Nissan Scraps Plans to Build New SUV in Britain
Nissan has cancelled plans to build its new X-Trail sport utility vehicle in Britain and will produce it solely in Japan.
Declining sales of diesel vehicles and the uncertainty over Britain’s departure from the European Union has made it harder to plan for the future.
“Nissan has increased its investments in new powertrains and technology for its future European vehicles,” Nissan’s Europe chairman, Gianluca de Ficchy, said in a letter to workers at the Sunderland plant. “Therefore, the company has decided to optimize its investments in Europe by consolidating X-Trail production in Kyushu.
Read the article at The New York Times.
Winter Has Come for Electric Cars
The next time a polar vortex rips through the U.S., electric vehicle owners should be prepared to be frustrated if they don’t take special care of their battery-powered rides.
Cold conditions are a drain on battery range, no matter the car brand. But other predicaments are particular to Tesla.
Tesla made a door design decision that is coming back to bite some buyers. The Model 3’s handles are flush with the exterior of the car and require customers to push on one side, then pull on the other to open them. Ice is making that maneuver difficult for drivers who’ve posted pictures online of their frozen handles.
Read the article at Fortune.
Fleet Logistics CEO on State of the Global Fleet Arena
WLTP and IFRS 16 were key fleet issues of 2018, says Dr. Jörg Löffler, Fleet Logistics CEO
WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure) and IFRS 16 (International Financial Reporting Standards) were two of the biggest fleet issues of 2018 and this year fleet mobility and powertrain policy will be near the top of a list of fleet managers’ concerns. So says Dr. Jörg Löffler, Chief Executive Officer at Europe-based fleet management specialist, Fleet Logistics.
In a wide-reaching review of the state of the international fleet arena, Dr. Löffler said that one of the biggest issues in recent months had been the introduction of the new WLTP regime.
The Cost of Self-Driving Cars Will Be the Biggest Barrier to Their Adoption
Highly automated vehicles (HAVs) - vehicles that drive themselves some or all of the time - should help reduce the number of road crashes by shifting responsibility for driving from humans to machines.
The systems underlying HAVs, namely sensors, radar, and communication devices, are costly compared to older (less safe) vehicles. The inability to purchase HAVs outright may be circumvented by offering these vehicles for-hire.
It has been estimated that using a robotaxi will cost consumers nearly three times more – on a per mile basis – than owning an older vehicle.
Read the article at Harvard Business Review.
Eric Shishko Appointed eDriving’s VP of Strategic Partnerships
eDriving has appointed Eric Shishko as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships.
“Eric has led the implementation of behavioral-based driver safety programs with a number of national and global commercial insurance companies, as well as the world’s largest commercial broker", said Ed Dubens, CEO and Founder of eDriving.
“Considered one of the leading experts on behavioral-based commercial telematics programs, his expertise and passion will be invaluable to eDriving as we further strengthen our position as a leading provider of driver behavior-based telematics. I’m delighted to welcome him to the leadership team.”
