Category Archives: manufacturing

Milestones: GM Toledo Builds 2 Millionth Six-Speed Auto Transmission

Posted on 10 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Toledo Transmission Operations has now made the 2 millionth six-speed automatic transmission for General Motors rear-wheel-drive vehicles. The milestone comes 21 months after it built the 1 millionth six-speed. The so-called RWD6 transmission is built for the Chevrolet Corvette, Camaro, Silverado HD, Tahoe, Suburban and Express, GMC Sierra HD, Yukon, Yukon XL, and Savana and Cadillac Escalade. Continue reading →

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Milestones – Nissan Begins Assembly of 2013 LEAF EV in Tennessee

Posted on 9 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Nissan is starting U.S. assembly of the 2013 LEAF electric car at its manufacturing plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, where it will be made along with the far more popular Altima and Maxima models. Since 2010 Leaf has been imported from Oppama, Japan. Continue reading →

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GM Recalls 2013 Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC SUVs for Rollaways

Posted on 6 January 2013 by Ken Zino

GM is recalling certain 55,000 2013 SUVs for rollaways because the vehicle can shift out of “Park” by itself because of a defective steering column. Continue reading →

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Ford Sells off Former Lincoln Assembly Plant in Wixom, Michigan

Posted on 5 January 2013 by Ken Zino

The Wixom plant opened in 1957 and produced numerous vehicles over the years, including the Lincoln Continental, Town Car, LS, Mark VI, VII and VIII, as well as the Ford Thunderbird (an LS underneath and with the same interior) and Ford GT. Ford stopped production at the Wixom Assembly Plant in 2007 as sales of Lincoln vehicles, by then rebadged Ford models, plummeted. Continue reading →

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GM Recalls Colorado and Canyon Pickups for Missing Hood Latch

Posted on 2 January 2013 by Ken Zino

GM is recalling more than 118,000 model year 2010-2012 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks because they may be missing the secondary hood latch. As a result, the hood can open unexpectedly during driving and block the driver’s view of the road. Continue reading →

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Bosch follows Automakers into Russia as Market Booms

Posted on 26 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The irony here is that Bosch opened it first sales office in Russia during 1904 under the Kaiser and the Czar. Certain political disputes resulted in devastating wars and revolutions during the next decade that changed the ruling orders in both Germany and Russia, among other places with future dire consequences. That is history. We are now talking about the wealth creation of that the automobile industry makes possible. Continue reading →

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Fiat Melfi Plant to Make Two New Cars, Including a Baby Jeep

Posted on 23 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Existing production processes are being modified to handle what’s called a new modular Small Wide platform – one of Fiat-Chrysler’s three principal architectures – that can also be adapted to produce larger vehicles. Fiat confirmed that the platform will have the product and safety aspects that comply with U.S. regulatory standards. This means that vehicles produced at the Melfi plant including the baby Jeep will be export ready, with no requirement for further modifications. Continue reading →

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Next Gen Chevy Camaro to Be Built in the Lansing, Michigan Plant

Posted on 19 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Bye, bye Maple Leaf, hello Stars & Stripes: GM announced today that the next-generation Chevrolet Camaro would be assembled at the Lansing Grand River Plant in Michigan. GM said that lower capital investment and improved production efficiencies were factors that caused it to move the Camaro from its home plant in Oshawa, Ontario since its fifth generation revival in 2009. Continue reading →

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GM’s Changwon Assembly to Add 3MW of Solar Panels

Posted on 12 December 2012 by Ken Zino

General Motors’ Changwon Assembly plant in South Korea will install solar panels that can make three-megawatts of electricity on its 688,000 square-foot rooftop. When running at full capacity, the solar panels of Changwon by converting sunlight into electricity will generate enough energy to cut carbon emissions at the facility by 2,400 metric tons per year. Continue reading →

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Honda Claims Ecological Paint Breakthrough

Posted on 12 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Honda Motor Company said today that it would put into production a new paint process that uses less energy. Starting next July a new painting technology at its Yorii Plant at Saitama Factory in Japan will eliminate a middle coating process from a commonly used 4-coat/3-bake auto painting process. Continue reading →

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Another Ford Recall – 2013 Fusion Models have Hazy Headlights

Posted on 10 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor is recalling 2013 Fusion sedans because of defective headlights. Due to a faulty manufacturing process affecting more than 19,000 of the Mexican-built sedans, the headlights can become hazy in use, reducing the brightness of the low-beam lamp. Continue reading →

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Milestones: Honda Builds 1 Millionth U.S. Made Auto for Export

Posted on 6 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Honda has built a silver 2013 Honda Accord EX-L Sedan that will be shipped to South Korea – the 1 millionth Honda automobile to be exported from the U.S. Continue reading →

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SAIC-GM-Wuling to Build Third China Complex in Ford’s Chongqing

Posted on 28 November 2012 by Ken Zino

Chongqing of course is the original home of Ford China and now contains a sprawling manufacturing center. Changan Ford Mazda Automobile (CFMA) last August broke ground for a third assembly plant, Chongqing 3, in China. CFMA has also signed a letter of intent with the Municipality of Chongqing to explore expanding its research and engineering capability in Chongqing. Continue reading →

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Toyota Recalls 150,000 Tacoma Pickups for Rust and Corrosion

Posted on 21 November 2012 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. is recalling 150,000 Tacoma pickup trucks from the 2011 to 2004 model years because corrosion can suddenly jettison the spare tire from under the bed. While U.S. Tacoma sales for those years are much higher, only vehicles originally sold or currently registered in 20 cold climate states and the District of Columbia will be inspected and have the spare tire carrier assembly replaced if need be. Critics of such limited actions maintain they do not fix all the potentially unsafe vehicles. Automakers use them to cut down on the costs of a full recall. Continue reading →

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Bailout Benefits Multiply as Chrysler adds 1,250 Detroit Area Jobs

Posted on 16 November 2012 by Ken Zino

Chrysler Group will invest nearly $240 million to increase engine capacity and add about 1,250 new jobs at several southeastern Michigan plants. In the latest example of the ongoing wealth creation, that was a direct result of the Obama Administration’s forced bankruptcy reorganization of Chrysler and General Motors, CEO Sergio Marchionne said, “All of these investments are the direct result of a lot of people who have battled courageously to bring Chrysler back to a state of growth. Continue reading →

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