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High-tech plant revealed

Geely's high-end arm Lynk& Co organized a media tour of its 12.5 billion yuan ($1.8 billion) factory in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province last week. With an annual capacity of 200,000 units, the plant is producing three models, including the Lynk& Co 03+ launched on Friday. Executives said the plant was built in accordance with Volvo standards as the brand is co-owned by Volvo and Geely. Among others, its weld workshop has 285 world-class robots. The company also has a training academy at the plant, where new workers will be trained through its simulated working environment.

Trucks boost GM sales

Strong demand for high-end trucks in North America boosted General Motors' earnings, offsetting lower car sales, especially in China, the company announced Thursday. The biggest US carmaker reported slightly higher second-quarter profits. They highlighted the launch of upgraded pickup truck models aimed at the American market, where the economy is strong and demand has held up. The result was a record average price of $37,126 in North America in the quarter. This boosted operating income in the region even as the number of vehicles sold in the quarter fell. GM has also cited lower costs following a reorganization announced in late 2018. It cut thousands of jobs and closed factories, drawing criticism from politicians from across the political spectrum.

Profits sink for BMW

On Thursday, German luxury carmaker BMW reported slumping second-quarter profits. Expensive investment in electric cars sapped the bottom line, but BMW remained confident of hitting its financial targets. Net profit at BMW fell 28.7 percent compared with a year earlier in the April-June period to 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion). Chief executive Harald Krueger said BMW was investing in the development of all-electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, as well as upgrading traditional internal combustion engines. BMW reported increased demand for its i3 compact car and said five all-electric models are to be released over the next two years. An all-electric variant of the Mini is to begin rolling off its Oxford, UK, production line in November.

Toyota faces lawsuit

Australian lawyers filed a class-action lawsuit against Toyota on Thursday, claiming some models of the carmaker's top-selling Hilux, Prado and Fortuner vehicles were fitted with defective parts. Banister Law, together with Gilbert + Tobin, filed the suit in the federal court alleging some vehicles were fitted with defective diesel particulate filters meant to trap and burn soot from the engine. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of customers who purchased the cars between Oct 1, 2015, and July 26,2019. It seeks compensation for the alleged loss and damage suffered by the group, the statement said, without giving details on the amount.

Ex-Audi boss charged

The former head of Volkswagen-owned Audi has been charged with fraud in Germany over the sale of cars with software that enabled cheating on emissions tests, prosecutors said on Wednesday. Prosecutors in Munich said they charged Rupert Stadler and three others with fraud, false certification and criminal advertising. It adds another chapter to the Volkswagen diesel scandal that also led to charges in the United States and Germany against Volkswagen's former CEO, Martin Winterkorn. Prosecutors alleged Stadler knew about the manipulation in Audi and Volkswagen cars but allowed the sale of models. The accusations relate to 251,000 Audi vehicles, 71,500 Volkswagen cars, and 112,000 Porsches, sold in the US and Europe.

Motoring - Agencies

(China Daily 08/05/2019 page19)