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Qoros receives biggest-ever order

Chinese automaker Qoros received its biggest-ever order on Thursday since its establishment in 2007. The order of 30,000 cars from JHZX Group - a conglomerate that specializes in several industries including tech, finance and cars - will be delivered in two years, according to Qoros. Analysts said the deal could be a sign of the automakers' belated rise after years of poor performance. It sold 24,000 cars last year. Qoros introduced an online sales campaign in late July, which has attracted more than 200 million views so far and thus greatly enhanced market awareness. Besides branding efforts, Qoros will also unveil a sub-brand called Model Young at the forthcoming Chengdu auto show.

NGO requests 110m euro Porsche fine

The environmental NGO Deutsche Umwelthilfe launched a request for the carmaker Porsche to be fined a total of 110 million euros ($129 million) on Wednesday. DUH director Juergen Resch said the organization wanted to create a "precedent" for penalizing German firms selling diesel vehicles with nitrogen oxide emissions exceeding official pollution thresholds. Porsche declined to comment. In late July, the Federal Minister for Transport Alexander Dobrindt ordered the recall of 22,000 Porsche Cayenne vehicles with 3.0-liter TDI motors across Europe. There is currently a ban on sales of the motor type.

VW, Tata Motors call off partnership plans

Volkswagen and Tata Motors called off plans to team up in India after five months, marking the German automaker's second failure to secure a partner for budget cars. The anticipated cost savings and technical synergies from an agreement fell short of expectations, the Indian carmaker and Volkswagen's Skoda unit said on Thursday. While there's no deal for now, the companies said they could revive cooperation efforts in the future if favorable conditions arise. "We have concluded that the strategic benefits for both parties are below the threshold levels," Tata Motors CEO Guenter Butschek said in a statement. "However, we remain positive of exploring future opportunities with the Volkswagen group."

Nissan to pay $98m air bag settlement

Nissan Motor and its United States unit will pay almost $98 million to settle economic-loss claims tied to Takata air bag recalls. The agreement, filed in court on Tuesday, will provide for an accelerated replacement of recalled air bags and reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs. The Nissan agreement follows a $533 million settlement with four other automakers reached in May. That agreement with Toyota Motor, Subaru, Mazda Motor and BMW won preliminary court approval in June.

Intel set to roll out 100 autonomous vehicles

Silicon Valley giant Intel announced plans on Wednesday for a fleet of self-driving cars, following its completion of the purchase of Israeli autonomous technology firm Mobileye that specializes in driver-assistance systems. A day after closing the $15 billion deal, Intel said it will begin rolling out fully autonomous vehicles later this year for testing in Europe, Israel, and the United States. The fleet will eventually have more than 100 vehicles, according to Intel. The testing in real-world conditions "provides immediate feedback and will accelerate delivery of technologies and solutions for highly and fully autonomous vehicles", said Mobileye co-founder Amnon Shashua, who will run the unit for Intel.

(China Daily 08/14/2017 page19)