Plants/Manufacturing Subscribe

Official: Chevrolet Volt production begins November 11

General Motors confirmed this morning that November 11, 2010 has been set as the official Job 1 date for the Chevrolet Volt. The news initially reported by Translogic was verified to AutoblogGreen by GM spokesman Rob Peterson. November 2010 has always been the targeted production launch timing for the Volt, but a specific day couldn't be set until other development milestones were met. Now that development and testing is virtually complete and certification testing is underway, production and customer deliveries will soon start unless ... Read more →

Ford begins using WiFi to install Sync on assembly lines Jonathon Ramsey

In case you thought installing SYNC into Ford vehicles was a ho-hum-whatever affair, that's not the case – Ford puts a lot of thought into it. The Blue Oval's latest assembly line advance is ...

Kia confirms Hyundai Santa Fe to be produced alongside Sorento Chris Paukert

Officially confirming what we've all but known for some time now, Kia announced this morning that its West Point, Georgia plant will add a second vehicle to its production line, the 2011 Hyundai ...

Corvette engine-building program gets first taker Jeremy Korzeniewski

In what may be the ultimate experience for the ultimate Chevrolet Corvette fan, General Motors is allowing buyers of the ultimate versions of its sportscars the opportunity to build their own ...

Report: Despite meeting with governor, Ford set to close Minnesota Ranger plant Chris Paukert

According to The Detroit News, Ford officials met with Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty yesterday to discuss the future of the automaker's St. Paul assembly plant. The facility, which builds Ford's ...

...loading

Browse posts by:

Make/Model Vehicle Style/Type

All Categories

Features Close Features

Report: Ford Fiesta shipments flowing again after faulty part fixed 7 days ago on Autoblog

The Ford Fiesta launch was supposed to be smooth as glass, but few complex plans go off without a hitch. The first samples of Ford's hot subcompact were stalled due to hazardous weather near the Mexico assembly plant where it's produced. Ford mailed out $50 MasterCard gift certificates to stave ...

Marchionne: Chrysler profit not likely for 2010 8 days ago on Autoblog

Sergio Marchionne harbors no illusions about Chrysler being in the black for 2010. The Detroit News reports the Chrysler chairman and Fiat CEO stated flat out that a net profit in 2010 isn't likely during an August 23rd tour of a Toledo Jeep plant. Despite recent reports of operating profits ...

Report: Tesla to buy old resources from GM, Toyota for NUMMI plant 9 days ago on Autoblog

When Tesla struck a deal a few months ago with Toyota to buy the closed NUMMI factory in Fremont, CA, it was made clear that the $42 million price tag only included the building and property. At the time, Tesla officials indicated that most of the equipment previously used to build Toyota ...

Friends with Benefits: Hyundai shifts Santa Fe production to Kia plant to build more Sonatas 9 days ago on Autoblog

Straight from HQ at The Department of the Obvious, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata is selling as quickly as Miley Cyrus tickets before Cyrus lost the plot. That's got Hyundai Motor America shuffling production plans around in order to build enough Sonatas in the U.S., instead of getting them from South ...

Officially Official: Updated 2011 Jeep Wrangler now in production 14 days ago on Autoblog

After a bevy of leaked product images and spy shots, official confirmation of an updated 2011 Jeep Wrangler can hardly be considered a surprise, but it's still a welcome development. For its next model year, the venerable four-wheeler will receive a comprehensive (and much needed) interior ...

Saab moves to rehire dismissed workers after summer break; one-in-three refuse 14 days ago on Autoblog

When General Motors was on the precipice of dropping Saab forever, we imagine that the good workers of Trollhättan, Sweden were more than a little nervous. After all, how many high-paying jobs are there there in Scandanavia in the middle of a global recession? Well, it turns out that there ...

**Report: Wiesmann MF5 exiting production as BMW V10 supply dries up *UPDATE** 16 days ago on Autoblog

It's not easy to build a car without an engine. Shocking news, we know, but it has major ramifications for small boutique automakers that don't have the resources to design and manufacture powerplants of their own. One such company is Wiesmann, which has historically relied on engines from ...

GAZ Siber to switch from Chrysler Sebring to MB E-Class?! 16 days ago on Autoblog

Russian automotive manufacturer GAZ is being courted by a number of handsome suitors, according to Inside Line. While the company currently produces the Volga Siber at its Gorky Automobile plant, there's some indication that Daimler may want the facility to switch to building the Mercedes-Benz ...

