News

The Board of Directors of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has approved a membership application from Nissan, which will take effect from 1st of January 2024.

MAHLE Powertrain, the specialist engineering services provider, has opened a new state-of-the-art battery development center in Stuttgart, Germany, specifically to cater for the needs of its European clients.

The facility spans over 1,300 m2 and it can accommodate all aspects of battery development, from initial prototyping through to small-scale production, with a breadth of capability that covers applications from small e-bikes to large electric trucks.

KFactory®, in partnership with Enterteq, CERC Timisoara, The Francophone Business Club of Timisoara and InTradeFairs invite you to a unique event dedicated to manufacturing companies in the Western part of the country.

To access further details and to register, please click on this link. https://kfactory.kfactory.eu/ro-ro/ro-ro/optimizare-%C8%99i-conectivitate-%C3%AEn-era-digital%C4%83-0

Volkswagen Group brand Elli is launching an intelligent solution across Europe for electric vehicle fleets. With Elli Fleet Charging, companies in Germany, Italy, Spain, and Austria are now able to manage and cost-optimize their fleet charging.

After a market introduction phase lasting several months, over 650 German companies and fleet managers are already successfully using Elli’s product.

Energy prices eased by 1.8% in October, led by coal (-12.5%) and oil (-3.4%). Non-energy prices were down by 1.6%.

Metal prices went down 2.7%, led by nickel (6.9%) and lead (5.3%).

Precious metals fell by 0.5%.

Dacia totalled 493,511 private and utility vehicle sales in the first 9 months of 2023, up 16.7% on the same period in 2022.  The brand’s four pillar models show positive growth over the first 9 months of the year: Spring up +40.6%, Sandero up +18.3%, Duster up +4.1%, and Jogger up +76.1%.

Dacia's private vehicle market share was stable in Europe over the first 9 months of 2023, despite a slight contraction of the retail market (private customers in European mix down from 44% to 40%*).

Qualcomm introduced the next steps with the launch of their Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile SoC on the first day of the 2023 Snapdragon Summit last week.

Qualcomm has revealed its new top-end mobile processor that will power the next wave of Android flagships in 2024. But this time around, the focus is not just on raw performance and camera enhancements. Instead, Qualcomm is turning its attention to generative AI and bringing it to smartphone users with an on-device approach.

The latest conflict in the Middle East has introduced significant uncertainty into commodity markets that have been coping with the effects of an extraordinary series of shocks in recent years. Before the conflict began, voluntary oil supply withdrawals by OPEC+ producers pushed energy prices up 9 percent in the third quarter. As a result, the World Bank’s commodity price index rose 5 percent over that period and is now 45 percent above its 2015-19 average. For now, the impact of the conflict on commodity prices has been muted.

European new vehicle registrations increased by 10% to 1,155,648 units in September, marking the slowest rate of growth recorded this year. In comparison to September 2020, when the pandemic was impacting the market, total volume was down by 11%.

The demand for electric vehicles was high considering the lack of affordable EVs on the market. Last month, EV registrations totalled 186,380 units accounting for 16.1% of the market – an increase of 13% when compared to September 2022.

Ford is strengthening its offering to families and businesses alike with production now under way of the all-new Ford Transit Courier and all-new Ford Tourneo Courier, at Ford Otosan’s Craiova plant, in Romania.

The all-new Transit Courier will bring enhanced connectivity and productivity for compact van customers; while all-new Tourneo Courier is a five-seat multi-activity vehicle with a distinctive SUV-inspired design and plenty of room for passengers and their belongings within a compact city-friendly footprint.

Infineon Technologies AG, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation have signed a multi-year supply agreement for silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) power semiconductors. Infineon will build and reserve manufacturing capacity to supply SiC as well as Si power modules and chips to Hyundai/Kia until 2030. Hyundai/Kia will support the capacity build-up and capacity reservation with financial contributions.

Continental celebrates the 25th anniversary since the foundation of its tire plant in Timisoara, Romania, and the production of the 300 millionth tire. With total investments of over 600 million Euros since 1998, Continental has created more than 2,700 permanent jobs in Timisoara. The Timisoara tire plant has a production capacity of 16.5 million tires. Continental’s Timisoara tire plant specializes in the production of a wide range of tires for both replacement and original equipment, including ultra high-performance tires and van tires, featuring sizes from 13 to 20 inches.

In September 2023, new car registrations increased by 9.2%, reaching 861,062 units, marking the EU car market’s fourteenth consecutive month of growth. Two of the EU’s largest markets saw substantial gains; Italy (+22.7%) and France (+10.7%). Germany’s market was relatively steady, with a tiny 0.1% drop compared to September 2022.

In the first three quarters of 2023, the EU car market grew substantially (+16.9%), totalling eight million registered units. 

Earlier Xiaomi revealed it is launching its new flagships lineup this month, and now we have a date – the Xiaomi 14 series will be announced on October 26. The event will take place in China, where the company will introduce the phones with HyperOS and a variable aperture camera, co-developed with Leica.

The event is likely going to see two phones – Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Pro, both of them with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. An Ultra phone may or may not arrive later on.

Wipro Pari has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Italy-based Ferretto Automation & Services for an undisclosed amount.

Wipro Infrastructure Engineering operates in hydraulics, industrial automation, aerospace, water treatment, and additive manufacturing. Ferretto Automation & Services specialises in the design and manufacture of automated storage systems. It manufactures a full range of state-of-the-art intra-logistics automation solutions for all storage (ASRS – Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems), handling and distribution needs.