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
just-auto takes a break
24 May 2013
Monday May 27 is a public holiday here in the UK. The late May holiday traditionally heralds the start of our summer. Yeah, right. Today, as they say, it is nice weather for ducks - very wet and unseasonably chilly.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Pain and gain
24 May 2013
More read-it-and-weep news for struggling European rivals from Volkswagen group this week as it chalked up another little milestone - selling over 3m vehicles in the first four months of a year.
COMMENT: Colombia's OEM suppliers and assemblers at the crossroads
24 May 2013
Vehicle assembly in Colombia began in 1956 when the government signed an agreement to build Austin trucks locally. Colombian entrepreneurs soon saw the opportunity to invest in technology to be part of the necessary OEM supply chain. But those with up to 57 years of experience are in danger of disappearing unless they make radical decisions.
AUSTRALIA: Holden commits as union calls for bi-partisan auto approach
24 May 2013
Holden says it is committed to continuing its Australian presence despite Ford's decision to end production in the country, while a major union is calling for both political parties to unite around supporting the automotive sector.
SOUTH AFRICA: Union threatens Volkswagen production
24 May 2013
South Africa's main auto union on Friday threatened to "halt production" at a Volkswagen factory in the country to protest against the dismissal of its members.
SWEDEN: Ex-Saab CEO Victor Muller to appear before Economic Crime Authority
24 May 2013
Former Saab CEO, Victor Muller, is to be questioned by Sweden's Economic Crime Authority, although precise details of the inquiry's nature are not yet available.
COMMENT: Will 'outrageous' 20% pay rise keep South Africa lights on?
24 May 2013
Here we go again. In 2010, South Africa was convulsed by a wave of industrial unrest as pay bargaining talks lumbered into action and three years later, hey presto, the same actors seem to be going through the same painful process once more.
SWEDEN: Geely's Volvo Cars creates new joint purchasing and manufacturing unit
24 May 2013
Geely's Volvo Car Cars will establish a new global purchasing and manufacturing organisation to reduce complexity and costs.
AUSTRALIA: Ford to end local manufacture in 2016
23 May 2013
After announcing an after-tax operating loss of A$141m for the 2012 financial year, following a A$290m loss in 2011, Ford has finally thrown in the manufacturing towel in Australia and will close its factories in 2016.
SOUTH AFRICA: Paint shop dispute at heart of Mercedes-Benz lightning strike
23 May 2013
Striking workers at a Mercedez-Benz plant in South Africa walked out this week concerning a dispute surrounding paint shop practices, it has emerged.
AUSTRALIA: Irate union slams Ford 'Detroit edict' as costing 6,000 jobs
23 May 2013
Ford's decision to axe production in Australia has provoked fury at one of Australia's largest unions that estimates the cascade effect of shuttering plants will cost up to 6,000 jobs.
FRANCE: No job losses in Meudon move says PSA
22 May 2013
PSA Peugeot-Citroen is stressing there will be no job losses in plans to close and move its administrative and research site near Paris.
SOUTH AFRICA: Auto pay talks to start against labour unrest backdrop
22 May 2013
Crunch talks between South African metalworker unions and employers are due to take place in Pretoria next week against a context of significant labour unrest.
US: Ford adds 200K capacity in NA
22 May 2013
Ford has said it will add capacity in the buoyant North American market. The company is to add an additional 200,000 units of annual straight-time capacity this year.
US: Denso execs facing prison for price fixing
22 May 2013
Two Japanese executives who worked for Denso Corporation are facing over a year in a US federal prison following their roles in a price fixing scandal.
May 2013 management briefing: ASEAN growth prospects (1)
21 May 2013
In the last decade of last century, before the term “BRICs” had even been coined, there was another acronym that loomed large on the agenda of any global automaker. ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, looked like a potential powerhouse for growth. In this month's management briefing, Mark Bursa takes a look at the region's automotive prospects, starting with an overview.
UK: Ford Europe chief criticises 'unbalanced free trade agreements'
21 May 2013
Stephen Odell, head of Ford of Europe, has urged Europe's politicians, business leaders, academics and regulators to create market conditions that enable Europe's automotive industry to flourish. He also warned that unbalanced free trade agreements threaten the struggling European auto industry's future recovery.
SOUTH KOREA: Hyundai names next Tucson as first fuel cell production car
21 May 2013
Hyundai Motor has announced that the fuel cell vehicle it will build at the rate of 10,000 units a year will be a version of the next Tuscon.
SWEDEN: Saab trio arrested on tax suspicions
21 May 2013
Three senior former Saab employees are currently being interviewed in Sweden on suspicion of tax evasion.
US: GM invests for greater flexibility at Lansing Grand River
21 May 2013
General Motors has announced a US$44.5m investment to build a “Logistics Optimisation Centre” at its Lansing Grand River Assembly plant (that makes the Cadillac ATS and three CTS models), creating 200 new jobs.
PRODUCT EYE: Honda CR-Z
21 May 2013
It isn't often that a three-year old car, albeit one that was facelifted not long ago, attracts admiring glances in car parks. Glenn Brooks was surprised to learn that few people know what a Honda CR-Z is.
THAILAND: Mitsubishi reveals Attrage - Mirage/Space Star sedan
21 May 2013
Mitsubishi Motors (MMC) has revealed initial details of the production version of the G4 concept from the recent Bangkok motor show. This new model, a sedan version of the Mirage/Space Star hatchback, is called 'Attrage'.
JAPAN: Mitsubishi/Nissan minicar starts production
21 May 2013
Mitsubishi Motors began production of a new mini-car at its Mizushima plant in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, this week.
JAPAN: Mitsubishi/Nissan minicar in production in Japan
21 May 2013
Mitsubishi Motors began production of a new mini-car at its Mizushima plant in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan this week.
EXCLUSIVE: Next Mazda2 to use downsized CX-5 platform
20 May 2013
A spokesperson for the company's UK importer has told just-auto that the replacement for the Mazda2/Demio will use the same platform as the far larger CX-5 crossover.
FRANCE: CGT fires bitter parting shots as Aulnay strike ends
20 May 2013
PSA Peugeot-Citroen's factory at Aulnay is thought to be restarting work tomorrow (21 May) after a bitter four-month strike protesting against its closure next year that unions claim has cost almost 40,000 vehicles.
BRAZIL: New Anfavea president wants exports to double by 2017
20 May 2013
Exports are top of the agenda for Luiz Moan, the new president of Anfavea, the lobby group for Brazil's auto industry. He wants to see a foreign sales recovery by 2017 as his tenure’s legacy.
US: Chrysler's Toledo North plant builds millionth Jeep Wrangler
20 May 2013
Chrysler Group's Toledo (Ohio) assembly complex has built its millionth JK series Jeep Wrangler.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: A little bit of niggle
17 May 2013
I wouldn't have thought that, with the current state of play in the European auto industry, there'd be too much niggle in the union ranks. But we've reported on a bit this week.
COMMENT: Bochum union factionism a voice from the past
17 May 2013
What are Opel's 3,000 odd workers at its Bochum plant in the heavily-industrialised region of North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) thinking today?
