Carmakers face a decade of costlier copper and nickel Recent research predicts copper and nickel prices to roughly double by 2035 as trade curbs multiply and supply lags demand. For vehicle plants built on metal, a trade deal may not rescue material cost. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Predictive Maintenance has a rare-failure problem Automotive downtime now costs $2.3m an hour, yet fewer breakdowns mean less data to learn from. The plants getting Predictive Maintenance right are pooling knowledge, prioritising critical assets and earning the trust of the technicians who act on alerts. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Detroit gathers plant leaders to plan for two futures Looser fuel rules, shifting tariffs and new robots have left North American plants weighing futures they cannot yet price. AMNA, in Detroit on 21-22 October, is built around those choices. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Tesla’s Humanoid claim meets the reality of the line Emad Mostaque says Tesla will sell more robots than cars within two years. Whatever the number, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai are already preparing humanoids for the line, and the harder questions concern tasks, tooling and suppliers. Ilkhan Ozsevim
BMW trades breadth for margin and puts AI to work At its Capital Market Day, BMW set out a route back to an 8% to 10% Automotive EBIT margin, built on regional production, agentic AI in the plant and 20% fewer divisions and management roles. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Ford aims to award up to $1bn to suppliers via Michigan LIFT Ford aspires to award up to $1 billion of business, and JPMorganChase up to $1 billion of financing, to suppliers that solve real production problems. Michigan LIFT starts on the factory floor, and buyers beyond Ford are invited. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Looser US fuel rules leave factories with hard choices Washington is relaxing fuel economy targets for cars and light trucks. For plants retooled for electrification and suppliers still machining engine parts, the rule redraws the map of what is worth building. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Volkswagen builds a European LFP base with Gotion Three joint ventures across Spain, Slovakia and Morocco will give PowerCo and Gotion a shared route to LFP cells and cathode material. The factory floor, not the freight lane, is where the real test begins. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Rivian and TE Connectivity on where zonal complexity hides Rivian's Dmitry Fudym and TE Connectivity's Bernard Vetten explain, in five short clips, where harness complexity goes, why 800V is no simple upgrade and how AI could retire the spreadsheet. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Rivian and TE Connectivity strip the wiring myth bare Rivian's Dmitry Fudym and TE Connectivity's Bernard Vetten explain why zonal architecture lives or dies on the harness, from ECU consolidation to 800-volt clearances, and why the industry keeps learning the same lesson too late. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Why MG's Czech move is really about its Spanish plant MG's shift to direct retail in the Czech Republic and Slovakia looks like a distribution tidy-up. Read against its new Galicia plant and Frankfurt engineering base, it is the retail layer of a much bigger EU localisation strategy. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Catena-X data network grows fivefold as plant gains mount Catena-X has grown fivefold in nine months to 1,069 firms, and factory pilots in quality control and equipment efficiency show the automotive data network delivering results on the shop floor, not just in the supply chain. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Idle EV Battery lines find a customer in Data Centres Ford, GM and LG are converting EV battery lines to grid storage for AI data centres. The prize is rich margins, but Chinese pricing, licensing ties and the chance that AI needs less power could strand this capacity twice. Ilkhan Ozsevim
McLaren's £500m ($675m) stake signals a new era for British carmaking As McLaren commits £500m ($675m) to insourcing engine production and Nissan adds £170m ($229m) to Sunderland, Britain's carmakers are staking fresh capital on domestic manufacturing even as the wider sector faces cost pressure. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Why energy is now central to manufacturing cost control Mitsubishi Electric's Richard Lawton explains why energy must join Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), quality and throughput as a core measure of operational excellence, and where carmakers should invest first for the fastest, most defensible return. Ilkhan Ozsevim
The wiring problem automotive manufacturers can't ignore As electrification reshapes what happens on the factory floor, Linquan Technology's Boming Zhu argues carmakers must rethink harness design, data flow and tooling long before assembly lines can be meaningfully automated. Ilkhan Ozsevim
JLR cuts 4,000 jobs to fix an underloaded plant network On September 7, 2026, JLR CEO PB Balaji confirmed 4,000 job cuts, as the carmaker moves to shore up its competitiveness against mounting headwinds across the automotive sector. James McLoughlin Ilkhan Ozsevim
