Industry Developments

Argentina's Automobile Dealer's Association (ACARA) is confident that 2006 will be a record year for the country's automotive industry, forecasting sales of 1.6mn new and used cars.... 2006-06-05

Struggling US carmaker General Motors has recognised the need for a dedicated head of its North American operations if it is to achieve a successful turnaround. In April 2005, CEO... 2006-05-31

German automotive component manufacture Bosch has highlighted the Americas as one of its key regions for growth this year. In 2005, the company saw its sales in the North America... 2006-05-26

Growing Indian-Brazilian co-operation, underlined by the ever-expanding partnership between Tata Motors and Marcopolo, has been bolstered yet further through a tie-up in the two-wheeler... 2006-05-24

Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone has announced plans to establish a new plant in Mexico for the production of carbon black, a raw material used in the production of tyres. According... 2006-05-24

Germany's Volkswagen is reportedly considering shifting production of its Passat model for the North American market to Mexico, as the dollar's fall against the euro puts a strain... 2006-05-24

Japan's Honda Motor has allocated over US$600mn in investment for its North American operations, aimed at meeting increased demand for its products in the region. Some JPY50bn (US$456mn)... 2006-05-22

General Motors is the latest carmaker to announce job cuts at its Brazilian operations, as the strengthening real continues to undermine the competitiveness of exports. Around 960... 2006-05-19

Ford was named Brazil's light commercial vehicle (LCV) market leader in 2005 with a 27% market share, equivalent to sales of almost 70,000 units. Ford's biggest selling single model... 2006-05-12

Volkswagen owns five Brazilian plants in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Parana, with a combined annual production capacity of over 1mn units. In 2005 the company produced 645,000... 2006-05-12