BLOOMBERG Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd said it’s buying a 61.2% stake in UMW Holdings Bhd for 3.57 billion ringgit ($769 million) to further strengthen its position in the country’s automobile industry. Sime Darby entered into a conditional purchase agreement with the nation’s largest state-owned fund, Permodalan Nasional Bhd, to buy its shares of UMW. The company will subsequently make …

BLOOMBERG Hyundai Motor Co’s union workers voted to go on strike for the first time in five years, part of an effort to boost wages and raise the mandatory retirement age as inflation hits the South Korean economy. A majority of the roughly 45,000 unionised workers at Hyundai voted to strike, officials said in a text message on Friday. The …

BLOOMBERG Stellantis NV is considering a tie-up with a Chinese electric vehicle company as Europe’s second-largest automaker by sales seeks to bolster its presence in the world’s biggest auto market, according to people familiar with the matter. The carmaker has explored potentially working with Chinese EV makers including Zhejiang Leapmotor Technologies Ltd, the people said, asking  not to be identified …