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GM To Build New Astra in UK

The future of the North West plant had been in doubt since the beginning of the year after GM, Vauxhall's parent company, admitted it was looking at restructuring its European operations. The Business Secretary Vince Cable, who flew to the US earlier in the year to lobby General Motors, is expected to visit the site later. It is thought that ...

SAAB Reincarnated

Chinese carmaker Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Company (BAIC) has unveiled the fruits of its 2009 purchase of Saab technology. The haul included the rights to the 9-3 and 9-5 platforms, spun off from architecture developed with former parent General Motors. The heavily-revised and redesigned cars, developed specifically for the Chinese ...

UK manufacturing output rises 0.9% in March

Manufacturing output rose by a stronger-than-expected 0.9%, after a fall of 1.1% in February. Sectors including chemicals, transport equipment, computer and electronics were behind the recovery according to the Office for National Statistics. The wider measure of industrial production fell 0.3%, due to a drop in oil and gas production ...

Toyota unveils first all-electric SUV

The Toyota logo. The car company unveiled Monday what it says is the first all-electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) on the market, a version of its popular RAV4 with a top range of 100 miles and minimum six-hour charge time. The car will be sold initially only in California, the Japanese car company hopes to sell a relatively modest 2,600 ...

Toyota car sales rise in the US as recovery continues

Toyota's sales in the US rose 11.6% in April from a year earlier as the firm continues to regain its market share in the world's biggest economy, according to research firm Autodata Corp. The carmaker had seen its sales in the US dip after production was hit by last year's quake and tsunami in Japan. Fears of a slowdown in the US economy have ...

Daimler profits jump on record Mercedes sales

German car and truck maker Daimler has reported a sharp rise in profits thanks in part to record sales at its Mercedes-Benz division. Net profit for the first three months of the year was 1.42bn euros up 20% on a year earlier. Revenue rose almost 10% to 27bn euros. Sales of Mercedes hit a record 338,300 units, with European and US markets ...

Honda welcomes 500 new staff

Japanese car manufacturer Honda has welcomed 500 new members of staff at its Swindon plant. The expansion was announced in December and takes the number of workers at the plant to 3,500. An extra shift has been introduced and production is expected to almost double to 180,000 cars in 2012. Honda director Andy Piatek said it was an important ...

UK Car Production Increase

UK car production in March rose 0.3% from a year earlier to 135,456, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The number of cars produced for the UK market rose by 9.3% last month, but cars made for export fell by 1.8%. Almost 80% of the cars produced in the UK in March were for overseas markets. Commercial ...

Steel Plant Investment

Tata Steel plans to invest £800m in Wales over the next five years, according to claims made by the Welsh first minister. Carwyn Jones said the vice-chairman of Tata Steel, B Muthuraman, confirmed the commitment to the Welsh steel industry during the Welsh government’s trade mission to India last week. Tata Steel has outlined huge ...

Sales of low emission cars soar

UK drivers are increasingly choosing fuel efficient cars with historically low carbon dioxide emissions, according to motor industry body SMMT. Demand for frugal, low emission cars has risen as a result of rising fuel prices, and technological advances have increased the supply of such cars. The SMMT said 46.8% of cars sold in 2011 emitted ...

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