Toyota – Page 5
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VW appoints new CV board member
Germany - Volkswagen has appointed Alexander Hitzinger as the new member of the board of management for technical development at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. He will take charge of establishing and managing VW's Centre for autonomous driving and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS)."In Alexander Hitzinger we have recruited a renowned expert as Member of ...
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Asia’s other powerhouse
Already a dynamic and rapidly growing manufacturing hub, South-East Asia’s automotive industry is finding further opportunity in the growth of battery and hybrid vehicle production Two nations dominate South-East Asia vehicle production, namely Thailand (approximately 2m units per annum (upa)) and Indonesia (c1.1m upa). There is one mid-sized producer ...
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New year, new arrangements
As 2018 draws to a close, the pace of change in vehicle manufacturing is accelerating. The move to EVs is gaining speed while the companies themselves continue to realign and optimise their manufacturing footprints. The future of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance has been thrown into doubt with the arrest of Carlos ...
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Unease in the East
Falling sales, electrification and mega mergers: Nick Gibbs provides an overview of the current automotive industry trends in China A fascinating year for China’s automotive industry has seen the world’s largest car market undergo a series of seismic shifts as it moves to a new level of maturity, bringing both ...
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Set the controls
Expertise in plastic component manufacturing will be in ever greater demand during the emobility age. In preparation, global supplier Novares has taken on a new form Following a period of reorganisation and rebranding, the Mecaplast-Key Plastics group spent 2018 settling in to its new identity – Novares The chosen name ...
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Piecing it all together
Ian Henry identifies six themes from the moves, mergers and makeovers underway in the global automotive tier supply sector Six themes characterise the automotive supply sector at present, namely: ongoing M&A, the financial challenges faced by the supply base, restructuring and realignment of product portfolios, investment in new facilities, the ...
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Toyota makes hybrid transaxles
Poland - The OEM has started production of its hybrid electric transaxles at its plant in Wałbrzych, situated in the south west of the country. They will be fitted to the new Corolla Hybrid, which is being built at Toyota's Burnaston factory in the UK, and the C-HR Hybrid, which ...
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Gestamp opens two new facilities
Spain - The company has opened a new plant in Matsusaka - it's first in Japan. Costing around €40m (US$46m), the facility will be used to make body-in-white components using hot stamping, and will initially supply Honda."Gestamp’s strategy is always to accompany our customers and we are proud to be ...
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GAC Mitsubishi makes engines
China - The company has started making its 4B4 and 4J1 engines at a new plant in Changsha, Hunan. These were previously imported from Japan before being dropped into the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SUV and the Outlander SUV.The engine plant has an annual production capacity of 200,000 units, and according ...
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Mazda appoints new R&D VP
Japan - Hajime Seikaku has been named the new vice president of Mazda's European Research & Development Centre, which is located in Oberursel, Germany. He was previously working at Mazda's vehicle development division in Japan."Mr. Seikaku brings a wealth of vehicle development expertise and knows the requirements and preferences of ...
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Food for thought in Paris
So many big names were absent from this year’s Paris motor show that the long-term future of these events must soon be called into question. Nissan, Volvo, Opel, Ford and Fiat in particular were notable no-shows. Audi and Skoda had a presence, but the Volkswagen brand was perhaps the biggest ...
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Waste not…
Karen McCandless reports on vehicle-maker recycling projects ranging from plastic bottles to electric vehicle batteries As vehicle production numbers continue to increase, up from 11.9m in 2013 to 17m in 2017, so do the automotive industry’s waste management efforts continue to improve. The waste generated per unit produced in the ...
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Time for an upgrade
As Toyota shapes up its global manufacturing network to build the new vehicle platform, Nick Holt visits the OEM’s Valenciennes facility to see the progress being madeTo meet the challenge of rapidly changing markets and segment volatility, the development and adoption of common, modular vehicle platforms is now a familiar ...
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Expanding and restructuring
As the move to electrified and autonomous vehicles accelerates, Toyota is expanding in both technology areas and restructuring its operations. Ian Henry reports Toyota is making a number of key organisational changes to simplify and rationalise its operations in response to the fast-changing automotive market. As of the end of ...
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Japanese OEMs target China for EVs
An increasing number of car manufacturers based in the US and Europe are turning their sights on China, especially since authorities recently promised to abolish the rule that companies outside the country can own a maximum stake of 50% in joint ventures with Chinese companies. Tesla was among the first ...
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Southern hospitality
Gareth Price visits Hyundai’s major manufacturing facility in Montgomery, Alabama, as it welcomes the return of an SUV to its production linesBack in 2005, Hyundai’s plans to open its first US manufacturing facility came to fruition and the $1.7 billion automotive assembly and manufacturing plant in Montgomery, Alabama, was up ...
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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 reportsCross-border CorollaAfter a period of not investing in North America, Toyota is once again expanding in the region. It is building ...
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Centre of operations
Investment in new plants and expansion of existing facilities shows central Europe to be at the heart of vehicle manufacturers’ regional strategiesAt first glance, vehicle production in central Europe – essentially the former communist bloc countries west of the Russian border – appears to centre on Volkswagen with its Skoda ...
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PSA and Nissan exploring new ground
An interesting news report caught my eye recently; the article suggested that PSA – whose Chinese plants are operating well below capacity – will lease one of its factories in China to Nissan later this summer. The report suggested that the factory and its workforce will move to Nissan in ...
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Toyota North America appoints CIO
US - Manjit Singh has become chief information officer and group vice president of information systems at Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). He will work alongside Chris Tinto, group vice president of mobility, and Steve Basra, vice president of connected technology, to enhance profitability and develop digital systems."We are glad ...