Sources say VW has suspended Falko Rudolph, the head of its main transmissions plant in Kassel, Germany, who oversaw diesel-engine development between 2006 and 2010 while heading the automaker's main engines plant in Salzgitter....More
Opel’s Vienna plant manufactured 534,246 engines, 375,333 5-speed transmissions and 347,209 6-speed transmissions in 2014. The automaker expects similar production volumes for this and next year....More
A new digital lab in Dearborn ramps up Ford’s ability to use virtual reality in solving problematic vehicle-assembly operations. Ergonomic issues are down 90%, and the number of days missed by injured employees has dropped 75%....More
Jatco and rival Aisin AW both look to grow their customer bases, Jatco will concentrate its major facilities investments in China and the U.S. over the next five years....More
Management claims to be on track to reach its ¥1 trillion ($8.4 billion) sales target by fiscal 2018 and become the world’s top producer of automatic transmissions by 2020....More
Ford is just the latest global automaker to expand in Mexico, lured by the country’s many free trade agreements, low wages and inexpensive land....More
Establishing a global production footprint is a key element of Mazda’s structural reform plan announced in February 2012, and the launch of Mazda Powertrain Mfg. operations marks another important milestone....More
“The parent company plans to use the Thai factory as the global blueprint, with 60% of production serving the domestic market and the rest for export,” Mazda Thailand President Hidesuke Takesue says....More
Improvements at the complex, which builds the Damas and Labo mini LCVs, the Chevrolet Spark minicar and electric vehicle, and 0.8L, 1.0L and 1.2L engines and transmissions, include a new body shop with enhanced robotic line technology....More
Steve Carlisle, a GM lifer beginning his career in 1982 at the Oshawa, Canada, assembly plant, replaces de Nysschen. Carlisle has trotted the globe for GM over his 36 years with the automaker....More
Conceived as a virtual race car for the 15th anniversary of the Gran Turismo video game on Sony’s PlayStation 4, Audi has turned the e-Tron Vision Gran Turismo into reality as part of a marketing campaign built around its new e-Tron electric-vehicle sub-brand....More
When Ford revealed its F-150 Power Stroke engine earlier this year, engineers said 30 mpg highway was their target. Testing by the EPA confirms that rating for the truck that goes on sale in May....More
This year's competition saw 40 nominated interiors that were all-new or significantly improved from the prior year, and even some of the vehicles that didn't make the list pushed boundaries with regard to style, materials and colors....More
WardsAuto speaks with Tim Russi, Ally’s president-auto finance, and Clearlane founder Jeff Danford about a car-buying process that started at dealerships’ special-financing operations but now is online and appealing to more than just the credit-challenged....More
