Toyota Motor Corp. plans to shut down production

Washington -- Toyota Motor Corp. plans to shut down production again at two U.S. plants as it copes with the fallout from safety recalls....More

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Fiat 500 Production Starts Soon

TOLUCA, Mexico, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Mexico could produce up to 130,000 Fiat 500s a year, seen as key to the recovery of Chrysler in the United States, with a $550 million investment, Fiat Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said on Monday.

A Chrysler plant outside Mexico City will begin assembling the 500 by December for sale in U.S. and Latin American showrooms, said Marchionne, the head of Fiat SpA (FIA.MI), who also heads Chrysler....More

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Ford halts Transit van production in China over pedal

Following the government mandated sales freeze and subsequent production halt in the U.S. by Toyota for eight of its popular models, Ford has announced that it shares a common supplier for the diesel Transit Classic commercial van in China. Ford announced that it has not received a single report of unintended acceleration, but it will suspend Chinese production of the model until the pedal can be reviewed.....More

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GM to put electric Cadillac Converj into production

General Motors Co. will expand its electric vehicle lineup by building the Cadillac Converj, a luxury car some feared would never move beyond the concept stage because of GMs financial troubles.--...More

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GM rehiring 2,400 workers as production ramps up

General Motors Co. is rehiring 2,400 workers at three plants that are boosting production and absorbing work lost in an unprecedented round of closings announced before the automaker's bankruptcy filing....More

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GM plant restarts production in Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela -- General Motors Co.'s Venezuela affiliate says it has restarted an auto assembly plant that was idled for two and a half months.--More

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Chrysler To Boost Dodge Ram Pickup Production

DETROIT -(Dow Jones)- Chrysler Group LLC is intensifying its production boost as demand from the federal government's "Cash for Clunkers" program continues to reduce the number of available vehicles on dealer lots.

The auto maker notified employees at the Warren Truck assembly plant that they will work overtime Saturday shifts on Aug. 29, Sept. 19 and Sept. 26, according to two United Auto Worker sources. Additional overtime may also be scheduled in October. The plant produces the Dodge Ram 1500 and Dodge Dakota.

Chrysler spokesman Max Gates had no comment.

Chrysler, along with General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. (F) are attempting to respond to new demand without relapsing into its traditional habit of producing too much product and then relying on incentives to reduce the inventory.

The auto industry was hit with a surge in buying from the unexpected success spawned by the "Cash for Clunkers" program. The program gave a discount of up to $4,500 to those who traded-in their gas guzzlers for a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

Consumers overwhelmed the program which further reduced already low dealer inventories. Auto makers, for the past six months, had cut most of their production in response to a slowdown in U.S. sales amid the recession.

Last week, the government granted another $2 billion to continue funding the program.

Chrysler has been the most aggressive in increasing output. The auto maker returned its Windsor, Ontario minivan plant to three shifts Monday and ran its Toldeo plant on overtime last week. The Toledo plant produces the Jeep Wrangler while the Windsor factory assembles the Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country and Volkswagen Routan.

Chrysler also idled all of its plants for almost two months during its bankruptcy process in May and June. The company has since merged the majority of its assets with Fiat SpA (FIATY)

General Motors and Ford are also considering production increases although both have yet to confirm such a move.

www.Dodge.com---Ram Truck, Challenger, Caliber, Charger, Grand Caravan, Journey, Dakota, Avenger, Viper, Nitro, Durango

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Chrysler Fiat 500 Production At Warren Truck or Belvidere?

Chrysler Fiat is not giving up any information after Channel 4 Detroit announced that Fiat was considering building the Fiat 500 at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant. Which WTAP currently makes the Dodge Ram/Dakota and was slated to build the Rambox option that came from St. Louis. If Chrysler is to launch the 500 by 2011 they must make a decision soon.
The Belvidere Plant builds the Dodge Caliber which is still going to build the 2010 model.
There are a few good questions,which plant will lose their current production model? will Fiat build a new plant? or will production go to Mexico?


Channel 4 Fiat 500 Report--Video

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Toyota to suspend production for 11 days in Japan

Shino Yuasa / Associated Press
TOKYO -- Toyota is suspending production at all 12 of its Japan plants for 11 days over February and March, a stoppage of unprecedented scale for the nation's top automaker as it grapples with shrinking global demand.

The last time Toyota Motor Corp. halted production at all its Japan plants was in August 1993, when demand plunged because of a rising yen, and that was for only one day, according to the company.

A global economic downturn has hammered the auto industry in Japan and elsewhere, forcing carmakers to cut staff, lower production and delay new models. Major automakers in the U.S. had teetered on the brink of collapse until securing a multibillion dollar government lifeline.

"We are coping with a slump in global sales," Toyota spokesman Hideaki Homma said Tuesday. "Demand in the world auto market is so depressed that every model is falling sharply in sales."

Toyota said last year that it was stopping production at its 12 domestic plants for three days in January. But it decided on additional closures because of the global downturn. Toyota will stop output for six days in February and five days in March, it said.

Of Toyota's domestic factories, four produce vehicles while the rest make engines and auto parts.

Overnight, Toyota reported that its U.S. sales in December were down 37 percent on year, a worse drop than Ford Motor Co.'s 32 percent drop and General Motor's 31 percent slide.

Toyota last year suspended production at its auto plants in Alabama, Indiana and Texas for three months, and shut down output for two days in December at all its North American vehicle factories including five in the United States, one in Canada and another in Mexico.

Chrysler LLC also shut down its plants for a month in December, longer than the usual two-week break, while GM has said it would shut down a plant in Thailand for up to two months.

Toyota is also struggling in its home market, which has been stagnant for years. The sales drop has worsened amid a global recession.

Sales of new vehicles in Japan fell to 3.2 million vehicles last year, the lowest in 34 years, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Monday.

Last month, Toyota said it was slipping into its first operating loss in 70 years, expecting 150 billion yen ($1.66 billion ) of operating losses for the fiscal year ending March 2009.

Toyota, which makes the Prius gas-electric hybrid and Camry sedan, expects 50 billion yen ($555 million) in net profit, down from 1.7 trillion yen earned the previous year.

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