Category Archives: milestones

Milestones – Nissan Begins Assembly of 2013 LEAF EV in Tennessee

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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BMW Opens Health Center at its South Carolina SUV Plant

BMW Manufacturing has opened a Family Health Center at its South Carolina plant for all BMW workers, retirees and their dependents. BMW’s existing onsite family pharmacy was relocated to the new facility and joined there by occupational, primary care services, as well as vision, dental and physical therapy. Continue reading

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Ford Sells off Former Lincoln Assembly Plant in Wixom, Michigan

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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Top Ten Auto Stories of 2012

While it’s the job of historians to accurately weigh and assess events years after the fact when more documents, memoirs, special pleadings and perspective are available, journalists staring down a deadline have no such option. Here is AutoInformed on the significant automotive related stories of the 2012 year, with our wry awareness, as always, that columnists conduct their education in public. Continue reading

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Bosch follows Automakers into Russia as Market Booms

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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Ally Financial Pays Off Last $4.5 Billion of Debt Issued Under TLGP

The U.S. Treasury, via taxpayers, currently holds about 74% of Ally common equity, and $5.9 billion in mandatory convertible preferred securities, which have a dividend rate of 9%, after a more than $17 billion bailout. Ally at the end of Q3 2012 had about $182 billion in assets, so it increasingly looks like taxpayers have a good chance at getting their money paid back, perhaps turning a profit. Continue reading

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U.S. Treasury Sells Final Shares of AIG Common Stock. Taxpayers Earn $22.7 Billion! More Profits to Come from the Bailout

Along with today’s stock sale, the return to date on the Federal Reserve and Treasury’s combined $182 billion commitment to bailout AIG during the financial crisis is now $22.7 billion. Treasury has now earned a positive return of $5 billion and the Federal Reserve has posted a profit of $17.7 billion. Continue reading

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Fiat to Expand Jeep Sales to India by Late 2013

Fiat will sell Jeep brand vehicles in India by late 2013 as part of a larger business plan to launch nine new or refreshed models under the Fiat and Jeep in the next few years. The first step will be the importation of the existing Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Grand Cherokee models, which will be arrive toward the end of 2013. Continue reading

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

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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GM Sets Annual Sales Record in China with a Record November

With record domestic Chinese deliveries of 260,018 vehicles in November, GM’s sales in 2012 reached 2,593,642 units in the first 11 months, the most ever. Last month’s sales were the highest ever for November and the second highest for any month in GM’s largest market, increasing 9.7% from November 2011. Continue reading

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Chevrolet Volt Owners Surpass 100 Million Electric Miles

General Motors said today that Chevrolet Volt owners collectively have driven more than 100 million all-electric miles since the hybrid went on sale two years ago this month. The average Volt owner travels more than 65% of the time in pure electric mode, using the gasoline-engine generator for longer trips. Continue reading

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Mazda Drops Ford Motor in New Changan Mazda JV in China

Continuing its separation and divorce from Ford Motor Company, Mazda Motor Corporation has announced a new Chinese joint-venture, Changan Mazda, based in Nanjing. The 50:50 corporation with all regulatory approvals is now responsible for all of CFMA’s Mazda-related business, including development, manufacturing, marketing and sales of Mazda-branded vehicles in China. Continue reading

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GM China Expands Advanced Technical Center in Shanghai

Increasingly, sophisticated engineering and development work once done in the U.S. is being shifted to China. Last August, GM began fabricating and testing prototype battery cells and complete systems at the ATC. At the same time, SAIC and Shanghai GM and the Automotive Technical Center opened China’s largest proving grounds. Continue reading

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

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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Milestones: One Million Fiat 500 Cars. EV Comes to California in 2013

The one-millionth Fiat 500 left the Fiat Auto Poland production line. Since its reappearance in 2007, the tiny Cinquecento or 500 has been sold in more than 100 countries – from Italy to Brazil, South Africa to Japan, and the United States to the Middle East – while also being produced in Toluca, Mexico, since 2011 as a requirement for taxpayer funding for fuel efficient cars that was part of the conditions for Chrysler’s bankruptcy bailout. More than 70,000 have now been sold in the U.S. The 500 in its most fuel-efficient manual transmission version is rated at 31 mpg city and 40 mpg highway by the EPA. Continue reading

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