|
| |
| Latest Newsletter |
| » February 15, 2007 |
2008 Dodge Challenger to be built in Brampton,
Ontario
DaimlerChrysler announced that the all-new 2008 Dodge Challenger
will be built at its Brampton Assembly Plant near Toronto.
Production of the Dodge Challenger will begin next year and
preparations to ready the plant are already underway. The
Brampton plant also produces the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger,
and Dodge Magnum which use the same platform as the Challenger.
First revealed as a concept vehicle at the North American
International (Detroit) Auto Show in 2006, it was announced
this past summer that the Dodge Challenger would be going
into production in 2008. The decision to build the Challenger
in Ontario was partially a result of the Ontario government's
strong support for the Brampton Assembly Plant through its
contribution to the plant-wide third shift training Program,
said Reid Bigland, President and CEO of DaimlerChrysler Canada.
Since the concept car's introduction, Dodge.com has received
a total of 1.5 million visits to the Challenger section of
the website in 2006, and 20,000 potential customers have
asked the company for more product information regarding
the car. Like the original 1970 Challenger, the production
version of the 2008 Dodge Challenger will be a two-door,
rear-drive coupe powered by a Hemi V8 engine, but it will
meet all current safety, emissions and performance standards.
OPP to premiere new black and white cruiser at
Toronto Auto Show
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will present the first
view of its new black-and-white cruisers at the Canadian
International Auto Show in Toronto. The police plan to replace
the entire 1,200-vehicle fleet of Ford Crown Victoria models
with black and white cruisers over the next two and a half
years, following the normal fleet replacement schedule. The
cruisers are assembled at Ford of Canada's St. Thomas, Ontario
plant. "Traffic safety is a core function of the OPP," says
Commissioner Julian Fantino. "The black and white patrol
vehicle will be instantly recognizable as police - as the
Ontario Provincial Police. Couple this with new LED high-visibility
roof lights and vehicle markings and we are making a significant
impact on, and an improvement to, the visibility of police
officers in general patrol vehicles. The distinctiveness
of the black and white cruiser also stands as a powerful
symbol for the OPP's renewed all-out focus on traffic safety."
Honda Aircraft to establish world headquarters
and production facility in North Carolina
Honda Aircraft Company Inc. has announced plans to establish
its world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, with
construction of a headquarters facility and hangar at Piedmont
Triad International Airport. The company also confirmed plans
to manufacture its HondaJet light jet at a new plant, to
be constructed adjacent to the new headquarters. The company
plans to begin delivery of the jet to customers in 2010.
Initial investment for construction of the headquarters and
hangar will be about US$40 million, plus approximately US$20
million for equipment. Details of additional investment for
the manufacturing facility will be announced at a later date.
The headquarters will serve as the home for all HondaJet
research, product engineering, sales and marketing, and service
support, and will replace the company's existing hangar and
office complex, also located at the airport. Construction
will begin immediately and is scheduled to be completed in
November 2007. The HondaJet, Honda's first-ever commercial
aircraft, delivers 30 to 35 per cent better cruising fuel
efficiency than comparable jets, along with a class-topping
cruise speed of 420 knots (450 mph, or 724 km/h) and a more
spacious cabin with room for up to eight people. The customer
base is composed of owner-pilots, corporate travel operators
and air taxi companies. All major assembly and testing of
the prototype HondaJet has been conducted at the company's
existing Greensboro facility, which opened in 2001. The new
facility will become Honda's 17th major manufacturing plant
in North America, including two currently under construction
in Ontario and Indiana. The company already has a major North
Carolina manufacturing facility near Swepsonville, which
produces general purpose engines, lawn mowers and power equipment
products.
Report: Toyota worries about backlash over
U.S. success
Newspaper gets hold of internal Toyota report
that cites political, social risks. The Detroit Free
Press reports that Toyota is worried about possible
political and consumer backlash caused by its rapid
U.S. growth. The Free Press cited an internal Toyota
document seen by a reporter. Toyota executives have
publicly downplayed the importance of predictions that
the Japan-based company will pass General Motor this
year as the world's top automaker. But the Toyota report
says the company could face criticism because its U.S.
sales are increasing while Detroit's automakers are
losing sales and closing plants. The document, in the
form of a PowerPoint presentation by a Toyota executive,
states, "With recent market-share gains and sales
continuing to increase, we are becoming the de facto
leader of the industry -- that brings risks and responsibilities.
