Business Intelligence Group's Automotive NewsWire

Japan's Mitsubishi Motors announced today that it will shutter assembly operations at its Netherlands Car (NedCar) plant near Maastricht at the end of this year.  Mitsubishi builds the compact Colt model and the Outlander SUV at the facility.

The company said it's closing the facility because of the "wildly fluctuating operating environment which automobile manufacturers currently face", it couldn't come up with a reasonable solution to continue to operate the plant.  Mitsubishi began assembly at NedCar in 1991 and currently employs about 1,500 people there. 

Mitsubishi said Europe would remain an important market for its vehicles bu…

Hyundai Motors America announced on Friday that it is planning to boost production at its Montgomery, Ala., plant, although it hasn't figured out exactly how it's going to accomplish the increase.

According to The Detroit News, during a J.D. Power and Associates forum at the NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) convention in Las Vegas, Hyundai Motors America President John Krafcik stated, "We're looking for incremental production where we can find it.  We're growing in a measured fashion.  We're taking things very, very carefully."  Then he added, "We'd love to have …

Plastics compounder Asahi Kasei Plastics, Fowlerville, Mich., has announced its plans for the upcoming NPE2012, which will be held in Orlando, Fla. for the first time from April 1-5.  The company noted that this is a particularly important trade show with excellent timing for the automotive industry.

"In response to changing demands in various industries, Asahi Kasei Plastics is announcing new resin technologies and capabilities resulting in new, improved eco-friendly products," emphasizes Ramesh Iyer, v-p of commercial operations.

Some of the products the company will exhibit and demonstrate at the show include:
• Xyron PV Grades - Modified…

Chrysler Group has come a long way from bikini-clad babes playing football during half-time at the Super Bowl to the  ad aired last year entitled "Imported from Detroit" that won awards and accolades all year long.  But the two-minute commercial the company aired during yesterday's Super Bowl - "It's Half-Time in America" - appears to have bested even last year's Chrysler ad.

With narration delivered by Clint Eastwood, the ad, while perhaps not a great commercial for selling Chrysle…