Rivian testing pre-production R2 on roads, says “hundreds” rolling off pilot line On September 24, Rivian posted on X that its pilot production line in Normal, Illinois has been building multiples of pre-production, or Manufacturing Validation Builds (MVB), of its new R2 SUV for testing.  “They may not always travel in packs, but sightings of R2 are on the rise as hundreds of production-intent builds roll off our pilot line and hit the roa...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/27

Bentley opens new Engineering Technical Centre in Crewe plant, UK On September 26, Bentley Motors opened its new Engineering Technical Centre at its carbon-neutral headquarters in Crewe, UK. It is part of a larger investment in future facilities and products. The centre combines virtual and physical development, enabling closer collaboration across teams. Spread over 13,000 sqm. across two floors, it includes a prototype workshop, materials devel...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/26

hold. Legacy OEMs step back, contract manufacturers left idle Companies such as Magna Steyr in Austria, Valmet Automotive in Finland, and VDL Nedcar in the Netherlands traditionally built additional models for Europe’s automakers. These included low-volume projects or temporary runs when in-house plants operated at full capacity. Today, however, consolidation sweeps across the industry and the phase-out of many Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) ...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/26

Kumho Tire to build new tire plant in Hampyeong-gun, South Korea Several South Korean media sources reported that Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. (Kumho Tire) has approved at the board of directors meeting a proposal to build a new tire plant in Hampyeong-gun, Jeollanam-do. The investment is scheduled to commence in September 2025 and will continue until January 2028. The total capital investment is expected to reach KRW 660.92 billion (JPY 72.79 billion). ...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/26

Nishikawa Rubber to restructure production system in China Nishikawa Rubber Co., Ltd. (Nishikawa Rubber) is restructuring its production system in China. It has established the new second plant at Hubei Nishikawa Sealing Systems Co., Ltd. in Hubei Province, inland China, and has begun operations at the new plant in an effort to expand orders received for door sealing materials such as weatherstrips from Chinese automakers as well as Japanese auto...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/26

Nissan reveals all-new ninth-gen 2026 Sentra in U.S. On September 23, Nissan unveiled the all-new 2026 Sentra, featuring a new design, enhanced technologies, and standard Safety Shield 360 safety features. Available in S, SV, SR and SL grades, the 2026 Sentra reaches U.S. dealer showrooms later in 2025, with pricing announced closer to the start of sales. The Sentra is built in Nissan’s Aguascalientes 2 plant in Mexico. For the model's ninth ge...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/26

Montra Electric, India opens advanced eHCV manufacturing plant in Manesar On September 24, 2025, Montra Electric HCV (IPL Tech), the electric heavy-commercial vehicle division of the Murugappa Group, announced the commissioning of its new eHCV manufacturing facility in Manesar, Haryana. Spread over 255,000 square feet of land with a 150,000-square-foot built-up area, the plant features an initial annual capacity of 6,000 trucks, scalable to 7,500...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/25

Intretech Inaugurates New Plant in Nuevo León, Mexico On September 24, it was announced that Intretech inaugurated its new technology manufacturing plant in Nuevo León, Mexico. According to the Ministry of Economy, the investment is expected to generate between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs and will strengthen the production of devices for the automotive, medical, energy, and consumer sectors. The company, which was founded in 2011 and specializes in Sm...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/25

Toyota postpones Yaris Cross launch in Brazil due to damages at engine plant On September 23, it was reported that Toyota has postponed the launch of the Yaris Cross in Brazil following severe storm damage to its engine plant in Porto Feliz, São Paulo. Originally scheduled for October, the launch date will be rescheduled once the full extent of the damage is assessed. The incident also affects production at the Sorocaba facility, where Toyota is...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/25

Mercedes-Benz Vitoria plant, Spain begins pre-series production of new all-electric VLE On September 24, Mercedes-Benz announced that its Vitoria plant, Spain has started producing pre-series vehicles of the new all-electric VLE, preparing for full production in 2026. The plant has been modernized to meet the high standards of the new modular van architecture. Around 5,000 employees received training on new processes, technologies, and IT systems...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/24

