Latest components news and analysis articles 
Companies that produce vehicle parts and vehicle subsystems/modules manufactured for fitment in vehicles being produced as OE (original equipment) or for the aftermarket
BELGIUM: GM could still have say with Youngman Saab 9-3 plan: CLEPA
6 February 2012
European automotive supplier body CLEPA, is cautioning General Motors could still be involved if prospective Saab bidder, Youngman, starts up production using the 9-3 model.
GERMANY: Schaeffler places US$2bn bonds in capital markets
6 February 2012
Schaeffler says it has successfully placed EUR2bn (US$2.6bn) of bonds in the international capital markets, with the issue oversubscribed by around five times.
BELGIUM: CLEPA cautions Saab receivers not to sell assets to pay huge lawyer army
3 February 2012
Europe's automotive supplier body CLEPA, is urging Saab receivers not to sell off the bankrupt automaker piecemeal in order to pay a vast army of lawyers.
JAPAN: Denso nine-month net income drops 71.9%
3 February 2012
Denso announced financial results for the nine months ending 31 December 2011 showing that onsolidated net income fell 72% year on year to JPY36.4bn (US$467.8m) and consolidated operating income was off 53% to JPY82.1bn on consolidated net sales down 6.1% to JPY2,214.4bn.
JAPAN: NSG closing Pilkington UK float line
3 February 2012
Japan's NSG Group, said its UK-based Pilkington automotive and building glass unit is to close a float glass production line due to falling demand. It has also revised down its fiscal 2012 full year forecast.
VIETNAM: Bridgestone to build $575m export tyre plant - reports
2 February 2012
Vietnam's northern port city of Hai Phong has approved the construction of a US$575m tyre factory by a subsidiary of Bridgestone, the state-run newspaper Nhan Dan quoted municipal authorities on Thursday as saying.
JAPAN: Yazaki secures DoJ deal to pay US$470m price-fixing fine in five tranches
1 February 2012
Japanese component supplier Yazaki says it will pay off its gargantuan price-fixing fine in five installments starting this year.
JAPAN: Yazaki top two return salaries as DoJ stuns with US$470m price-fixing fine
1 February 2012
Yazaki's chairman and president will return half of their salaries for three months in response to the US Department of Justice's (DoJ) enormous price-fixing fine.
JAPAN: Denso pays US$78m as DoJ imposes massive cartel fines
1 February 2012
Denso has concluded a plea agreement with the US Department of Justice (DoJ) and will pay a fine of US$78m based on charges it violated anti-trust laws in connection with sales of certain automotive components, specifically, certain body electronic control units and heater control panels to one of its customers.
MEXICO: New steel plant for rising auto tube demand
1 February 2012
A new plant which will make steel tubes for cars is being established in the state of Aquascalientes, central Mexico, where Nissan has a long-established factory and is planning a second.
JAPAN: Mitsubishi Electric investigated for overcharged expenses
1 February 2012
Auto supplier Mitsubishi Electric announced that starting 31 January, the company was being investigated by Japan's Ministry of Defence, Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency following revelations that the company overcharged the three parties for expenses.
US: "Pernicious cartel" sees Yazaki and Denso pay huge price-fixing fine
31 January 2012
Two Japanese suppliers of automotive electrical components -Yazaki and Denso -have agreed to plead guilty and to pay a total of US$548m in criminal fines for their involvement in multiple price-fixing and bid-rigging conspiracies in the sale of parts to automobile manufacturers in the US, the Department of Justice has announced.
SWEDEN: Debt Office to sit on first Saab Parts board meeting tomorrow
31 January 2012
Sweden's National Debt Office (SNDO) is to sit on the board of Saab Automobile Parts for the first time tomorrow (1 February) as the State looks to secure its loan guarantee repayment.
BELGIUM: Employers body takes aim at "political strike" as country halts
31 January 2012
Belgium's crippling nationwide strike yesterday (30 January) is estimated to have cost around EUR200m, with the automotive sector taking a significant proportion of that hit.
