General Motors light-duty pickup production is going to shift to Flint, Mich., from Mexico, according to a report

Some General Motors light-duty pickup production is going to shift to Flint, Mich., from Mexico, according to a report.

The Detroit News reported Thursday that an undisclosed amount of production in GM’s Silao, Mexico, plant will move to the Flint Assembly Plant next year, according to a May 20 memo from UAW Local 598 to members. It’s unclear how just how much production is moving to Flint.

The paper reported that the union said Saturday schedules will be required for the additional work next year. The move could also lead to adding part-time temporary workers.

Messages to UAW Local 598 were not immediately returned.

A GM spokesman said the company is not confirming or speculating on anything in the memo.

Currently, the plant is on three shifts and has over 2,800 employees.

In August, GM announced plans to invest $877 million in the plant.

The Flint plant produced over 170,000 Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras in 2015, most of them heavy-duty models, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Earlier this month, UAW President Dennis Williams,.criticized.Automakers  for moving production to Mexico.

Automotive News

Jack Walsworth

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This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed will host the global debut of the new special edition, MINI Seven.

This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 23-26) will host the global debut of the first design model of the current generation of MINIs, MINI Seven.

Taking its name from the very first Mini, the 1959 Austin Seven, MINI Seven has been designed to fuse the brand’s classic heritage with modern design and technology.

MINI Seven joins the current MINI Hatch range in 5-door or 3-door form and features specially designed exterior and interior looks unseen before on this generation’s model line-up.  

The new car, which will also feature a bespoke option pack called MINI Seven Chili, will be unveiled for the very first time at Goodwood’s Moving Motor Show on Thursday, June 23.

As well as the world premiere of MINI Seven, MINI will also have the new John Cooper Works Challenge Edition going up the famous 1.16-mile Hillclimb course in the First Glance category during the main FOS days.

The Festival of Speed will also represent MINI CHALLENGE racer Charlie Butler-Henderson’s debut as MINI’s newest brand ambassador, since working hard to defend his title as the CHALLENGE champion in 2015.

MINI will also have brand ambassador and Dakar Rally ace, Harry Hunt on hand to drive the MINI ALL4 Racing car, in which he finished 10^th in this year’s Dakar at his first attempt on the world’s toughest road race.

BMW Group – BMW, MINI, Rolls Royce and BMW Motorrad – will celebrate its illustrious sporting past and the diversity of its brands at this year’s Festival of Speed, with BMW taking centre stage as the Honoured Marque.

BMW and MINI will continue the centenary celebrations at Goodwood, during which they will focus on the future of mobility. As part of this, MINI will showcase its ‘Vision Vehicle’, created through partnerships with three pioneering experts in the fields of design, art and interactivity.

The week-long exhibition celebrating 100 years of the BMW Group, which is free to the public will showcase its three innovative ‘vision vehicles’ to the Roundhouse in Camden from 18^th – 26^th June.

MINI laucnhes a new special edition the Seven, a retun of the name from the very first Mini in 1959

• MINI launches first design model of current generation
• MINI Seven inspired by classic Mini heritage fused with modern design and technology
• Exclusively designed exterior and interior design features
• Bespoke option pack, MINI Seven Chili developed specifically for MINI Seven
• Available as a MINI 3-door or 5-door Hatch in four engine types: Cooper, Cooper D, Cooper S and Cooper SD
• Now on sale, priced from £18,545 OTR

MINI today has launched its latest design model, MINI Seven.

Taking its name from the very first Mini, the 1959 Austin Seven, MINI Seven has been developed to showcase both the distinctive style inspired by the original Mini and the current modern values of the brand.

MINI Seven joins the current generation MINI Hatch range in 5-door or 3-door form with specially designed exterior and interior looks unseen before on this generation’s model line-up.

MINI Seven is instantly recognisable by its striking MINI Yours body finish which comes as standard in Lapisluxury Blue - the most intensive blue tone ever applied to a MINI. Three other body finishes from the MINI paint range are also available to choose from; Pepper White, Midnight Black and British Racing Green.

A Melting Silver roof and exterior mirror caps come as standard contrasting with the distinctive body finishes. MINI Seven door sill finishers and side scuttles with the MINI Seven logo as well as 17-inch light alloy wheels in exclusive MINI Seven Spoke two-tone design complete the exterior look.