Ampere’s Cléon plant, France launches 7DL twin motor line, reaches 1 million EV powertrains On September 23, Ampere opened a new production line at its Cléon plant for the 7DL twin motor, the rear motor unit of the Alpine A390. The twin motor is built with extreme precision. Operators carefully handle every step i.e., assembly, wiring, engraving, and testing which is backed by digital traceability and camera checks. Each motor is tested for v...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/24

Cornish Lithium, UK, receives investment from National Wealth Fund On September 23, Cornish Lithium announced an investment by its institutional investors led by the National Wealth Fund (NWF). This investment, which is subject to shareholder approval, enables the company to continue to develop a secure supply of lithium for the UK economy. The new investment comprises GBP 35 million of equity funding from existing institutional investors, includ...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/24

Egyptian minister meets with Adient and Deniz, Turkiye, officials to discuss seat component plant On September 23, the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Egypt, met with the officials of Adient and the Turkish company Deniz. This partnership between the two companies created a joint venture, Deniz Adient. They are planning a project in Ismailia, Egypt.  The meeting reviewed the project's implementation phases. The first phase of the proje...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/24

Brose agrees to support workers and seek new investors for Melfi plant in Italy The FIM, FIOM, UILM, FISMIC unions has reached an agreement with Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. KG (Brose) to prevent closure of the Melfi plant in Italy and safeguard jobs. The plant has stopped producing the door module, as this component is not included in the new doors of Stellantis vehicles. The union asked that (i) the company not close the plant on October 18, 20...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/24

Toyota engine plant halts operations in Brazil due to storm damage On September 22, it was reported that Toyota’s engine plant in Porto Feliz, São Paulo, suffered severe damage after a storm with strong winds hit several regions of the state. The factory’s roof was heavily impacted, and although there were reports of minor injuries among employees, no fatalities occurred.  Toyota confirmed that the structural damage was “severe” and tha...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/24

Volvo confirms expanded production in South Carolina with fourth model On September 23, Volvo Cars confirmed it would expand production at its existing factory in Ridgeville, South Carolina to produce a new hybrid vehicle by the end of the decade, as a fourth U.S.-built vehicle, to cater to American tastes and avoid tariffs. Currently, 90% of the cars Volvo sells in the U.S. are built in Europe. “The Charleston plant is foundational to our stra...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/24

year, and the base FWD Taos is up 3.9% to USD 27,975. Both models are built in Mexico. The Atlas entry SE trim with FWD is up 2.9% to USD 40,785, while the Atlas Cross Sport is up 3% to USD 39,775. While both Atlas models are built in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the engine is sourced from the VW Silao plant in Mexico. Pricing for the Golf GTI and Golf R, both imported from Germany, are up 6.5% to USD 35,865 and up 4.97% to USD 50,730, respectively. ...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/24

Sila opens silicon anode plant in Moses Lake, Washington On September 23, Sila, a California-based battery materials company, announced that it has begun operations at its new automotive-scale silicon anode plant in Moses Lake, Washington.  The team has begun testing and refining process recipes and will soon begin producing initial batches of Titan Silicon, Sila’s breakthrough Si/C silicon anode material for customer applications including el...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/24

Daimler Trucks to unveil expanded second-generation eActros 600 lineup On September 23, Daimler Trucks announced that it will showcase the expanded lineup of its second-generation electric eActros on September 30, 2025. The range is based on the eActros 600, which will now include more options such as semitrailer tractors, flatbed chassis with different wheelbases, two-battery models, and new L-cab variants of the Actros. All versions feature mod...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/23

Changzhou Tenglong, China, to start new factory in Morocco in 2026 On September 19, multiple sources reported that Changzhou Tenglong will start operations of a new plant in Morocco by 2026. It will help to meet the growing demand for heating and ventilation systems for next-generation vehicles.  Based on multiple sources ...

News  Updated at: 2025/09/23