Automotive Assembly

RSS

A large automotive electrical harness can contain hundreds of wires, dozens of connectors and several electronic components, such as relays and diodes.

For more than 120 years, racing has been used to improve the performance and safety of automobiles. Along the way, numerous innovations developed for use on the race track have trickled down to road cars. That tradition continues today, as engineers push the boundaries of autonomous systems technology.

VALENCIA, Spain—Ford Motor Co.’s assembly plant here now gets a significant amount of its electricity from solar energy produced on site.

FLINT, MI—General Motors Co. plans to invest $918 million in four U.S. manufacturing sites, including $854 million to prepare these facilities to produce the company’s sixth generation small-block V-8 engine and an additional $64 million in Rochester, NY, and Defiance, OH, for castings and components to support EV production. These investments will enable the company to strengthen its full-size truck and SUV business and support the company’s growing EV product portfolio.

JEFFERSONVILLE, OH—South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution has entered into a partnership with Japanese carmaker Honda Motor to build a new battery factory here.

The assembly line in Hall M13 at the ŠKODA plant in Mladá Boleslav is one of the Czech carmaker’s busiest. The best-selling ŠKODA Octavia is assembled here, as is the ŠKODA Enyaq iV electric SUV. Every minute of downtime on this line means losses in the form of unproduced cars.

Today, every car tire is equipped with a wireless pressure sensor that warns drivers of dangerously low pressure levels. Given that there are more than 1.5 billion motor vehicles worldwide, that equates to at least 6 billion pressure sensors.

Exhaust from diesel engines is a major source of air pollution. Nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM) and other pollutants from diesel exhaust are known to impair human health, causing cancer, heart and lung damage, and impaired mental functioning.

MLADÁ BOLESLAV, Czech Republic—The seats of ŠKODA’s new ENYAQ iV electric vehicle will be upholstered with fabric that combines wool with polyester made from recycled plastic bottles.

STATESBORO, GA—Ecoplastic Corp., a Korean auto parts manufacturer, is investing $205 million to build a new manufacturing facility here. The company is a tier-1 supplier for Hyundai, producing parts such as consoles and bumpers.