Toyota uses Twitter to show how Auris hybrid is madeJune 18, 2013 09:26 CET  Toyota will use Twitter to show how it builds the Auris hybrid at its UK factory. The company aims to reach new customers in what it says is a world-first social media project.... Read More »
Output soars to 16M, with high-profit twist 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Vehicle production in North America is back near record levels, with output forecast to surpass 16 million units this year for the first time in more than a decade. But even though the numbers look similar to the days when Detroit used sky-high incentives to grapple with bloated inventories, the industry is in a much different place this time around.... Read More »
GM goes dark on output stats, causes stir 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  General Motors' decision to stop publicly disclosing monthly production numbers has touched off concern among industry analysts and economists, as well as suppliers that rely on the data for their production plans.... Read More »
JESSE SNYDER Why GM can only get hurt keeping data secret 9:52 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  GM has decided to stop publicly disclosing monthly production numbers. That’s instantly alarming to economists, analysts and GM’s suppliers. Number crunchers rely on the GM data for their own forecasts, and suppliers for their business and production plans.... Read More »
GM extends summer production shutdown at Russian plant as market coolsJune 17, 2013 14:22 CET  General Motors will extend the summer shutdown at its factory in St. Petersburg, Russia, as the country's car market growth slows down. The Russian market is expected to decline by 5 percent in 2013.... Read More »
Toyota's U.S. aces now run the Americas 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  North America and South America are radically different markets. But Toyota Motor Corp. has installed two familiar names from the United States to lead them.... Read More »
Toyota targets fewer parts, complexity to speed product creation 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 15, 2013  Toyota has decided it no longer needs 50 kinds of air bags to protect drivers' knees. Ten, the company says, ought to suffice. In one of President Akio Toyoda's biggest initiatives since taking over in 2009, the company is winnowing the number of parts it uses and increasing common components across models.... Read More »
YANG JIAN Foreign competition leads to new partnerships in China 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 14, 2013  In China, auto JVs are common between global brands and state-owned Chinese companies. Today, however, big state-owned automakers and small private domestic companies also are joining forces to better battle major foreign automakers.... Read More »
YANG JIAN Foreign competition leads to new partnerships in China 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 14, 2013  In China, auto JVs are common between global brands and state-owned Chinese companies. Today, however, big state-owned automakers and small private domestic companies also are joining forces to better battle major foreign automakers.... Read More »
N.A. output will reach 11-year highJune 14, 2013 06:01 CET Automakers are expected to build more than 16 million light vehicles in North America this year, the region's highest output since 2002. Two major forecasters, LMC Automotive and IHS Automotive, predict that production will rise from last year's 15.5 million units as the U.S. economy continues to improve.... Read More »
2013 AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE CONGRESS Peugeot will double output of 2008 small SUVJune 13, 2013 07:36 CET  Peugeot will double production of the 2008 small SUV in France to meet high demand, brand head Maxime Picat said. The model is expected to topple the Nissan Juke from its No.1 position in the segment.... Read More »
UK car production on track to overtake France by 2018June 13, 2013 20:16 CET  Britain may overtake France as Europe's second-largest automotive producer within the next five years if UK car sales and exports maintain current strong growth, industry executives said.... Read More »
GM denies it will build Chevrolet Cruze at Poland plantJune 13, 2013 12:52 CET  General Motors will start building the Chevrolet Cruze at its Opel plant in Poland, a report said, drawing a denial from GM.... Read More »
Mercedes rolls out S class as Bernhard is replaced by Renschler as production bossJune 12, 2013 20:50 CET  Daimler's new Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan rolled off the assembly line for the first time, coinciding with the first appearance of another important newcomer -- the company's head of production for Mercedes.... Read More »
Mercedes rolls out S-class as production boss takes charge 2:50 pm U.S. ET | June 12, 2013  Daimler's new Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan rolled off the assembly line for the first time today, coinciding with the first appearance of another important newcomer -- the company's head of production for Mercedes.... Read More »
GM mulls moving Opel Mokka production to Spain from Korea, report saysJune 11, 2013 09:03 CET  General Motors is considering moving part of the current production of the Opel Mokka to Spain from Korea, a German newspaper reported, citing sources within the U.S. carmaker. Opel said earlier this year that it plans to build the next-generation Mokka in Europe and not in Korea.... Read More »
N.A. output will reach 11-year high 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 10, 2013 Automakers are expected to build more than 16 million light vehicles in North America this year, the region's highest output since 2002. Two major forecasters, LMC Automotive and IHS Automotive, predict that production will rise from last year's 15.5 million units as the U.S. economy continues to improve.... Read More »
N.A. output rises 7% in May 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 10, 2013 North American car and truck production in May rose 7 percent, or an estimated 1,492,913 units over the same month in 2012. It was the largest May since 2007 (1,454,475).... Read More »
Polish car production falls 7% in MayJune 10, 2013 11:01 CET Car production in Poland -- where Fiat, GM and VW Group have plants -- fell 7 percent in May, industry monitor SAMAR said. The group added that weak European demand and a run of public holidays had reversed a rise in the previous month. In Poland, nearly 99 percent of cars assembled are for export, mostly within Europe.... Read More »
HAULING IT IN Big pickup transaction prices rise at twice the industry rate 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 10, 2013  It feels like the good old days for the Detroit 3, with big pickups flying off dealership lots and plants running full out to fill orders for large, profitable models. Although volumes remain well below the previous peaks, average transaction prices for full-sized pickups have increased at more than double the average rate for the industry since 2005, according to Edmunds.com. And manufacturers are not creating demand artificially with unsustainable discounts.... Read More »
Few Daimler shutdowns 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 10, 2013 Daimler AG, following the lead of some U.S. automakers, will largely refrain from taking a traditional summer break at its car factories. Vehicles such as the revamped Mercedes-Benz E class are keeping assembly lines busy even as overall European auto demand slides to a 20-year low.... Read More »
Hyundai, Kia to ride out sales lull 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 10, 2013 Hyundai and Kia just turned in another lackluster sales report. The South Korean brands had become industry standouts in recent years, posting sales growth even amid the depths of the 2008-09 recession and drawing praise for their distinctive designs. But with production capacity maxed out, their U.S. growth has stalled.... Read More »
Adhesives tapped to make cars lighter, tougherJune 8, 2013 06:01 CET  Carmakers including Audi and Mercedes are turning to high-tech adhesives as they seek ways to make cars lighter and tougher. As automakers increase the use of lightweight materials such as aluminum and exotic composites, which cannot be welded together but have to be glued with adhesives, industry experts forecast the amount of glue used in an average car may grow by at least a third over the next five to 10 years, from around 15kg now.... Read More »
Opel will replace Astra with Zafira at Ruesselsheim plantJune 7, 2013 14:34 CET  GM's Opel brand will stop making its compact Astra hatchback in Ruesselsheim, Germany, in 2015 to make space for the Zafira minivan now made at its Bochum plant, which is scheduled to close by the end of next year. The company's factory in Gliwice, Poland, will increase Astra production to make up for the lost volume, an Opel spokesman said.... Read More »
GREEN CARS Volvo to increase plug-in hybrid outputJune 7, 2013 19:04 CET  Volvo has revised upward its production forecast for the V60 plug-in hybrid due to higher-than-expected demand. Volvo plans to make 10,000 units of the low-CO2 model by the end of 2014, up from a previous target of 4,000 to 6,000. The company said sales are being driven partly by emissions-based tax breaks given to the car, which emits 48 grams per kilometer of CO2.... Read More »
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