Your latest news update from Ennis & Co aims to bring you the very latest information within automotive from various UK-based and international media sources.
This week’s update covers the following topics:
· New appointments in the industry
· Technology and digital advances
· Interesting collaborations
· Changes to automotive retail
· Re-skilling employees during the Covid-19 outbreak
| New Appointments in Automotive |
Alliance Ventures Nissan: Mark Sutcliffe is appointed Alliance Senior Vice President, Alliance LCV Business Unit Read the full article here |
Driive  Alison Moriarty joins Driive as Fleet Risk Director Read the full article here |
Ultra SoC UltraSoC appoints Jonathan Lucas as VP of Software Read the full article here |
Mitsubishi Motors MMC announces that the company’s Nomination Committee resolved nomination of the candidates for directors to be proposed to the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled in June 2020 Read the full article here |
COVID-19 Recovery Bosch puts fully automated mask-production lines into operation In the fight against coronavirus, Bosch has now turned its hand to the fully automated production of face masks. Read the full article here |
Autoworkers Are Returning as Carmakers Gradually Crank Up Factories USA  After sheltering at home for nearly two months, tens of thousands of autoworkers have started streaming back into car and truck plants across the South and Midwest of America. Read the full article here |
| New ways of working To emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis, companies should start re-skilling their workforces now.  The McKinsey report provides a good overview of how and why industries should re-skill now more than ever and gives ideas on how organisations can adapt to the new normal. “COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of fully digitized approaches to re-create the best of in-person learning through live video and social sharing.” Read the full report here |
Forbes: The Impact Of The Coronavirus On HR And The New Normal Of Work Forbes have shared some specific examples on how companies are supporting their workers through well-being exercises, and also training them by using new digital technologies. Some ideas which had already been in the pipeline are now being put to good use, for example, Home Depot built a mobile app to train new hires while they are on the job, sharing product information to reduce the need for face to face training. Read the full article here |
Groupe PSA launches COVID-19 cleaning service Groupe PSA has launched a new Complete Anti-Bacterial Refresh service across its retail networks to help drivers minimise the risk of spreading COVID-19. To ensure the safety of its customers and staff, Groupe PSA has introduced strict social distancing and hygiene guidelines. These include contactless drop-off arrangements and a collection and delivery service from home or places of work. Read the full article here |
| Automotive news Some positive news this week including new product launches and post Brexit support.  UK to offer automakers post-Brexit tariff boost The UK government will offer a degree of post-Brexit protection to the country’s auto industry by keeping a 10 per cent tariffs on cars imported from countries with which Britain has no trade agreement while lowering levies on raw materials used in car production. Read the full article here |
Triumph launch new online riding gear and clothing website The new site covers the whole remit of Triumph apparel, from rider-wear to the new premium lifestyle collection. Read the full article here |
Trends  Technology Globally, automakers continue to focus on technological advances, sometimes using these as an additional revenue stream. The importance of technology and digital advances within automotive continue to shape the sector to exciting new levels. Interesting new collaborations show how this new technology is being utilised in every aspect of the automotive sector. BMW now working with NVIDIA to advance AI in logistics  BMW is prioritising intelligent logistics robots in its stated objective of using higher performance computer technology across vehicle making operations. Read the full article here |
Automakers seek new revenue streams from wireless services upgrades The need to find additional revenue is growing more urgent as global automotive production flattens and new regulations and ownership habits threaten the traditional business model. Audi plans to sell e-tron owners an enhanced exterior digital lighting system through the Audi Connect portal. BMW’s top package in its Connected Drive online store includes over-the-air map updates and online speech processing. Read the full article here |
| Trends Retail The automotive retail sector continues to change, with agencies and leasing vehicles to become ever more popular. It will be interesting to see how the industry adapts to the new methods of buying and selling cars, as the move to online selling increases.  VW first with agency agreement for retail sales Agency agreements mean the manufacturer can control the price of the vehicle and advertise a national price, simplifying the online sales process. A VW spokesman in Germany said: “The sales launch of the ID3 marks the start of the agency model for private customers and small commercial enterprises that has already proven its worth for major [fleet] customers over many years.” Read the full article here |
