he Volkswagen Group for the manufacture of transmissions. On July 15, SEAT informed that SEAT Componentes, one of the Spanish brand's three production centres together with Martorell and Barcelona, has begun production of the Volkswagen Group's new MQ281 gearbox. This new, six-speed gearbox will be used by the SEAT, Volkswagen, Audi and Škoda brands and its maximum throughput capacity amounts to 450,000 units annually. Located in El Prat de Llob...

OEM Plants  Updated at: 2026/04/03

lers complete the switching of water-based paint through technical guidance and process debugging. At the same time, it produced the "Technical Standards for Water-based Paint Switching of FAW-Volkswagen Dealers" to guide the switch to water-based paint, increase the proportion of water-based paint used by dealers, and help dealers reduce VOCs emissions from the source. By the end of 2021, about 59% of dealers used water-based paint, and this alo...

OEM Plants  Updated at: 2026/04/03

e start of sales of the 2022 LADA Granta Drive Active sedan. The car was developed by the LADA Sport division. It features sporty elements of the chassis and interior trim. LADA Granta Drive Active'22 is equipped with a short-travel suspension with sports settings. A 1.6-liter engine with 90 hp was used as a power unit. It is paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox. On July 4, multiple sources reported that AvtoVAZ plans to resume assembly of Lada ...

OEM Plants  Updated at: 2026/04/03

anding to collaborate on recycling rare earths and rare metals in both Japan and the U.S. ReElement engages in recycling critical mineral resources such as rare earths. Mitsubishi Materials will acquire preferred shares of ReElement. ReElement possesses proprietary chromatography‑based technology used in separation and purification processes, which form the core of used rare earth recycling. Compared to the currently mainstream solvent extracti...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

ELF light-duty truck. By equipping all vehicles with communication terminals as standard equipment, Isuzu can connect its vehicles, allowing Isuzu and its customers to grasp a vehicle's condition in real time. Isuzu utilizes this data for its PREISM service, which a high-quality maintenance service used to identify unusual symptoms to proactively prevent vehicle breakdowns. On March 29, Isuzu launched a facelifted version of the  medium duty tru...

OEM Plants  Updated at: 2026/04/03

f areas, including heat-dissipating adhesives to ensure battery stability, as well as motors, power semiconductors, communication tools, and sensors. It is also promoting joint development with electronics systems and materials companies. In addition, it is developing SGF (Switchable glazing Film), used in automotive glass to adjust light and heat transmission, and photopolymer films for HWD (holographic windshield display), which projects inform...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

rney reached an agreement with President Xi Jinping in January to reduce tariffs on Chinese-made EVs. Carney’s government said it wanted to attract new Chinese joint-venture investment “with trusted partners” in the Canadian auto sector within three years. The EV production discussions are focused on the idled Stellantis assembly plant in Brampton, Ontario where thousands of workers were laid off after a new Jeep SUV they were scheduled to ...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/03

Covestro, Germany, Marquardt, and E Ink develop design-integrated surfaces for automotive interiors On April 2, Covestro announced that Marquardt is developing a door interior panel that maintains the visual and haptic properties of polyurethane (PU)-coated textile synthetics commonly used in automotive interiors, while enabling a dynamic color-changing responsive display to be invisibly embedded within the surface, under its Centum project.  Ma...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

ArcelorMittal supplies Usibor 1500 steel for Renault’s new generation BEV models On March 31, ArcelorMittal announced that it is supplying Usibor 1500 XCarb recycled and renewably produced steel for five hot-stamped structural parts used on Renault 5 E-Tech electric, Alpine A290, and Renault 4 E-Tech electric. ArcelorMittal started supplies in September 2025. This steel grade is produced via scrap-based EAF production route with 75% scrap conte...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

are produced at the plant and delivered directly to the assembly line in the correct order. A new battery assembly plant in Irlbach-Strasskirchen, Germany, about 90 minutes from Munich plant, produces high-voltage Gen6 batteries for the Munich plant and other German plants. These batteries will be used in BMW i3. Based on BMW press release...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

