PSA Group is starting to sound a bit desperate for a merger these days.  First they bought GM's Opel Unit for $1.54b, later demanding a roughly 50% refund due to issues stemming from extra rosy sales forecasts and emissions regulations trouble. PSA has quickly turned around the Opel unit into a profit center instead of the loss-maker it was under GM control.
More recently, Peugeot was seen to be dancing with FCA only to be rebuffed when it came to light that any merger between the two companies would come in the form of PSA stock. 
Now PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares says that he would be interested in a merger with Jaguar Land Rover, saying he would be interested in having a more premium brand above their current DS line. 
Jaguar Land Rover is struggling with sales declines, but parent company Tata has said "There is no truth to the rumor that Tata Motors is looking to divest its stake in JLR". 
So it is back to the dance floor for PSA without a partner.  Lets see who they come up with next. 

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PSA Group is starting to sound a bit desperate for a merger these days.  First they bought GM's Opel Unit for $1.54b, later demanding a roughly 50% refund due to issues stemming from extra rosy sales forecasts and emissions regulations trouble. PSA has quickly turned around the Opel unit into a profit center instead of the loss-maker it was under GM control.
More recently, Peugeot was seen to be dancing with FCA only to be rebuffed when it came to light that any merger between the two companies would come in the form of PSA stock. 
Now PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares says that he would be interested in a merger with Jaguar Land Rover, saying he would be interested in having a more premium brand above their current DS line. 
Jaguar Land Rover is struggling with sales declines, but parent company Tata has said "There is no truth to the rumor that Tata Motors is looking to divest its stake in JLR". 
So it is back to the dance floor for PSA without a partner.  Lets see who they come up with next. 

If you're currently running with an older GPS system, either built into your car or via an external device, you may need to check if a firmware update is available.  Tonight at midnight, the UTC clock used by the satellite navigation system will roll over to 0000000000.   That number is a 10-bit "week number" that counts the number of weeks since August 21, 1999, the date of the current GPS "epoch". 
Most newer GPS devices will know about the coming rollover and will just continue working, but older ones that haven't been updated could fail with timing data jumping backwards by almost 20 years. This isn't a new issue, this will be the second time the GPS system has seen such a flip.  Eventually, the GPS system will be upgraded to a 13-bit date system and greatly increase the length of time between epochs.
If you have an older GPS device or car with GPS built in, you may want to check with the manufacturer if a firmware update is needed. 

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If you're currently running with an older GPS system, either built into your car or via an external device, you may need to check if a firmware update is available.  Tonight at midnight, the UTC clock used by the satellite navigation system will roll over to 0000000000.   That number is a 10-bit "week number" that counts the number of weeks since August 21, 1999, the date of the current GPS "epoch". 
Most newer GPS devices will know about the coming rollover and will just continue working, but older ones that haven't been updated could fail with timing data jumping backwards by almost 20 years. This isn't a new issue, this will be the second time the GPS system has seen such a flip.  Eventually, the GPS system will be upgraded to a 13-bit date system and greatly increase the length of time between epochs.
If you have an older GPS device or car with GPS built in, you may want to check with the manufacturer if a firmware update is needed. 

It hasn't been an easy go for Holden for almost the last decade. Sales have been declining for the past eight years and buyers haven't been wowed by either the new Commodore or their growing lineup of crossovers. This has reportedly brought the vultures out.
The Australian Financial Review reported yesterday that Inchcape, one of the largest independent vehicle importers has started discussions with General Motors about possibly taking over the importation of Holden vehicles. According to sources, the talks are going very slowly and there are "extreme sensitivities on both sides of the negotiating table." The talks will not include the transfer of Holden's engineering and design offices, along with the Lang Lang Proving Grounds. Inchcape has also hired one of the largest accounting firms to perform due diligence and looking into various scenarios. 
The likely reason Inchcape is looking into this possibility is due to GM's restructuring plans. Already, the company has pulled out certain markets and is planning to possibly shut down various plants in the U.S.
Inchcape handles the import and retail duties for a number of automakers such as Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, and more in 32 countries. In Australia, Inchcape handles Citroen, Peugeot, and Subaru.
"Under the leadership of [GM Holden CEO] Dave Buttner, who was appointed in August last year, we are turning around the Holden business, growing sales, re-engaging and re-energizing our distribution network and launching exciting vehicles like the all-new Acadia. We are fully focused on supporting Dave in building a strong Holden for the future, as it remains an important part of GM's business," a spokesman for GM told the outlet.
When reached by CarsGuide for a comment, a spokesperson for Inchcape said, "We are always assessing a range of opportunities and initiatives in support of our Ignite strategy and we do not comment on speculation."
Source: Australian Financial Review (Subscription Required), CarAdvice, CarsGuide

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