Latest News & Features – Page 87

  • Lear just-in-time seating copy
    Article

    Lear expands seating structures plant

    2018-03-27T10:13:20Z

    Portugal - The company has recently spent more than €5m (US$6.22m) to expand its automotive seating structures manufacturing facility in Valença - a small town situated in north Portugal. Production space was nearly doubled, and now covers an area of over 20,600 square meters, while the office space was also ...

  • Audi Brussels
    Article

    Audi plant hailed as CO2-neutral

    2018-03-26T15:00:01Z

    Belgium - The plant in Brussels has been awarded a 'CO2-neutral site' certificate by Vinçotte - an independent company that carries out inspections and audits. According to Audi, this is the first high-volume production plant in the world to receive the award."In 2014, we were the first premium manufacturer to ...

  • Nissan Leaf battery copy
    Article

    4R centre to reuse EV batteries

    2018-03-26T12:28:02Z

    Japan - The global development and manufacturing centre for 4R Energy Corporation will soon open in the town of Namie. It will specialise in the recycling and refabrication of lithium-ion batteries from all over the country.Owners of the Nissan Leaf will be able to turn in their used batteries and ...

  • Lynk & Co 01 production car
    Article

    Lynk & Co cars to be built in Belgium

    2018-03-26T10:47:08Z

    Belgium - Volvo Cars has recently announced that it will start producing cars under the Lynk & Co marque at its manufacturing plant in Ghent, Belgium, from late 2019. The Volvo XC40, V40 and S60 are currently made at the facility, and will also soon be joined by the new ...

  • PSA Trémery engine production copy
    Article

    PSA expands European facilities

    2018-03-23T16:17:33Z

    France - Like several other manufacturers, Groupe PSA is hoping to benefit from rising demand for electrified vehicles. To ensure it can meet this demand, the company has said that it will prepare its plant in Trémery, France, for the production of electric motors, which will start in 2019. A ...

  • Ian Henry
    Article

    Of Geneva, Brexit and yet more diesel scandal …

    2018-03-21T18:00:35Z

    It’s March, so it’s time for the annual trip to the Geneva motor show. These days I just do a day trip which means a long day, first plane out and last plane back. This year I had a 2-hour delay at Heathrow on the way out, an hour’s delay ...

  • James Bakewell
    Article

    Weighing up the options

    2018-03-21T15:09:59Z

    Disruptive technology was high on the agenda at JEC World, the composites industry’s flagship event held every March in Paris, France.A sizable proportion of the 42,445 people who attended the show flocked to see Dirk Ahlborn, Chief Executive Officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT), lay out his vision for the ...

  • Volkswagen Chattanooga
    Article

    VW Chattanooga to build new SUV

    2018-03-20T10:58:08Z

    US - The German manufacturer has revealed plans to build a new variant of the Atlas SUV at its Chattanooga factory in Tennessee. Designed for five passengers instead of seven, the variant will also be based on the MQB platform, and will be designed and engineered specifically for the US ...

  • Nissan Canton
    Article

    Nissan Canton hits milestone

    2018-03-20T10:06:12Z

    US - The company's plant in Canton, Mississippi, has recently celebrated the production of its four millionth vehicle since it opened in 2003. To mark the occasion, Nissan announced that it would add a second shift, creating or retaining 250 hourly jobs."Adding a second shift for NV Van production underscores ...

  • Toyota fuel cell forklift Motomachi
    Article

    Toyota plant gets hydrogen boost

    2018-03-19T17:40:26Z

    Japan - A hydrogen station has been built at the OEM's Motomachi plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. It will be used to fill 20 new zero emission fuel cell forklifts, which have been deployed as part of a joint initiative with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry ...

  • The Cruise AV is designed to operate safely on its own, with no driver, steering wheel, pedals or other manual controls when it goes on the road in 2019.
    Article

    GM readies plants for AV production

    2018-03-19T12:50:51Z

    The Cruise AV is designed to operate safely on its own, with no driver, steering wheel, pedals or other manual controls when it goes on the road in 2019.US - General Motors is spending US$100m to upgrade its Orion Township and Brownstown plants ahead of market introduction of the ...

  • Renault Valladolid AMS janfeb2017
    Article

    Alliance appoints new production team

    2018-03-14T16:33:00Z

    France - The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance has outlined a new employee structure for executives and senior members in the hope of saving money and readying the business for growth. It has also appointed a new team that will oversee manufacturing, production engineering and supply chain management.Starting on 1 April 2018, Jose ...

  • Bosch robot
    Article

    Digital factories require forward thinking

    2018-03-14T15:43:54Z

    Michael Nash talks to Stefan Assmann at Bosch about current changes taking place to vehicle production lines across the worldStefan Assman was previously a plant manager at Bosch’s gasoline and diesel systems components facility in the Czech Republic. He is now head of Bosch Connected Industry – a new unit ...

  • Mercedes-Benz Citaro battery
    Article

    Mercedes invests in battery production

    2018-03-14T11:25:29Z

    Mercedes-Benz Citaro batteryThailand - The German OEM has announced that it will spend €100m (US$123.74m) with its partner Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant (TAAP) to expand its existing car plant in Bangkok and to construct a new battery assembly facility at the same site. The latter will start operating at ...

  • Dresden e golf production copy
    Article

    VW Group to spread BEV production

    2018-03-14T10:40:16Z

    Germany - The Volkswagen Group has revealed that it will build battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in 16 different locations around the world by the end of 2022. The company currently makes BEVs at just three of its plants - in Wolfsburg, Dresden and Bratislava - but wishes to expand this ...

  • Nick Holt
    Article

    Back to the future

    2018-03-13T12:20:14Z

    Designed in 1967, the K67 showcased how plastics could be used to create a stylish performance carThe automotive related headlines are full of forward looking statements; OEMs describing their brand’s vision of future mobility, new concepts of how they envision we will be moved around appearing at motor shows, ...

  • ABB spot welding technology at Scania plant in Oskarshamn
    Article

    Spotting an opportunity

    2018-03-13T09:36:42Z

    Steed Webzell talks to major players in joining, automation and materials technologies to get their take on the future of spot welding ABB spot welding technology at Scania's plant in OskarshamnAccording to a Technavio 2017 report, spot welding is the most popular type of robotic welding, generating more than 48% ...

  • Volkswage Caddy Poznan
    Article

    VW Poznań plant hits Caddy milestone

    2018-03-13T09:12:14Z

    Poland - The two millionth Caddy recently rolled off a production line at Volkswagen's plant in Antoninek, Poznań. This marks an important milestone for the facility, which has been making the model since 2003.Around 720 Caddys are produced at the plant every day, and 165,000 units were built in 2017 ...

  • Alcoa wheels Hungary
    Article

    Arconic-Köfém to build new wheel plant

    2018-03-12T16:02:05Z

    Hungary - Arconic-Köfém has broken ground at a site where its new truck wheel factory is being built. Costing €105m (US$130m), the plant is located in Székesfehérvár, Hungary. Operations are scheduled to begin at the end of 2019 and the new factory should create around 200 jobs.“Our truck wheels help ...

  • New Grandland X assembly in Namibia
    Article

    Groupe PSA to open Namibia plant

    2018-03-12T12:10:33Z

    Namibia - The Grandland X and 3008 will be the first Opel and Peugeot models to be assembled at a new plant in Walvis Bay, Namibia. It will start operating during the second quarter of 2018 as part of a joint venture between the OEM and the Namibia Development Cooperation ...