Auto Industry articles from November 2000

Auto Industry archives from November 2000

Daewoo forced into bankruptcy as unions resist restructuring.(Daewoo Corporation)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... South Korea Daewoo, which has been in financial difficulty since the collapse last year of its parent company, was finally declared bankrupt in early November with estimated world-wide debts of US$10billion (6.6billion [pounds sterling])....

Wagon picks up Hawtal for a song.(UK Wagon, Hawtal Whiting Engineering Limited)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK Wagon has reached agreement with the Administrative Receivers to acquire certain assets of the UK business of Hawtal Whiting Engineering Limited and the issued common stock of Hawtal Whiting's US subsidiary, Hawtal Whiting, Inc. (not in...

European car registrations fall sharply.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 10, 2000... Belgium ACEA's latest figures for new passenger car registrations in Western Europe show one of the sharpest decreases in recent years, giving many manufacturers cause for concern. In September car registrations fell by a total of 5.7 per...

LDV distances itself from Daewoo and looks for new partner.(Daewoo Corporation)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK A decision by the board of LDV, the specialist van maker, to distance itself from Daewoo, its strategic partner in a new shared van programme, appeared foresighted in early November when the South Korean carmaker was declared bankrupt. ...

Ford eyes up the Philippines.(Ford Motor Corporation)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Philippines Ford Motor Corporation has revealed that the Philippines will play a major role in its passenger car production in the Asian region as soon as the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) is implemented. According to Lewis Booth, head of...

Lola and Mayflower join forces in the UK.(Lola Cars International, Mayflower Vehicle Systems, United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK Lola Cars International of Huntingdon, Cambridge, has joined forces with Mayflower Vehicle Systems (MVS) of Coventry to concentrate on specialist niche vehicles. The new partnership will allow Lola to enter the world of mainstream...

Lear links up to tap Toyota seat business.(Lear Corporation, Toyota Motor Manufacturing U.S.A. Incorporated)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... US Lear Corporation of Southfield, Michigan, has created a new business with Takashimaya Nippatsu Kogyo Ltd (TNK) of Japan to supply seat systems for the Sienna minivan to be built by Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Indiana commencing in 2003....

DaimlerChrysler moves to protect intellectual property rights.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK DaimlerChrysler recently announced that it would be taking legal action against 20 British firms it believes are selling counterfeit automotive parts and thereby infringing the company's intellectual property rights. It has been...

business: news in brief.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... United Kingdom New contracts at Stadco UK Stadco has safeguarded jobs at its auto parts plant in Shrewsbury, UK after the announcement of a series of new contracts. The contracts, totalling in excess of 25million [pounds sterling]....

Ford posts increased third-quarter European losses.(Ford Motor Company)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK Ford Motor Company has recorded an increase of $65million (43.3million [pounds sterling]) for its third-quarter operating loss in Europe. Included in the figures were contributions from brands like Jaguar and Volvo. Total operating losses...

Disappointing third-quarter results for Scania and Volvo.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 10, 2000... Sweden Swedish heavy trucks group Scania has attributed poor nine-month results to European protests over fuel prices. Third-quarter profits at Scania fell to SKr742million (52million [pounds sterling]) from SKr984million (69million [pounds...

Honda bows to euro pressure.(Honda Motor Company Limited)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK Honda has decided not to produce its new small car at Swindon, but to increase output of the CR-V to compensate. These CR-Vs will be exported to the USA. Therefore, it is bowing to the pressure of the low value of the euro against...

Ford to build new engine plant at Dagenham.(Ford Motor Corporation, Dagenham Estate, England)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK Ford Motor Corporation is to build a new, high technology diesel engine manufacturing facility on the Dagenham Estate, the first new building on the site for 30 years. It will be called `Clean Room' assembly and will manufacture all...

Lear to make seats for Jaguar's X400.(Lear Corporation, Jaguar PLC)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK Lear Corporation is putting the finishing touches to a new plant it has built at Halewood, UK, to supply Jaguar Cars with seat modules for the new smaller luxury saloon, code named X400, car due out next year. The plant will be...

manufacturing: news in brief.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Japan Mazda and Volvo share platform Japanese auto-maker Mazda Motor has agreed with Sweden's Volvo Car Corp. to begin sharing a platform for passenger cars in the 2litre class from 2004. The platform is currently under development...

Lotus doubles output with production of VX220.(Lotus Cars Limited)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK Sports car manufacturer Lotus is doubling output after winning an assembly contract with General Motors to produce 3,000 models a year of its Speedster, the VX220. GM refused to comment on the value of the contract, but it is thought to be...

New investment for Meritor's Welsh disc brake plant.(Meritor Automotive Incorporated)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK Meritor's heavy vehicle (air actuated) disc brake production in Europe is being consolidated at the company's Cwmbran, South Wales, plant acquired last year from LucasVarity. What is now the ArvinMeritor group has moved production of its...

Siemens-Navistar injector plant completed.(Siemens Diesel Systems Technology, Navistar International Corporation)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... US Construction of the Siemens Diesel Systems Technology (SDST) injector plant at Richland County, South Carolina, is now complete and production start-up is scheduled for March 2001, with an initial workforce of 100. SDST was formed in...

