General Motors Co. on Monday confirmed with its employees that most of the companies’ U.S. plants will operate through its usual two weeks of summer downtime. Truck and SUV plants will run during the weeks of June 29 and July 6 to “meet strengthening customer demand and strong dealer demand,” the company said in a… Continue reading Most GM plants to operate through summer shutdown
Category: US Motoring Press
FCA picks CEO, chair for Comau robotics unit on way to PSA Group merger
CLOSE Fiat Chrysler Automobiles continues making plans for its expected merger with Peugeot-maker PSA Group. On Monday, the company announced another piece in that process — two key appointments — as it prepares to spin off its robotics unit, Comau, a move highlighted in its merger announcement in December. Paolo Carmassi, a former Honeywell executive,… Continue reading FCA picks CEO, chair for Comau robotics unit on way to PSA Group merger
Ford restarts all its operations south of the border, FCA adds shifts
CLOSE Ford knew its decision to build a new plant in Mexico would create a political firestorm on Tuesday, yet it forged ahead anyway. (Photo: Paul Sakuma, AP) Ford Motor Co. has restarted its plants in Mexico after weeks of shutdown due to the coronavirus, it said Monday. The automaker offered little detail on exactly… Continue reading Ford restarts all its operations south of the border, FCA adds shifts
GM’s idled Warren Transmission plant finds a new purpose during outbreak
Warren — The COVID-19 pandemic brought the Warren Transmission plant back from the dead. Equipment used to make transmissions still stands inside the General Motors Co. factory, but the automaker is no longer making those here. There are still assembly lines, but workers are instead making personal protective equipment including face masks to supply front-line workers and GM… Continue reading GM’s idled Warren Transmission plant finds a new purpose during outbreak
Renault, Nissan abandon race for growth to focus on costs
Renault SA and Japanese partners Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. unveiled a plan for deeper cooperation in developing and building vehicles as they seek to salvage their strained alliance and weather a collapse in car demand. The measures will help deliver savings of as much as 40% in model investments for jointly developed… Continue reading Renault, Nissan abandon race for growth to focus on costs
Debt and coronavirus push Hertz into bankruptcy protection
Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer Published 11:41 p.m. ET May 22, 2020 Hertz filed for bankruptcy protection Friday, unable to withstand the coronavirus pandemic that has crippled global travel and with it, the heavily indebted 102-year-old car rental company’s business. The Estero, Florida-based company’s lenders were unwilling to grant it another extension on its auto… Continue reading Debt and coronavirus push Hertz into bankruptcy protection
GM working on semi-autonomous Ultra Cruise to operate on all roads
General Motors Co. is working on a comprehensive Tesla-fighting Ultra Cruise semi-autonomous system for its passenger cars. And its fully autonomous Cruise Origin vehicle may moonlight delivering packages in addition to delivering people to their destinations. The revelations came from global product development chief Doug Parks, as he promised that GM’s vision for self-driving transportation is on track during the COVID crisis. GM’s Super… Continue reading GM working on semi-autonomous Ultra Cruise to operate on all roads
Lear plant in Flint had ‘every square inch’ adapted in response to coronavirus
CLOSE Autoplay Show Thumbnails Show Captions Last SlideNext Slide Plexiglass sneeze guards separate the work stations, carts hold cleaning supplies and signs seemingly everywhere remind workers to social distance. But Mark Bennett, who works in operations at the Lear seating plant in Flint, said the biggest change for workers when they return on Monday will likely… Continue reading Lear plant in Flint had ‘every square inch’ adapted in response to coronavirus
FCA, PSA Group ditch dividend distribution over COVID-19
CLOSE The boards of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot maker PSA Group have nixed a planned dividend distribution in light of the coronavirus pandemic, but they say plans for their 50/50 merger remain on track. As part of their merger announcement last year, FCA and PSA Group had said each company would issue a $1.2 billion (1.1 billion euro) ordinary… Continue reading FCA, PSA Group ditch dividend distribution over COVID-19
GM predicts it will be back to full production in about 4 weeks
CLOSE Cadillac reinvents driving with system that steers car for long distances on highways The automaker brutalized by a 40-day UAW strike plans to take its sharpened rapid response skills and go from total shutdown to total production by mid-June, a top General Motors official acknowledged this week. “Not every facility will ramp up as fast as possible … Ideally,… Continue reading GM predicts it will be back to full production in about 4 weeks