Roads & Transportation

Elon Musk rewrites fast-moving Tesla cash story

17 May 2019

The electric-car maker’s CEO is mandating “hardcore” cost controls, admitting Tesla could burn $2.4 bln of new capital in 10 months. That puts growth plans in question. It also seems to contradict earlier rosier statements. Investors and watchdogs should have a few questions.

Amazon-Uber food fight means empty bellies for all

17 May 2019

The web giant is backing a $575 mln investment in Deliveroo, which ferries meals to time-poor urbanites. It means the UK-based group can continue its assault on rival Uber Eats in Europe. Thin margins and deep-pocketed investors are the perfect ingredients for perpetual losses.

Brooklyn rebuild embodies U.S. infrastructure woes

14 May 2019

The New York City borough’s iconic promenade needs repair. The metropolis’s belated plan to fix it is costly, myopic and far from transparent. With Infrastructure Week under way, it’s a timely tale showing why the nation’s waterways, roads and the like are in such a mess.

Nissan tough-guy defence looks shaky

14 May 2019

The Japanese car giant resisting a merger with Renault said operating profit fell 44% this year, and predicted more pain ahead. CEO Hiroto Saikawa says this is "rock bottom", but the dismal outlook might see shareholders warm to a deal, or demand new management.

Toyota and Honda may want to rev up in China

8 May 2019

The Corolla maker’s operating profit grew a mere 2.8 pct in its latest fiscal year. Toyota’s outlook is also modest while rival Honda cut sales forecasts across the board. The Chinese market, though struggling now, could yet provide some refuge from Donald Trump’s trade warpath.

VW’s reform drive needs more horsepower

2 May 2019

A year after taking the wheel, CEO Herbert Diess has canned a much-needed truck IPO and now expects 2019 operating profit will be at the lower end of his target range. The 82 billion euro carmaker won’t close the valuation gap with peers unless he gets the spinoff back on track.

Subsidies gas up turnaround at Buffett-backed BYD

29 April 2019

The Chinese electric vehicle maker reported a stupendous 632 pct increase in first-quarter net profit. Around half of the boost came from generous government grants, which may not be sustained. Even so, investors have cause for cautious celebration.

Renault M&A plan is lesser of two evils for Nissan

26 April 2019

The Gallic carmaker is once again pushing for closer integration with its partner, Nikkei says. If the Japanese company were to win concessions, such as board seat parity or an equal stake in a merged group, a deal would make more sense than the current mess.

Fiat Chrysler-Tesla emissions deal is a band-aid

8 April 2019

The Italian-American group will include Elon Musk’s electric cars in its fleet, dodging possible European carbon-dioxide fines. Tesla will welcome the cash but is no nearer to its sales target. And Fiat Chrysler still needs a partner to meet its long-term electric challenge.

Chinese Daimler raid is looking far from smart

28 March 2019

More than a year after acquiring almost 10 percent of the German carmaker, Zhejiang Geely Chairman Li Shufu has two small joint ventures to show for it including the latest to produce compact cars locally. He is known for taking a long view but meaningful cooperation looks hard.

VW’s shares are priced for EV self-destruction

22 February 2019

Likely cash flows to 2025 almost justify the carmaker’s 75 bln euro market value. Investors either think it’ll be worthless after then, or expect cratering combustion-engine sales and wasted investment in electric vehicles. Economies of scale mean that could be too pessimistic.

Brexit paints go-slower stripe on UK car industry

19 February 2019

Plant closures like Honda’s in Swindon raise the spectre of decline for Britain’s auto sector. Yet the underperforming site always looked vulnerable. The bigger test is whether global carmakers want to build electric vehicles in the UK. Brexit will prove a huge deterrent.

Just Eat could prove a tasty M&A morsel

11 February 2019

The 4.9 bln pound UK food-delivery group is leaderless and faces an activist investor. It could keep investing in its delivery services to fend off Uber, but peers like Takeaway.com and Delivery Hero are doing the same. Just Eat’s cut-price valuation could force the board’s hand.

Scooters will soon find city-friendly sweet spot

19 December 2018

They're tech toys that clog up streets and sidewalks. Yet they are also a clean, low-cost bridge between cars or mass transit and walking. The Bird CEO talks about sharing the cost of infrastructure. That could be a way forward, as long as the business model can stand it.

France can best help Renault by cutting it free

21 November 2018

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire wants to consolidate the carmaker’s alliance with Nissan, which risks fraying after boss Carlos Ghosn was arrested in Japan. Selling the state’s 15 pct stake in the company is politically hard but would remove a big hurdle to a much-needed merger.

Ferrari boss’s cautious driving has merit

5 November 2018

Investors punished new CEO Louis Camilleri in August for calling his predecessor’s targets "aspirational". Ferrari’s rising EBITDA margin arguably warrants a more stringent target. Yet trade war fears and volatile Chinese regulation mean Camilleri is right to exercise caution.

Mike Manley can put FCA’s war chest to good use

30 October 2018

The auto group’s new boss is handing shareholders 2 bln euros from a car-parts unit sale. That leaves 4 bln euros for Fiat Chrysler to invest, save or do a deal. Propping up its balance sheet would soothe investors and rating agencies, and be a firm sign of conservative intent.

Hadas: Six economic reasons to hate Uber

25 October 2018

Economists are wrong to drool over the car service provider as an exemplar of free markets. This financial zombie has destructive effects on transit, a dysfunctional strategy and an antisocial approach to regulation. Also, it hurts its workers and makes investors look foolish.

Renault deserves its battered valuation

23 October 2018

The French carmaker trades at one of the lowest multiples in an unloved sector. Shrinking third-quarter sales show why that is merited. An alliance with Nissan and electric-vehicle investments offer glimmers of hope, but neither will turbo-charge shares in the coming year.

Volvo fumes are second hazard for truck investors

16 October 2018

The $31 bln Swedish group’s warning on engine emissions could scarcely have come at a worse time. Investors are already fretting that demand for commercial vehicles has peaked for the current cycle. When two truck-dashboard lights are flashing, the safest thing to do is bail.