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Scania is part of Volkswagen's Traton truck unit, whose planned initial public offering in April was pulled by VW on Wednesday until market conditions improve. In November, Scania said demand in China for trucks and buses was down 10 to 15 percent from previous quarters and customers were forecasting fewer vehicle purchases for the next six months. However, CEO Henrik Henriksson said on Thursday that conditions had improved and Chinese demand was rebounding to the "same level" as before the fourth-quarter slowdown as growing e-commerce has led customers to resume purchasing Scania's high-mileage trucks. Henriksson told Reuters by phone. In Europe, Britain's scheduled departure from the European Union at the end of this month has added headaches for an auto industry already grappling with fallouts from trade wars and the slowdown in the Chinese market.


If Britain leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement, a so-called "hard" Brexit, it would revert to WTO rules and accompanying tariffs, increasing the cost of vehicle imports into Britain. Scania has lengthened the times it needs to bring UK-sourced components to production and has worked out alternative shipping routes for trucks made in Holland and Belgium to be delivered to the UK. Within the EU, trucks drive smoothly through border checks. But firms worry that vehicles will be backed up at ports and queued up on feeder roads on both sides of the Channel if a hard Brexit delays each truck at customs by even a few minutes. Rival AB Volvo had triggered its hard Brexit contingency plans in December, building "safety stock" in Britain and considering alternative shipping routes. Regarding the delay to the IPO of Traton - which includes the MAN, Scania and Volkswagen trucks and buses businesses - Henriksson said Scania would deliver its strategies "regardless of the capital structure".


The emergency lane is always between the far left and the rest of the lanes. You are also required to set up a warning signal should you break down or have an accident. This means placing an orange metal triangle on the road, donning a fluorescent jacket, both of which you must have in your car. You must also have a first-aid kit stored in your vehicle. In Germany, there's zero tolerance for beginners, as well as for professional drivers. There's a 0.05 percent blood alcohol content (BAC) limit to driving under the influence. Bicyclists may not exceed 0.16 percent.


623) fine, points off your license and even a one-month license suspension. Best bet: don't drink and drive! Snow tires are required once streets become slick with slush, ice or snow. In Germany, the rule of thumb is that this can occur anytime between October and Easter. Should you not have snow tires installed on your car and still drive on slippery streets, you could be fined and have points taken off your license. Without proper snow tires, your insurance may also not cover an accident. To navigate both the German autobahn and city streets, the best approach is a zen one: take your time and don't let yourself get frazzled. Besides, with an expansive train and public transportation system in the country, you might not even want to hop into your car, but board a train and put up your feet! Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.


Traffic jams and inefficiency lead to wasted time and associated economic and environmental costs in many European cities. Are you also tired of this? Take a look at the 10 European mobility startups we’re presenting below. All of them were founded in 2015 or more recently and each one of them could have a substantial and positive impact on the public/goods transportation in the near future. Amplr Bikes: Founded in 2015, Amplr Bikes is an Estonian startup that aims to solve the urban commuting challenge and has created smart electric bikes for urban cyclists. Amplr Bikes are lighter than the existing models and have been designed with the objective to make them easy to use in modern cities.


713.5K in venture capital. Cargonexx is a German startup that was founded at the end of 2015. Cargonexx reduces empty runs in truck transport. The startup already has more than 60,000 trucks in its network. The concept is the following: Shippers can order truck loads with just a mouse click. The orders are forwarded automatically to the truck that best suits the tour. Their technology predicts peak loads and sends the trucks to where they are needed in advance. This results in a win-win situation as the shippers save money and the transporters earn more. Thus, this result in having less trucks on the roads. This startup was one of the four winners of the European Startup Prize for Mobility.


Cocolis is a French startup that connects people who need to send something with drivers with an empty trunk. All the items on the road are insured up to €2,000. Shipping costs can be very expensive, especially for heavy or bulky items. With Cocolis everyone wins: senders pay up to 80% cheaper and bringers save money on the road while helping. Cocolis was also one of the four winners of the European Startup Prize for Mobility. Lilium Aviation is a German startup founded in 2015. Supported by the European Space Agency, Lilium develops an electric vertical take-off and landing jet/taxi.