Hams Hall engine plant due to open February 2001.(United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK A total of 1,000 staff will be needed by BMW when its new 400million [pounds sterling] engine factory is fully functioning next year. The plant at Hams Hall will have a capacity to produce 400,000 four-cylinder engines a year -- 2,000 a...

Prodrive management system boosts safety with Active Torque Dynamics.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK Prodrive has announced the development of its new stability enhancement system, Active Torque Dynamics (ATD). The system works by modulating the torque distribution to individual wheels in order to increase the rate at which the...

Man switchable lean-burn gas engine to meet methane exhaust emission limits.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Germany Truck and bus maker MAN is working on a new version of its 12litre natural gas engine which will be electronically switchable between stoichiometric (theoretically correct air:fuel) and lean-burn mixture control. The aim is to combine...

McLaren opens new development centre.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... US McLaren Performance Technologies is to open the McLaren Vehicle Development Center, dedicated to advanced concept vehicle development for Ford Racing Technology and other related Ford vehicle programmes. Located in Livonia, Michigan...

r&d: news in brief.(research and development)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... United States Praxair gets rights for tooling US Ford Motor has signed a deal giving Praxair Surface Technology Inc. of Cliicago, Illinois world-wide licensing rights to a parts-making process aimed at cutting tool and die...

DaimlerChrysler predicts Euro 4 catalyst and diesel exhaust cleaner than city air.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... US/Germany DaimlerChrysler has followed its rival Volkswagen in predicting the widespread use of storage type catalytic converters. Such catalysts were first developed for direct-injection gasoline (GDI) engines, to ensure Euro 4 light...

Capacitors destined to be the key to lighter hybrids.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Germany MAN is pursuing Hybrid technology for powering buses in new directions. Though the company has built a number of diesel-electric prototype city buses in recent years, they have used conventional lead-acid batteries. But now, in a...

Johnson Matthey predicts larger cats for EEV.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... UK Johnson Matthey says larger catalyst surface areas, and hence bulkier aftertreatment installations will be essential if future EEV emission standards are to be met. A recent company report outlines that suitable catalytic converters...

Chrysler seeks changes for new models.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... USA Chrysler's recent poor performance is causing friction between American and German executives and could lead to major changes in the new model range. Although the company's strong track record in recent years may have instilled...

Lexus sets new standards in luxury car category.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Japan Toyota's latest Lexus LS430 sets new standards for performance and styling in the luxury car category. Although the engine is both larger and more powerful than in the past, fuel consumption is improved. Additionally, despite the...

GM finalise plans for Chevy Traverse SUV-like Sedans expected in 2004.(General Motors)(sports utility vehicle)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... US General Motors Corp. is finalising plans to go into production of five-passenger, five-door tall sedans that combine some of the features of conventional passenger cars, sport utility vehicles and station wagons. Based on the Chew Traverse...

design: news in brief.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... France The Lancia Nea -- a new concept Lancia's new concept car, the Nea, revealed at the Paris Motor Show, is being billed as a "trip mate." Fitted with telecameras and sensors, the Nea is capable of reverting to four-wheel, drive...

Shorter new Civic goes against the trend.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Japan Honda's new Civic, unveiled to the European market at the Paris Motor Show last September, goes against the trend of making cars larger. The new four-door model is actually 2mm shorter than previously at 4,458mm, but width and height...

NABI's Excel bus passes US safety tests.(North American Bus Industries)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Hungary North American Bus Industries (NABI), the Budapest-based bus maker, has announced that its new, lightweight CompoBus, the Excel, has passed US safety tests. The company produces bus shells for the North American market, and ships them...

Audi upgrades A4.
November 10, 2000... Larger, lighter, stronger, better equipped and smoother to drive. John Hartley looks at some of the improvements aimed at keeping the Audi A4 of with the competition Audi has upgraded the new A4 in four different areas: power units,...

The British Motor Show in Birmingham.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Simon Pitman reports from the British Motor Show, where a distinct lack of new model launches and the absence of MG Rover cast uncertainty over the event's credibility on the international circuit The British International Motor Show got...

GM's UK plants fight to improve productivity.
November 10, 2000... With GM's European division reporting third-quarter losses John Hartley reports on Vauxhall's struggle to keep its two UK plants competitive Although GM claims that it is well on the way to solving its problems in Europe there's...

Ford fights against European losses.
November 10, 2000... Still struggling to get back into profit, Ford's European management is looking at a number of solutions. John Hartley reports on some of the possibilities Despite the success of the Focus, Ford expects to make a big loss on its European...

British car design opens up to German influence.
November 10, 2000... German Finite Element analysis and vehicle simulation specialist P+Z Engineering set up its UK office in Coventry just over a year ago. UK Manager William Turner discusses the challenges of establishing the new business with Simon Pitman ...

People.(automobile industry executive appointments)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Autoindustry's regular round-up of industry appointments Romano Spadaro has taken charge of Iveco Trucks' German division. He replaces Jurgen Fischer, who has been appointed head of Iveco's global operations. Spadaro headed Iveco's Swiss...