Humanoids are on the factory floor. But who controls access? As humanoids move from demo to shift work at plants including BMW Spartanburg, Acre Security CEO Kumar Sokka argues factories are deploying a new class of worker without the identity and access systems built to govern it. Ilkhan Ozsevim
GM opens veteran hiring pipeline for skilled trades General Motors has launched a nationwide grant programme aimed at transitioning service members and military families, funnelling up to $6 million to nonprofits that can move veterans into automotive manufacturing and technician roles. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Ford confirms Geely GEA platform for new Valencia SUV Geely's chairman has confirmed that Ford's new European crossover will be built on the GEA architecture, giving fresh technical substance to the Valencia joint venture and deepening the localisation of Ford's European supply chain. Ilkhan Ozsevim
JLR turns to Stellantis to build tariff-proof Defenders JLR's tie-up with Stellantis to build new Defender-branded models in the US is designed to dodge tariffs, hedge currency exposure and revive an off-road lineage the current Defender left behind, not to relocate its best-selling ranges. Ilkhan Ozsevim
India's chemical groups outpace its battery cell producers Billions of rupees are flowing into India's battery materials plants, yet Chinese technology curbs have left domestic cell manufacturing stranded, forcing chemical groups to sell their output abroad rather than to an industry that barely exists at home. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Ford brings Lincoln production home from China by 2030 Ford will grow Lincoln output in the US from 2030 and wind down Chinese imports, a move that trades short-term tariff pain for longer-term control over its luxury brand's manufacturing footprint. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Why automotive manufacturers are stuck at "Stage One" Nearly half of North American automotive manufacturers describe their digitalisation efforts as still at the awareness stage. A new AMS and Kyndryl survey of 316 industry leaders explains why, and what separates the companies pulling ahead. Ilkhan Ozsevim
BMW's iFactory: the blueprint behind the new X5 Five drivetrains, humanoid robots and AI quality checks at Plant Spartanburg all trace back to one framework. AMS examines how BMW's iFactory concept, tested end to end on the new X5, is reshaping what a modern assembly line is built to do. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Japan earthquake impacts automotive and semiconductor supply chains A deadly earthquake in Japan has impacted the manufacturing and supply chain operations of several automakers including Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi. James McLoughlin Ilkhan Ozsevim
How BMW and Beissbarth exported factory floor discipline beyond the gate BMW's approval of Beissbarth's Q.Lign looks like routine dealer news. Look closer and it shows an OEM exporting factory floor discipline, digital verification and audit driven compliance far beyond the plant. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Why factories need an AI orchestration layer, not more apps Maneva's Rae Jeong argues automotive plants are drowning in disconnected AI point solutions. The fix, he says, is not another dashboard but a layer that lets a plant manager simply ask what went wrong. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Suzuki eyes Europe with affordable electric kei car Suzuki plans to export its first modern electric kei car to Europe from 2027, using compact design and competitive pricing to target a growing market for affordable urban EVs despite intensifying competition from European and Chinese manufacturers. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Shanghai Electric expands AI robotics for industrial manufacturing Shanghai Electric has unveiled a new generation of 'embodied' AI robots, industrial AI agents and an AI-native smart factory architecture at WAIC 2026, signalling a broader push to embed autonomous intelligence across manufacturing operations. Ilkhan Ozsevim
BMW's Woodruff plant readies AI-led battery assembly Ahead of December's series launch, BMW Group's new Woodruff facility in South Carolina pairs artificial intelligence with virtual reality training to deliver zero-defect Gen6 batteries for the fully-electric BMW iX5. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Catena-X extends automotive data ecosystem from Europe into China Catena-X has launched the first trusted cross-border automotive data ecosystem linking Europe and China, creating sovereign data infrastructure to support battery passports, regulatory compliance and secure supply chain collaboration at global scale. Ilkhan Ozsevim
US' Ford and China's Geely forge Valencia plant alliance Ford and Geely Auto plan a joint venture at Ford's Valencia plant, pooling production to build low- and zero-emission vehicles from 2028, as the site adapts to Europe's tightening cost and regulatory pressures. Ilkhan Ozsevim
YASA industrialises axial flux motor production under Mercedes-Benz Five years after its acquisition by Mercedes-Benz, YASA has industrialised axial flux motor production at Berlin-Marienfelde and expanded UK manufacturing capacity, underpinning the powertrain of the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Japan Inc turns to shared parts in fight against China Toyota's Koji Sato is asking Japan's seven carmakers to standardise the parts drivers never see, from wiring looms to steel grades, as Chinese rivals erode market share and force a rethink of decades-old rules of competition. Ilkhan Ozsevim
