NEW YORK-More plans to build homes, higher stock prices and fewer people filing first-time claims for jobless aid sent a private-sector forecast of U.S. economic activity higher than expected in June. It was the third straight monthly increase for the Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators, and another sign pointing toward the recession ending later this year. MORE
LAKE MARY, FL-The first photovoltaic solar panels have yet to roll off the assembly line at Advanced Solar Photonics LLC facility here, yet the company has massive expansion plans over the next two to three years that industry observers brand as “ambitious.” MORE
FREMONT, CA-If Toyota follows GM out the door of the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. assembly plant here, Tesla Motors could step in to save the day. Tesla’s Model S, promoted as the world’s first fully electric sedan, is expected to go on sale in late 2011. The company is actively scouting locations to build an assembly plant for the vehicle. MORE
BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP, MI-General Motors Co. is considering locating its $40 million battery pack assembly plant for the Chevrolet Volt in the Brownstown Business Center. Joe DiSanto, the township’s economic development director, said that GM is looking at an existing 800,000-square-foot building, though it likely would not need all of that space. MORE
PUEBLA, MEXICO-Less than a year after beginning construction on a new factory in Chattanooga, TN, Volkswagen has announced that it is investing $1 billion to expand and improve its only existing North American facility, which is located in the state of Puebla, Mexico. Volkswagen has set a goal of tripling VW and Audi sales in the U.S. by calendar year 2018. MORE
DEARBORN, MI-In its annual “Car Wars”
survey, Merrill Lynch says Ford Motor Co. will continue to gain market share at the expense of General
Motors and Chrysler.
MORE
CAMBRIDGE, MA-Solar equipment manufacturing in the United States is likely to grow 50 percent annually from now until 2012, thanks to government incentives and growing market demand, says analyst Shyam Mehta of GTM Research. MORE
TUSCALOOSA, AL-Fairly dry weather has allowed crews building a 225,000-square-foot expansion of the body shop at the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant to get about two to three weeks ahead of schedule. Approximately 35 percent of the addition’s steel framing has been installed and some 80 percent of the addition's concrete foundation is done. MORE