INGERSOLL, ON—General Motors Co. and labor union Unifor have reached a deal for the automaker to invest nearly C$1 billion ($785.42 million) in its CAMI Assembly Plant here to manufacture commercial electric vans.

GREAT BARRINGTON, MA—Industrial production rose 1.6 percent in December, following a gain of 0.5 percent in November and 1.0 percent in October, reports the American Institute of Economic Research.

LIBERTY Hill, TX—Volcon, a startup focused on off-road electric vehicles, is planning a new manufacturing plant and headquarters here.

VITORIA, Spain—A disgruntled former employee of a Mercedes-Benz plant here reportedly stole a Caterpillar front-end loader from a construction site on New Year's Eve, drove it to the plant and rammed through the property gate before destroying nearly 70 vehicles.

OOSTBURG, WI—Automated packaging equipment manufacturer Viking Masek is significantly expanding the production capacity of its U.S. headquarters here.

TOKYO—Japan aims to eliminate gasoline-powered vehicles in the next 15 years, the government said in late December, and reach net zero carbon emissions and generate nearly $2 trillion a year in green growth by 2050.

CUPERTINO, CA–Apple Inc. says it is moving forward with self-driving-car technology and targeting 2024 to produce a passenger vehicle that could include breakthrough battery technology.

DETROIT–General Motors has announced that its all-electric vehicle assembly facility, Factory ZERO, is the first automotive plant in the United States to install dedicated 5G fixed-mobile network technology.

BERLIN–Volkswagen has started building its ID.3 electric vehicle, but is bracing for a major production disruption from a shortage of semiconductors.

SUZHOU, China–Dreame Technology has begun production of ultra-high-speed smart vacuum motors at its facility here. The motors, which can reach 150,000 rpm, will be used in a cordless vacuum model expected to be released in March 2021.