we think is a co-existence of our business model in the state of Michigan," said Will Nicholas, Tesla’s government relations manager. Source: The Detroit News View full article
-
Last year, the State of Michigan signed a bill that banned an automaker from doing direct sales. This meant an automaker like Tesla couldn't sell any of their vehicles in the state. The move was widely applauded by the likes of GM and the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association. Tesla wasn't impressed by this and since then has been working on trying to change this. But it hasn't been going well. While the company has been trying to educate lawmakers and state officials, it seems everyone in the state doesn't want to bring up the debate. “There doesn’t seem to be much interest from not only the dealers, but manufacturers like GM that want to continue to shut us out of the market entirely,” said Jim Chen, Tesla’s vice president of regulatory affairs to The Detroit News. “We’re an American company that is building cars in the United States that is using over 55 Michigan suppliers — that is spending over $120 million in parts and components from Michigan suppliers to build American-made cars. Why shouldn’t we be allowed to sell in Michigan?” Chen went on to say. Terry Burns, executive vice president of the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association says Tesla is welcomed to the state, but they have to go through dealers. “They’re an automotive manufacturer, and the Michigan law says that manufacturers need to use dealers in order to sell vehicles. That’s Michigan law. We would welcome Tesla here. But we would think that as with all the other businesses that come into Michigan, they would want to follow the law,” said Burns. Interestingly enough, the state senate introduced a bill back in April to allow direct sales of three-wheeled “autocycles” to consumers in Michigan. A key automaker who stands to benefit from this is Elio Motors. In response, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a statement that criticized the move. "Automobile manufacturers have an economic incentive to respond to consumer preferences by choosing the most effective distribution method for their vehicle brands," FTC officials wrote. Tesla plans to continue their lobbying efforts in the state. “We have the majority of next year to lobby, discuss and debate the merits of what we think is a co-existence of our business model in the state of Michigan," said Will Nicholas, Tesla’s government relations manager. Source: The Detroit News -
There looks to be a smaller crossover on the horizon for Volvo. Sources tell Automotive News Europe that the Swedish automaker is planning on introducing a new compact crossover, possibly named the XC40, in 2018. The crossover will debut a new platform called compact modular architecture (CMA) and will go on to underpin the next-generation V40 and XC40 a year later. Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson has said that compact crossover is priority for the automaker, but declined to say the company would launch it. Samuelsson did say their future lineup of compacts would have in-house powertrains including plug-in hybrid models and self-driving technologies. “We will not be sourcing engines from other manufacturers. Instead, we will be offering three- and four-cylinder versions of our own new engine program. We will also offer a plug-in hybrid for the compact models. Autonomous driving will be an option we will offer in our cars as of 2020, also in the compact lineup,” said Samuelsson. Source: Automotive News Europe (Subscription Required) -
There looks to be a smaller crossover on the horizon for Volvo. Sources tell Automotive News Europe that the Swedish automaker is planning on introducing a new compact crossover, possibly named the XC40, in 2018. The crossover will debut a new platform called compact modular architecture (CMA) and will go on to underpin the next-generation V40 and XC40 a year later. Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson has said that compact crossover is priority for the automaker, but declined to say the company would launch it. Samuelsson did say their future lineup of compacts would have in-house powertrains including plug-in hybrid models and self-driving technologies. “We will not be sourcing engines from other manufacturers. Instead, we will be offering three- and four-cylinder versions of our own new engine program. We will also offer a plug-in hybrid for the compact models. Autonomous driving will be an option we will offer in our cars as of 2020, also in the compact lineup,” said Samuelsson. Source: Automotive News Europe (Subscription Required) View full article -
BYD, the Chinese automaker who is backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., announced plans to launch in the U.S. by the end of 2015. The automaker which had an aborted U.S. launch in 2010 and a restructure that lasted three years believes that they are more prepared now. “Back then, we had passion, but we had no brand, no history, no capital and no competitive advantage. BYD has become more fashionable and we have improved our design and safety. We don’t want to compete on price anymore, but on quality and innovation,” said Stella LI, senior vice president of the BYD's U.S. operations to Bloomberg. The plan BYD has in place is to launch up to four vehicles for the U.S. market. No indication of what those models will be though. BYD isn't the only Chinese automaker planning an arrival into the U.S. Volvo's parent company, Geely plans to launch vehicles in the U.S. by 2016. Then there is truck and SUV manufacturer Great Wall Motors who planned to launch in the U.S. by 2015. Since then, the company has relaxed that timetable. Source: Bloomberg William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article
-
BYD Says They Will Launch In The U.S. By Late 2015
William Maley posted an article in Automotive Industry
BYD, the Chinese automaker who is backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., announced plans to launch in the U.S. by the end of 2015. The automaker which had an aborted U.S. launch in 2010 and a restructure that lasted three years believes that they are more prepared now. “Back then, we had passion, but we had no brand, no history, no capital and no competitive advantage. BYD has become more fashionable and we have improved our design and safety. We don’t want to compete on price anymore, but on quality and innovation,” said Stella LI, senior vice president of the BYD's U.S. operations to Bloomberg. The plan BYD has in place is to launch up to four vehicles for the U.S. market. No indication of what those models will be though. BYD isn't the only Chinese automaker planning an arrival into the U.S. Volvo's parent company, Geely plans to launch vehicles in the U.S. by 2016. Then there is truck and SUV manufacturer Great Wall Motors who planned to launch in the U.S. by 2015. Since then, the company has relaxed that timetable. Source: Bloomberg William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.