Our competitors are jealous of our success." In
the briefing to other Toyota managers, the executive
cited political and social risks. The report, which
was left unsecured on computers at Toyota’s Georgetown,
Ky., complex, said Toyota could come under fire for:
•
Selling vehicles to U.S. customers with high proportions
of foreign-made parts. • Not including enough
minority-owned businesses in its supplier base. • Leaving
a vacuum in U.S. communities as GM, Ford, Chrysler
and their suppliers shed plants and workers.
Toyota has one major factor in its favor as it tries
to prevent backlash. The U.S. sales growth also has
fueled a rapidly growing manufacturing base that hits
more states and congressional districts each year.
Toyota has 13 U.S. plants, from West Virginia to California.
Its first was a joint venture with GM in 1984 in California.
Now states are lining up for what is expected to be
several more in the next 10 years.
Pop-Up Stores: All the rage even for carmakers
The latest trend in retailing:
Outlets that open for a few
days in a major city or a
mall-and then are gone. In
a world of BlackBerries and
instant messaging, there's
a growing sense of haste
in people's lives. In response,
companies vying to get consumers'
attention are trying to create
a sense of urgency. As Business
Week reports, for retailers,
the store itself is the new
limited edition. So limited
in fact that it may last
a mere 96 hours. These days,
retailers are adopting the
concept of a pop-up store
with gusto. A pop-up store
opens up at an empty retail
location for a few days in
a major city, or a mall,
with great fanfare. And then,
poof! It's gone. Pop-up stores
have worked especially well
for brands that don't have
a retail outlet store. Currently,
the Lexus is wrapping up
its multi-city pop-up art
gallery tour in Chicago.
There, it has rented retail
space to showcase three avant-garde
artists—a photographer,
a video moviemaker, and a
wood carver—whom the
company feels reflect the
innovation and design elements
of its latest self-parking
car. For much of last year,
Ford opened kiosks in several
malls around the country
to show off its midsize Fusion.
The kiosks, labeled Fusion
Studio D, were targeted at
women, and offered makeovers,
fitness training, and health
information. The kiosks would
pop up in malls in cities
around the country, just
days before the local Susan
G. Komen Foundation's Race
for the Cure, and signed
up people who wanted to run
to cure breast cancer.
Chrysler to cut 13,000 jobs; DCX won't rule
out sale or spinoff
The Chrysler Group will slash 13,000 jobs and close
a U.S. assembly plant in what appears to be a final
effort to restore the U.S. division of DaimlerChrysler
AG to profitability in 2008 and secure its future within
the company. The "recovery and transformation" plan
announced Wednesday appears to be the management's
last chance to fix the problems at Chrysler, which
lost $1.5 billion in 2006 and is forecast to lose money
again this year. DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche
left the door open for Chrysler to possibly be sold
or aligned with strategic partners in the future. "Our
thinking does not exclude any options, and this means
all options are on the table," he said at the
company's annual results press conference, this year
in Auburn Hills. DaimlerChrysler has retained J.P Morgan & Co.
to explore strategic options for Chrysler, company
sources told The Detroit News. German investors have
been pressing DaimlerChrysler to shed the U.S. division.
The company's supervisory board -- whose 20 members
include 10 shareholder representatives -- also issued
a statement stressing that the management would study "other,
more far-reaching strategic options" as well as
pursue the restructuring. Bank of America auto analyst
Ron Tadross said he "would not be surprised if
there is good interest in Chrysler. We see Chrysler
as a decent business, at least relative to the other
U.S. domestic manufacturers." |
|
|
 Looking
for a Career or Candidate? |
 |
|
| Candidate
Marketing Program |
 |
We are continually
seeking motivated, qualified and experienced individuals
for positions with our Clients.
More Information » |
|
| Our
Testimonials |
 |
Read what both
our Clients and Candidates alike are saying about our services!
View
Testimonials » |
|
| Memberships |
|
 |
|
|
|