For those wanting to add their own personal style to the exterior design of MINI Seven, bonnet stirpes in Melting Silver with surround in Malt Brown are also available as an option.

Inside, the eye-catching design cues continue with sports seats in the fabric/leather finish Diamond Malt Brown, designed exclusively for MINI Seven.

There is also a MINI Seven logo on the central instrument which surrounds the MINI Visual Boost 6.5’’ colour display which also comes as standard alongside MINI Connected, Bluetooth Handsfree with USB audio, floor mats, MINI Excitement Pack, automatic dual-zone air conditioning and storage compartment pack.

In addition to the high quality standard equipment offered, MINI Seven has its own bespoke option pack, the MINI Seven Chili. The MINI Seven Chili offers customers MINI Yours features such as the Lounge Leather Upholstery in Carbon Black and the MINI Yours Steering Wheel in Walk Nappa leather with a waxed hand stitched seem.

The MINI Seven Chili pack also offers additional features which are unique in the small car segment including LED headlights, multifunction controls for the steering wheel and cruise control with brake function.

Additional optional equipment from the MINI range is also available to further customise MINI Seven. This includes the popular panorama glass roof, windscreen heating, front driver and passenger seat heating, the Harmon Kardon hi-fi speaker system as well as MINI Connected XL and MINI Navigation System.

MINI Seven will be have its first UK premiere at Goodwood Festival of Speed on the MINI stand from 23-26th June with orders being taken now. Prices start for MINI 3-door Seven from £18,545 OTR and from £19,145 for MINI 5-door Seven.

Renault and Dongfeng have opened their first joint venture plant in China, and the Kadjar is the first model.

DONGFENG RENAULT AUTOMOTIVE COMPANY OPENS ITS FIRST PLANT IN CHINA AND STARTS LOCAL PRODUCTION OF RENAULT’S LATEST SUV – THE RENAULT KADJAR

Just two years after the joint venture’s signature, and an initial investment of €870 million, the Renault brand is now ready to take a new dimension in China with a high quality standards plant in Wuhan and a product plan based on the fastest-growing segment.

The Wuhan operation includes a vehicle and powertrain plant together with an R&D centre. The initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year has the potential to be doubled. The Renault Kadjar produced at Wuhan will go on sale in China in March and a second vehicle, a D-segment SUV, will enter production later in the year.

Nissan & Sunderland local council mark the opening of a new road to the expanded facility, aptly named Infiniti Drive.

Councillor Paul Watson, leader of Sunderland City Council, alongside Kevin Fitzpatrick, Vice President of the Sunderland Nissan factory, revealed the first part of a £21 million highway through Hillthorn Business Park by opening up a road named ‘Infiniti Drive’ after the premium car manufacturer.

Kevin Fitzpatrick said: “We’re honoured that the stretch of highway has been named after our new premium brand now being built in Sunderland.

“The business park provides a direct route to our plant for companies working with us to build the Q30 as well as our existing models, Qashqai, Juke, Note and the 100% electric Nissan LEAF.

“This will increase our efficiency and help us maintain our long-standing position as the UK’s most productive car plant. We look forward to welcoming new neighbours to Hillthorn in the future.”

This new opening comes just as the new Infiniti Q30 starts to arrive at Infiniti Showrooms across the country and customers begin to take ownership of the British built premium active compact car.

EURO NCAP - Jaguar takes a double award with both the new XE and XF saloons's getting the full Five Star awards.

The Jaguar XE and all-new Jaguar XF saloons have been awarded the maximum five star rating in Euro NCAP’s 2015 safety tests. XE and XF scored highly in every category – Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Pedestrian and Safety Assist – and are among the most highly-rated models in their respective segments.

As well as outstanding crash protection, the XE and XF also benefit from a range of active safety systems including Autonomous Emergency Braking (fitted as standard in Europe), which uses a forward-facing stereo camera to detect vehicles which could pose a threat of collision: the system can give the driver visual and audible warnings and automatically apply the brakes if a collision is deemed imminent.

“The XE and XF were engineered without compromise: we placed just as much focus on safety as we did on dynamics, performance, refinement and efficiency, and our stringent in-house standards far exceed the requirements of legislative and consumer tests.

