Short Torque

GM seeks China SUV tariff break

US automaker General Motors Co has asked the Trump administration to exclude its China-made Buick Envision from import tariffs, saying they would harm the company's ability to compete in the US luxury sport utility vehicle market. The Detroit-based manufacturer sold 210,000 Envisions in China last year compared with 42,000 in the US, according to a July 30 filing with the US Trade Representative Office. It said those domestic sales weren't enough to support a US manufacturing plant, but GM needs to offer the model to have a complete lineup against brands such as Audi, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes volumes plunge in US in July

Sales of Mercedes-Benz, the highest-volume US luxury brand for the past two years, plunged in July as inventory shortfalls and a technical glitch handicapped dealers. Deliveries tumbled 23 percent last month to 20,034, the steepest drop and lowest monthly total so far this year for the Daimler AG brand, shrinking its lead over BMW AG's namesake line to about 3,500 vehicles. Mercedes cited a "temporary dealer inventory shortfall" related to changing over to 2019 models. "We are working closely with our customers and dealers to help alleviate any inconvenience resulting from the model year 2019 delays," Dietmar Exler, the head of US operations, said in the statement.

German marque to build Hungary plant

German automaker BMW says it will build a plant in eastern Hungary to manufacture up to 150,000 conventional and electric cars a year on a single production line. BMW said Tuesday that the plant, near the city of Debrecen, will cost around 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) and create over 1,000 jobs. Debrecen, about 220 kilometers (137 miles) east of Budapest, was chosen "primarily for its very good infrastructure, suitable logistics connections and proximity to the established supplier network," the luxury automaker said.

VW recall for 124,000 electric vehicles

Volkswagen on Tuesday said it may be forced to recall 124,000 electric and hybrid cars due to the presence of cadmium, a carcinogenic metal, in the vehicles. "Clarification is under way for a recall order by Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority," said a spokesman for the group, confirming a report in weekly publication Wirtschaftswoche. Usage of cadmium, a metal used in electric appliances like televisions, has been banned in most types of car parts.

Porsche, German car sales surge

Demand for cars in Europe's biggest economy, Germany, surged 12.3 percent in July compared with a year ago, with new registrations of brands belonging to auto giant Volkswagen group leading the charts. New registrations totaled 317,848 in July, Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority said in a statement Thursday, noting that year-on-year growth outpaced that of June's 4.2 percent. Demand for petrol cars revved up 24.5 percent, now making up every six in 10 new registrations. Registrations of diesel vehicles skidded 10.5 percent, as they struggled to lift a cloud of suspicion after a massive pollution cheating scandal.

Motoring - Agencies

(China Daily 08/06/2018 page19)