Business Intelligence Group's Automotive NewsWire

The value of the Japanese yen continues to plague the nation's auto industry as Nissan Motor Co. announced yesterday that it will invest some $2.0 billion in an auto manufacturing complex at Aguascalientes, Mexico. 

Phase 1 of the complex will have capacity to build 175,000 of Nissan B- platform vehicles when it's completed in late 2013.  The assembly operations will employ 3,000 direct and as many as 9,000 indirect positions.  Nissan also plans to expand the site when increased capacity is required. 

"Mexico is a key engine for Nissan's growth in the Americas," said Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO, Nissan Motor Co, Ltd.  "Together wi…

The European Union has enacted plans to institute an embargo on Iranian oil in six months as part of U.S.- led sanctions to punish Iran for its continued efforts to develop nuclear weapons. 

The European initiative, aimed at developing other sources for feedstock oil to replace those from Iran, may be in trouble.  Germany's Der Spiegel  reports that in a tit-for-tat move, Iran is prepared to present a bill to its parliament that calls for an immediate halt of shipments of oil to all European nations, immediately. 

The EU passed legislation last year that allowed companies doing business with Iran to continue until the contracts expired …

Eaton Corp. has established an innovation center for the development of research aimed at energy-efficient  power systems for vehicles at Prague, the Czech Republic.  The center is a combined effort with Czech Invest,  and the Technical University in Prague (CVUT) and is located at the Roztoky Science & Technology Center. 

The Center will develop energy-efficient power systems and the electrification of transportation, vehicle and even aircraft applications. 

Yannis Tsavalas, Eaton’s president for Europe Middle East and Africa, explained why the decision was taken to locate the facility in Prague.  “We chose to locate the Innov…

New ways of manufacturing steel could become a major challenge to polymers, especially in the automotive industry.  Steel makers worldwide have watched more and more applications in the auto industry go to plastics as automakers try to lose weight from their vehicles and reduce carbon emissions.  

But steel producers aren’t sitting back and watching their single largest market wither away.  A new form of what is said to be advanced high-strength steel is well under development in a process that’s called “continuous annealing” where the steel is placed through a succession of hot and cold treatments that changes its molecular structure al…

In a confrontational presentation during testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform panel yesterday, General Motors Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson didn't mince words as he defended the Chevrolet Volt and its safety.  He told Congressional leaders the hybrid electric vehicle had become "a political punching bag."

Key to his testimony were denials that the NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) had shown favoritism to G.M. when it discovered potential safety issues during tests of the Volt.  He said G.M. never asked the Obama administration to keep the fire issues a secret and stated that he nor anyone at G.M. had discuss…

There's word from Beijing this morning that negotiators representing Fiat and Chrysler Group are in talks with Guangzhou Automobile Group over the establishment of a joint venture to manufacture Jeep vehicles in China.  Fiat already has a venture with Guangzhou Group and the two are building an assembly plant to produce a small car for the Chinese market, presumably based on the recently announced Dodge Dart.

Details on the Jeep venture are sketchy, but market studies in China have shown that a Jeep-type vehicle could receive wide acceptance among upwardly mobile Chinese buyers.  Indeed, the Jeep brand isn't new to China.  According to The Detroit News, Ameri…