South America News
Nafta aftermath
A new trade deal era will reconfigure Mexico’s automotive industry relations with the US, Nick Gibbs reports
Ford's future
The UK press was rather excited recently when one of the Sunday papers claimed that the Ford Mondeo would be axed. Given that this model is not, and has never been, made in the UK, such concern was perhaps surprising. This was part of a wide-ranging story that Ford was ...
Pacific standard
Responding to the boom in SUV and crossover markets, the OEMs of Japan and Korea continue to invest in manufacturing operations across their long-established North American networks. Ian Henry reports
The man who saved Fiat and Chrysler
Sergio Marchionne was a remarkable man. He dominated the auto industry’s headlines and news agenda and his passing robs the industry of one of its few star names
Nissan boosts Navara production
Argentina - The pick-up is now being built at the Renault plant in Santa Isabel, Cordoba. Nissan has cited rising global demand for the model as justification for the move.
A slow return to growth
Vehicle-makers in South America are seeing signs of recovery, boosted by growing exports, reports Nick Gibbs
Mercedes-Benz do Brazil gets new line
Brazil - A building has been constructed at the company’s plant in Sao Bernardo do Campo to house a new production line for light- and heavy-duty trucks. The project lasted for three years and cost a total of €125m (US$153.83m).
VW pours €22.8bn into production network
Germany – The OEM said the funds will be used to implement its Transform 2025+ strategy, focusing on “the further development of modular production, the continuation of the model offensive and further orientation towards e-mobility”. The investment, equivalent to $27 billion, will be spread over five years to 2022.
VW invests €560m at Pacheco for new SUV
Argentina – The OEM said the plant would undergo “modernisation measures” costing the equivalent of $660m to optimise the production process, enhancing quality and sustainability while enabling it to make the new SUV by 2020. The introduction of the model, based on Volkswagen’s Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) platform, will create ...
Engle to lead new GM region
US – The company announced that it will combine its International and South America regions after the retirement of Stefan Jacoby, executive vice-president and president of GM International, at the end of this year. Barry Engle, currently in charge of South America, will assume the leadership of both regions on ...
JLR appoints Marchand to Americas role
US – As vice-president Government and Industry Relations, Chris Marchand will direct the company’s interactions with governments and industry associations across North, Central and South America. He will take up the role on November 7.
Autonomy drive
Suzuki has stayed independent of big joint ventures despite becoming increasingly dependent on markets outside Japan
Managing complexity
AMS spoke to Leah Bruce, Ford’s manufacturing business manager, diesel specialist, to find out more about the OEM’s plans for diesel engine production
Zero Downtime
GM has ambitious plans to implement a zero down time approach using cloud based computing to connect all of its production robots worldwide
Joining forces
Complex parts, precision fits, no margin for error; it’s no wonder automation is such a vital ingredient of successful powertrain assembly lines
Joining forces
Complex parts, precision fits, no margin for error; it’s no wonder automation is such a vital ingredient of successful powertrain assembly lines
Gestamp opens seventh plant in Brazil
Brazil – The Spanish company has invested €24.9m to set up a new hot stamping plant in Betim (Minas Gerais, Brazil), that will serve Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA), supplying parts for the Fiat Palio and Siena models. The new plant, which will also be equipped with laser cutting and assembly ...
Around the block
The mix of in-house and external sourcing that OEMs regularly deploy in vehicle engine production make its supply chain quite distinct from that of all other components along the assembly line
An order for progress
After the dips in demand of recent years, car makers in Brazil and Argentina anticipate an upturn in market fortunes and a boost in vehicle production
