Volkswagen Opens 20th Facility in China
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Volkswagen just opened a new manufacturing plant in Southern China.
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De Tomaso Dead in the Water, no New Pantera Coming
As much as it would have been fantastic to see the mighty De Tomaso Pantera resurrected, it seems the dream that graced our news section last February is falling to shambles.
Green Factories In VW’s Future Plans
While most car companies are just trying hard to produce low-emissions vehicles, Volkswagen is looking to make even their factories green. Or is that blue! VW calls all their efficient models BlueMotion, and is taking the same approach to their factories. Their “Think Blue Factory” is an initiative they have launched to make all their...
BMW Lays Groundwork For Expansion Plans
BMW is pushing forward in the face of what many economists are fervently discussing in the business world: the possible collapse of the euro. Such a catastrophic event is unlikely, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer told Automotive News. He reaffirmed that strong belief in another interview saying “I don’t even want to imagine that at all, and I don’t believe...
Chevrolet Cruze Production Halted, Unnamed Supplier To Blame
General Motors halted production of their popular Cruze sedan yesterday after a supplier issue hampered production. Chevrolet says they plan to resume production as soon as possible, though they declined to disclose what the issue was. Production officially stopped around 1 p.m. EST according to a spokesperson for the Lordstown, Ohio, factory where the Cruze...
Ford Investing $446 Million In Brazil Plant For Production Of New Global Vehicle
Ford announced that they are investing $446 million into their Sao Bernardo do Campo plant near Sao Paulo, Brazil towards the production of a new global vehicle. Unfortunately Ford didn’t announce any more details in regards to the new model, but it will likely be something geared toward’s Brazil’s emerging middle class. The Sao Benardo...
Fiat To Build Jeep Subcompact In Italy, Patriot And Compass Replacement In U.S.
Jeep has scrapped plans to build a replacement for their Patriot and Compass SUVs in Italy, and will instead build a subcompact Jeep product in Italy that will also be badged as a Fiat in world markets. The car will replace the Fiat Sedici, which is itself based on the Suzuki SX4. Jeep will then...
Toyota And Honda Plan To Hire 5,000 Workers As Japan’s Industry Recovers
Toyota and Honda plan to hire as many as 5,000 temporary workers in Japan for the first time in more than a year as the automotive industry recovers from the March 11 earthquake. Toyota will be hiring between 3,000 and 4,000 temporary workers from mid-July as the company plans to increase production in October. This...
BMW To Invest $1.4 Billion In Chinese Operations
BMW will expand its Chinese joint venture with local automaker Brilliance, in an effort to build 300,000 cars per year in China. BMW’s joint venture near Beijing currently builds the 3-Series and 5-Series, and will add the X1 crossover in 2012. Plans call for new factories dedicated to vehicle assembly, stamping and a paint shop....
Chrysler To Invest $843 Million In Transmission Plant, 9-Speed Automatic To Be Built
Chrysler announced an $843 million investment in its Indiana transmission plant as it prepares to build a 9-speed automatic transmission front front-drive vehicles. The announcement comes on the heels of General Motors announcement of a $2 billion infusion into a number of plants, including $200 million for upgrades to its Toledo, Ohio plant to build...
Volkswagen Builds First Customer Car At Tennessee Plant
Volkswagen‘s new Chattanooga, Tennessee plant built its first car destined for a customer Wednesday, a dark Blue Passat 2.5L equipped with an automatic transmission. The plant should reach full capacity in 2012, at which point it will produce 150,000 Passats annually. Volkswagen says that the plant will generate $12 billion in economic growth for the region,...
Mazda6 To Continue Production, May Move From U.S. Plant
Contrary to earlier reports, Mazda will not be ending production of its Mazda6 midsize sedan. Earlier reports suggested that the slow-selling model would be axed after reports emerged that production of the vehicle at Mazda’s Flat Rock, Michigan plant may cease. While Mazda confirmed that the Mazda6 would remain in the lineup for some time...