The startup was founded by four visionary aerospace engineers and product designers from the Technical University of Munich. Lilium is now a thriving startup driven by the passion to revolutionize personal transportation. Financially secure thanks to reputable investors and supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), Lilium aims to become the first and the best in electric VTOL aviation and already raised about €91.5 in funding. MaaS Global is a Finnish startup founded in 2015. The Helsikin-based company is bringing into reality the concept of Mobility as a Service (MaaS), by building the world’s first mobility ecosystem. Their mobile app, Whim, covers all your daily travel needs with one simple app and payment. Their aim is to provide people an alternative to owning a car. Maas Global was one of the four winners of the European Startup Prize for Mobility.


So far, MaaS Global raised about €12.2 million in venture capital. SeaBubbles is a French mobility startup which founded in 2015. Headquartered in Paris, SeaBubbles provides a flying water car ecosystem. The Bubble is a 100% electric Water Flying Car, using the foiler technology for an ultimate energy efficiency: Zero wave, zero noise, zero emission. SeaBubbles will be operated as a water taxi service, which requires a network of mooring stations for boarding/unboarding passengers and charging the vessels. The young company was already able to secure about €10.1 million in funding. Tracefy is a Dutch startup founded in 2015. The young company has transformed one the most popular Dutch means of transport in a tool for smart mobility: the bicycle. Their combination of hardware (GPS module) and software connects bicycles to the internet.


The real-time location information provides a diversity of innovative functionalities and useful data. It can be used as theft protection, to plan service or bill rentals, based on actual mileage, manage your fleet with an personalized dashboard, provide customers with real-time updates about delivery status or plan city infrastructure based on Tracefy heatmaps. Trusk is a French startup based in Paris. Founded in 2015, Trusk provides a platform that connects you with 1 or 2 carriers (Truskers) with a utility. You can use Trusk to carry any object from point A to point B without leaving your home. Trusk is particularly suitable for transporting large items such as sofas, furniture, etc. Trusk moves your furniture on demand. In total, Trusk secured about €2.5 million in funding till date. Wakeo is a French startup which was founded in 2016. With financial support by Techstart Paris, Wakeo developed a SaaS platform to bring real-time visibility on B2B transport flows (sea, air, road). They help shippers and forwarders improve customer experience and optimize operations. Wakeo does this by consolidating multiple transport partners into a central Saas platform to bring real-time visibility on all transport flows.


The all-new MX-5 Miata, which will incorporate Mazda’s Skyactiv technology and KODO (Soul of Motion) design language, will be rolled out to global markets starting in 2015, as a 2016 model, the Japanese automaker says. Hundreds of brand-new Soul Red 2016 Mazda MX-5 roadsters arrived this week at the Port of San Diego, the first shipment of the completely redesigned Miata to arrive in the United States, according to Mazda North America. After processing at the port, the cars will begin shipment to dealers across the U.S., where they should arrive within the next few weeks to be sold to retail customers, Mazda said. The first boatload arrived on the Phoenix Leader auto transport ship, coming from Japan.


24,915 for the entry-level Sport trim. 30,495), all in Soul Red with a Sport Tan leather interior. They are all in the top-end Grand Touring trim, and are limited to 1,000 units. Most if not all have already been sold. "The MX-5 Launch Edition will give enthusiasts the opportunity to take ownership of one of the very first, very exclusive, 2016 MX-5s to arrive in the U.S.," said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda North American Operations. "Along with the privilege of exclusivity and being among the first 1,000 to take delivery, owners will be able to enjoy our latest entertainment, safety and luxury technologies - many of which are unique among sports cars. A sea of Soul Red 2016 Mazda MX-5 roadsters sits awaiting processing after arriving at their port treatments before being sent to Mazda dealers to begin their delivery process.


Their transport vessel, Phoenix Leader, sits in the background after unloading its cargo. These first buyers also will get a Mazda-branded Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker in a gift box, along with select items from Mazda’s Heritage Collection apparel line. Well-established as one of the most-appreciated cars of all time, the Miata gets new life for 2016 after earlier speculation that Mazda might discontinue the car because of waning interest in small sports cars. It’s clearly the best Miata yet. With the redesign, the car is lighter, sleeker and better-looking than ever, which could very well lead to a whole new generation of consumers embracing the iconic two-seater. The basic design and architecture will be shared with Fiat, which will use it to produce its own new roadster. Mazda’s version weighs about 220 pounds less than the 2015 model’s 2,480-pound base curb weight.


