By all accounts, the 2012 Ford Focus is a sales success. Just a few months after the car’s launch, it’s become the best-selling passenger car in Ford’s lineup, and inventory is often sold before it hits the dealer’s showroom. Still, Chevy sold 3,500 more units of its rival...Read More»
Mazda has built mid-size sedans at their Flat Rock, Michigan, plant since 1987. In 1992, the plant became a joint venture between Ford and Mazda called AutoAlliance International, but the relationship between the automakers has since fallen on hard times. Rumors about Mazda selling their stake in...Read More»
Ford built an automotive plant at Flat Rock, Michigan, in 1972; back then, the facility was the most advanced casting plant in the world. Labor troubles and decreasing demand for V-8 engines led Ford to shutter the plant in 1981, and the facility sat vacant for several years. Fast forward to 1987...Read More»
For U.S. automakers, business is up and the days of bankruptcies and government bailouts are in the past. Ford is hiring, GM is hiring and Chrysler is hiring. All want automotive engineers and all want automotive line workers, but that doesn’t mean you should hop on a plane to Detroit with...Read More»
GM is planning a major overhaul of its full-size SUV fleet for the 2014 model year. The automaker said today that it will spend $331 million to renovate its assembly plant in Arlington, Texas, home to its current crop of GMT900-family SUVs, including the GMC Yukon, Yukon Hybrid and Yukon XL; the...Read More»
In the early 20th century, the old Dodge Main plant there built cars for the competition. In the 1980s, a new factory on the same land became the home of Cadillac production. Today, General Motors (NYSE:GM) says its Hamtramck plant will be the home of the next-generation Chevrolet Impala full-size...Read More»
The biggest manufacturing lesson learned from this spring’s disaster in Japan is quite possibly this: single-source suppliers carry a large inherent risk. Hyundai and Kia are learning that lesson right now, as a labor strike at Yoosung Enterprise Company has crippled production of...Read More»
Stop for a minute and contemplate how many components go into building a new car. Now take a step back and look at how many smaller components go into making the components used in new cars. We’re still not done, because the next step is examining the raw materials that go into making the...Read More»
One of the cars that sparked Cadillac's renaissance is headed to the history books. The Cadillac STS has ended production, according to the Lansing State Journal. The final four-door was built last week. The STS began its career at Cadillac as a trim line of the Seville. The Seville Touring Sedan...Read More»
GM is set to announce tomorrow morning that it will spend about $100 million to refurbish the Bowling Green, Kentucky, plant that houses assembly of the Chevy Corvette. The Bowling Green plant opened in 1981, and has the capacity to build more than 30,000 cars a year. Through March 2011, it's built...Read More»
General Motors has announced an upcoming price increase on vehicles from Buick, Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac, due largely to the increase in oil and metal costs. The automaker hasn’t provided a model-by-model breakdown yet, but states that the average per-vehicle increase will be $123. GM did...Read More»
GM is expanding an assembly plant in Michigan, where it will build the new small 2013 Cadillac ATS. The Detroit News reports a formal announcement will come today for the expansion. GM will invest $190 million in its Grand River Assembly plant in Lansing, Michigan, and will add 600 workers to...Read More»
Which is greener: a Toyota Prius or a Toyota Corolla? They're both roughly the same size, and when you think quick, it seems that the Prius would be the no-brainer choice for greenies. The Prius, after all, gets an EPA Combined 50 mpg, while the Corolla gets (an EPA Combined) 30 at best. But if you...Read More»
At the 2010 Paris auto show, Volkswagen had a full range of new Passat sedans and wagons on display. But the Passat will not be returning to the U.S.--at least the new Euro Passat will not be--and to underscore that point, VW has released three new sketches of its upcoming new mid-size sedan (NMS)...Read More»
With a brace of new products arriving in the 2011 model years--the Fiesta, the F-150 and a Focus lineup coming soon--Ford is planning more new vehicles for its namesake and Lincoln brands. In the future, though, the number of models the company sells could fall dramatically, according to CEO Alan...Read More»
At its annual dealer meeting today in Atlanta, Volkswagen of America confirms it's bringing three updated models to the U.S. market for the 2011 model year. Yesterday, VW confirmed the new mid-size sedan ("NMS," for now) being built in Chattanooga, Tennessee, will have its world debut at the 2011...Read More»
Volkswagen's expanding again, this time with an engine plant in Mexico that one day will feed its North American factories with powertrains for at least two new sedans. VW confirmed in a press release that the new plant in Silao, Mexico--not far from a GM factory that houses assemby for pickups and...Read More»
Though fewer and fewer car shoppers are researching and purchasing today's Ford Ranger compact pickup truck, the decision to let the Ranger die next year in the U.S. still raises questions as to why Ford isn't working on a new small pickup, particularly when Ford's revived the Taurus and Explorer...Read More»
The 2011 Hyundai Elantra has been developed in South Korea, and is being adapted for the American market by the automaker's California-based marketing arm. Now, the Elantra is headed for production in Montgomery, Alabama, alongside the company's brisk-selling Sonata large sedan. Sources in South...Read More»
