Spanish startup Liux starts production of natural fiber car bodies On May 23, Liux announced that it has opened a facility in Alicante, Spain, for the development and production of natural fiber car bodies for the automotive industry. The plant supports a new manufacturing approach designed to reduce vehicle weight, emissions, and production costs. LIUX is building lighter, more efficient, affordable urban vehicles for a carbon-neutral future. It...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/27

South Africa considers EV battery incentives to support manufacturing On May 22, multiple sources reported that the Government of South Africa published draft amendments to its Automotive Production and Development Program to introduce higher production credits and customs rebates for electric vehicle battery makers. The amendments seek to support South Africa’s transition from vehicle exports to a processed EV battery mineral supply. The draft...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/26

Al-Mansour and SAIC, Al-Qasrawi and Jetour plan to produce vehicles in Egypt On May 22, multiple sources reported that Al-Mansour and Al-Qasrawi plan for car manufacturing projects in Egypt. Al Mansour Automotive Group has a partnership with SAIC Motor to produce MG brand cars in Egypt with a total invests amounting to USD 135 million. Al Qasrawi Group also has a partnership with Jetour to establish a plant in Egypt to produce Jetour T1 and T2 ca...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/25

Auto manufacturing value added in China rises 9.2% y/y in April 2026 On May 18, the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS) announced that in April, the total value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size (those with an annual main business revenue of CNY 20 million or above) increased by 4.1% year-over-year (y/y). From January to April, the total value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased by ...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/22

under one roof. It will support next-generation filtration solutions across mobility, industrial applications, and clean air and water purification.  MANN+HUMMEL also announced plans to invest in a new facility in Pune. It will support both existing and new customers across key segments, including Manufacturing, Automotive (Passenger Cars), Heavy-Duty (On-Road and Off-Road), and Industrial applications.  The combined investment for Pune and Tum...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/21

TactoTek, Finland signs IMSE licensing agreement with Motherson for automotive surface components On May 21, TactoTek announced that it had signed an IMSE technology license agreement with Motherson, a global Tier 1 automotive supplier. The partnership aims to expand OEM access to scalable production of IMSE-based smart surface parts for both interior and exterior vehicle applications. The agreement will help OEMs to adopt IMSE technology by comb...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/21

COMPAS plant in Mexico officially finishes production activities On May 18, it was reported that the COMPAS plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico assembled its last vehicle, a Mercedes-Benz GLB, marking the end of operations at one of Mexico’s most ambitious automotive joint ventures. The Cooperation Manufacturing Plant Aguascalientes (COMPAS), a partnership between Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz, began operations in 2017 following a joint investment of ...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/21

26, Thailand’s Industrial Confidence Index fell to 85.3 in April 2026 from 88.6 in March, according to the Federation of Thai Industries, amid weaker production activity, higher energy costs, and rising logistics expenses. Energy and logistics costs remain important transmission channel affecting manufacturing sectors, including automotive and auto parts production. Additional headwinds included rising freight rates, higher raw material costs, ...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/20

Moriroku revises upward medium-term plan targets for FY2027 Moriroku Co., Ltd. (Moriroku) announced that it has revised the targets for its medium-term management plan, which concludes in fiscal year 2027 (ending March 31, 2028), and has raised its operating profit target to JPY 7 billion. The previous target was JPY 5.5 billion or more. This revision reflects the effects of acquiring the manufacturing business for automotive exterior resin parts...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/20

Hesai Group announced that it has been selected as the strategic LiDAR partner and confirmed supplier for Mercedes-Benz models, enabling Level 3 autonomous driving. The new supply agreement supports Mercedes-Benz programs in Europe and China, with LiDAR production supported by Hesai’s new Galileo manufacturing center in Thailand. Hesai ATX LiDAR was also selected for GAC Toyota's 2026 bZ3X model, marking Hesai’s first entry into the Japanese ...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/19

r sales increased in April 2026, supported by improving economic conditions, lower Bank Indonesia (BI) interest rates, post-Eid demand recovery, and promotional activity. Industry participants said the 4.75% BI rate continued to support vehicle purchases through financing. Despite the sales growth, automotive industry players remain cautious due to rupiah weakness and global geopolitical uncertainty. Executives warned that prolonged depreciation ...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/19

ASML, Netherlands, and Tata Electronics sign MoU for to advance semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India On May 16, Tata Electronics and ASML, one of the world’s leading semiconductor equipment manufacturing companies, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India. ASML will enable the establishment and ramp of Tata Electronics’ upcoming 300 mm (12-inch) semiconductor fab in Dho...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/18

EVAT and other associations outline 8 proposals for Thailand’s EV transition to safeguard local production Reported on May 14, 2026, the Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT) and nine other Thai automotive and parts industry groups issued a joint statement calling for urgent measures to support Thailand’s automotive sector during the transition to electric vehicles. The groups warned that rising imports of fully built Chinese EVs un...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/18

Cabot ends production at Campana plant in Argentina On May 14, it was reported that Cabot has closed its manufacturing plant in Campana, Argentina, ending more than 60 years of operations and leaving approximately 150 employees without jobs. The facility produced carbon black, a key raw material used in tire manufacturing, supplying the automotive industry. The company stated that the decision followed an evaluation of the profitability of its op...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/16

Tata Technologies, India updates about new deal wins On May 4, 2026, Tata Technologies secured a series of new deal wins. In Q4, the company closed a long-term strategic engagement with a North American commercial vehicle OEM spanning PLM, testing and quality assurance, MES, and project management, and a multi-year deal with a Tier-1 automotive supplier to scale a global engineering center. In April, two further wins were secured: a large multi-...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/15

development of the column-type electric power steering (C-EPS) system (second photo) in 1988, the first of its kind in the world, JTEKT (JTEKT Corporation) has continued to build on its technical expertise and track record in both hardware and software. While maintaining its focus on hardware as a manufacturing company, JTEKT is actively pursuing initiatives to break into new fields by leveraging its core technologies. Having in-house foundation...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/15

BYD, Bosch, Autoliv, EVAT, BULLETRUX, Isuzu discuss Thailand’s smart mobility Announced on May 14, 2026, during a BOI Symposium panel, global automakers and suppliers highlighted Thailand’s growing importance in next-generation mobility, backed by its manufacturing base and government support policies. Executives from BYD, Isuzu, Bosch, Autoliv, the Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT), BULLETRUX, and others discussed how electrifi...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/15

company anticipates achieving operating profitability in fiscal year 2027 (ending in March 2028). Regarding maintaining its listing, President Akema said, “We will work to avoid the worst-case scenario (delisting) through measures such as factory transfers and profit and loss improvements.” For automotive displays, the company has begun preparations to launch back-end processes at its manufacturing subsidiary in the Philippines. This move is ...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/15

ZF CVCS, India invests in wholly owned subsidiary ZF MIPL On May 13, ZF Commercial Vehicle Control Systems India Limited (ZF CVCS) (formerly WABCO India) approved an investment of INR 300 million in its wholly owned subsidiary ZF CV Control Systems Manufacturing India Private Limited (ZF MIPL). The funds will be used by ZF MIPL for capex, working capital requirements, and repayment of existing loans. The transaction is expected to be completed b...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/14

Thai auto associations to propose at least 32% excise duty on fully imported EVs Reported on May 12, 2026, automotive industry associations representing over 1,500 companies are preparing to ask the Thai government to raise excise duties on completely imported electric vehicles to at least 32%, widening the gap with locally produced EVs. The proposals primarily reflect concerns about Chinese EV manufacturers. The proposal, coordinated by the Elec...

News  Updated at: 2026/05/14