VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) is to invest 85.6 billion euros ($106 billion) in its automotive operations over the next five years to push foreign expansion, new models and technology to back its quest for global leadership.

U.S. carmaker Ford is hesitant about investing further in its South African operation because of repeated production stoppages caused by strikes, its regional chief said on Thursday.

When he attended design preview meetings for the Genesis luxury sedan, Hyundai Motor heir-apparent Chung Eui-sun suggested features he'd seen on high-end European rivals, such as a pop-up navigation screen and a gearshift that rises and retracts.

Succession is not an imminent topic at Daimler or Volkswagen, the chief executives of both carmakers said on Thursday, adding that any potential candidates would most likely come from within their respective companies.

Automakers in Brazil are facing the sharpest slowdown since 1999 and it could be a year or more before things turn the corner.

General Motors Co's (GM.N) global sales rose 2 percent in the third quarter, driven by strong demand in the two largest auto markets in the world, China and the United States.

German automaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) group sales rose 3 percent in September to 881,300 vehicles, contributing to a 5.3 percent rise in sales for the nine-month period ending in September, the company said on Friday.

Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) keeps lavishing money on supercar maker Bugatti, its most exclusive brand, even as the German group plans painful cuts in its core auto business.

German luxury automaker Daimler (DAIGn.DE) has cut its growth forecast for the global car market, blaming cooler demand in emerging markets and a plunge in Russian sales which has put a fledgling European industry recovery in jeopardy.

Carmakers are betting on style and recycling in the battle for Europe's burgeoning small car market, adding hi-tech safety and entertainment features while often using older vehicle underpinnings as a way to keep prices down.

Car sales in Europe rose 1.8 percent in August with volume makers Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), Ford (F.N) and Opel (GM.N) benefiting from improved demand in Spain, Portugal and Ireland, while premium makers lost ground due to a drop in sales in Germany.

German car parts maker ZF Friedrichshafen [ZFF.UL] has reached a deal to buy U.S.-based TRW Automotive Holdings Corp (TRW.N) for $13.5 billion including debt, creating a global automotive supply powerhouse with combined annual sales of more than $40 billion.

Premium car maker Audi expects to sell more than 1.7 million cars in 2014 even as sales momentum in some emerging markets slows, Chief Executive Rupert Stadler said.

German-based carmaker Volkswagen intends to introduce a mid-sized sports utility vehicle for its North American market in 2016 as part of its $7 billion investment program, Bloomberg reported.

India-based integrated components manufacturer Amtek Auto agreed to acquire significant business interests in Germany-based integrated machine manufacturer Kuepper group in a deal reportedly valued at €200 million.