Your latest news from Ennis & Co
| Each week, we are looking to bring you the latest news within the world of automotive all in one place, allowing for ease of access to key trends, new appointments at C-suite level and topical activity that may be of interest. |
| New Appointments in Automotive Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles  Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has welcomed Cian O’Brien as its new director following Carl zu Dohna’s appointment as chief commercial officer at Volkswagen Financial Services. Read the full article here |
Volkswagen UK Volkswagen UK appoints Sarah Cox as head of marketing for EV era. Read the full article here |
Mitsubishi Motors Mitsubishi Motors in the UK appoints Toby Marshall as aftersales director. Read the full article here |
SMMT Paul Heard has been appointed the new chief executive of SMMT Industry Forum. Read the full article here |
Inchcape Inchcape has appointed Duncan Tait as its new chief executive who will take over from Stefan Bomhard on July 1. Read the full article here |
Daimler  Klaus Maier, Head of Sales & Marketing Mercedes-Benz Vans, will leave the company at his own request on June 30, 2020. Read the full article here |
COVID-19 Recovery  Some good news in the road to recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak as some UK manufacturers return to work and China appears to be recovering well. Nissan’s China sales grew 1.1% in April as market recovered BEIJING (Reuters) – Japanese automaker Nissan Motor (7201.T) said on Monday its April sales in China grew 1.1% from a year earlier to 122,846 vehicles, as the world’s biggest auto market recovered from the coronavirus. Read the full article here |
| Carmaking starts up as Bentley and Toyota workers return Employees at two UK automotive plants are returning to work this week as the British economy tries to restart under the shadow of coronavirus restrictions. Read the full article here |
| Motor dealers eyeing new car boom in first month after Covid-19 restrictions are lifted Car dealers are expecting a vehicle buying boom when the motor trade gets into gear when lockdown restrictions are eventually lifted. Read the full article here |
Automotive news  Some of the most exciting news this week surrounds two upcoming mergers. It will be interesting to see where their new powerhouses evolve their businesses further. European Commission sets decision deadline for FCA-PSA merger  The European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, has set a provisional deadline of June 17 to announce whether it will approve the 50-50 transatlantic tie-up. Read the full article here |
| Cake and Polestar announce brand partnership The Swedish electric motorcycle brand Cake and luxury electric car brand Polestar have announced they are to enter into an extended brand partnership. Read the full article here |
Trends  Technology What impact will new technology and digital advances have on the way we buy and sell cars? Following COVID-19 will there be a lasting emphasis on safety features and social distancing measures? Book your next Audi using Augmented Reality from home Audi India has launched its new digitised platform which will allow people to buy their next car from the comfort of their home, free from the dangers of venturing out in the open. Balbir Singh Dhillon, Head of Audi India, said, “Digital customer-centric initiatives are a key focus area for Audi in India. We have been at the forefront of enabling and introducing future technologies for our customers – including Augmented and Virtual Reality elements. Read the full article here |
| How Kia Motors eliminates blind spots with new digital display The technology enhances drivers’ vision either side of the car when driving on a highway, and is linked with the car’s turn signal. Read the full article here |
| Electric vehicles The increase in electric vehicle usage across the UK appears to be consistently increasing in popularity. Though there are some concerns among OEMs surrounding the capability of the sector in EV infrastructure and producing these vehicles, there may be more government support than previously anticipated. Government pledges extra £10m for charge point installations The Department for Transport has again doubled the amount of funding available for on-street charge point installations, pledging an extra £10m as part of a range of latest measures to encourage EV uptake. Read the full article here |
