Autoblog

Richard Cortez, the Mayor of McAllen, Texas, called a news conference earlier this week to announce that city officials were in talks with an unnamed automaker to build a new manufacturing facility in the Rio Grande Valley. Interestingly enough, he gave few other details as he was worried about upsetting the "customer" as they have asked for silence on the project. Not to surprise anyone, but all signs are pointing at Hyundai Motor Company.

The Mayor has good reason to keep his mouth shut. Just two years ago, the South Korean automaker was in talks with local area officials about a similar project. Those plans fell through when early media leaks identified Hyundai as the potential automaker, and they chose West Point, Georgia, instead. (You are probably asking yourself, as we are, why would the Mayor call a news conference about this in the first place...)

Regardless, analysts say the Rio Grande Valley would be a good fit for Hyundai. The location is close to Mexico, so components could be assembled on the other side of the border and shipped to the United States for final assembly. If Hyundai chooses Texas for their new plant it would be their fourth facility in the United States following plants in Alabama, Georgia, and California. That is, if the Mayor can keep a secret. Thanks for the tip iSpec!

[Source: The Monitor]

The weak dollar is driving yet another automaker to the States. On the heels of the announcement earlier this month that BMW will increase production in the U.S, Fiat is considering moving production of both Alfa Romeo cars, and Iveco trucks, to manufacturing plants on our shores. We first broke the news in December, but now it appears Fiat is actively involved in talks with U.S. automakers to build partnerships and share manufacturing facilities with a goal of starting production by 2011 or 2012. This is positive news for consumers as Alfa prepares to once again enter the N.A. marketplace, and great news for the local economies who will benefit from additional jobs and tax revenue.

[Source: Reuters]

Aston Martins rank highly among the most beautiful cars on the road. Granted, they all look pretty much the same – evolutions on a common theme that has ranged from the DB7 through to the upcoming production Rapide four-door – but each one is a study in elegance and sophistication.

Future models, however, are set to be conceived and designed at a new facility which the now independent British sportscar marque is in the process of establishing in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England, at the site of its complex there (pictured above) which the company built to replace its historic home at Newport Pagnell.

The new design center is part of an ambitious program being undertaken by Aston Martin, under the leadership of CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez and chairman David Richards, to dramatically expand its market reach. We can't wait to see what the boys at Aston cook up next at its fancy new facility.

Our thanks go out to Mikkel for the tip.

[Source: BBC]

Hyundai announced today its intention to build a new engine plant in the U.S. at its current lone production facility in Montgomery, Alabama. The new facility will cost Hyundai around $270 million and add an additional 520 jobs to the plant. Engines produced at the new facility, which will break ground in September 2008, will supply not only Hyundai's Alabama plant, but also Kia's new plant in Georgia. Considering the numerous labor distputes Hyundai has had to deal with in its native South Korea, moving production outside the country is a move that will hopefully bring the automaker more security in its production process.

As an a aside, Hyundai also set 2009 as the date when it will begin producing hybrids, ramping up to an annual production of 300,000 hybrids by 2015. Currently, the only peek we've had at Hyundai hybrid is the Kia Rio Hybrid recently shown at the Geneva Motor Show.

[Source: Automotive News]

All those wasted years sitting in ordinary classrooms, drawing pictures of cars in our notebooks. We should have gone to Ferrari school! The Prancing Horse marque has just inaugurated its new Training Center with a 1,200 square-meter facility near the factory in Maranello.

The new Ferrari Training Center replaces the previous classrooms used at the factory and includes new workshops, classrooms and offices where the company offers courses in mechanics, bodywork, electric systems, product information and post-sales. A total of 149 courses at basic and advanced levels in a variety of languages will be offered. The courses are aimed at the 1,500 technicians in the worldwide Ferrari network. Basic courses are required for all Ferrari technicians, and the advanced courses lead to certification as a reference expert in any of the brand's 52 markets worldwide.

The courses offered at the training center – as well as at satellite facilities in the US, Great Britain and China – are Ferrari's way of ensuring that its technicians and staff around the globe are providing the best service possible. Sure beats the basic auto mechanics course from the local community college.

[Source: Ferrari via Italiaspeed]

Aluminum giant Alcoa has opened a new facility in Modena specifically to provide aluminum space frames and components to Ferrari.

The two companies began collaborating in 1994, when Ferrari determined that the lightweight metal was the way to go to reduce weight and improve the dynamics of its road cars, and began producing the space frames for the 360 Modena in 1998. Today Alcoa is Ferrari's development and construction partner, with the aluminum conglomerate providing the frames for the F430, 612 Scaglietti and the new 599 GTB Fiorano.

Until now, Alcoa produced the components at their own plants in Hungary, Germany and the Netherlands and sent them to the Ferrari factory in Italy where Alcoa personnel assembled them into full space frames at Scaglietti Works, Ferrari's body panel facility. With the new state-of-the-art 5,000-square-meter, million-euro facility, Alcoa will produce the space frames on site. The factory includes two high-speed robotic machining centers, two robotic joining centers and 12 space-frame assembly cells.

Alcoa's overall investment in Italy totals nearly $300 million, having taken over Alumix in 1996 and incorporating six facilities: three extrusion plants, two smelters and one rolling mill, employing 1,900 workers directly and 4,000 indirectly. While we're not likely to see any direct results from the new facility, it should help Ferrari produce its cars more efficiently, which is good all around.

[Source: FerrariWorld via Motorpasion]

In anticipation of its upcoming 2007 models arriving, Nissan has decided to swallow a hard pill and shut down production at its three U.S. plants for six days by the end of July. Scuttling its plants in Canton, MS and Smyrna and Decherd, TN will trim 18,000 vehicles from its previously planned production schedule.

The first shut down day occurred on April 17, the second will be May 26th and lengthen the plant’s Memorial Day weekend, while the final four will give workers a very large Fourth of July weekend. All six days will be treated as vacation days for employees, which we assume means they’ll still be on the clock.

Additional down days could be added if sales slow even further ahead of the ’07 arrivals, which include the Versa Hatchback and Sedan, Sentra, Quest, Altima and Altima Hybrid, and Infinit G35 Sedan.

[Source: Nissan]

Toyota has announced that it will move its best-selling Camry sedan assembly to Subaru's underutilized Lafayette, Indiana plant. The changeover will free up capacity at the company's main car factory in Kentucky to build a 'new tall station wagon.'

Of course, Toyota isn't going it alone... it'll have the faith and trust of $94 million in state and local government incentives Subaru acquired when the plant was announced in 1989.

According to the Indianapolis Star, the automaker is expected to announce that it will hire 1,000 workers at the plant as early as Monday.

[Source: United Press International]