Under the hood is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine, with an expected 155 horsepower and 148 foot-pounds of torque. EPA ratings are 27 mpg city/34 highway/30 combined when equipped with the manual transmission, and 27 city/36 highway/30 combined with the automatic. The car will have ventilated disc brakes in the front, and solid discs in the rear. The front will have a double-wishbone suspension; the rear, a multi-link setup. It will be equipped with Mazda’s Skyactiv technology, which uses lightweight materials and other innovations to create vehicles that are extremely fuel efficient and solidly built. The new model will have a front-mid-ship engine/rear-wheel-drive configuration that achieves an ideal 50:50 front-rear weight distribution. Mazda says the new MIata’s soft top was designed to be operated from inside the car "easily, while remaining seated," and that the car will look great with the top up or down.


It will feature headrest speakers so the audio system can be enjoyed even at highway speeds with the top lowered. Sport versions come with 16-inch alloy wheels and features such as cruise control, LED headlights and taillights, Bluetooth phone pairing and audio streaming, leather-wrapped shift knob, power door locks, a single USB input and cruise control. A limited-slip rear differential, Bilstein shocks and shock-tower braces are standard with the manual transmission. 3,400 package that brings forged lightweight BBS 17-inch wheels, Brembo front brake rotors and calipers with painted front and rear calipers, aerodynamic side-sill extensions and a rear bumper skirt. With the Grand Touring model comes with 17-inch bright alloy wheels, leather-trimmed heated seats, automatic climate control, the Bose audio system with headrest speakers, AM/FM/HD/XM radio, Mazda Connect, universal garage door opener, rain-sensing wipers and adaptive headlights. It also has Mazda’s i-ActivSense safety features, including blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and lane-departure warning. The automotive columns of G. Chambers Williams III have appeared regularly in the Express-News since 2000. Contact him at chambers@auto-writer.com and on Twitter @gchambers3.


Sales of finished vehicles in Russia rose 11.9% in 2017 over the previous year to reach 1.59m units, according to estimates in early January by the Association of European Businesses (AEB). Russia’s long-awaited recovery began in March and gained momentum throughout the year, peaking in December with monthly sales of 166,000 finished vehicles - up 14% on the same month the previous year. For the first time ever, the AEB has not released its usual sales forecast for the coming 12 months, suggesting that there are simply "too many variables" involved. At a press conference in early January, Jorg Shreiberg, AEB chairman and director of MazdaMotor Rus, said there was no clarity about levels of taxation in the industry, including proposed increases to the utilisation fee and excise rates.


The Russian authorities are planning to nearly double excise rates on finished vehicles this year, according to reports in local media late last year which cited government insiders. And the government has already increased the utilisation fee by 90% for cars with 1.0-2.0 litre engines and 49% for those with 2.0-3.0 litre engines. At the same time, the Russian authorities have significantly cut funding under programmes to support domestic vehicle demand. 600m) of funding under these programmes in 2018 - around half the level of the previous year. It is believed that this new rate will only be maintained for the next two years before a further reduction. The sharp hike in utilisation fee and the cut in state aid will both undermine the expected recovery in the finished vehicle market this year, according to the Russian Association of Automotive Dealers (RAAD).


It suggests that growth in vehicle sales could fall to just 6.5% this year, leaving total annual vehicle sales at around 1.7m units. Most industry observers appear to agree. Not everyone in the market is worried about the recent changes in government policy, however. Tatiana Hristova, Russian market analyst for IHS Markit, says that she still expects a higher pace of growth this year, given the boost to Russia’s economy from steadily rising oil prices of late. "IHS Markit expects slightly higher growth rates for 2018, compared to last year," she confirms. 70 per barrel is much higher than has been included in most business plans and budgets at Russian companies, and even the government, for this year," she continues.


At the same time, IHS Markit is forecasting a strong upward trend in the luxury segment of the market. "The second-biggest premium segment, D-premium segment, just started to recover and will show solid growth rates this year," suggests Hristova. "This segment will also profit from some relief after some very lengthy corporate budget cuts. Sales of the traditional segment leaders, the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3-Series, will be supported by high demand for SUVs. Azat Timerkhanov, a spokesperson for Russian consultancy AutoStat, agrees that finished vehicles sales in the country will be affected by global oil prices. 55 per barrel, meanwhile, it would not grow at all. Even if vehicle sales in Russia do continue to recover, it will put further pressure on a logistics sector already suffering from serious road transport capacity shortages after cutbacks following several years of falling volumes.