State steel seizure rewires UK car supply chain Royal Assent of the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act on 15 July hands ministers the power to seize British Steel, forcing vehicle makers to rethink just-in-time metal supply and the carbon footprint of every British-built car. Ilkhan Ozsevim
How BMW pushes product and supply chain sustainability with the new BMW X5 BMW has cut the new X5's lifecycle emissions by around 40%, but exclusive comments from product sustainability chief Nils Hesse reveal the true limits of 'easy' sustainability gains. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Retooling on the move at BMW Spartanburg Plant Spartanburg's $1.7 billion retool now runs petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric X5 variants down a single line, while Plant Woodruff strips a step out of battery assembly entirely. Equipment renewal, not just new buildings, is doing the heavy lifting. Ilkhan Ozsevim
MG's case for semi-solid batteries beyond the bridge Dr Li Zheng, MG's global chief battery scientist, explains the materials science behind SolidCore, why it solves a PHEV's oldest anxieties, and how MG plans to scale, supply and stabilise the technology as a manufacturing strategy in its own right. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Net zero's real bottleneck isn't technology, it's teamwork Volvo, JLR and Dassault Systèmes panellists agree that organisational silos, not sensors or software, now pose the greatest threat to automotive manufacturing's decarbonisation targets. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Toyota's AI push to unify a fractured production language Toyota is deploying artificial intelligence to reconcile 45,000 internal terms into 5,000 common ones across planning, production and sales, aiming to cut translation steps by 30% and speed vehicle delivery by 2028. Ilkhan Ozsevim
BMW's Spartanburg line masters five-drivetrain X5 build BMW Group has completed its $1.7 billion South Carolina expansion, unveiling the new X5 as the first vehicle assembled with five drivetrain technologies on one line, with the electric iX5 to follow by year-end. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Volvo, JLR and Dassault chart advanced path to net zero Volvo Car Torslanda, JLR and Dassault Systèmes join an AMS livestream to show how battery passports, simulation and energy data are turning sustainability ambition into factory floor results. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Laser welding advances drive safer battery production At LSE 26 in Aachen this September, Fraunhofer ILT brings together Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Bosch and MAHLE to examine how laser joining can make battery cell, module and pack manufacturing faster, more robust and more cost-effective at scale. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Inside Magna's energy-first route to renewable production power Magna treated energy as an operational variable, not a procurement decision, to achieve 100% renewable electricity across Europe. Magna experts explain the strategy and how the approach is now being scaled across Canada and globally. Ilkhan Ozsevim
GM Defense and Lockheed Martin forge production alliance Lockheed Martin and GM Defense have signed an agreement to merge defence production expertise with high volume commercial manufacturing, as Washington pushes to expand America's industrial capacity for critical military systems. Ilkhan Ozsevim
US policy shifts cost Japan's carmakers $28bn Tariffs, abrupt EV reversals and shifting emissions rules in the United States have collectively inflicted nearly $28 billion in costs on Japan's six major automakers in a single fiscal year, with a further $14 billion forecast before March 2027. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Ford's California lab reshapes EV production In a Long Beach campus far from Detroit, Ford has assembled a 350-strong team tasked with reinventing its electric vehicle architecture from the ground up - blending startup speed with century-old manufacturing depth. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Škoda Epiq enters production in Spain The Volkswagen Group's Brand Group Core strategy takes physical form in Pamplona, as Škoda begins building its first model on the MEB+ platform and its first car ever manufactured on Spanish soil. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Research: AI and tariffs reshape digital transformation A new AMS survey, conducted in partnership with Kyndryl and Microsoft, finds automotive manufacturers navigating a sharper, more turbulent digitalisation landscape than ever before. The findings demand attention. Ilkhan Ozsevim
MG chooses Spain for first mainland European factory MG will invest around €200m ($233m) in a new Spanish manufacturing hub, bringing production, R&D, logistics and component supply under one roof as the SAIC-owned brand accelerates its European localisation strategy. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Europe's truck giants lobby to soften CO2 rules Europe's largest truck manufacturers are pressing Brussels to weaken hard-won emissions targets, even as cheaper foreign electric rivals prepare to undercut them. Experts warn the strategy will cost fleets, jobs and long-term competitiveness. Ilkhan Ozsevim
