New Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel to go on Sale in the States in 2013

On Wednesday, Porsche confirmed that it will bring the Cayenne Diesel to the U.S. by 2013, but the German company isn't the only automaker with plans to sell a diesel-powered SUV in the States.

The Chrysler Group announced today that it would add a diesel version to its Jeep Grand Cherokee lineup in the United States and Canada. The North American diesel model will be manufactured at the firm's Jefferson North Assembly Plant [JNAP] in Detroit.

In addition, Chrysler revealed that it would add a third crew and 1,100 new jobs at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant next year. Current employment at the plant is approximately 2,890 workers.

"We believe that investing in Detroit is not only the right thing to do, but it is a smart thing to do as we work to write the next chapter in our shared history," said Chrysler Group Chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne.

The automaker did not divulge any more details but there's a good chance that the North American market Grand Cherokee Diesel will be offered with the same engine as its European counterpart.

The latter is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 CRD common-rail turbo diesel available in two states of tune delivering 190HP at 4,000rpm and 440Nm (324.5 lb-ft) at 1,600-2,800rpm, and 241HP at 4,000rpm and 550Nm (405.7 lb-ft) at 1,800-2,800rpm. Both versions of the V6 are matted to a five-speed automatic transmission.

The 190HP model accelerates from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 10.2 seconds and reaches a top speed of 191km/h (119mph) while returning a combined fuel consumption of 8.3 lt/100km (28.4mpg) in the European cycle.

The more potent 241HP variant goes from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 8.2 seconds en route to a top speed of 202km/h (126mph) but returns the same fuel economy at 8.3 lt/100km (28.4mpg).

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Mazda Signs MoU With Sollers for a New Joint Venture in Russia

China is not the only market where producers are currently expanding. Mazda, for example, already produces in Vietnam, Mazda2, Mazda3 and Mazda2 and manufactures are building a new plant in Mexico.

Today, the Japanese company has announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OJSC Sollers to set up a new joint venture factory in Russia.

Sollers OJSC is one of the largest Russian companies in the areas of vehicle production, distribution and maintenance, while Russia is the second largest market for Mazda in the European region.

In addition, the Hiroshima-based manufacturer of rapidly increasing sales in the local market. During the first nine months of this year, Mazda delivered 28,000 cars in Russia, an increase of almost 77% over the same period in 2010.

The new plant will be located in Vladivostok, Russian Far East Federal District, and produces several (as yet undefined) Mazda models, which are sold to the Russian market.

 

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Lay Off 4000 Workers At The Ford Plant In Valencia Because Of Reduced Demand

The economic crisis raging in Europe, is not likely to disappear in the short term. As a result, manufacturers have begun to take measures to take into account the lower demand for their products.

Ford, meanwhile, will temporarily lay off 4,000 of its 6,200 employees at its plant in Valencia, Spain for 39 days in 2012, according to Adrian Schmitz, a spokesman for the Blue Oval's European operations of the group in Cologne, Germany.

"This downtime is related to the transition to the factory, and the expectation that demand will remain weak next year across the European industry," says Schmitz. "The drop in demand from Spain and Europe affects everyone in the industry," he added.

According to Spanish news site The Economist, move, Ford reduced the production of the plant, which will stop the Fiesta and Kuga will start producing the new (Escape in the U.S.) and Transit Connect van at the end of 2012, 34%.

Analysts Bankhaus Metzler Juergen Pieper said that the situation will only get worse. "It's definitely a sign of weak demand. It is only likely to worsen. Several manufacturers will see the worst sales next year and this will lead to more layoffs. "

Pieper added that Ford is in better shape than most competitors are required to deal with falling demand in 2012, because even if the entire European sales fell 1.4% in October, reported a 6.4% more than in October 2010. However, Ford sales in Spain fell by 6.7% in July.

PSA Peugeot Citroen has said it will cut up to 3,500 permanent jobs, and both Renault and GM have announced they will temporarily suspend some production lines in French and Spanish factories, respectively.

Story References: Bloomberg

 

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BMW Begins Regular Production of new 2012 3-Series Sedan

With the opening of the road, BMW Group has begun mass production of its new premium sedan, the 3 Series, 2012, is a plant of Munich, Germany, where he is preparing for launch on the world market in February next year.

"The BMW 3 Series is the line of greatest volume of BMW Group products and the best-selling model in the premium segment further," said Frank-Peter Arndt, Member of BMW AG responsible for production management.

"To ensure that the sixth generation of BMW 3 Series also comes standard with perfect quality, we invested approximately 500 million euros in Munich's main factory. And that means that sites security 9000 work," said Arndt .

BMW said that in three months from now, the production of the 3 Series sedan plant in Munich will reach its maximum of 680 units per day, while total production exceed 900 vehicles per day.

In addition, 3-series range, the factory also produces Monaco of Bavaria BMW conventional gasoline engines and power plants, high-performance M and the BMW Rolls-Royce models.

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