Latest vehicle manufacturers news and analysis articles 
Developments for the automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that produce/assemble whole vehicles
JAPAN: Toyota nine-month operating profit plunges 72% on costs and currency
7 February 2012
Toyota Motor (TMC) operating profit for the nine months to 31 December, 2011 plunged 72% year on year to JPY117.1bn (US$1.52bn) on sales down 10.2% to JPY12.9 trillion. Net income fell from JPY382.7bn to JPY162.5bn. The company has, however, revised upwards its fiscal full-year forecast for 2011/12.
INDIA: Ssangyong considers local manufacture with M&M
7 February 2012
Ssangyong is considering manufacturing vehicles in India, a senior executive of the Mahindra & Mahindra-owned Korean automaker said.
CHINA: General Motors January sales off 8% year on year
7 February 2012
General Motors sales in China last month were up 25.3% over December 2011, the automaker's second-best January ever there but the 246,654-vehicle tally, including joint ventures, was down 8% year on year. There were three fewer shopping days as a result of the Lunar New Year holiday.
INDIA: Mahindra & Mahindra readying Saab bid - paper
7 February 2012
Mahindra & Mahindra, one of four companies interested in Saab Automobiles, has signed a confidentiality agreement with the bankrupt company and is in the process of finalising its bid, an Indian media report said. China's BAIC, possibly in conjunction with Panasonic reportedly may also submit a bid.
JAPAN: Toyota targets minimum 14% rise in China sales
7 February 2012
Toyota aims to sell at least 1m vehicles in China this year, up from 880,000 in calendar 2011, senior managing officer Takahiko Ijichi has said.
UK/JAPAN: Suzuki forms fuel cell JV with UK company
7 February 2012
Suzuki and UK-based Intelligent Energy have formed a joint venture to manufacture fuel cell systems for the Japanese company’s next generation of fuel cell vehicles.
GERMANY: UAW man on Opel board
7 February 2012
General Motors continues to tighten its grip on its German subsidiary Opel with the expected appointment of United Auto Workers (UAW) president Bob King to the supervisory board next month, according to Handelsblatt.
SWEDEN: BAIC eyes joint Saab bid with Panasonic
7 February 2012
Beijing Automotive Investment (BAIC) may team up with battery supplier Panasonic to buy Saab in order to make electric vehicles, reported ttela.se.
US: Fisker halts Delaware development
7 February 2012
Fisker has halted work at the former General Motors plant in Delaware, where it plans to build Project Nina, its plug-in hybrid family car, laying off 26 workers there and axing a further 40 contract (temporary) employees from its California headquarters.
INDIA: Mahindra & Mahindra net profit dips 10%
7 February 2012
Mahindra & Mahindra has posted a worse than expected 10% year on year fall in third-quarter net profit. It had booked an exceptional gain in 2011.
US: Chrysler's Eastwood ad attracts talk, not clicks - Edmunds
7 February 2012
Chrysler's two-minute Sunday night Super Bowl half-time ad featuring Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood may have prompted much chatter on- and off-line Monday about Chrysler’s follow-up to last year's 'Imported from Detroit' ad starring Eminenm but analysts at Edmunds.com reckon it did very little to "move the needle in consumer interest in Chrysler".
UK: BMW hiring more apprentices this year
7 February 2012
BMW Group plans to increase the number of UK apprenticeships available through its company and dealership schemes to around 200 in 2012.
GENEVA PREVIEW: Updated global debuts list [Honda CR-V diesel & Morgan Aero Coupe added]
7 February 2012
An updated version of just-auto's list of world premiere concepts and production models due to take a bow at the Geneva motor show's 6 March press day.
CHINA: Infiniti posts 60% increase in 2011 sales
7 February 2012
Nissan Motor's luxury division Infiniti posted a 60% increase to 19,075 units in 2011 sales in China, making it the company's second largest market for two consecutive years, reported China Daily.
RESULTS PREVIEW: Daimler to get trucks boost to end-year results
6 February 2012
Daimler is poised to post strong full-year financial results later this week (February 9) boosted by strong performances in its heavy trucks and financial services divisions.
JAPAN: Mitsubishi closing Netherlands assembly plant in 2013
6 February 2012
Mitsubishi Motors' NedCar plant in Born, the Netherlands, appears doomed beyond the end of this year after the automaker said it "would not allocate a new model" for its subsidiary European production site from "2013 and beyond".
JAPAN: Suzuki nine-month profit falls
6 February 2012
Suzuki Motor nine-month operating profit dipped 5.1% to JPY87.7bn on sales down 6.7% to JPY1.8 trillion due to a volume fall in India, ongoing effects of the Japanese earthquake, and yen appreciation, the automaker announced.
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.
US: Toyota Mississippi plant adds second Corolla shift
6 February 2012
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi (TMMMS) on Monday (6 February) added a second shift to make the Corolla. Approximately 2,000 people are now employed at the plant which was mothballed for a time after Toyota's plans changed following the global financial crisis about three years ago.
GENEVA PREVIEW: Look, honey, we shrunk the hybrid powertrain
6 February 2012
A more compact version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system used in larger models, like the Prius and Auris, will make its debut in Toyota Europe's Yaris hybrid due out later this year.
US: Ford starts work on US$1.1bn Claycomo plant expansion
6 February 2012
Ford has begun construction in Kansas City, Missouri on a US$1.1bn expansion of its Claycomo Assembly Plant.
CHINA: Mitsubishi Motors plans Pajero SUV JV with Guangzhou Automobile
6 February 2012
Mitsubishi Motors (MMC) plans to establish a joint venture (JV) with Guangzhou Automobile Group by the end of September, a media report said.
US: Super Bowl truck ad pits Ford against GM
6 February 2012
A row between General Motors and Ford over a Chevrolet truck television ad aired during weekend Super Bowl football game coverage in the US has attracted considerable media coverage both there and abroad.
GENEVA PREVIEW: Honda to launch new diesel engine
6 February 2012
Honda will show its new 1.6-litre diesel at next month’s Geneva motor show, claiming it to be the lightest, most fuel efficient and best performing engine in its class.
US: Fisker starts sales in Canada
6 February 2012
Fisker Automotive has started selling its electric Karma model in Canada where government funded subsidies are on offer to EV buyers.
CHICAGO PREVIEW: Updated global debuts list
6 February 2012
Various concepts and production models are due to be revealed at the Chicago auto show's 8 & 9 February media preview days. Our list continues to be updated as manufacturers confirm further debutantes.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: A mixed start to 2012
3 February 2012
The jury on the likely US sales tally for 2012 is still out after a January that (pleasantly) surprised our resident statistician Bill Cawthon and sparked off a bit of discussion at just-auto Towers this week - will the light vehicle market for the year break through 14m, as an increasing number of pundits suggest or will the remaining 11 months see it pegged back to the 13.5m-ish suggested late last year?
US: Chrysler adding 1,800 Belvidere jobs
3 February 2012
Chrysler last night (2 February) confirmed it will add about 1,800 jobs at its Belvidere, Illinois assembly plant, including a third shift "and hundreds of jobs for the production of the new Dodge Dart", by the third quarter of 2012.
JAPAN: Mitsubishi returns to profit in fiscal Q3
3 February 2012
Reduced costs and an improved model line-up helped Mitsubishi reverse last year’s loss to post a net profit in the nine months to December 2011.
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.
