5.0l Coupe Nav Cd Traction Control Stability Control Rear Wheel Drive Abs on 2040-cars

Auto blog

U.S. tariff threat hits European automakers' stocks

FRANKFURT, Germany — A U.S. warning that it may introduce tariffs on foreign auto imports hit shares in German carmakers BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen on Thursday, which together have a more than 90 percent share of North America's premium car market. Washington said on Wednesday it had launched an investigation into whether car and truck imports are a national security issue due to signs they had damaged the U.S. auto industry. That could lead to new U.S. tariffs — up to 25 percent — similar to those imposed on imported steel and aluminum in March. BMW and Daimler shares fell as much as 3.1 percent in early Thursday trading, while Volkswagen's dropped as much as 2.5 percent. "(U.S. President) Donald Trump is obviously not thinking about how to prevent a trade war. Import duties on cars would be a nightmare for the German auto industry and would lead to a massive sales impact," said Thomas Altmann at Frankfurt-based asset manager QC Partners. BMW on Thursday condemned the move to consider tariffs. "The BMW Group is committed to free trade worldwide. Barrier-free access to markets is therefore a key factor not only for our business model, but also for growth welfare and employment throughout the global economy," it said. Daimler, which makes Mercedes-Benz cars, and Volkswagen, which makes upmarket Audis and Porsches, were not immediately available for comment. German carmakers produced 804,000 cars at local factories in the United States and exported 657,000 German-made cars into North America last year, according to German auto industry association VDA. China took pains on Thursday to welcome German firms and investments, with Premier Li Keqiang talking up relations after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. BMW and Mercedes have expanded production capacity in the United States, but BMW, Audi, Volkswagen and Daimler have also invested billions to build new factories in Mexico in the hope of selling locally produced cars into the United States. German carmakers hiked vehicle production in Mexico by 46 percent to 620,000 cars last year, while production levels inside the United States fell by 6 percent to 804,000 cars because of a shift to Mexico, according to the VDA. BMW has its biggest factory worldwide in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and is the largest vehicle exporter among all the carmakers in the United States measured by value of goods exported. More than 70 percent of BMW's U.S.-made cars are exported.

Mercedes-Benz expands GLC production to Valmet in Finland

Mercedes assembles the GLC (alongside several other model lines) at its plant in Bremen, Germany, just like its predecessor. But starting in 2017, it will also begin outsourcing additional production of the compact crossover to Valmet in Uusikaupunki, Finland. The move is earmarked to give the German automaker additional capacity, especially as it rolls out a right-hand-drive version for markets like the UK, Australia, and Japan. The new GLC was introduced this year as the successor to the GLK and crossover counterpart to the C-Class. It slots into Benz's realigned SUV lineup above the smaller GLA and below the larger GLE and GLS models. A four-door coupe variant is also expected to follow. Like the GLK before it, the GLC is assembled in Bremen, where Mercedes also builds the C-Class, the two-door versions of the E-Class, and the SL and SLK roadsters. This isn't the first crossover whose production Mercedes has outsourced, nor is it the first time it has contracted Valment for automotive assembly. Though only offered in China at this point, the R-Class is built by AM General in South Bend, Indiana. And the G-Class is assembled by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria. Aside from past clients like Porsche and Fisker, Valmet has also produced the A-Class for Mercedes since 2013, and will continue to do so, albeit at a reduced output in order to focus on the new crossover.Related Video:   Manufacturing contract for Valmet Automotive: Mercedes-Benz Expands Production Capacities for the GLC Stuttgart, Germany, Nov 26, 2015 - From 2017, the new GLC will also roll off the line in Uusikaupunki, Finland. - The Bremen plant continues to be the main production plant. - Markus Schafer, Member of the the Divisional Board Mercedes-Benz Cars, Produktion and Supply Chain Management: "Working with contract manufacturers is an important factor in our global production strategy at Mercedes-Benz Cars." Mercedes-Benz is continuing its growth strategy and expands production capacities for the new GLC. The main production facility continues to be the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen, Germany, where the GLC has been produced since July. The Finnish contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive will produce additional volumes of the new mid-range SUV from 2017, at its plant in Uusikaupunki.

Mercedes out to defend its F1 crown with new W06 Hybrid Silver Arrow

They say there's only one way to go when you're on top, and that's down. That's the direction in which every other team on the Formula One grid will be trying to push Mercedes this season, but the defending champions will be doing their best to stay on top. What you see here is the embodiment of that effort. After taking pole position at all but one race last season, the checkered flag at all but three and an impressive dozen one-two finishes, the new Mercedes AMG F1 W06 Hybrid will have one heck of an act to follow. In accordance with the only major change to the sporting regulations for 2015, the most obvious difference over last year's W05 is the revised front end, but the team insists it worked hard over the winter to optimize everything underneath that silver and teal bodywork, from the suspension to the turbocharged hybrid power unit and everything in between. One of only two teams (alongside Ferrari) on the grid this season to develop its own engine in-house, the Mercedes PU106A proved practically unbeatable last season. And with engine development all but completely frozen in the off-season, its innovations are likely to prove just as insurmountable this year. But as team principal Toto Wolff puts it, in quoting Babe Ruth, "Yesterday's home runs don't win today's games." While nothing's for certain in one of the world's the most competitive arenas, chances are still high that Mercedes will continue to dominate this season just as it did the last. The most gripping battle, then, may very well be waged once again between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, whose rivalry started long before either got their start in F1, from karting and up through the ranks of the lower formulae. Though Lewis was just crowned world champion for the second time, Nico has been with the Mercedes team for longer, has been in F1 for longer and didn't give up on chasing Lewis all of last season – so don't expect him to this year, either. MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Gets Back to Work with the new F1 W06 Hybrid Silver Arrow Jerez, Feb 01, 2015 The MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team today unveiled its 2015 Formula One World Championship challenger, the F1 W06 Hybrid, ahead of the first day of pre-season testing at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain.