Industry Developments

Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) has announced that its self-developed diesel engine, the first in the country, has passed the necessary tests to enter production. However, while the engine... 2010-09-01

Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor is looking for ways to overcome the eroded competitiveness of its exports from Japan thanks to the strengthening yen, as it aims to achieve sales growth... 2010-08-31

As South Africa's vehicle production returns to normal after an eight-day strike, it could be short-lived as workers in the tyre and component sectors threaten to follow suit. With... 2010-08-26

The South African government has agreed to temporarily exempt light commercial vehicles (LCVs) from its carbon emissions tax, which BMI had seen as a threat to a segment that outperformed... 2010-08-25

While BMI has previously flagged up South Africa's insufficient power supply as a potential risk to the launch of a domestic electric vehicle (EV), the company behind the Joule EV has... 2010-08-24

France's Renault has begun testing the Fluence ZE prototype in Israel, with the electric vehicle on schedule for a full launch in conjunction with the Better Place project in 2011.... 2010-08-23

Namibia's new vehicle sales have maintained the recovery started in H209, in line with BMI's move to revise its economic growth forecast for the country from 3.1% to 3.6% . Total vehicle... 2010-08-19

Toyota Motor has announced it will stop exports of its vehicles to Iran in line with the UN's fourth round of sanctions against the country. It is not the first carmaker to pull out... 2010-08-18

Japan's Nissan Motor is keen to add South Africa to the list of markets for its Leaf electric vehicle (EV), but is looking for more government support in terms of infrastructure and... 2010-08-05

The used truck market in Qatar is facing oversupply and falling prices as the rapid growth of the construction sector came to an abrupt end in 2009. Although BMI's Infrastructure team... 2010-08-04