Industry Developments

German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen (VW) has announced plans to increase production to 550,000 vehicles per year at its Mexican manufacturing complex in Puebla. The expansion... 2008-09-26

US private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management has confirmed that it is in talks with Daimler to buy the German carmaker's stake in Chrysler. A deal on the 19.9% stake would give... 2008-09-26

After weeks of lobbying and wheeling out examples of new technology development, General Motors (GM), Ford and Chrysler, along with major suppliers, have been granted US$25bn in loans... 2008-09-25

Chrysler has unexpectedly revealed three fully functional electric vehicles, which it expects to have on the road by 2010. The Town & County minivan, Jeep Wrangler SUV and Dodge... 2008-09-24

Two major Russian auto manufacturers, AvtoVAZ and Sollers (formerly Severstal-Avto), are currently discussing the possibility of a joint venture (JV) to enter the Venezuelan market.... 2008-09-24

European tyre producer Continental is currently examining the possibility of opening a subsidiary in Argentina, following the end of its contract with the country's largest tyre producer... 2008-09-22

German premium carmaker BMW is this year likely to record its first decline in sales in the US for 16 years. CEO of BMW (US) Holding Corp, Jim O'Donnell, told Automotive News that... 2008-09-22

Mercedes-Benz will cut back production at its plant in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama in response to slow sales, according to local press. Shifts on Fridays will be eliminated to create... 2008-09-19

US automotive component supplier Federal-Mogul has announced plans to cut around 4,000 jobs, representing 8% of its global workforce. This is the first wave of redundancies since... 2008-09-18

US carmaker General Motors (GM) has finally rolled out the production version of its Chevrolet Volt electric car. CEO Rick Wagoner stated that GM had been testing the lithium-ion... 2008-09-17