Editor’s Note: Related Tickers: Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE:CBL), Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:TM)
Tesla Supercharging Stations at CBL Malls (DailyFinance)
CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE:CBL) today announced the launch of a partnership with Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) to install Tesla Supercharging stations at several CBL Malls across the country. Tesla is building a network of Supercharging stations that will eventually enable Tesla owners to drive coast to coast in their electric vehicles. The initial cooperation will place Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Superchargers at five CBL Malls to include Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers, FL; The Pavilion at Port Orange in Port Orange, FL; Alamance Crossing in Burlington, NC; CherryVale Mall in Rockford, IL and Imperial Valley in El Centro, CA.
Aston Martin and Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) have reportedly agreed to extend their engine supply contract for another five years. According to the The Sunday Times, the new deal will see the U.S. carmaker supply Aston Martin with V8 and V12 engines made at its Cologne plant in Germany. The deal may also mean Aston Martin will keep the VH platform for at least another five years. Aston Martin’s most important models – the Vantage, DB9 and Vanquish – are all based on derivatives of the VH platform. The news comes not long after reports of Aston Martin being in talks with other engine suppliers, including Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz, which would have supplied components and offer technical assistance.
GM first to sport Siri’s ‘Eyes Free’ feature with the Chevy Sonic and Spark starting next year (9 to 5 Mac)
During its opening keynote at WWDC, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced Siri would gain an all-new “Eyes Free” feature as part of iOS 6. After five months of quiet about the feature, General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) announced this morning that it would be the first of nine automakers previously outlined to adopt Eyes Free in its vehicles starting early next year. Of its fleet, the Chevrolet Spark (1LT, 2LT) and Sonic LTZ and RS will be the first. General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) will include the Eyes Free feature on the automobiles, but it still won’t do away with its Chevrolet MyLink info-tainment system. However, if an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 enters the car running iOS 6, they can connect over Bluetooth with General Motors Company (NYSE:GM)’s MyLink radio feature. From there, they can use the Eyes Free steering wheel button to access information.
Tesla to swap batteries in about 90 seconds (CBS News)
In the latest attempt to calm drivers who worry about how far they can drive their electric cars, Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) plans to build station that will swap run-down batteries for fresh ones. The company says it will take 90 seconds, or less time than it takes to fill the tank with gasoline. The first swapping locations will be built along routes between Los Angeles and San Francisco and, in the East, from Boston to Washington. Each facility will be paired with a free, fast-charging station that can recharge a Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) car in about 30 minutes. But those in a hurry can instead buy a fresh battery pack for $50 to $60 — about the price of 15 gallons of gas.
Ford F-150 Beats Toyota Camry in American-Made Ranking (Bloomberg)
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s F-150 pickup, pacing the biggest gain in U.S. market share among automakers this year, topped a consumer website’s list of most-American made models, replacing Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:TM)’s Camry sedan. The F-150 snapped a four-year streak for the Camry and earned the No. 1 spot in Cars.com’s 2013 American-Made index, the website said today in an e-mailed statement. The index ranks model lines based on their sales and whether car or truck parts and completed vehicles are built in the U.S. Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s F-Series trucks have propelled the biggest U.S. sales increase among major automakers this year, climbing 22 percent through the end of May.
In San Jose, Buy A House, Get A Tesla (Forbes)
Real estate agents are always thinking up novel ways to sell homes, throwing brunches, cocktail parties, and offering interior design services. Now, a realtor in San Jose is offering a Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S to the person who buys a $1.35 million home. The house, on Koch Lane in the Willow Glen neighborhood, has an airy back patio, four bedrooms and three bathrooms. And, it’s in a desirable part of San Jose. But it is what will be parked in the driveway that is getting the most attention. Listing agent Avis Garoutte told KGO-TV that the offer of the electric sedan has drawn a lot of interest. “‘Is it true that there’s a Tesla with the house? Well I’ve got to come and see that,’” said Garoutte.
GM appoints executive to lead Chevrolet’s global operations (MLive.com)
A longtime General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) executive will lead Chevrolet’s global operations. The Detroit-based automaker today announced the appointment of Alan Batey as senior vice president, Global Chevrolet. The 50-year-old executive will also serve as the head of U.S. Sales, Service and Marketing for Chevrolet, Buick and GMC. In his global Chevrolet role, Batey will report to GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. In his U.S. Sales, Service and Marketing role, he will report to Mark Reuss, president, GM North America.
Ford’s hopes in India rest on SUV launch (Financial Times)
It isn’t every day that a $2bn investment rides on a single car launch in India, but on Wednesday executives at Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) will wait nervously to see if their latest model will justify the company’s heavy spending in Asia’s third-largest economy. Against a backdrop of fast-falling domestic sales and numerous vehicle flops, the US-based automaker is effectively relaunching its underwhelming Indian strategy in New Delhi as it unveils the EcoSport, the company’s first India-built sport utility vehicle. The launch is easily the most-anticipated in India this year, giving the American company a crack at the country’s fastest-growing car segment with a model that it also plans to export to developed markets, including Australia and Europe, for the first time.
In Va., Tesla Motors has a showroom where it can’t make sales (Washington Post)
Virginia law prohibits car manufacturers from operating their own dealerships, partly to encourage competition and protect consumers. So the California-based company is using the Tysons Corner location as a showroom where employees are forbidden from discussing purchases. Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has petitioned Virginia to grant it an exemption. If granted, it could set a precedent for car manufacturers looking to sell their cars in the state without the middle man.
As pickup war heats up, GM barnstorms top truck market (Tire Business)
The General Motors Company (NYSE:GM)’s Chevrolet division launched a grassroots promotional romp through Texas last week — the start of its marketing campaign for the redesigned 2014 Silverado. Chevy’s glitzy displays will hit all the well-trodden stops: baseball games, big rodeos, the state fair. But also on the route are out-of-the-way spots that Chevy reckons are thick with truck buyers: an exposition for oil-field hands, a home and garden show in El Paso, a deep-sea fishing tournament in a tiny Gulf Coast island town. The statewide blitz across Texas—GM calls the five-month swing of more than 60 stops unprecedented—is just the start of a national Silverado campaign.
