GM to invest $5.4 billion in US over 3 years

General Motors (GM) is to invest $5.4 billion in US plant improvements over the next three years, including $783.5 million for three Michigan facilities.

Porsche: VW’s most profitable brand

Porsche is the VW Group’s most profitable brand with €15,000 operating profit per vehicle sold.

VW Group sales rise 10% as Piech goes

Without referring to the departure of Ferdinand Piech, presumably a non-event in Group terms, the Volkswagen Group reports that it has made a good start to fiscal year 2015 despite a market environment that remains challenging.

CGI engine blocks top one million/year

In March, the number of cylinder blocks produced using compacted graphite iron (CGI) with the SinterCast process totalled over 75,000.

JLR heading for Mexico plant?

Could JaguarLandRover (JLR) be heading to build a vehicle assembly plant in Mexico?

The powertrain future is bright

Olof Persson had something interesting to say about the future of engines Volvo before he was unceremoniously dismissed from the top spot.

Top heads roll at Volvo, VW

First it was Olof Persson of Swedish truck maker Volvo, now it is Ferdinand Piech of Volkswagen. Two big automotive heads have rolled. Are more to follow?

Audi produces synthetic diesel fuel

Audi claims it has taken a major step in the development of new, CO2-neutral fuels.

Ford puts 2.7-litre EcoBoost in Taurus

The new Taurus is seen by Ford as a premium sedan for discerning Chinese business customers. Perhaps significantly, it is powered by the new 2.7-litre EcoBoost turbocharged gasoline engine that features in the new aluminium-intensive F-150 pick-up truck.

Torotrak needs more money

Torotrak, in announcing its trading update to 31 March 2015, has stated “additional funding from partners, licensees or new and existing shareholders is likely to be required during the 2015/16 financial year”. 

Ford to make new engine in Mexico

Ford is investing US$2.5 billion in new engine and transmission plants in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Guanajuato

Ford F-150 gets NHTSA 5-star rating

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded Ford’s 2015 F-150 SuperCrew (pictured below) its five-star Overall Vehicle Score in its New Car Assessment Program, the highest possible rating.

Ford claims to outpace industry in Europe

Ford Motor Company claims its overall sales in Europe continue to outpace industry growth in the first quarter of 2015.

PSA/GM light vans set for Vigo in 2018

Next-generation small light (Transit van look-alike) commercial vehicles from PSA Peugeot Citroën and General Motors will be built in Vigo, Spain

Deloitte stung by its MG Rover failures

Accountants Deloitte has been fined £3 million for failings with regard to the collapse of UK carmaker MG Rover a decade ago.

ABB stakes robot claim in XE facility

Swedish robot maker and systems supplier ABB Robotics of Milton Keynes is the principal supplier of robots to the new Jaguar ‘plant within a plant’ at JaguarLandRover’s (JLR) Solihull facility.

CGI engines top 18% growth

According to SinterCast there has been a growth of engines using compacted graphite iron (CGI) cylinder blocks that, compared to the first quarter of 2014, provides an average compounded annual growth rate of 18 per cent since 2007.

GHG cuts will save 40,000 deaths - EPA

Margo T Oge is proud of her term as former director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality at the US’s EPA, citing two ‘landmark achievements": reducing emissions from diesel engines, and cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving fuel efficiency for cars running from 2012 to 2025.

Daimler launches GLA SUV in China

Mercedes-Benz has opened its compact car plant at the company’s local production joint venture Beijing Benz Automotive Corporation (BBAC).

Record UK CV sales in first quarter

The latest SMMT figures reveal a record high for van and truck registrations.

End of the road in sight for EGR

Diesel engine makers for trucks in the US are closely watching the legislators as they mull implementing reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that will come on top of EPA 2017 requirements.

Ford pares down F-150 component weight

Ford engineers working on the all-new F-150 pick-up truck were tasked with taking weight out of the vehicle while retaining the work capability expected by owners.

When is a Merc not a Merc?

So, when is a Mercedes-Benz pick-up not a Mercedes pick-up? The answer, it would seem, is a when it is a Nissan pick-up, or a Renault pick-up.

Honda to export Civic to Japan

Honda will invest over £200 million in new, advanced production technologies and processes to build the next generation Civic at Swindon, UK.