Peugeot Reports First-Half Loss, Slashes Inventory (29/07/09)

Peugeot, Europe's second-largest automaker, revealed that it cut production by 50 per cent in the first quarter of 2009 and 32 per cent in the first six months of the year.

The company had reduced its inventory to 431,000 unsold vehicles as of 30th June, down from the figure of 628,000 recorded at the end of 2008.

Woes continue for world carmakers (29/07/09)

Peugeot also saw first-half sales slump by 22 per cent, with Chief Executive Philippe Varin claiming that scrappage schemes "only partially" boosted the final total.

Nissan confirmed that it suffered a net loss of 16.5 billion yen (£104 million) in the April to June quarter, with revenues declining by 36 per cent.

Honda saw its quarterly profits fall from 173.4 billion yen to 7.6 billion yen on a year-on-year basis, while its revenues were also 30 per cent lower.

Nissan clings to profit in Q1 but more losses seen (29/07/09)

Nissan, which is Japan's third-largest automaker, sold more vehicles in China - where it is focusing on electric cars - than in its home market during the first six months of the year.

Renault plunges into red, lifts market forecast (30/07/09)

Renault revealed that it is set to increase production in the second half of 2009 by about 164,000 vehicles.

The company also announced that it sees the world auto market contracting by 12 per cent in 2009 to approximately 57 million units and the European car market declining by eight per cent in H209.

Volkswagen Profit Beats Estimates on Brazil, China (30/07/09)

Meanwhile, Volkswagen announced that its first-half worldwide car and sport-utility vehicle deliveries declined by five per cent, compared with an 18 per cent industry-wide slump.

The German automaker saw its share of the global market increase from 9.9 per cent to 12 per cent on a year-on-year basis during the six-month period, with overall sales up 6.5 per cent in June.

The Chinese car industry: The ambition of Geely (30/07/09)

Geely, China's largest privately-owned automaker, revealed that it is bucking the declining global auto market trend by developing six modern platforms.

According to economist.com, the company will unveil nine new cars in the next 18 months and up to 42 by 2015, at which point it will be capable of producing two million cars per year.

Ford production to drop by 50%, SA market turnaround to be slow – Feder (03/08/09)

Ford's South African division confirmed that it expects to produce 28,000 units at its Silverton plant in Pretoria this year - almost half the figure recorded in 2008.

The company also announced that production for the domestic and export markets has declined by 40 per cent and 60 per cent respectively, Engineering News reports.

Toyota trims annual loss forecast, still cautious (04/08/09)

Toyota, the world's largest automaker, has revealed that its production is increasing in Japan, where there is an eight-month delivery wait for its popular Prius hybrid.

The Japanese firm has lifted its global vehicle sales forecast by 100,000 vehicles to 6.6 million units on the basis of demand in its home market, where tax breaks for consumers are in place.

Toyota's Prius tops Japan auto sales for 2nd month (06/08/09)

Indeed, July auto sales figures for Japan show that the Prius was the best-selling car in the country for the second straight month, having increased by 25 per cent from the figure for June.

Honda to Raise Output to Meet Emerging Market Demand (05/08/09)

Honda, which is the second-largest automaker in Japan, has increased its global vehicle production by about 90,000 units amid growing demand in China, Thailand, India, Indonesia and Brazil, Bloomberg reports.

Honda Motor to Increase Production at Alabama, Ohio Plants (17/08/09)

The company has also announced that it is set to raise production at its factories in Alabama and Ohio in the wake of the US government's auto market stimulus measures, the news provider added.

Ford boosts output as "clunker" sales surge (13/08/09)

A similar move has also been unveiled by Ford, which will increase production in the US for the remainder of the year in light of the 'Cash for Clunkers' scheme, Reuters reports.

The second-largest American automaker will make moves to increase its third-quarter output in North America by 18 per cent on a year-on-year basis to 495,000 vehicles.

In addition, it has set a fourth-quarter production target of 570,000 vehicles, which would represent a rise of 33 per cent from the equivalent period 12 months earlier.

GM raises production as "clunker" sales rise (18/08/09)

General Motors (GM) has also revealed that it will lift production by 60,000 vehicles in Q3 and Q4 2009 by increasing overtime and adding more shifts at a number of its North American assembly sites, according to Reuters.

GM Expects China Sales to Rise 20% in 2009 on Economic Stimulus (19/08/09)

Meanwhile, GM China President Kevin Wale revealed that the company expects to see a 20 per cent rise in 2009 auto sales in the country, with stimulus measures particularly boosting sales of minivans, Bloomberg reports.

GM Developing New Concept for Emission Control for Lean-burn SIDI Engines: Passive Ammonia SCR (14/08/09)

Greencarcongress.com reports that GM is also developing a new low-cost form of NOx emissions control from lean-burn spark ignition direct injection engines by making use of passive ammonia SCR.

Chrysler to make Fiat in Mexico: report (16/08/09)

Elsewhere, the Wall Street Journal reveals that Chrysler is set to produce Fiat SpA's Fiat 500 subcompact vehicle at one of its plants in Mexico.

Fiat Tries New Foray in China (17/08/09)

Fiat has announced plans to build a new plant in China as part of a joint venture with local partner Guangzhou Auto, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The move will see up to 200,000 engines and 140,000 cars constructed from 2011 onwards, although these figures are lower than those achieved by Guangzhou's other partners, Toyota and Honda.

Mexican Auto Output to Fall 30% This Year, Solis Says (05/08/09)

According to a report by Bloomberg, the Mexican Automobile Industry Association expects auto production in the country to decline by 30 per cent in 2009 as demand in the US slumps.

Germany agrees plan to lead electric car market (19/08/09)

Moving to Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel has launched a plan to see one million electric cars on German roads by 2020.

As part of the strategy, the government will make €500 million available for funding electric charging stations and attempts to improve battery technology.

McCarthy, Imperial to expand range of Chinese vehicles in SA (17/08/09)

Finally, Amalgamated Automobile Distributors - which is a joint venture between McCarthy and Imperial - has announced that it is set to expand its range of Chinese imports to South Africa in the coming years, Engineering News reports.

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