In July last year, Russian automotive logistics providers began to raise concerns about road transport capacity, as finished vehicle numbers picked up after the summer. A capacity squeeze started to become apparent in late September and has continued ever since. "A reduction in the national fleet of car transporters in the country has led to a lack of capacity in the market," confirms Dmitry Vostrikov, director of WWL Russia. "In autumn 2017, the market was already experiencing difficulties in finding sufficient capacity, which has resulted in rising haulage rates. The trend is likely to continue. "Suppliers and trucking companies are not willing to invest in new vehicles without long-term commitments from their customers. But customers, in turn, are unwilling to assume any risks or liabilities, given the unpredictable situation with sales in 2018," Vostrikov explains.


"As soon as it became clear that the situation was getting worse and that it was the beginning of a long-term trend, carmakers started fighting for transport capacity. It is now clear to everyone that the industry urgently needs to invest in additional new or used automotive carriers, to replace the ones taken off the road in the crisis," he adds. Glukhov says car carriers in reasonable condition could still be found in the autumn, but that since December there has been no spare capacity in the market at all after demand "jumped dramatically". Vladimir Abramov, finished vehicle logistics fleet manager at Gefco Russia, says this transport shortage has even been evident in relatively calm periods. "According to various reports, there are 3,800 to 4,200 automotive carriers permanently operating on the Russian market," he says. "During 2017, all previously parked-up carriers were brought back into operation, so the fleet of automotive carriers in Russia can now only grow through acquisition of new units by transport companies. "Significant growth in the fleet is not expected during 2018, however, because most transport companies will first need to replace their ageing current car transporters. At most, growth this year could amount to just 100-200 transporters - and even that will only happen if finished vehicle volumes in the market stay at the level they were at in autumn last year," continues Abramov.


As electric and autonomous vehicles, and new business models shift into gear, automakers and their suppliers will need more than GPS to navigate the bumpy terrain. Automakers looking toward the future of their industry might as well be driving from Kansas to Oz, so extreme are the transformations they're likely to find ahead. Mark Gottfredson, co-head of the North American automotive and transportation practice at consulting firm Bain & Company. Given the advent of electric and autonomous vehicles, the rise of ride-sharing services, and shifting notions about who needs to own a car, the automotive industry landscape could soon grow unrecognizable.


Today, auto companies measure sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in thousands, not millions, per year, and autonomous vehicles (AVs) are still in the development stage. But the pace of evolution is likely to speed up soon. For example, the batteries that power EVs are getting cheaper at a faster rate than observers predicted just a few years back. The market is also letting go of the idea that nearly everyone needs to own a car. Wayne Washington, vice president and head of business development, vehicle processing centers, at Wallenius Wilhelmsen (WW) Solutions in Parsippany, New Jersey. In one adjustment to the evolving market, some automakers now offer subscription services.


Automakers are also claiming new territory in the shifting landscape. How these disruptions will change automotive supply chains is hard to predict, since the future of transportation—who will buy vehicles, what they'll look like, what components they'll require, and who will make them—is still taking shape. But a few scenarios are starting to emerge. For instance, as EVs take hold, there will be less freight shipped to automakers and their suppliers. David Buckby, an analyst with Transport Intelligence (Ti) in Bath, UK, and co-author of the Automotive Supply Chain and Logistics 2018 study. In the longer term, AVs could also redefine the parts that automakers source. Future auto supply chains could also feature different raw materials. Buckby says. In vehicles that stick with internal combustion, the quest for greater fuel efficiency will drive demand for lighter materials.


While the biggest changes are a few years off, the industry is already starting to adjust. For instance, companies that sell EVs need to charge their batteries before shipping them to dealerships or buyers. Charging is one service that WW Solutions provides at some of its vehicle processing facilities, located at ports around the world. Many automakers—also known as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)—provide proprietary chargers for use at processing facilities. That adds cost for the OEMs. WW Solutions is also running test programs at some processing facilities to help it understand what other services and facility enhancements vehicles will require in the future.


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