“Everything from the aluminium alloys we developed for the body structures to the state-of-the-art stereo camera at the heart of the Autonomous Emergency Braking system has been painstakingly optimised to deliver world-class levels of safety.”

Kevin Stride, Vehicle Line Director, Jaguar XE, XF, F-PACE

The XE and XF are developed from Jaguar’s Lightweight Aluminium Architecture: the inherently light yet stiff and strong body structures deliver exceptional occupant protection, further enhanced by driver and passenger airbags, side airbags and curtain airbags. In the event of an impact with pedestrians, deployable bonnets help to mitigate serious injuries.

Both models offer a full suite of active safety technologies and advanced driver assistance systems* including Dynamic Stability Control, Traction Control, Emergency Brake Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Monitoring, Closing Vehicle Sensing, Reverse Traffic Detection, Traffic Sign Recognition and Adaptive Cruise Control.

Additional features offered in the XF – and which will be offered in the 2017 Model Year XE – include Lane Keep Assist, Driver Condition Monitor and Adaptive Speed Limiter.

USA - Toyota & Lexus to build the RAV4 & RX in the US and Canada from 2019 at Woodstock & Cambridge Plants

Toyota announced today that it will produce RAV4 vehicles in its Cambridge North Assembly plant starting in 2019. With Lexus RX in Cambridge, and Toyota RAV4 in Woodstock and Cambridge, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) will become a North American hub for sport utility vehicles. The company also announced that it will be adding hybrid RAV4 production.

The RAV4 and Lexus RX are 2016 Model Year, and are not to be confused 

with the stated 2019 versions, which may or may not be the same, or similar.

“The RAV4 and the RAV4 hybrid are great products for TMMC,” commented Toyota Motor North America Chief Executive Officer Jim Lentz. “RAV4 is a leader in the fastest growing segment of the North American auto industry. We forecast that the segment will continue to demonstrate strong growth with the RAV4 being a major player.” Mr. Lentz also explained that “producing additional RAV4s, a more upscale, more complex, higher content vehicle, fits well with TMMC’s well-earned reputation for quality.”  

To accommodate the change, the Cambridge North Plant will receive significant new investment, including the introduction of Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA). TNGA is an innovative, integrated approach to developing and building vehicles, involving new production equipment and new processes. 

TMMC President, Brian Krinock explained that “with a new platform and the latest technology, TMMC will have the flexibility to respond to the evolving needs of the automotive marketplace.” He also said that “bringing TNGA to Canada will propel us to the next generation of automotive manufacturing and provide the basis for our longstanding commitment to employment stability.” Mr. Krinock also observed that “when we implement this project in 2019, we will have been making vehicles in Canada for thirty years. This investment will revitalize our plant and create the foundation for our future success.”

 

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. manufactures the Toyota Corolla, RAV4, Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h vehicles and is the first plant outside of Japan to build a Lexus vehicle. The company employs more than 8,000 Team Members at three manufacturing plants in Ontario, Canada.

USA - GM Plant will nearly double its workforce by early 2016, to cope with growing demand.

Plant will nearly double its workforce by early 2016

General Motors is nearly doubling its workforce at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly by adding a second shift and more than 1,200 hourly and salaried jobs.

The addition of a second shift will increase the plant’s workforce to approximately 2,800 people when hiring is completed. The second shift is necessary to meet forecasted market demand for the five cars produced at Detroit-Hamtramck.

“This is the result of the award-winning vehicles Detroit-Hamtramck produces and the confidence GM has in our team to build world-class quality for our customers,” said Plant Manager Gary West.

Second shift hiring is underway, and the shift is scheduled to begin operations in early 2016.

“The workforce at Detroit-Hamtramck is second to none,” said UAW Local 22 Shop Chairman Don LaForest. “We appreciate the opportunity to expand our UAW-GM family.”

The 4.1 million-square-foot Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly opened in 1985. GM has invested $1 billion in the plant over the last six years, making it one of the company’s most-agile manufacturing facilities in North America. The plant currently builds the Chevrolet Volt, Impala and Malibu; and Cadillac ELR on a single production line. The plant begins production of the Cadillac CT6 in early 2016.