China's tech giants target the top of the car market The Maextro S800 is a production and strategic statement from a Chinese industry that has mastered the affordable end of electrification and is now methodically climbing to its summit. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Ford CEO's personal Chinese EV exposes its tech gap Jim Farley’s decision to daily-drive Xiaomi’s SU7 has become a public symbol of Ford’s struggle to close what executives describe as a decades-long deficit in software architecture, manufacturing efficiency and EV competitiveness. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Nissan's JATCO scraps £48.7m EV powertrain plan in Sunderland Nissan's transmission-making subsidiary has abandoned a major electric vehicle powertrain investment in Sunderland, as sluggish European demand and a sweeping restructuring of Nissan's global plant network rewrite the economics of electrification. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Carlos Chudek to lead operations at Bosch Mobility Americas; Christopher Prediger to steer computing solutions Bosch Mobility has appointed Carlos Chudek to lead Americas operations including manufacturing and supply chain, as Hanns Bernd Ketteler retires. Christopher Prediger will lead cross-domain computing solutions, signalling a sharper focus on manufacturing strategy, software-defined vehicles and profitable regional growth. Ilkhan Ozsevim
The Software Factory: Volvo’s CTO Anders Bell on industrialising the Software-Defined Car Anders Bell explains how continuous software builds, automated validation, OTA deployment and vertically integrated engineering are reshaping automotive production operations. Ilkhan Ozsevim
How Volvo casts an EX60 floor in two minutes At Torslanda, a single aluminium casting replaces hundreds of stamped and welded components on the EX60. Peter Schüler, Megacasting Shop Manager, explains the physics, the process, and the industrial ambition behind Europe's most advanced high-pressure die-casting cell. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Mercedes-Benz opens $110m truck plant in Argentina Daimler Truck's $110m Zárate Industrial Center marks Mercedes-Benz's first fully dedicated truck and bus plant in Argentina, combining assembly, pioneering parts remanufacturing and a national logistics network, on the 75th anniversary of Argentine operations. Ilkhan Ozsevim
JLR and GM bid to return to military vehicle production As NATO nations race to rearm, a £900m MoD contract for 4x4 military vehicles has drawn JLR, General Motors and a string of rivals into a contest that could reshape British automotive manufacturing for a generation. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Torslanda: Inside Volvo’s most ambitious factory transformation Magnus Olsson has launched seven Volvo models. As Torslanda's plant manager, he now oversees the factory's most complex transformation, and makes the case that people, not machines, will determine whether Western manufacturing prevails. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Cybersecurity in carmaking: when the factory becomes the attack surface As connected factories and supplier networks reshape automotive production, MHP Consulting’s Bodo Philipp says the industry must move beyond compliance and build true cyber resilience before the next attack hits the shop floor. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Ford launches 'Ford Energy' for grid-scale BESS Ford Motor Company's newly launched energy subsidiary will manufacture battery storage systems at a repurposed Kentucky facility, targeting at least 20 GWh of annual output by late 2027, serving utilities, data centres and industrial customers across the United States. Ilkhan Ozsevim
How Volvo built the EX60 without stopping the line Akhil Krishnan oversaw EX60 development while the XC60 ran at full production beside it. In this interview, he unpacks the industrial logic of SPA3, Volvo's AI-driven sustainability strategy and why flexibility has become the company's defining competitive thesis. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Nissan scraps Canton pure EV plan in push for ICE and hybrids Nissan has abandoned its $500m electric vehicle commitment for its Canton, Mississippi plant, replacing it with V6-powered hybrids. The decision lays bare the widening gap between EV ambition and manufacturing reality in Trump-era America. Ilkhan Ozsevim
GM commits $830m to US propulsion plants as Electric Vehicles waver A combined $830 million investment across three Midwest propulsion plants pushes General Motors' domestic manufacturing total past $6 billion in a year, as the automaker bets on full-size trucks and SUVs ahead of a generational model refresh. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Honda SCM marks Pioneer 1000 Deluxe production start American Honda has celebrated the start of production for the 2026 Pioneer 1000 Deluxe at its Timmonsville, South Carolina plant, marking nearly 28 years of powersports output and the first application of throttle-by-wire to a DCT-equipped Honda side-by-side. Ilkhan Ozsevim
China’s carmakers surge ahead of Europe and Japan in global EV race Chinese automakers are pulling ahead of Japanese and European rivals with AI-driven cars, battery advances, and growing global ambitions, as firms like BYD, Xpeng, and Xiaomi expand into Europe amid slowing domestic demand. Ilkhan Ozsevim
