CHATTANOOGA, TN—Volkswagen has begun an project to add more than 500,000 square feet of space to its assembly plant here. VW will overhaul the assembly, body and paint shops and add 2,000 employees.
DETROIT—Rebounding car sales should be good news for everyone. But fast growth in the automotive industry is creating an enormous set of new pressures on the consummate players behind the scenes: parts makers.
DETROIT—The three largest automotive markets in the world—Western Europe, the U.S. and China—have kicked off the year with fine results. Demand showed double-digit growth in January both in the U.S. (+14 percent) and in China (+13 percent).
ORLANDO, FL—Auto parts supplier VOXX International Corp. will invest $16.5 million to expand its assembly plant and headquarters in here. The project will create 134 new jobs and retain 173 existing jobs.
DEARBORN, MI—Since May 2013, more than 8,000 skilled trades and production workers at Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant have undergone an intensive training program to support production of the new F-150 pickup.
AICHI, Japan—Toyota has unveiled a new assembly line here for its Mirai sedan, which is powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The line is expected to produce 700 units this year, expanding to 2,000 units in 2016 and 3,000 units in 2017.
CLEVELAND, MS—Pro-union workers at Faurecia’s automotive seating assembly plant here are planning to march today to protest what they say are low wages and poor working conditions at the facility.
LIVONIA, MI—Battery manufacturer A123 Systems filed suit this month against Apple Inc., alleging the electronics giant campaigned to poach employees amid reports that it’s developing an electric car.