COMPANY NEWS IN BRIEF
COMPANY NEWS IN BRIEF

COMPANY NEWS IN BRIEF

Phillepus Uusiku
SAHPRA recommends lifting J&J vaccine pause

South Africa's health regulator, on Saturday, recommended that the government lift the pause on administering drug maker Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccines, given that certain conditions are met.

"These conditions include, but are not limited to, strengthened screening and monitoring of participants who are at high risk of a blood clotting disorder," the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) said.

"In addition, measures are to be implemented to ensure the safe management of any participants who develop vaccine-induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (VITT)," the statement added.

SAHPRA said on Wednesday that it had recently reviewed data from Johnson & Johnson's local research study immunising healthcare workers and found no major safety concerns.

South Africa suspended the rollout of the J&J vaccine in the "implementation study" on Tuesday, after US health agencies recommended pausing its use because of rare cases of blood clots in six people inoculated with it, out of some 7 million people who have received the shot in the United States. - Nampa/Reuters

Toyota to expand electric line-up by 2025

Toyota Motor Corp said it will introduce 15 battery electric vehicle (BEV) models globally by 2025, expanding the automaker's electric vehicle line-up to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050.

The company will increase its number of electric models to around 70 from currently offered 55, it said in a statement.

The new BEV model Toyota bZ series, which was unveiled at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show yesterday, is aimed for China, the United States and Europe, the carmaker said.

Carmakers around the world are switching to battery-powered vehicles amid tougher emission regulations and growing competition to develop zero-emission vehicles.

Japan's biggest carmaker also said at the Shanghai Auto Show it plans to launch more than 20 new energy vehicles in China by 2025.- Nampa/Reuters

Volvo to provide cars for self-driving test

Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars said it has signed an agreement to provide cars to the autonomous driving technology unit of China's top ride-hailing firm, Didi Chuxing, for its self-driving test fleet.

Volvo will provide XC90 SUVs equipped with backup steering and braking systems that DiDi Autonomous Driving will integrate with Didi Gemini, its new self-driving hardware platform.

Just last week self-driving start-up Cruise, which is backed by General Motors Co, said it had raised US$2.75 billion in its latest funding round from investors including Walmart Inc, taking its valuation to over US$30 billion.

Volvo Cars, which is owned by China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd, will initially provide Didi with hundreds of vehicles, with the aim of adding more as the self-driving test fleet expands, head of strategy Alexander Petrofski told Reuters.

"For us this is a tremendous opportunity because we gain real-world know-how and get to test our vehicles in a real-world environment," Petrofski said. "This is something we will benefit from when we start rolling out this technology in applications for our customers."- Nampa/Reuters

Daimler to hire 1000 programmers in Germany

German carmaker Daimler will create 1000 new jobs for software programmers at its S-Class production facility to develop its planned operating system for electric vehicles, Automobilwoche reported on Sunday.

The hiring comes as part of a broader drive to recruit a total of 3 000 programmers worldwide to strengthen Daimler's software hubs in centres including Berli, Tel Aviv, Seattle and Beijing, the weekly magazine reported.

Daimler's MBOS system, which will run electric-only vehicles, is expected to hit the market in 2024 as Daimler takes on electric-only rival Tesla and seeks to resist encroachment by Silicon Valley into the automotive industry.

“With this system, Mercedes-Benz has the central control of all vehicle domains and thus the customer interfaces," Sajjad Khan, chief technology officer at Daimler's flagship Mercedes brand, was quoted as saying by Automobilwoche. - Nampa/Reuters

Melrose to sell Nortek Air Management unit

Melrose Industries said on Monday it has agreed to sell its Nortek Air Management business for about 2.62 billion pounds (US$3.63 billion) to Chicago-based Madison Industries, and will distribute a portion of the proceeds to shareholders.

The British engineering business owner said it plans to use a part of the proceeds to reduce debt and contribute about 100 million pounds to GKN UK pension scheme, reducing the funding deficit to about 200 million pounds from 1 billion pounds.

Melrose had initiated a sale process of its Nortek air-conditioning division in March after it was delayed by lockdown restrictions last year.

"Our Ergotron and Nortek Control businesses, which also form part of the Nortek Group remain under our ownership and will be realised at an appropriate time," Chairman Justin Dowley said. - Nampa/Reuters

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