JACKSON, MI—More than 2,000 bats could have a new home at Consumers Energy hydro power plants thanks to collaboration between the utility, General Motors and a Boy Scout from Clarkston, MI. Using scrap Chevrolet Volt battery covers donated by GM, 16-year-old Matthew Netherland and some helpers built 30 bat boxes in a few months.
DETROIT—Brisk sales of pickups and SUVs are causing the Detroit Three automakers to eliminate or shorten their traditional two-week summer shutdown at many U.S. plants.
MEXICO CITY—Mexico is poised to overtake Brazil as the top Latin American automobile producer for the first time in more than a decade, as surging exports to the United States spur factory openings and record output.
MILWAUKEE—Harley-Davidson has introduced its first electric motorcycle, the LiveWire, this month. The company is taking several dozen riders on a 30-city tour to test drive the bikes and provide feedback.
Automotive manufacturers are using more adhesives, sealants, oils, and coatings than ever before. For example, today’s vehicles typically contain as much as 40 pounds of adhesive.
By some estimates, approximately 40 years’ worth of mineable copper resources remains worldwide. At the same time, global consumption is growing, driven particularly by infrastructure-related demand for wiring in emerging markets.
Oakland University is located a few minutes away from Chrysler’s corporate headquarters in Auburn Hills, MI. So, it’s appropriate that the school is home to the Fastening and Joining Research Institute (FAJRI), the only facility of its kind in the world.
AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico—Daimler and Renault-Nissan Alliance have agreed to jointly build a new assembly plant here. The two companies will equally divide the $1.36 billion cost of building the facility, which is expected to employ 5,700 workers and be able to produce 300,000 vehicles annually.