Ford F-150 powertrain looks set to blossom

One thing is for sure, 2016 could be an interesting year in the life of Ford’s F-150 pick-up truck that this year saw the automaker launch aluminium into the sector as well as a new family of EcoBoost turbocharged gasoline engines.

CGI set to take off in new application

A new and exciting high-performance diesel engine application for compacted graphite iron (CGI), together with its British connection and offering 105 bhp/litre, pushes out the boundaries of conventional CGI use into demanding areas where safety, reliability and performance are paramount.

Opel to publish WLTP results for 2016 Astra

From April 2016, Opel will publish fuel consumption figures according to WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Vehicles Test Procedure) as part of its next step to meet future emissions guidelines, both on CO2 and NOx.

Former Volvo exec to join Ricardo board

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

Delphi presses to widen Skip Fire use

Diesel equipment specialist Delphi is working with Tula Technology Inc. to widen the appeal of Dynamic Skip Fire, a system of cylinder deactivation. A 1.8-litre gasoline engine will run in 2016.

Partial all-clear from Volkswagen

Volkswagen AG claims “it is now clear that almost all of these model variants do correspond to the CO₂ figures originally determined. This means that these vehicles can be marketed and sold without any limitations.“

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.

Porsche's Mission E gets the go-ahead

The supervisory board of Porsche AG has given the green light for the Mission E electric car project.

Nissan rejects French state takeover

NISSAN executives have rejected claims that a move by the French government to strengthen its grip on the carmaker's partner Renault poses a threat to jobs in the North-East of the UK.

The long journey of GAZ's latest van

GAZ Group, Russia’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles (CVs), has completed what Vadim Sorokin, group president, hails as “the most complex and large-scale project GAZ has implemented in the last 15 years.”

Ford bolsters Kentucky for 2017 Super Duty

Pickup trucks are vital to profits at Ford Motor Company, hence its announcement of a $1.3 billion investment in its Kentucky Truck Plant to support the redesigned 2017 Super Duty truck range.

Wolfsburg comes out on top

This year's Harbour Report praises the press shop at Volkswagen‘s Wolfsburg plant, havingtaken some top positions and proved its outstanding performance.

When it comes to the Harbour Report, issued by US management consultancy Oliver Wyman, many automakers are more than happy to keep quiet about their rankings, often claiming its contents are "confdential" as an excuse for revealing fugures.

 But VW wants to be seen in a good light at the moment, so any ‘good‘ news is good news.

The Habour Report compares and assesses a number of items including the press shops of all the world's key automakers. It also undertakes plant-by-plant assessments. In this study a comparson of "the most productive" automotive manufacturers is produced. The current report compares 124 press shops of 18 different automakers.

Thomas Ulbrich, member of the board of management of the Volkswagen brand responsible for production: "In view of its size and significance in the production of parts for the high-volume models of the Volkswagen brand, the Wolfsburg press shop plays a key role within the Group. The outstanding results obtained in the Harbour Reports confirm the successful development of the Wolfsburg press shop."

Jens Herrmann, Wolfsburg plant manager, said: "Since it was commissioned four years ago, our large-format press has already taken first place in the Harbour Report three times. This result bears witness to the quality and precision of the Wolfsburg plant."

Large-format press line 500 in Hall 1A took first place in the category of transfer XL presses. The Wolfsburg press shop also performed very well in the category of progressive die. Press line 810 in Hall 2 once again took second place.

Markus Lange, manager of the press shop, is equally pleased about the very good performance of the press shop  in fact, he would be disappointed if it wasn’t.

"Once again, our highly motivated team has been a key factor in winning these awards," he said, proudly.

Every day, the Wolfsburg press shop processes some 2,600 metric tons of steel sheet and produces almost half a million body parts. These parts are used for the models Golf, Golf Sportsvan, Touran and Tiguan as well as for the modular transverse toolkit (MQB) platform at 20 other plants. 2,000 people are employed in the Volkswagen Group's largest and oldest press shop

VW unveils "fix" for 1.6- and 2-litre diesels

Volkswagen Group claims that "correction measures" for 1.6-litre and 2-litre diesel engines affected by the 'defeat device' have been “fixed for the majority of vehicles affected”.

Daimler builds DD5, DD8 in US from 2018

Daimler Trucks North America is to start manufacture of its DD5 and DD8 medium duty diesel engines In Detroit, Michigan for sale in 2018.

JLR to "double" Ingenium engine plant

It is exactly three years since we revealed JaguarLandRover’s (JLR) secret ‘cut and paste’ Hotfire engine manufacturing centre (EMC) in Wolverhampton.