Group Lotus Plc, the maker of exotic British sports cars like the Elise, may reduce its workforce by 27 percent to cut costs.As many as 325 of the 1,215 people employed at the Hethel, England-based company could lose their jobs as the manufacturer restructures, the unit of Malaysia’s DRB-Hicom Bhd. said in an emailed statement. Compulsory job reductions might be needed, Lotus said.“We have worked very hard to avoid the need to make the proposal, but do believe that it is now essential,” chief ex

Mercedes-Benz has followed Volkswagen AG’s Audi unit in getting a license to test self-driving vehicles on California roads as the luxury-car makers vie for a market predicted to grow to $87 billion by 2030.Mercedes, the third-biggest producer of premium cars received a newly required license from California to conduct tests in daily traffic, the Stuttgart, Germany-based manufacturer said in a statement. The announcement comes two days after Audi, the second-largest luxury carmaker, said it rece

Honda Motor Co., Japan’s third-largest carmaker, has started buying land in the western Indian state of Gujarat for a future plant in the country, an executive at the company said.Honda’s India sales chief Jnaneswar Sen, who spoke in an interview Friday in New Delhi, declined to give further details, such as the factory’s size, cost or timetable. Tokyo-based spokeswoman Kumiko Hashimoto confirmed that the company has started procedures for buying land in India.Honda saw deliveries in India rise

Porsche Automobil Holding SE bought a 10 percent stake in traffic information provider Inrix Inc. for $55 million, its first move to expand its assets beyond a controlling stake in Volkswagen AG.The deal is the Stuttgart, Germany-based company’s first investment after its attempt to acquire Volkswagen backfired and triggered the departure of its former management.“Connectivity between cars and infrastructure is one of the important megatrends in the automotive industry,” Philipp von Hagen, the P

Hyundai, GM Korea contractor probed for transfer of engine technology to Chinese firm

Hyundai Motor, which has the single largest labor union in Korea, failed to settle its annual wage talks with its union this week, breaking away from the long tradition of reaching a tentative agreement before Chuseok ― a psychological Maginot Line. On Tuesday, Hyundai management and the labor union met again for marathon talks, but failed to narrow their differences, especially on the issue of including fixed bonuses and benefits into regular wages. The management proposed setting up a new comm