Automotive Manufacturing

Deliveries of 27 Tesla Roadsters Completed to Date, Production and Delivery of Roadsters To Accelerate with Final Powertrain Solution

SAN CARLOS, Calif., Sep 09, 2008 -- Tesla Motors Inc. has selected BorgWarner Inc. for the production of a single-speed gearbox for the Tesla Roadster and is initiating a ramped-up production rate. So far, 27 customers have taken delivery of Roadsters.

2008 Tesla Roadster

4,000 new jobs to be created

Chennai, India, September 8, 2008 -- The Ashok Leyland – Nissan LCV project crossed a significant milestone today with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Tamil Nadu for acquiring 380 acres to locate the facilities of the joint venture companies at Pillaipakkam, 40 kms off Chennai. The integrated plant will be utilized to set up the vehicle and powertrain manufacturing facilities and a technology development unit for the three companies of the joint venture that was formed in May 2008.

The working of these companies has already been initiated and the joint venture is on course to roll out the first vehicle by 2010-2011. Exports are expected to account for 20% of the first phase capacity of 100,000 LCVs.

Hans-Peter Stalf becomes new plant manager in Brunswick

Brunswick / Chattanooga, 19 August 2008 -- Frank Fischer (46) has been appointed head of the project team for the new Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga (USA) with effect from October 1, 2008. He is thus also the designated plant manager of the factory in the US State of Tennessee. His successor as plant manager in Brunswick will be Hans-Peter Stalf (52).

August 18 , 2008 -- Subaru, the industry leader in all-wheel drive technology, is proud of its total business commitment to the environment. To ensure that Subaru’s environmental activities in remain at the forefront of business planning, the company formed the Subaru North American Environmental Committee (NAEC), which continually reviews progress and sets new goals.

The mission of the Subaru NAEC is to unite all North American Subaru operations in a cohesive environmental conservation plan to encourage environmental improvement activities within the company and the community, and help reduce dependency on natural resources.

SANTA ROSA, CA, Monday, August 18, 2008 -- Randall S. Waldman and Larry Cottingham of Integrity Manufacturing LLC are in Santa Rosa, California today for meetings with the management of electric vehicle pioneer ZAP (OTC BB:ZAAP.OB - News).

Integrity Manufacturing has been working with the State of Kentucky to help provide incentives to attract more manufacturing and assembly to the state. On Friday The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority gave preliminary approval for $68 million in state incentives for a large-scale manufacturing initiative with Integrity. The project is expected to bring economic development, new factory production and up to 2,500 jobs to Kentucky.

Rayong, Thailand, 2008-08-13 – General Motors (GM) is investing $445 million to build an engine plant and upgrade an existing vehicle assembly plant here, company Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner announced today.

Highlights:
* Part of GM’s strategy for growth in emerging markets
* New engine facility will manufacture diesels for Chevrolet in Thailand and other markets and GM brands
* Investment includes new tooling at existing assembly plant and engineering work for next-generation Colorado small pickup truck

August 11, 2008 -- On August 8, the four millionth car was built at Volvo Cars Gent. It was a Volvo V50, a sporty R Design version, ordered by VDL, a customer from Breda in Netherlands. Volvo Cars Gent has been building cars in Belgium since 1965. Initially the plant was set up to avoid the country's high import taxes on finished cars, but over the years Volvo Cars Gent has, together with Volvo Cars Torslanda, become one of the two main Volvo Cars factories.

The first model assembled in Ghent was the Volvo 120, better known as the Amazon. Other models followed: the Volvo 140 and 240 -series, the Volvo 740 and 940, the Volvo 850, the Volvo S70 and V70, and today the Volvo C30, S40, V50 and S60.

Volvo Cars Gent has more than 4,000 employees who built about 200,000 cars 2007.

The BMW Group benefits from highly advanced innovations developed by the BMW Sauber Formula One Team

Munich, 08/04/2008 -- The main prerequisite for BMW's comeback to Formula One in 2000 was to generate synergies between F1 and series development. It was for this reason that development of the Formula One powertrain and electronics was integrated at the Munich plant, with the BMW Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ) playing a pivotal role. The F1 factory was set up less than a kilometre away from the think tank and the two formed a close network.

2008 BMW M3 Sedan

PARIS/ TOKYO/ JOHANNESBURG, July 18, 2008 -- The Renault-Nissan Alliance has confirmed the launch of a new manufacturing project in South Africa. Nissan’s manufacturing plant at Rosslyn was identified as having the potential to maximize synergies between Renault and Nissan.

Highlights:
* A new Nissan half-ton Pickup NP200 and Renault Sandero are to be produced at Nissan’s Rosslyn plant (Pretoria). Production of the new Nissan half-ton Pickup NP200 has already started in the plant. The production of Renault Sandero will start in 2009.
* This project marks the first time that a Renault vehicle will be produced in South Africa.
* Some 300 jobs will be created in the plant in 2008.

Initial stage of construction in Chattanooga to create capacity for 150,000 vehicles. Prof Winterkorn says Volkswagen is resolutely accessing US market.

Wolfsburg / Chattanooga, 15 July 2008 - Volkswagen is setting out to build a plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where vehicle production will be due to commence in early 2011. The supervisory board of Volkswagen AG today approved the plans and an investment volume of up to 1 billion USD (around 620 million euro). The Group’s management board had previously pinpointed Chattanooga as the site for its new plant. “The USA market,” said Prof Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen AG, “is an important part of our volume strategy and we are now very resolutely accessing that market. Volkswagen will be extremely active there.”