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China presence high at auto show

Chinese suppliers and manufacturers have stepped up their presence at the Frankfurt auto show, capitalizing on a strong position in electric technologies forced on European carmakers by regulators seeking to curb pollution. Though the number of exhibitors fell to 800 in 2019 from 994 in 2017, Chinese automakers and suppliers now make up the biggest foreign contingency, with 79 companies, up from 73. Several European and Japanese carmakers including Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Nissan and Toyota have skipped the show as the industry cuts costs. Europe's automakers face multibillion-euro investments to develop electric and autonomous cars, forcing them to rely on Chinese companies for key technologies such as lithiumion battery cell production, an area where Asian suppliers dominate.

Nissan CEO Saikawa to step down

Nissan Motor CEO Hiroto Saikawa will resign on Sept 16, the automaker said on Monday, bowing to pressure after he admitted to being improperly overpaid and marking further upheaval at a company battered by scandal and plunging profit. Saikawa, who admitted to the overpayment last week, will be temporarily replaced by Chief Operating Officer Yasuhiro Yamauchi, with a permanent replacement expected by the end of October, the Japanese company said. His resignation marks a dramatic early exit for a man who had been tasked with righting the automaker following the arrest and ouster of former chairman Carlos Ghosn late last year on charges of financial misconduct, which Ghosn denies. But Saikawa's brief tenure has been characterized by strain with top shareholder Renault and tumbling profits.

Great Wall considers EU expansion

China's Great Wall Motor may consider building car manufacturing facilities in the European Union once its sales there hit 50,000 units a year, its chairman said, as part of a push to seek growth in overseas markets. Great Wall, the top sport-utility vehicle and pickup truck maker in China, is now exploring sales and production in overseas markets to expand its global influence and seek higher profit, as growth in the world's largest auto market slows. The company plans to start selling Wey-branded SUVs to the European Union in two years, Chairman Wei Jianjun said in an interview on the Frankfurt auto show, referring to its more premium brand.

BMW to expand electric offerings

BMW's marketing chief says giving customers a broad choice among internal combustion, hybrid and battery-powered cars is the right approach to a changing market. Pieter Nota says the Munich-based luxury automaker delivers "power of choice" to consumers by offering "the drive train that they want and need." The company will add a battery-only version of its X3 SUV next year to round out conventional and hybrid versions of the vehicle. BMW is even showing off a concept car powered by hydrogen fuel cells. BMW is relying on the mix of vehicles to comply with tighter C02 emissions requirements in Europe while competitor Volkswagen is making a big push into battery-only cars with its ID.3 coming to market next year despite currently low uptake by consumers of battery-powered cars.

Motoring - Agencies

(China Daily 09/16/2019 page19)