Europe Manufacturing

Jaguar Land Rover to lift investment at UK engine plant

March 5, 2013 06:01 CET
Jaguar Land Rover plans to increase investment at its UK engine plant and double employment at the site to around 1,400, CEO Ralf Speth said.... Read More »

 

BorgWarner picks Verrier to succeed Manganello as CEO

Nov. 15, 2012 15:13 CET
BorgWarner named James Verrier as CEO, succeeding Tim Manganello after 10 years at the helm of the powertrain technology supplier. The move is effective Jan. 1. BorgWarner signaled its succession plan in March when it named Verrier, 49, to the newly created position of president and COO.... Read More »

 

Source: Cruze may be built in Europe

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 12, 2012
General Motors said it won't build the next-generation Chevrolet Cruze in Korea, raising the possibility that it might shift production to Europe to help boost efficiency at its money-losing Opel unit.... Read More »

 

Ford offers buyouts in Europe to help cut costs

Sept. 25, 2012 19:30 CET
Ford is making buyout offers to "a few hundred" white-collar European workers as the automaker struggles to rein in costs amid plunging vehicle sales.... Read More »

 

BMW finds new ways to improve productivity with aging work force

Sept. 8, 2012 06:01 CET
Five years ago, BMW managers realized that with Germany's graying population the average age of their workers would jump from 41 to 46 by 2017. So they decided to make it happen sooner.... Read More »

 

Europe recognizes capacity surplus, Mulally says

Sept. 7, 2012 09:19 CET
Ford and other automakers in Europe are coming to grips with the need to reduce factory capacity as car sales collapse in the region, CEO Alan Mulally said.... Read More »

 

2012 ANE CONGRESS

BMW tops in supplier relations, survey says

June 21, 2012 16:00 CET
BMW edged Porsche to finish No. 1 in the eyes of partsmakers in a new study on automaker-supplier relations. BMW finished on top with 617 out of a total 1,000 points in the 2012 Supplier Relationship (SuRe) index -- a ranking of 28 global automakers done by suppliers. The results were part of the 8th annual Automotive News Europe/IHS Automotive OEM-Supplier Relations Survey.... Read More »

 

Chrysler to add 1,800 workers at Illinois plant for Dart, Compass and Patriot

1:24 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2012
Chrysler Group said today it will ramp up production of the 2013 Dodge Dart quickly at a plant in Belvidere, Ill., adding more than 1,800 workers even before the first model has been built.... Read More »

 

Turkish group in talks to rescue EV maker Think

July 6, 2011 13:00 CET
Turkey-based investment group BD Otomotive says it is in advanced negotiations to rescue tiny electric car maker Think Global from collapse. “Our intentions are simple – to bring Think out of bankruptcy and make it the affordable urban EV for Europe it was always designed to be,” BD Otomotive Chairman Osman Boyner said.... Read More »

 

2011 ANE CONGRESS

E-mobility at risk without standards, panel member says

July 5, 2011 06:01 CET
The future of e-mobility is at risk without global harmonization of standards, a top Ford of Europe executive said. Wulf-Peter Schmidt, Ford of Europe's manager of sustainability, said that without a widespread, reliable charging infrastructure, affordable, safe products and common standards it will be difficult for electric vehicles to gain traction.... Read More »

 

SPX to provide European automaker with EV charging solutions

July 4, 2011 12:49 CET
SPX Service Solutions, a developer and maker of automotive diagnostic systems, has a deal to provide its electric vehicle chargers and installation services to a “premier European manufacturer,” the company's top executive said. "They will announce us as a package of the overall offering of the car,” Tanvir Arfi, president of SPX Service Solutions, told Automotive News Europe.... Read More »

 

VW secures majority in MAN as it pursues truck merger

July 4, 2011 10:34 CET
VW, Europe's largest truckmaker, secured a majority in MAN SE after more shareholders than expected accepted a takeover bid. VW will own 55.9 percent of the MAN's voting rights after the deal closes. The stake is larger than the 40 percent that VW initially sought when it started the bid in May.... Read More »

 