Toyota cuts 600 contract workers in Japan as production slows 16 days ago on Autoblog

A recent report out of Japan had Toyota preparing to cut domestic vehicle production by up to 20 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010. Why? Sales of hybrids and other fuel efficient vehicles are expected to drop following the expiration of tax incentives on those vehicles. Now comes word that ...

Report: Engine shortages holding back Jaguar Land Rover sales 21 days ago on Autoblog

The turnaround at Jaguar/Land Rover is happening even faster than the company's owner, Tata, had planned. A year ago, JLR posted a net loss of £64 million ($101M U.S.) in Q2; compare that to this year's second quarter and its £233.8 million ($369M U.S.) net profit on 57,135 vehicles ...

Land Rover to launch production in India 22 days ago on Autoblog

Tata Motors CEO Carl-Peter Forster has announced Land Rover production would begin in India in 2011 and Jaguar is looking for a partner to produce cars within China. Although Forster didn't announce which model would be built in the sub-continent, the T5 platform used for the current LR4 and ...

Toyota launches production of Tacoma at San Antonio plant 23 days ago on Autoblog

Production of the Toyota Tacoma resumed in July after tooling was moved from its former home at NUMMI in Fremont, California to San Antonio, Texas. The Texas factory is also home to the full-size Tundra which has not lived up to sales expectations, leaving lots of extra capacity. Adding ...

Small car or CUV could be added to Volkswagen plant 23 days ago on Autoblog

It's no secret that Volkswagen has ambitious plans for the U.S. market over the next decade. The German automaker has its sights set on a combined one million sales per year (made up of 800,000 VWs and 200,000 Audi vehicles, give or take) by the year 2018. That's three times as many vehicles as ...

Report: Fiat moving planned production of Chrysler Sebring back to U.S. 27 days ago on Autoblog

Following the recent news that Chrysler will re-hire 900 workers and add a second shift back at its Sterling Heights, MI assembly plant comes word that the next-generation replacements for the Sebring and Dodge Avenger will be produced there. Supposedly, Fiat had plans to build the cars in ...

Mercedes-Benz produces its last CLS 28 days ago on Autoblog

Back in 2004, there was no Porsche Panamera, no Aston Martin Rapide, no Volkswagen Passat CC or Audi A7 Sportback. Just the Mercedes-Benz CLS: the four-door coupe that started it all. But after six years of production, the first-gen CLS has ended its production run after more than 170,000 units ...

Report: Honda builds more cars in U.S. than in Japan for first time ever 29 days ago on Autoblog

Honda is and always will be a Japan-based concern, but it appears that the automaker isn't playing favorites when it comes to vehicle production. The Detroit News reports that for the first time ever, Honda produced more vehicles in the United States than it did in its home market of Japan. In ...

Retooled Ford Wayne assembly plant to be company's most flexible 29 days ago on Autoblog

Ford is crowing that its freshly retooled Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, MI is now the most flexible final assembly factory in its global network. The Wayne plant used to assemble the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator full-size SUVs but is now building pre-production examples of the 2012 ...

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #189 1 month ago on Autoblog

It's time again to put your thinking caps on and ask our podcast crew anything you want to know. Don't forget to vote on which questions deserve our attention the most, though we'll try to get to as many as we can. Discussion topics for Autoblog Podcast #189, which we'll record tonight, can be ...

Chrysler reportedly confirms second shift, 900 hires at Sebring/Avenger plant 1 month ago on Autoblog

Chrysler is so confident that you're going to go for the upcoming Sebring and Dodge Avenger that it's reportedly adding 900 workers and another shift to the Sterling Heights where the models are assembled. That's quite a turnaround, seeing how the factory was one of the eight slated for closure ...

Report: Next Toyota Prius to be built in U.S... in six years 1 month ago on Autoblog

It wasn't so long ago that Toyota was making big waves over plans to build the hybrid Prius here in the U.S. The company had originally planned to start cranking out the battery-powered people mover at its Mississippi manufacturing facility, but after GM pulled the NUMMI plug, Toyota was forced ...

