Latest vehicle manufacturing news and analysis articles 
Changes to production plans, volumes, assembly lines, plant capacities and related product/model developments as well as production engineering
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
TURKEY: Brightwell confident of 'immediate' start if Saab bid successful
3 February 2012
Saab bidder Brightwell Holdings says with some "minor adjustements," production could restart immediately in Trollhattan, should its pitch for the bankrupt automaker be successful.
INDIA: Audi to assemble Q3 and Q7 SUVs - reports
3 February 2012
Volkswagen unit Audi India is adding an extra assembly line at its Aurangabad plant in Maharashtra to build the luxury Q7 SUV and the upcoming entry level Q3, which is expected to be launched in June-July this year, according to local reports.
COMMENT: Where does the Chinese car industry really stand?
2 February 2012
Investment banker Meyrick Cox describes the development of the Chinese auto industry, its structure and offers a view on the challenges it faces in the future.
RUSSIA: Toyota to expand local production capability
2 February 2012
Toyota is expanding the role of its assembly plant in St Petersburg by adding stamping and resin moulding processes to the current CKD kit welding, painting and assembly capabilities.
AUSTRALIA: 100 temps going as Holden switches to single shift assembly
2 February 2012
General Motors' Australian unit Holden is to introduce a new single shift at its vehicle manufacturing plant in Elizabeth, South Australia and axe 100 temporary workers.
UK: Jaguar Land Rover hiring 133 apprentices
2 February 2012
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will recruit 133 apprentices in 2012, its largest intake ever. Its programme, this year searching for both advanced and higher apprentices launches on Monday 6 February coinciding with National Apprenticeship Week here in the UK.
TURKEY: Oyak Renault plans investment boost
2 February 2012
Carmaker Oyak Renault plans to increase its annual investment figure to $254m from $176m a year earlier, its general manager said.
CZECH REPUBLIC: Skoda builds car #14 million
2 February 2012
Škoda produced its 14 millionth car - a Laurin & Klement Superb special edition - at its Kvasiny plant earlier this week. The milestone vehicle is for a German customer.
BELGIUM: Ford trims Genk output
1 February 2012
Ford is to lay off its workers for an additional day a month at its Genk, Belgium, manufacturing plant in order to trim vehicle production in the face of a weaker European market.
BELGIUM: National strike will not affect full-year volumes: Volvo
1 February 2012
Volvo says this week's nationwide strike that paralysed vast swathes of Belgium will not affect its planned volumes for 2102.
UK: Ford to debut one-litre I3 EcoBoost for Focus
1 February 2012
The European Focus will be available with the company’s new three cylinder one-litre EcoBoost engine here in the UK this month; Ford claims the engine delivers performance to rival a traditional 1.6-litre engine but with significantly improved fuel economy and class-leading ultra-low CO2 emissions.
CANADA: GM recalls 42 transmission workers
1 February 2012
General Motors (GM) of Canada is recalling 42 employees to work on the six speed front-wheel drive transmission line at its St Catharines Powertrain factory in Ontario, Canada.
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.
January 2012 management briefing: 2012's growing vehicle markets
31 January 2012
The problems facing the European vehicle market were described in the last instalment of January's briefing. In this article, we consider the prospects for vehicle demand in other world regions.
FRANCE: PSA may put India plan on hold
31 January 2012
PSA Peugeot Citroen said it may delay its planned EUR650m (US$850m) plant investment in India, adding only that it is "reviewing the investment calendar”.
THAI FLOODS: Honda Ayutthaya plant back on stream in March
31 January 2012
Honda Motor said on Tuesday (31 January) its car factory in Thailand (in the Rojana Industrial Park, Ayutthaya) would resume production by the end of March.
GERMANY: VW Transporter SKD assembly in Indonesia begins
31 January 2012
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has begun assembly of the T5 Transporter from SKD kits through local importer Garuda Mataram Motor.
INDIA: Scania invests in India
31 January 2012
Scania has said that it is planning to invest about SEK200m in an industrial facility in Bangalore during the coming year.
US: Chrysler builds millionth Pentastar V6
31 January 2012
Chrysler's Trenton, Michigan, engine plant has produced its millionth 'Pentastar' V6 engine 18 months after it entered production as the standard engine for the 2010 model year Jeep Grand Cherokee.
BRAZIL: Lifan in investment mood, Renault mulls Lodgy
30 January 2012
Lifan has decided to deepen its partnership with Brazilian group Effa which already distributes the Chinese automaker's 320 (which looks something like BMW's Mini) and 620 sedan models here.
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).
