Industry Developments

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

The Latin American commercial vehicle market totalled almost 1.1 million units in 2005. But many more than this, 1.45 million, were produced in the same year, as the country's three... 2006-05-12

Colombian automotive industry association Comite Automotor has published results showing a 67% y-o-y rise in wholesale vehicle sales for the first quarter of 2006. The companies covered... 2006-05-10

Brazilian automotive component manufacturer Maringa Soldas increased its exports to Middle Eastern markets by 562% in 2005, generating sales of US$328,500 compared with US$58,400... 2006-05-09

Brazilian bus manufacturer Marcopolo will enter into a joint venture with India's Tata Motors for the production of standard, luxury and city buses. Marcopolo will take a 49% stake,... 2006-05-08