Ford to shutter Australia car, engine plants in 2016 8:04 pm U.S. ET | May 22, 2013  Ford, saddled with high costs and falling sales, will close its Australian car and engine assembly plants in 2016, ending almost nine decades of manufacturing in the country, the company said. Ford, the smallest of the country's three manufacturers after Toyota and GM, will shut its assembly plant in Broadmeadows in northern Melbourne and an engine plant in Geelong to the west of the city, Ford Australia CEO Bob Graziano said.... Read More »
Ford, Chrysler to reduce summer shutdowns at most N.A. plants 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 22, 2013  Ford Motor and Chrysler Group said today they are scaling back annual summer production shutdowns this year in hopes of boosting output of key models in North America. General Motors declined to disclose specific summer plans.... Read More »
Ford to maintain Canadian factory footprint despite high labor costs 12:49 pm U.S. ET | May 21, 2013  Ford is confident it can preserve its manufacturing profile in Canada despite uncompetitive operating costs tied to the high Canadian dollar, the company's top executive in the country said today.... Read More »
Mercedes workers end strike in S. AfricaMay 21, 2013 10:00 CET  A two-day strike at Mercedes-Benz's East London car plant in South Africa ended following crisis talks between management and a workers union.... Read More »
Magneti Marelli expands China production of lighting componentsMay 21, 2013 09:15 CET  Magneti Marelli has opened a plant in the southern China city of Foshan to produce rear lights, headlamps and other lighting components. The company aims to secure a 10 percent share of China's lighting market in the midterm.... Read More »
Infiniti: Raise quality, sales will follow 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  Infiniti President Johan de Nysschen, poached last summer from Audi, aims to push into new segments, restore profitability to Nissan's luxury marque and fix lackluster quality rankings. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has ordered de Nysschen to make the brand a top-tier premium player and boost global sales to 500,000 by 2016 from just 170,000 last year.... Read More »
Magna opens body, chassis plant in China's ChongqingMay 20, 2013 09:36 CET  Magna's Cosma unit has opened a plant in southwest China to supply body and chassis parts to automakers in the area including Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen.... Read More »
CARS & CONCEPTS Sources: Chrysler plans high-hp Hellcat V-8 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013 Chrysler Group is developing a supercharged Hemi V-8 with power approaching the 640 hp of the SRT Viper's V-10.... Read More »
Industry: EU trade deal would lift exports 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013 U.S. auto exports to Europe could quadruple within 15 years if regulators get rid of tariffs and adopt standard vehicle-safety rules, automaker associations say.... Read More »
Cost is key to fate of talking cars 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  Cars that communicate with each other to avoid crashes or traffic jams will save lives, but the cost of the systems will determine consumers' acceptance, the U.S. transportation secretary said last week.... Read More »
Acura seeks image boost by reviving NSX in Ohio 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  Honda officials hope the revived Acura NSX, an advanced hybrid sports car scheduled to arrive in 2015, will strengthen Acura's luxury footing. Honda said last week that it will invest $70 million in Ohio to assemble the NSX.... Read More »
PRODUCTION LINE Chafing against engine friction 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013 Friction is enemy No. 1 for powertrain engineers striving to meet rising fuel-economy standards. Lower friction enables engines to efficiently produce more horsepower per liter of displacement.... Read More »
Toyota plans big hike in lithium ion battery output 12:22 pm U.S. ET | May 19, 2013  Toyota is planning to increase production of lithium ion batteries by six times, as the automaker prepares to eventually use them in its flagship Prius gasoline-electric hybrid cars, the Nikkei business daily reported on Sunday.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE 2 million extra doors was the best call Daimler made during 'marriage of equals' 12:35 pm U.S. ET | May 17, 2013  It's easy to criticize the way Daimler AG ran and ultimately left Chrysler during the disastrous "marriage of equals" era. I know because I've done it on a regular basis. But even the worst marriages can produce spectacular kids -- or in this case, products.... Read More »
Cadillac to offer new twin-turbo V-6 on XTS for 2014 8:11 am U.S. ET | May 17, 2013  Cadillac is adding a new 410-hp, twin-turbo 3.6-liter V-6 engine as an option on the XTS sedan for 2014.... Read More »
Tariff played a role in Mexico winning Audi plantMay 17, 2013 06:01 CET  At the groundbreaking for the Q5 plant in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler offered another explanation for deciding not to locate in the United States: The European Union slaps a 10 percent tariff on U.S.-built vehicles.... Read More »
Ford to shift Fiesta output to Thailand from Mexico, report says 4:07 pm U.S. ET | May 16, 2013  Ford, moving to ease production constraints in North America, plans to shift output of the Fiesta subcompact from Mexico to Thailand in 2016, The Detroit News reported today.... Read More »
BorgWarner to expand UK production to supply Jaguar Land RoverMay 16, 2013 06:01 CET  U.S. supplier BorgWarner Inc. said it would build a new production line and engineering center in the United Kingdom to supply turbocharging systems to customer Jaguar Land Rover. The turbochargers would be used in JLR's family of four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, due to launch in 2015.... Read More »
LINDSAY CHAPPELL How GM and Nissan avoided a UAW thorn 3:15 pm U.S. ET | May 15, 2013  A labor taboo still exists in the North American auto industry, and Nissan and GM sidestepped it this week. GM revealed that it will buy Nissan's compact commercial vans to provide Chevrolet with a competitor to Ford's Transit Connect compact van.... Read More »
Ford will build EcoSport in Russia for local marketMay 15, 2013 08:57 CET  Ford's Russian joint venture will begin building the EcoSport compact SUV in Russia next year for the local market, at a time when the demand for small SUVs is gaining traction in the country..... Read More »
Autoliv targets revenue gains of 5% on China, U.S. demandMay 14, 2013 10:19 CET  Swedish supplier Autoliv is targeting annual revenue growth of 5 percent or more in the next five years based on an increase in Chinese and U.S. car sales.... Read More »
Ford's Russian joint venture will build engine plantMay 14, 2013 14:13 CET  Ford's Russian joint venture will invest $274 million to build a new powertrain plant in Tatarstan. The plant will manufacture three different versions of 1.6-liter Duratec engines starting in December 2015.... Read More »
Cost to be big factor in 'talking' cars acceptance, LaHood says 3:51 pm U.S. ET | May 14, 2013  Cars that "talk" to each other to avoid crashes or traffic jams, like those being tested here, will save lives but the cost of the systems will determine consumers' acceptance of such technology, the transportation secretary said today.... Read More »
LINDSAY CHAPPELL The auto boom -- without new jobs 2:49 pm U.S. ET | May 14, 2013  Bill Strauss has some very good news for the American auto industry. Or he has some very bad news. You can take your pick.... Read More »
Nissan kicks off drive to cut costs 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013  Nissan North America is stepping up manufacturing cost reduction efforts as it expands its footprint in the hemisphere. The cornerstone of the drive will be to bring down costs at Nissan's Canton, Miss., assembly plant.... Read More »
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