2011 ANE CONGRESS

Porsche tops in supplier relations, survey says

June 30, 2011 14:45 CET
Porsche edged Toyota to finish No. 1 in the eyes of partsmakers in a new study on automaker-supplier relations. Porsche finished on top with 617 out of a total 1,000 points in the 2011 Supplier Relationship (SuRe) index -- a ranking of 30 global automakers done by suppliers. The results were part of the 7th annual Automotive News Europe/SupplierBusiness OEM-Supplier Relations Survey.... Read More »

 

Daimler, BAIC invest 2 billion euros to expand China production

June 28, 2011 16:00 CET
Daimler and Beijing Automotive have signed an agreement to spend 2 billion euros to build four new models in China, expand engine production and construct a new r&d center. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said the investment will allow Mercedes to expand its lineup of compact luxury cars. “As early as 2020, at least one in five premium compact cars is expected to be sold in China,” Zetsche said.... Read More »

 

Suzuki to use Fiat diesel for new Hungary-made car

June 27, 2011 06:01 CET
Suzuki Motor Corp. said on Monday it has agreed to buy 1.6-liter diesel engines from Fiat's powertrain unit to fit in a new car to be built in Hungary starting in 2013. The Japanese automaker has been buying 2.0-liter diesel engines from Fiat Powertrain Technologies since 2006 for the SX4 small SUV made in Hungary. Suzuki also produces 1.3-liter diesels under licence from Fiat Powertrain Technologies in India.... Read More »

 

VW's truck merger faces resistance as MAN opposition mounts

June 24, 2011 07:19 CET
Volkswagen faces resistance to efforts to forge a commercial-vehicle alliance between its Scania affiliate and MAN SE, as criticism from workers and investors to the automaker's inroads intensifies. Supervisory board members representing MAN employees oppose plans to install additional VW executives at the German truckmaker, two people familiar with the matter said.... Read More »

 

PSA, Renault doomed to trail VW as Sarkozy saves jobs

June 24, 2011 09:49 CET
PSA and Renault may fall further behind European competitors as the carmakers bow to French government pressure to protect jobs ahead of next year's presidential election. PSA CEO Philippe Varin distanced himself from a leaked proposal to close a French plant after the government described it as "unacceptable."... Read More »

 

Ghosn expects Nissan's full-year sales to be 'significantly higher'

June 22, 2011 14:19 CET
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn expects sales in the current fiscal year to be "significantly higher" than the previous 12-month period. The Yokohama-based company will announce its profit outlook for the fiscal year ending March 2012 on Thursday.... Read More »

 

VW, BMW lead Europe car sales recovery on German demand

June 17, 2011 08:19 CET
Volkswagen AG and BMW AG led Europe's strongest car-sales recovery in 14 months in May, as new models attracted buyers in Germany and France. Registrations rose 7.6 percent from a year earlier to 1.25 million vehicles, industry association ACEA said today in a statement. Five-month sales decreased 0.4 percent.... Read More »

 

VW plans China securitization drive as car sales soar

June 17, 2011 06:01 CET
Volkswagen plans to sell asset-backed securities in China when government rules allow issuance of the debt amid soaring vehicle sales in the country. Asset securitization is favored by People's Bank of China officials who say it can help banks manage balance sheets and will ensure China's markets keep pace with its economic development.... Read More »

 

NEWS ANALYSIS

How important is the next Liberty to Chrysler? Very

3:32 pm U.S. ET | May 31, 2011
Executives from Chrysler Group and President Barack Obama will take a joint victory lap Friday at the automaker’s massive Toledo assembly complex to celebrate Chrysler’s survival and its full repayment of $7.6 billion in government loans.... Read More »

 

TRW will open new China tech center in 2013

April 20, 2011 13:03 CET
TRW will open a new technical center in Anting, China in 2013. The facility will handle r&d, engineering design and application as well as testing and validation work across all of the U.S. supplier's product lines, the company said.... Read More »

 

Fiat changes product strategy in key segment

April 18, 2011 06:01 CET
Fiat has decided it won't launch a new conventional hatchback to rival the VW Golf, Europe's best-selling car. Instead Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne wants the Italian automaker to replace its slow-selling Bravo compact with an all-new high-roof crossover inspired by the hot-selling Nissan Qashqai. Fiat finalized the decision to make the switch late last month, people with direct knowledge of the matter told Automotive News Europe.... Read More »