BMW and Daimler Partner for Joint Mobility Company Headquartered in Berlin
BMW Group and Daimler AG have announced plans to headquarter their proposed joint mobility company in Berlin, with the two companies officially having filed for this venture with the European Commission. The overarching goal of this initiative is to innovate and advance solutions for modern mobility areas such as ride-sharing and its booking and payment, correlated apps, parking, and electric vehicle charging.
“Our vision is to create a major global player for seamless and intelligent connected mobility services together,” said Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management at Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “As a hub for creativity and innovation, Berlin is exactly the right location for our plans.”
Read the article at The Drive.
Buying a Car Before December 31 Will Save You Money
New tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on auto parts from China will hit carmaker profits, cut sales and threaten to "start a downward cycle" in the critical industry, analysts said unanimously Tuesday. In addition, if you're in the market for a new car, you probably should get to a dealership soon, because prices are going up.
"It's going to be felt by Americans and it's going to be a big deal," said Peter Nagle, senior analyst at IHS Markit. "Tariffs are taxes on consumption. Eventually, costs will be passed down to the consumer. This will drive vehicle costs higher. It also includes a lot of body shop equipment."
Read the article at Detroit Free Press.
Tesla Model 3 Gets 5-star Rating From U.S. Safety Agency
Tesla Inc’s Model 3 sedan has been awarded a five-star rating by the U.S. auto safety agency NHTSA in tests that are standard for cars in the United States.
The agency has been investigating crashes involving other Tesla models, which have raised questions over the functioning of the automaker’s auto-pilot system.
Read the article at Reuters.
Amazon, Walmart are Upping their Delivery Games
Amazon and Walmart have developed last-mile delivery solutions to make shopping more convenient for consumers. Amazon will buy 20,000 Mercedes-Benz vans to support its Delivery Service Partner program. The vans will deliver everything the retailer offers, including groceries from Whole Foods Market, and meals from local restaurants.
The delivery program is recruiting small business owners who will work with third-party fleet management companies to lease customized vans as well as specialized leases to keep startup costs low as part of the retailer’s aim to assert more control over how its packages get from its warehouses to customers. One goal is to lessen Amazon’s reliance on outside transportation vendors, such as UPS, Fedex and the U.S. Postal Service.
Read the article at The Food Institute.
Ford Bringing Two New Connected Vehicle Solutions to European Fleet Customers Early Next Year
Ford Telematics will provide fleet operators with the ability to view data from connected Ford vehicles in their fleet through the Ford Telematics application. Using information collected from the vehicle, an intuitive web-based portal provides useful insights to help improve fleet efficiency and driver safety, enabling fleet owners, managers and employees to view fleets in near real-time and gain rapid insights into fleet performance.
“Today’s fleets are under huge pressure to deliver safe, efficient and legal operations,” said Dave Phatak, director of Ford Commercial Solutions, Europe. “That is why we are developing a range of connectivity-based solutions for our fleet customers to allow them to focus on what matters most: running their business.”
Read the article at Automotive World.