SWEDEN: Debt Office holds fire as receivers seek Saab buyer
30 January 2012
Sweden's National Debt Office (SNDO) says it is co-operating with Saab's receivers to see if a complete sale of the bankrupt automaker can be secured, rather than realising its pledges in the manufacturer.
ITALY: Trucker strike costs Fiat 17,000 lost vehicles
30 January 2012
Fiat estimates production of nearly 17,000 vehicles was lost last week as a result of the mass motorway blockade by Italian lorry drivers, with work only restarting this morning (30 January).
US: Delphi posts FY 2011 net income up 16% to US$1.1bn
30 January 2012
Delphi Automotive has reported full year net income up 16.1% to US$1.1bn, while Q4 2011 revenue was US$3.9bn, an increase of 6.8%, with fourth quarter net income of US$290m.
ROMANIA: Johnson Controls opens seat plant in Craiova
30 January 2012
Johnson Controls has officially opened its new seat factory in Craiova, Romania, which will supply Ford's local assembly plant with complete seat systems for the new B-Max minivan on a just-in-sequence basis.
GERMANY: Schaeffler refinances with EUR8bn
30 January 2012
Supplier Schaeffler has completed a new credit agreement of EUR8.0bn with eight banks, replacing existing arrangements with four dating from November 2009.
ITALY: Fiat haemorrhaging 4,000 cars a day as truck blockade continues to bite
27 January 2012
Fiat says it is losing production of more than 4,000 vehicles per day as Italy's devastating industrial action by truck drivers continues to choke the country's supply lines.
SWEDEN: Trelleborg sells off auto parts unit
27 January 2012
Trelleborg has sold an operation that manufactures high-technology rubber, plastic and foam components and systems for the light vehicle industry. The operation is primarily located in France and is part of the supplier's automotive business area. The buyer is Bavaria Industriekapital of Munich.
US: Ford uses kenaf plant inside Escape doors
27 January 2012
Ford is using kenaf, a tropical plant related to cotton and okra plants, to replace oil-based materials in the doors of the new Ford Escape.
US: Timken books record sales in 2011
27 January 2012
Timken has reported record sales of US$5.2bn for 2011, up 28% year on year on strong demand from the diverse industrial markets it supplies.
COMMENT: Italy on its knees as Fiat austerity ad airs
26 January 2012
Maybe Sergio Marchionne could be excused a wry smile as he plies the airwaves of the world - at the recent Automotive News World Congress in Detroit the Chrysler/Fiat CEO remarked he spent the equivalent of 42, 24-hour days on aircraft last year - as he digests the current wave of popular unrest sweeping Italy
HUNGARY: Michelin puts off expansion plan
26 January 2012
Michelin is postponing plans to expand manufacturing capacity in Hungary because of what it calls “legal and financial uncertainties” in the country where it makes 2m tyres a year, according to the business daily Vilaggazdasag.
GERMANY: Bosch posts preliminary 2011 revenue up 8.8% to US$66.bn.
25 January 2012
Preliminary figures from Bosch show the technology and services company generated sales revenue of EUR51.4bn (US$66.6bn) in 2011, up 8.8% compared to 2010.
ITALY: Mass lorry blockade sees Fiat plants shut and fuel shortages
24 January 2012
Nationwide industrial action by Italian lorry drivers has thrown Fiat production into chaos as motorway blockades stop component deliveries.
UK: just-auto surveys the global auto industry
24 January 2012
just-auto has launched its latest annual survey of the auto industry to identify key trends and forecasts for the year ahead.
FRANCE: Aluminium union waiting on Renault cylinder head work decision
24 January 2012
Renault is still to decide whether or not to grant a union request at the Fonderie du Poitou Aluminium (FPA) to increase cylinder head production to up to 1m units per year.
RESEARCH ANALYSIS: Fuel tank systems
20 January 2012
Fuelled by the need to save weight and reduce evaporative emissions, a great deal of innovative design and materials work is going into vehicle fuel tank systems, writes Matthew Beecham.
