Spectris gobbles up Millbrook in £122 million deal

Rutland Partners only wanted the former General Motors/Vauxhall Motors’ proving ground at Millbrook for one thing, and one thing only – to make money.

Former Volvo exec to join Ricardo board

Maline Persson joins Ricardo plc in the UK from next month as a non-executive director.

SAIC poised to pounce on UK van market?

Van dealerships in the UK may be wondering if the Maxus van could make a return to the country if SAIC is able to undercut established marques.

VW to make 600 a day at new engine plant

Volkswagen Group has opened its new engine plant at Kaluga in Russia.

GKN set to drive into Russia

GKN Driveline is to open a 5,000 square metre plant in Togliatti in the Volga region of Russia, where a number of large car manufacturers are already based. 

GKN production of constant velocity jointed side-shafts for a number of automotive customers is expected to commence in early next year.

Capacity boost for CGI foundry

Halberg Guss, one of the world's leading automotive foundry groups, has ordered an upgrade of its existing compacted graphite iron (CGI) process control system and an additional new System 3000 from the Swedish process control specialist SinterCast.  

The commissioning is scheduled for summer 2013. This coincides with the installation of increased liquid metal holding capacity at the Leipzig foundry.  

The two System 3000 installations are required to increase Halberg's CGI capacity and productivity in advance of increased production demand.  

Cummins V8 is ‘still in development’

The 5-litre V8 diesel engine, originally slated for Chrysler, is ‘currently in development’, according to sources at Cummins Inc. in Columbus, Indiana.

A company spokesman said Cummins was ‘not ready’ to discuss engine details (like bore and stroke) publicly, adding ‘We are currently formulating broad communications plans and would rather not say any more about this engine program at this time’.

He added: ‘As an independent engine supplier, Cummins constantly pursues all potential customers at various levels. In the on-highway world, Cummins typically will let a major OEM announce the availability of our engines before we discuss details of the engine with the media.’