Short Torque

US makers report Q1 drop in sales

Major automakers reported a drop in first-quarter auto sales in the United States on Tuesday but expressed confidence in the market despite downcast 2019 predictions from some industry watchers.

General Motors sold 665,840 vehicles in the first three months, down 7 percent from the same period in 2018. Fiat Chrysler reported a 3 percent drop in auto sales for the first quarter to 498,425. But GM executives said sales momentum should accelerate during the year and offered an upbeat appraisal on the economy.

Hyundai, Kia models probed for fire risk

The top US auto safety regulator said on Monday it will open an investigation into 3 million Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors vehicles after reviewing reports of more than 3,000 fires that injured over 100 people. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the investigation is in response to a petition seeking a probe filed in June by the Center for Auto Safety. The auto safety agency since 2017 has been investigating some Hyundai and Kia vehicles for fire risks. The South Korean automakers have recalled more than 2.3 million vehicles since 2015 to address various engine fire risks.

Record heavy truck sales in March

China's heavy truck manufacturers reported record sales last month, adding to signals of vitality in the broader economy. Some 144,000 heavy-duty trucks were sold in March in China, up 85 percent month-on-month, according to Cvworld, an auto industry information service provider.

Analysis from Cvworld attributed the surge to the launch of infrastructure projects and booming sales of natural gas-fueled trucks. FAW Jiefang Automotive, a truck subsidiary of FAW Group headquartered in Changchun, Jilin province, continued to take the lead in sales by selling 36,000 units last month.

Toyota opens up technical patents

Toyota Motor said on Wednesday it will allow its potential rivals to have access to thousands of its propriety technical patents incorporated in the automaker's hybrid and electric vehicles, to try and generate more competition in the lucrative market.

Toyota said it will grant royalty-free access to 23,740 patents related to its electrification technology from Wednesday to the end of 2030.

The move comes as the automaker and developer of the ubiquitous Prius models of hybrid cars, is hoping to expand the market by encouraging competition to make use of unrestricted access to its patented technology, such as those used in the batteries and fuel cells of its hybrids and EVs.

VW tests self-driving cars in Hamburg

Volkswagen has started a project for testing autonomous driving systems under "real driving conditions" in Hamburg, it announced on Wednesday.

Five electric-powered VW Golf cars, each equipped with 11 laser scanners, 14 cameras, ultrasonic sensors and seven radar systems, are set to drive on a 3-kilometer test track in Hamburg.

The VW cars in the test will be able to detect pedestrians, cyclists, other cars, intersections, rights of way, parked vehicles and lane changes in moving traffic "over the shortest distances and in milliseconds", according to the German carmaker.

China Daily

(China Daily 04/08/2019 page18)