aluated. It uses three rotary controls that allow drivers to adjust the vehicle’s driving behaviour more precisely than before. The three rotary controls work fully when ESP is turned off, giving experienced drivers more control on closed tracks. However, the Response Control function can also be used when ESP is on. The car uses AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive and, for the first time in an electric sports car, it has three axial flux m...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

ed with a 6-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic transmission, while the 4x2 model with a 5-speed automatic transmission. Hino will adjust its production schedule at the Hamura Plant to cut production of the Toyota SUV that has been assigned from Toyota under supply contract due to parts shortages caused by the flooding in Thailand. Truck production lines at other plants in Hamura, Hino and Nitta will continue normal operation. On January 25, Hino...

OEM Plants  Updated at: 2026/04/02

latform with a tap on the console screen. Additionally, the new self-adaptive platform (SAP) of the station will enable the driver to stay in the vehicle and complete the battery replacement in a shorter period of time. On the SAP, battery replacement will be completed via a dual-rail path on which used and new batteries will be delivered in and out of a battery compartment. The SAP utilizes the visual identity (VI) technology to realize accurate...

OEM Plants  Updated at: 2026/04/02

second- and third-phase sites will be built in the future. On July 24, FinDreams Powertrain Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of BYD released a new fuel power brand “Xiaoyun” and a 1.5TI high-power powertrain, the first product under the brand at the 23rd Chengdu Motor Show. The powertrain will be first used in the BYD Song PLUS mid-size SUV to be launched in September. The powertrain has a maximum power output of 136kW and peak torque of 288Nm, the p...

OEM Plants  Updated at: 2026/04/02

zhou, Guangdong Province XPeng granted CNY 7.5 billion credit line by Agricultural Bank of China XPeng builds China’s largest computing center for autonomous driving XPeng releases promotion plan for intelligent driving at its 1024 Tech Day XPeng AeroHT receives CNY 6 billion of bank credit to be used for R&D and manufacturing of flying cars XPeng establishes new company engaged in battery manufacturing in Guangzhou Manufacturing of new coopera...

OEM Plants  Updated at: 2026/04/02

accuracy and high performance millimeter wave radar to monitor vital signs inside a vehicle in real time while effectively eliminating the interruption of stationary objects inside the vehicle, even when the vehicle is parked and locked. Besides, the vital signs monitoring technology will be first used in 2021 WEY VV6 models. On July 24, Great Wall Motors displayed its products under the HAVAL, WEY, ORA and Great Wall Pickup brands at the 23rd C...

OEM Plants  Updated at: 2026/04/02

abling flexible response to changing business environment Subaru Corporation (Subaru) announced on April 1 that it has signed a commitment line agreement with Mizuho Bank, Ltd. (Mizuho Bank) and other institutions to receive a loan of up to JPY 100 billion without credit screening. The fund will be used for "growth investment" such as research and development for vehicles and next-generation technologies, as well as capital investments. Amid dras...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

Toyo Seikan and TOPPAN Holdings cancel establishment of Swedish JV for EV battery casing materials On March 31, Toyo Seikan Co., Ltd. (Toyo Seikan) announced the cancellation of its plan to establish a joint venture in Sweden with TOPPAN Holdings Inc. (TOPPAN Holdings) to manufacture casing materials for lithium-ion secondary batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs). In June 2024, Toyo Seikan and TOPPAN Holdings agreed on the establishment of a ...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

f the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, told the Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun and other media outlets that "if the companies that purchased the vehicles scrap them, change the registration name, or sell them at a significant discount, there will be no prospect of the vehicles being used, and the company will demand the return of the subsidies." Future developments are being watched closely. (From an article in the Nikkan Jidosha ...

News  Updated at: 2026/04/02

ized water and recovering and reusing backwash water; increasing the frequency of use of circulating water; and reducing daily water consumption. In addition, the company is actively optimizing processes and promoting low-energy processes. Specifically, the company is optimizing the protective film used in transportation to reduce environmental pollution. On September 16, FAW-VW released its 2020/2021 Sustainable Development Report.According to t...

OEM Plants  Updated at: 2026/04/02