From the Editor

• Of Geneva, Brexit and yet more diesel scandal …

  

  March 21st 2018

  I was somewhat underwhelmed by this year’s Geneva motor show. Perhaps it was some companies’ not being there (no Opel for example), or others moving from their traditional locations, or in many cases, a notable lack of interesting and genuinely new models…

• Weighing up the options

  

  March 21st 2018

  The automotive industry appears to be on the brink of a paradigm shift towards electrification, ride sharing and autonomy – and the world’s leading producers of composites see this as a massive opportunity…

• Back to the future

  

  March 13th 2018

  The automotive related headlines are full of forward looking statements; OEMs describing their brand’s vision of future mobility, new concepts of how they envision we will be moved around appearing at motor shows, some of which share little resemblance to what we have come to see as a passenger vehicle.

• The final death throes of diesel?

  

  February 14th 2018

  The diesel emission scandal and governments’ taxation policies have resulted in what seems like an unstoppable move away from the fuel which was seen an environmental saviour not so long ago…

• Europe: OEMs continue to invest

  

  February 1st 2018

  We are barely a month into 2018 and Europe’s vehicle manufacturers continue to change their production geographies, investing in some factories and adjusting model allocations between others as they seek to optimise their assets

• Editor’s note: Going local

  

  February 1st 2018

  Not too long ago ‘global’ was the buzzword and in the context of automotive manufacturing it encompassed expanding worldwide networks of vehicle makers and tier suppliers, which benefited in part from low-tariff trade agreements

• A winning formula?

  

  November 21st 2017

  Like all new strategic plans announced by vehicle companies from time to time, the new Opel PACE! plan leaves many questions unanswered. It’s not clear yet what will happen to the enlarged manufacturing network which PSA-Opel/Vauxhall now has…

• Editor’s note: High anxiety

  

  November 16th 2017

  We live in anxious times, if the headlines are to be believed. In the UK, Brexit has seemed to be less of a concern to the consuming public than it does to a nervous business community. But worries regarding what the future holds for the millions of diesel and petrol vehicles on the roads are now beginning to trouble their once-proud owners. The potential impact that the proposed ban on the sale of these vehicles might have on resale values, taxation and so on is now starting to weigh on the minds of motorists and potential new-car buyers, and certainly won’t help the recent slide in sales…

• So strategic

  

  October 24th 2017

  That car companies periodically set out their strategies and plans in investor presentations is both welcome and unusual; few other industries are quite so explicit and generous in terms of their information outflows…

• EVs abound, but where’s the power?

  

  September 22nd 2017

  This year’s Frankfurt Motor Show was a little different from previous occasions, with some notable absentees – namely Nissan, Peugeot, Volvo and FCA. Something else I was struck (rather than surprised) by was the increasing focus on electric vehicles (EVs). The diesel scandal has led to a major shift in public opinion, the political mood and car companies’ strategies. The disruptive arrival of Tesla and others has also helped…