China issues rare earth licenses to Detroit 3 suppliers China has granted temporary export licenses to rare-earth suppliers of the Detroit 3 automakers, according to sources familiar with the matter. Suppliers to General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis got clearance for some rare earth export licenses on June 2, one of the two sources said. At least some of the licenses are valid for six months, the sources said.  GM and Ford have not commented, bu...

News  Updated at: 2025/06/13

Ford starts Capri and Explorer battery pack assembly in Cologne, Germany On June 12, Ford started the mass assembly of vehicle drive battery packs in three different sizes for exclusive use in Ford’s new generation of electric vehicles, the Ford Explorer and Ford Capri, with both vehicles built at the Cologne Electric Vehicle Center. The new facility has 180 newly installed robots weld, which glue and screw the battery housing together and equi...

News  Updated at: 2025/06/12

EcoPro to pause construction on CAD1.2 billion Quebec battery materials plant On June 10, EcoPro BM said it will suspend construction on its CAD 1.2 billion battery materials plant in Bécancour, Quebec, in “early June,” as U.S. tariffs and slowed EV uptake stall investment in electrification projects across North America. South Korea-based EcoPro described the construction halt as temporary, but because of “the current circumstances, it is...

News  Updated at: 2025/06/11

il demand and rush purchases ahead of expected price hikes caused by upcoming additional U.S. tariff. However, the market's growth slowed compared to March and April, indicating that the pre-tariff demand spike may have reached its peak. According to U.S. media reports on June 4, automakers such as Ford, Subaru, Mitsubishi and Hyundai are planning to raise sticker prices in coming weeks in response to the tariff hikes, with other OEMs likely to f...

News  Updated at: 2025/06/04

Bill Ford warns loss of federal funds could 'imperil' battery plant in Marshall, Michigan On May 29, Ford Motor Co. Executive Chair Bill Ford, speaking at the Mackinac Policy Conference, warned about the potential for the Trump administration to end production tax credits that support the manufacturing of EV batteries. Ending the credits would threaten Ford Motor's investment in its BlueOval Battery Park Michigan battery plant. "If it doesn't sta...

News  Updated at: 2025/05/31

Ford Almussafes, Spain to halt vehicle production for seven days in July 2025 On May 29, multiple sources reported that Ford Almussafes has announced seven more days of total vehicle production shutdowns and one engine shutdown in July 2025. The production stoppages are scheduled for July 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 21, and 28, 2025, in addition to the previously announced dates for June 2, 9, 16, 23, 27, and 30. As a result, car production will operate for ...

News  Updated at: 2025/05/30

Ford Mustang Mach-E production unaffected by Trump tariffs Production of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, though it is assembled in Cuautitlan, Mexico, has not yet been affected by the 25% tariffs imposed by U.S. President Trump as sales in the U.S. have not slowed and those in Europe have picked up. The 2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E has received price increases ranging from USD 1,500 for base Select Standard Range models to USD 2,500 for Select Extended Rang...

News  Updated at: 2025/05/23

Ford may share BlueOval SK EV Battery Park production with Nissan Ford and SK On’s joint-venture BlueOval SK Battery Park site in Kentucky was originally planned to have two operational plants on its large campus, which would employ 5,000 people. However, with slower demand for EVs, the two companies had chosen to only utilize one of those plants and hire 2,500 workers in the interim, with production currently scheduled to begin soon.  Recent ...

News  Updated at: 2025/05/22

Automotive electronics supplier Trensor breaks ground on first overseas plant in Malaysia On May 17, 2025, Trensor Co. Ltd., a leading automotive sensor manufacturer, broke ground on its first international production facility in Penang, Malaysia. The MYR 100 million investment will create 200 high-skilled jobs and is expected to generate MYR 200 million in annual sales once operations begin in 2026. Land has also been secured for future expansio...

News  Updated at: 2025/05/21

IG Metall organizes 24-hour strike at Ford Cologne plant, Germany On May 14, multiple sources reported that IG Metall, the workers' union, organized a 24-hours strike at the Ford factory in Cologne, Germany, bringing operations to a near halt. The strike began on May 14, 2025, and is scheduled to end on May 15, 2025, with the end of the last night shifts. The strike comes in response to Ford’s plan to cut 2,900 of its roughly 11,500 jobs by the...

