Ford Executive: Expect 10%-25% Of Cars To Be Electrified By 2020 (18/04/11)

Up to a quarter of Ford vehicles could be electrified by 2020, up from one per cent at the moment, the company has said.

The automaker plans to turn between ten and 25 per cent of its cars into electrified vehicles within the next nine years, according to its director of global electrification Nancy Gioia.

Ford also plans to showcase a demonstration fleet of new energy vehicles in China later this year, which will include the Ford Fusion Hybrid model.

It follows an increase in sales of around a fifth in China for the US car maker.

UPDATE 1-Commodity costs send GM prices up $123 per car (18/04/11)

General Motors has been forced to raise the price of its vehicles as a result of higher commodity costs, including oil, aluminium and other key materials.

As of May 2nd, vehicles went up by an average of $123 (£75.8) per vehicle, representing a 0.4 per cent rise.

The increase is not a result of the Japan disaster, the firm said, but "is in response to the continued rise in material costs, and that's mainly because of commodities," according to GM spokesman Tom Henderson.

Auto production faces bigger hit after Japan quake (25/04/11)

Toyota could lose its crown as the world's largest automaker as a result of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The firm could slip to third behind General Motors and Volkswagen after being forced to cut domestic output by a third in March.

Honda is also facing problems. Having cut production in Japan by 63 per cent in March, the company will operate at half capacity until the end of June.

Meanwhile, output at Nissan fell by 52 per cent in the wake of the disaster.

Koji Endo, managing director of Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo, said: "Most likely GM will produce eight million-plus and Volkswagen will produce around seven million, so most likely Toyota will be third, GM will be first."

Hyundai Motor Takes Lead Over Quake-Stricken Honda as Profit, Sales Surge (28/04/11)

Hyundai appears to be the main beneficiary of Japan's carmakers' loss in production caused by the March earthquake and tsunami.

The South Korean firm has boosted quarterly profit by 46 per cent after gaining sales from Japanese rivals.

Hyundai increased net income to $1.75 billion (£1 billion) in Q1, causing its stock to jump 7.3 per cent to the highest closing price since 1975.

The automaker increased global vehicle sales by around nine per cent year-on-year to 919,000 units in Q1.

It outsold Honda, whose deliveries fell 1.6 per cent to 860,000 units in the first quarter of the year.

Diesel use to grow in U.S., Bosch executive predicts (13/05/11)

Up to ten per cent of all new cars and trucks sold in the US will be diesel by 2015, according Peter Marks, chairman, president and chief executive officer for Bosch's North and South American operations.

Despite a focus on electric and hybrid cars, diesel vehicles are on track to grow from their current three per cent level.

He expects carmakers to double the number of diesel models they offer over the next three years.

"Clean diesel allows drivers to have improved fuel economy, reduced emissions, while still having a car with power and performance," Mr Marks said at an Automotive Press Association event in Detroit.

He explained that despite costing more than petrol cars, the investment in diesel could be paid back within 14 months thanks to better fuel economy.

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