Latest environment news and analysis articles 
A broad area that includes vehicle energy efficiency issues – in vehicle design, production, use and disposal - as well as sustainability and carbon footprint matters for auto industry manufacturing
PRODUCT EYE: Renault Kangoo Maxi Z.E.
1 February 2012
White Van Man might well be in danger of losing his innate haste and stress, should he get behind the wheel of the new EV version of Renault's Kangoo van.
GERMANY: Ford to cut European landfill waste by 70%
1 February 2012
Ford has committed to making massive cuts in the waste it sends to landfill, as well as the water it uses, across its European production units.
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.
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.
Q&A with Cummins: Diesel downsizing
13 January 2012
Smaller engines, producing the same power as the larger engines they have replaced while using less energy and therefore generating lower exhaust emissions, are high up the priority list of every vehicle manufacturer. In truth it is part of a process that has been continuing for many years. In this interview, Matthew Beecham talked with Neil Pattison, Director of On Highway Business, Cummins Inc, about trends in diesel downsizing.
DETROIT: Delphi 'robust' in face of rapidly changing global events: Brown
11 January 2012
Delphi says it is able to react swiftly to the impact of global events such as last year's earthquake in Japan, although highlights the unpredictability of such fast-changing situations.
DETROIT SHOW: Volvo lauds XC60 plug-in hybrid as '3-in-1'
11 January 2012
When Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation, presented the new XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept at Detroit this week, he described it as 'actually three cars rolled into one'.
DETROIT SHOW: Diesels gain traction in US
10 January 2012
Diesel is no longer a dirty word in the US says Audi chairman and chief executive Rupert Stadler.
Q&A with Productiv
3 January 2012
Productiv is a new company setting out to industrialise new and emerging green technologies and speed their introduction into the global automotive supply chain. It is supported by some heavyweight players, including the Carbon Trust, Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) and Welsh Automotive Forum. Productiv has three locations including a head office at the new SMMT building near Westminster in London; an engineering centre at the MIRA Technology Park near Coventry; and a production office at Bridgend, South Wales. In this interview, Matthew Beecham talked with Productiv’s CEO about the company’s business model and aims for 2012.
US: Ford aims to reduce water used per vehicle to 30% by 2015
3 January 2012
Ford enters 2012 with plans to further reduce the amount of water used to make vehicles to 30% globally by 2015, compared with the amount of water used per vehicle in 2009.
December 2011 management briefing: Review of 2011 (part 2)
23 December 2011
Like any year in the auto industry, 2011 saw its fair share of company ups and downs, industrial comings and goings, and a fair old sprinkling of corporate drama. Added to the mix this year were devastating natural disasters. We covered it all on just-auto. Editor Dave Leggett sifts through the lot and picks out a few highlights from the year just gone, month by month. Part two covers the second half of the year.
December 2011 management briefing: Review of 2011 (part 1)
20 December 2011
Like any year in the auto industry, 2011 saw its fair share of company ups and downs, industrial comings and goings, and a fair old sprinkling of corporate drama. Added to the mix this year were devastating natural disasters. We covered it all on just-auto. Editor Dave Leggett sifts through the lot and picks out a few highlights from the year just gone, month by month. Part one covers the first half of the year.
JAPAN: ‘Green’ tax boost for domestic sales
20 December 2011
Tax incentives to encourage motorists to buy cleaner cars could increase annual sales by 900,000 units, Toshiyuki Shiga, head of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (JAMA) has said.
US: GM cuts energy intensity by average 25% at 30 NA plants
19 December 2011
General Motors (GM) has cut energy intensity at 30 North American plants by an average of 25% - equivalent to the emissions from powering 97,000 US homes - to meet the US Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Challenge for Industry.
US: Ford environment and safety head Sue Cischke to retire
13 December 2011
Ford announced on 12 December that its head of sustainability, environment and safety engineering, Sue Cischke, would retire from 1 February 2012.
BELGIUM: European Commission puts forward new vehicle noise reduction proposals
12 December 2011
Proposals to reduce noise produced by cars, vans, buses and coaches as well as light and heavy trucks have been put forward by the the European Commission (EC).
UK: Valeo buys Variable Torque Enhancement System from CPT
6 December 2011
Valeo has purchased the Variable Torque Enhancement System (VTES) business of British automotive technology development company, Controlled Power Technologies (CPT).
TOKYO SHOW: Mitsubishi looks to new green machines
30 November 2011
Mitsubishi has been waiting a while for new models and, like London buses, it looks as if they are all going to come at once.
FRANCE: PSA consortium to back eco start-ups
14 November 2011
PSA Peugeot Citroën has joined a consortium including rail operator SNCF, oil company Total and mobile phone operator Orange that plans to invest in innovative young companies developing sustainable solutions.
Q&A with Surface Processing Ltd
9 November 2011
Surface Processing Ltd (SPL) is the largest sub-contract chemical cleaning facility of its kind in the UK today. In the automotive sector, SPL offers a range of services including removing corrosion from classic cars and weight from motorsport bodyshells to the removal of paint from support jigs and new components. Matthew Beecham talked with managing director Adrian McMurray about the firm’s growing OEM activity.
UK: Bentley achieves auto energy management first
9 November 2011
Volkswagen Group's Bentley Motors unit on Wednesday announced its Crewe factory has become the first UK automotive plant to achieve the new energy management standard, ISO 50001.
RESEARCH ANALYSIS: Global oil demand to peak before 2020 – study
8 November 2011
A study by engineering services and consulting company Ricardo predicts that global demand for oil may well peak before 2020 and fall back to levels significantly below 2010 demand by 2035.
THAI FLOODS: Supplier machine tax incentives to be announced shortly
3 November 2011
Thailand is to reveal details of tax incentives shortly for auto suppliers that continue to be severely affected by the country's massive floods with many not able to fully restart until the beginning of next year.
GERMANY: Mazda COO rules out 'eco' sub-brand
2 November 2011
Mazda will not have a Skyactiv sub-brand because sub-brands like BlueMotion (Volkswagen) or ECOnetic (Ford) for lower CO2 models is confusing to consumers, according to Mazda Europe chief operating officer Phil Waring.
THAI FLOODS: Water recedes as suppliers take stock
1 November 2011
Thai sources with knowledge of the country's extensive auto supplier industry say the waters around Bangkok are starting to recede following the extensive flooding of recent weeks.
COMMENT: Thai floods prompt government auto help
28 October 2011
Fall-out from Thailand's massive floods is starting to have a knock-on effect across not just the immediate country, but overseas too as vehicle manufacturers and suppliers feel the pinch.
THAI FLOODS: Petrol shortages hamper auto suppliers as floods rise
28 October 2011
Some Thai auto parts supplier staff are having to sleep in factories as the country's relentless flooding leads to fuel shortages.
THAI FLOODS: Suppliers move stock to higher ground as floods advance
26 October 2011
Auto parts suppliers in Thailand are preparing for any potential surge in water levels as the flooding crisis in the country continues to wreak enormous damage.
THAI FLOODS: Suppliers turn abroad as water could stop factories until mid-November
26 October 2011
Many of Thailand's thousands of auto suppliers are having to turn overseas in a bid to staunch the loss from massive floods that have swept across vast swathes of the country.
JAPAN: Toyota to provide plant-based bio-fuel by 2020
4 October 2011
Toyota has announced plans to commercialise a plant-based bio-fuel by 2020.