News  Updated at: 2025/05/14

Ford schedules additional six days production halts at Almussafes plant, Spain On May 7, multiple sources reported that Ford has scheduled six additional days of vehicle production shutdowns in June 2025, following the four days already scheduled for May 2025, as part of the RED mechanism at the Almussafes factory in Valencia, Spain. The Valencian factory will have no vehicle production on May 5, 12, 19, and 26, and June 2, 9, 16, 23, 27, and 30,...

News  Updated at: 2025/05/08

Ford launches 2025 Expedition at Kentucky Truck Plant after USD 500 million investment On April 30, Ford announced the official launch and first shipments of its revised 2025 Ford Expedition from the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky, which also assembles the 2025 Lincoln Navigator and F-Series Super Duty trucks. The refreshed three-row SUV that can seat up to eight people has received a restyled front end, with new headlights and tail...

News  Updated at: 2025/05/03

an.-Apr. y-o-y Passenger Cars 251,302 278,414 -9.7% 1,009,757 1,075,797 -6.1% Light Trucks 1,212,191 1,053,801 15.0% 4,374,927 4,040,726 8.3% Total 1,463,493 1,332,215 9.9% 5,384,684 5,116,523 5.2% In April, GM's sales increased 19.6% y-o-y, while Ford's sales rose 13.3% y-o-y due to the success of its incentive program to extend employee price discounts to general customers, and the automaker h...

News  Updated at: 2025/05/02

or power outage forced many to halt production. The outage began in the afternoon on April 28, 2025, and affected Renault in Valladolid, Seat in Martorell and Zona Franca (Ebro), and Volkswagen in Navarra. Power is back, but some sites are still dealing with system resets and internet problems. All plants began restarting early on April 29, 2025, and are expected to reach full capacity by late morning. Volkswagen Navarra, which is still fixing is...

News  Updated at: 2025/04/30

BYD to start operations at Camaçari plant in June 2025 On April 29, BYD announced that it will begin production of the Dolphin Mini at its Camaçari plant in Brazil starting June 2025. The news was confirmed by Stella Li, BYD’s global vice president, during a press conference in Shengzhou, China. The Camaçari facility, formerly owned by Ford, will be BYD’s first car assembly plant outside Asia, with an initial capacity of 150,000 vehicles p...

News  Updated at: 2025/04/30

Cambodian PM affirms no ban on used car imports Reported on April 22, 2025, the Cambodian Prime Minister, at the inauguration of a new Ford production and sub-assembly plant in Pursat province, affirmed that the government has no intention of banning the import of used cars to force citizens into buying new vehicles.  Instead, The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of encouraging car manufacturing and assembly in Cambodia to offer affordab...

News  Updated at: 2025/04/24

Ford Cambodia’s new production line and sub-assembly plant inaugurated On April 22, 2025, the Prime Minister of Cambodia attended the official inauguration of Ford’s new production line and sub-assembly plant in Pursat Province. During the event, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting investors by easing regulatory requirements, such as tax reductions, and ensuring long-term political and economic stability....

News  Updated at: 2025/04/22

to public health and national security objectives. Most of the cars and trucks made in Canada are shipped to the U.S., and U.S.-made vehicles currently dominate sales at Canadian auto dealers. The Carney government’s announcement comes amid increasing concern as Stellantis has temporarily idled a plant in Windsor, Ontario, GM has announced it will be closing the CAMI plant for 5 months, and Ford has an assembly plant in Oakville, but it’s not...

News  Updated at: 2025/04/16

IG Metall launches three-day strike at Ford Cologne plant, halting production On April 1, IG Metall, a dominant metalworkers' union in Germany, called for a three-day warning strike, starting from April 1, 2025. The production at Ford’s Cologne plant has been temporarily halted since April 2, 2025. The 250 colleagues on the night shift at Ford FCSD and in Niehl stopped work and followed the call for a warning strike. With the planned restructur...

News  Updated at: 2025/04/03

r. y-o-y Passenger Cars 311,574 307,307 1.4% 758,455 797,383 -4.9% Light Trucks 1,280,136 1,151,898 11.1% 3,162,736 2,986,925 5.9% Total 1,591,710 1,459,205 9.1% 3,921,191 3,784,308 3.6% Sales of U.S. automakers in March were up 22.7% y/y for GM, Ford's sales were up 7.4%, its first increase in four months. Stellantis sales were down 7.2% for the fifth consecutive month, and Tesla’s sales wer...

News  Updated at: 2025/04/02