Report: Toyota to cut domestic production 20 percent as hybrid subsidies end 1 month ago on Autoblog

Toyota and Honda have experienced a surge in demand for hybrid vehicles in their home market over the past two years thanks to generous government incentives for "eco cars." The Toyota Prius has been the top-selling vehicle for more than a year and even the oft-derided Honda Insight has sold ...

Honda's Marysville, OH plant builds 10 millionth vehicle 1 month ago on Autoblog

Less than 28 years after becoming the very first Japanese brand to begin producing cars in the United States, Honda turned out the 10 millionth car from its Marysville, OH factory on Tuesday. Marysville began car production in November 1982 with the second generation Accord, and so it's fitting ...

Report: Chrysler delays planned expansion of Toledo plant 1 month ago on Autoblog

It's no secret that Chrysler's future plans are in a constant state of flux right now. After all, the automaker just went through a ridiculously fast bankruptcy where bits and pieces were shed before stewardship was handed over to Italy's Fiat. It's only natural that Chrysler's new management ...

Report: Honda to abandon clean diesel development, focus on hybrids 1 month ago on Autoblog

Regular readers know we tend to be big fans of modern diesel engines. All the past demons that had plagued oil-burners over the years have been exorcised, including rough running, nasty smells, loud operation and narrow power bands. But sadly, modern clean diesel powerplants have never taken ...

Report: Ford reassigns 900 from Mustang/Mazda6 plant in Flat Rock 1 month ago on Autoblog

Even though sales of its Mustang have been solid and even improving as of late, the powers that be have reportedly decided to eliminate the second shift at the Auto Alliance International (AAI) factory that assembles the Blue Oval's pony as well as the slow-selling Mazda6. The factory in Flat ...

Report: Russia's AvtoVAZ finally turns a profit after many years 1 month ago on Autoblog

During the first quarter of 2010, Russian automaker Avtovaz lost 2.6 billion rubles ($85M U.S.). In the second quarter it made almost a third of that back when it posted a net profit of one billion rubles ($32.7M U.S). The spike came courtesy of Russia's cash-for-clunkers program, which more ...

Rumormill: Chevy Corvette production to leave Bowling Green for... Lansing? 1 month ago on Autoblog

Even though it was just named the Official State Sports Car of Kentucky not even a month ago, a story from WLNS speculates that Chevrolet Corvette production could move from Bowling Green, Kentucky to Lansing, Michigan. The UAW president and economist who brought it up apparently didn't suggest ...

Nissan to halt NA output of Altima, Sentra on Hitachi part supply delays? 1 month ago on Autoblog

Hitachi Automotive supplies engine control units to Nissan. Further up the chain, an unnamed supplier hasn't been able to fulfill Hitachi's need for a custom integrated circuit, so Hitachi hasn't been able to fulfill Nissan's orders for ECUs. That has put Nissan in the potential position of ...

UAW picketing at Toyota dealers to start in CA and NY says King 1 month ago on Autoblog

The recently-crowned king of the United Auto Workers, President Bob King, has a monumental task before him: reverse the decades-long decline in UAW membership. To do that the UAW will likely need to make inroads at transplant automaker plants, and to accomplish this goal King promises to be more ...

**Ford Fiesta shipments delayed due to hurricane, damaged railroads *UPDATE** 1 month ago on Autoblog

Those waiting patiently for one of the most anticipated new vehicles of the year are going to have wait just a little bit longer. According to Automotive News, Ford has been forced to delay the initial shipments of the 2011 Fiesta by 10 to 14 days due to Hurricane Alex, which hit Northern Mexico ...

Peugeot expands deal for assembly of compact cars in Malaysia 1 month ago on Autoblog

Peugeot has signed an agreement to expand its production relationship with the NAZA Group in Malaysia. NAZA started assembling the previous generation B-segment 206 hatchback in 2006 and will be adding a sedan version of the current 207 late this year. In the second quarter of 2011, Peugeot and ...

Featured
Breaking
Popular

View all

Autoblog Podcast #193 - Hot Mustangs, Volt Mileage, 1 Series M, Mazda design and Lotus Evoras

Chris, Sam, Alex and Dan convene for Episode #193 of the Autoblog Podcast. We cover the Ford Boss Mustang and Roush supercharger package, the latest Chevrolet Volt fuel economy dust-up, the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, Mazda's apparent new design language and the Lotus Evora S and Evora IPS. Thanks for listening!