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China bends sales quotas for Germany

The authorities have agreed to delay and soften planned electric vehicle sales volume quotas in response to complaints from German carmakers that said the rules would discriminate against them. After a meeting with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Thursday, Premier Li Keqiang said a solution had been found. Industry sources said China had agreed to allow carmakers to make up for inadequate electric sales volumes later. The government had planned to require that 8 percent of all vehicles sold by carmakers from January 2018 should be hybrid or electric, a deadline that German manufacturers cannot hit.

BMW Art Car #18 reloaded by artist

In the presence of Ian Robertson, member of the board of management of BMW, and hundreds of guests, the grand unveiling of BMW Art Car #18 was celebrated at the Minsheng Art Museum in Beijing on May 31. The 39-year-old female artist, Cao Fei, is the youngest and first Chinese artist ever to create a BMW Art Car. Her installment can be appreciated on an app for iOS devices.By employing augmented and virtual reality, the internationally acclaimed Chinese multimedia artist addresses the future of mobility, including such aspects as autonomous driving, airborne cars and digitalization.

Audi flags issues with more models

Audi's efforts to emerge from the diesel scandal that has engulfed its parent Volkswagen for more than a year suffered a setback as the luxury-car brand identified more cars in Europe that might breach emission rules. Some 24,000 Audi flagship A8 sedans and A7 four-door coupes built between 2010 and 2013 will be recalled after "irregularities" were discovered in emission tests. The tests indicated the cars might spew out as much as twice the pollution limits under some circumstances."The reason is that the engine speed can be influenced unfavorably by the gearbox software. The cars can be made compliant with a software update that takes about 30 minutes," Audi said in the statement.

VW's US expansion hampered by barrier

Volkswagen's plans to expand production at its only US factory risk being disrupted by uncertainty over possible trade barriers under US President Donald Trump. The company is considering assembling additional SUVs at its plant in Tennessee, with the goal of lifting the site to full production capacity by 2020. VW might build electric cars there as well. Those plans depend on clear signals from the US administration, according to Herbert Diess, head of VW's namesake car brand. He said: "It has been a roller-coaster of emotions over the past months. We hope that we're going to have clarity in the next months. It influences investment decisions".

Toyota recalls V-6 pickups in Americas

Toyota is recalling 36,000 Tacoma pickups in North and South America because they can stall without warning. The recall involves Tacomas with V-6 engines from the 2016 and 2017 model years. Most of the 32,000 trucks are in the US. The rest are in Canada, Mexico, Bolivia and Costa Rica. An engine crankshaft timing rotor might have been produced with excessive anti-corrosion coating, which could cause the crank position sensor to malfunction. If the sensor malfunctions, the vehicle might run roughly, misfire or stall. Toyota Motor has not confirmed if there have been any reports of injuries or accidents related to the defect.

New vehicle sales expand in Europe

The European automobile sector said on Thursday it feels slightly more optimistic about business this year and upgraded its forecast for new registrations in 2017.The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association said: "This year, a slowdown in European Union car sales is likely, with growth at around 1.5-2.0 percent. This represents a slight upward revision from ACEA's initial January forecast of about 1.0 percent growth". ACEA Chief Erik Jonnaert said, "Uncertainty is expected to overshadow our sector in the years to come." At the end of April, the number of new cars sold in the EU had grown by 4.7 percent on a 12-month basis.

Motoring - agencies

(China Daily 06/05/2017 page18)