General Motors To Spend $2 Billion On Factory Upgrades
General Motors will invest $2 billion across 17 plants, as the company retools existing plants to build new products and hire more workers. GM confirmed that their Toledo, Ohio plant would receive $250 million in improvements and create 250 new jobs. CEO Dan Akerson didn’t announced which plants would be infused with new capital, but the Detroit-Hamtramck...
Last Cadillac STS Drives Off the Line as Lansing Plant Gears-Up for New Model
General Motors has quietly phased out production of the Cadillac STS. The last sedan drove off the Lansing Grand River assembly line last week. The ending of STS production will not result in any layoffs, however, as all workers will retain the same hours and will continue to build the CTS. The STS and the...
Lotus Rejected By British Government In Quest For Funding, New Esprit May Be Built Outside UK
Lotus may build their next generation Esprit sports car outside of the United Kingdom after its request for a $50 million loan to build a new factory was rejected by an investment arm of the British government. The loan was intended for a new factory in the Norfolk area of Britain, which would employ 1200...
World’s Second Largest Automotive Microchip Company Abandons Japanese Factory
Mere days after the world’s largest automotive microchip producer struggled to avert a production crisis due to their factory being disabled by the March 11th earthquake in Japan, the second largest producer of automotive microchips is now said to be abandoning their own factory in the area and is looking to add capacity at other...
Automotive Microchips To Be In Short Supply Following Earthquake
While much of the automotive industry is watching what car manufacturers have to say about production shortages in Japan, a key supplier of microchips is transferring production from their battered facility in Japan’s earthquake zone, to seperate facilities in Japan and Singapore – but the move could cause months long delays of crucial components, halting...
Toyota To Reduce North American Vehicle Production
Toyota is the latest automaker to adjust their North American production schedules, with plants idling on April 15, 18, 21, 22, and 25. Toyota’s engine and component factories will follow a similar schedule, while their Georgetown, Kentucky facility will remain open on April 21. Employees at the plants will have the option of report to work...
General Motors To Idle SUV Plant Due To Parts Shortage
General Motors will idle their Arlington, Texas plant due to a parts shortage, although details were not given as to what the specific issue was. The factory builds vehicles like the Chevrolet Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade. A UAW representative told Automotive News that two 10-hour overtime shifts would be cancelled. So far, the standard 10-hour...
Honda Plants Could Be Hit By Parts Shortage For Up To 90 Days
Honda plants in North America could be operating at well below capacity as a shortage of parts from Japan threatens to cripple the automaker’s output for as long as 90 days. Speaking with Automotive News, Honda’s executive Vice-President John Mendel estimated a 60 to 90 day slowdown, with 30 days being an optimistic forecast. Honda...
Chrysler Production Unaffected By Events In Japan
While Ford and General Motors have both seen plants shut down due to the natural disasters in Japan, and the resulting impact on the country’s auto parts industry, Chrysler‘s vehicle production has remained unaffected by these events. “We have not experienced any disruptions to regularly scheduled production as a result of the issues in Japan,”...
Subaru Resumes Car Production In Japan
Subaru will re-start their large car production plant, nearly a month after an earthquake caused parent company Fuji Heavy Industries to shut the factory down. The factory builds the Legacy, Impreza and Forester, which comprise the bulk of Subaru’s U.S. lineup. The plant will only be running at 50 percent capacity initially. Subaru claims that...
Toyota Says It’s “Too Early To Predict” North American Plant Shutdowns
After a brief announcement on March 23rd stating that the natural disasters in Japan may affect North American production, Toyota has announced that it is still “too early to predict” whether plants in Canada and the United States, which build both Toyota and Lexus cars, will face shutdowns due to a shortage of parts from...
Nissan to Halt Production in US Plants for a Week
In response to a crippling parts shortage from the Japan earthquake, Nissan is idling its American and Mexican plants for 6 days. The engine and vehicle assembly plants will be closed in April, and Nissan did not say how many of its cars will be lost. But to make up for this deficit the automaker...
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