Automotive Assembly

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SALAMANCA, Mexico—Mazda Motor Corp. has opened a $770 million assembly plant here, its first wholly owned plant in North America.

CELAYA, Mexico—Honda has opened an $800 million assembly plant here— its seventh North American factory. The plant will eventually make 200,000 cars a year and employ 3,200 workers.

FREMONT, CA—Panasonic, along with some Japanese materials suppliers, is reportedly planning to invest some $977 million in a U.S. factory to make lithium-ion car batteries.

HUNTSVILLE, AL—Toyota has inaugurated a second V6 engine assembly line at its manufacturing plant here.

TUPELO, MS—German automotive supplier Grammer is investing $13.7 million to build a new assembly plant here.

IRVINE, CA—Auto parts manufacturer Wanxiang America has acquired the assets of bankrupt electric carmaker Fisker Automotive for $149.2 million.

PIERCETON, IN—Auto parts supplier Shiloh Die Cast Midwest will invest $7.8 million to expand two of its northern Indiana plants, creating about 145 new jobs by 2018.

CHATTANOOGA, TN—In the wake of Friday’s stunning defeat among Volkswagen’s workers here, the UAW must soberly assess whether it can effectively organize any foreign-owned assembly plant in a region where organized labor has been regarded as an undesirable force for generations.

WASHINGTON—Japanese auto parts maker Bridgestone Group has agreed to pay a fine of $425 million to the U.S. Department of Justice over anti-trust allegations related to the sale of anti-vibration rubber products for vehicles.

OTTAWA, ON—The Canadian government has pledged an additional $500 million over the next two years to support the country’s auto industry.