Continental AG reports losses in fiscal 2019 - week 10 2020
Fotó: Continental Press
Coronavirus continues to hit car manufacturers, electronics industry feared to be the next target. Varinex-CADStudio Kft. receives platinum partner certificate. BASF to tap into the business of recycling EV batteries. Let's recap what week 10 brought in the region's automotive industry. Clicking on the highlighted items will open the full stories.
Albeit with a marginal increase in turnover, automotive tyre and parts manufacturer Continental AG posted losses in fiscal 2019 due to a drop in one-time orders.
In turn, Continental Hungary Kft. has achieved a milestone after opening a brand-neutral fast service at Nissan Centrum in Újbuda, Budapest.
CAD Studio S.r.o. subsidiary Varinex-CAD Studio Kft., a company specializing in CAD, CAM, GIS and BIM services, has received Autodesk’s platinum partner certificate, signifying the highest level of customer support.
Hungarian bus transport company Volán has agreed to buy 90 new-generation Mercedes-Benz Conecto G buses within a year. An agreement on the purchase was signed this week by Volánbusz Zrt., Volán Buszpark Kft. and ITK Holding Zrt. subsidiary Inter Traction Electrics Kft.
Although the coronavirus has hit BMW sales in China, the German car maker is committed to its plans to increase sales volumes in 2020.
The coronavirus is now also causing difficulties in the electronics industry, not just in vehicle manufacturing. Europe’s second largest electronic chip manufacturer, present in nearly 20 Chinese cities with manufacturing sites and service centres, could end up with a revenue drop as high as $150 million due to the pandemic.
All around the world, series of events are getting cancelled or delayed due to the virus. Professional trade fair wire/Tube in Düsseldorf met the same fate, ending up being delayed by the organizer Messe Düsseldorf GmbH from its original date of March 30th to April 3rd to a later date.
The Geneva Motor Show was also cancelled a few days before the opening. This prompted manufacturers to resort to alternative ways of showcasing their latest models to the general public.
GM is ramping up its electromobility efforts: the company is hoping to channel funds into EV development saved via cutting certain parts and assembly related costs.
German chemical group BASF is ready to launch activities related to the recycling of EV batteries in Finland through a consortium with Finnish energy supplier Fortum and Russia-based mining company Nornickel.
Audi has unveiled the S variant of its e-tron and e-tron Sportback models, both of which feature three power units manufactured at the car maker’s Győr plant, two of them powering the rear axle.
A recent survey shows decreasing willingness among Austrian motorists to change to electric vehicles in the last three years. It’s primarily the older generation that is more reluctant, the younger generation are more open to adopting new trends.
Hungary’s vehicle manufacturing sector is on the rise again: in January, the volume of industrial production increased by 2.4 percent from the previous year. Working-day adjusted indices showed a 2.7 percent increase.
