MONTGOMERY, AL—Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) recently announced that it will invest $388 million to construct a new plant to manufacture engine heads and support production of the Sonata and Elantra sedans. The investment, which will create 50 new jobs, will be spent on equipment for the engine head machining plant and updating technology in the company’s existing engine plant.
WASHINGTON—Regulators have sent the White House a proposal seeking to scale back Obama-era rules to combat climate change through tougher fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks. The Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently delivered the proposals to the Office of Management and Budget for review, one of the required steps before a federal rule is adopted.
KARIYA, Japan—Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled to the media last week its historic plant here, which is where the company’s first prototype vehicle was developed in the early years of the Showa era (1926-1989). Called “The Prototype Plant at the Establishment of Toyota,” it has an atmosphere of the early days of the domestic auto industry. The plant will open to the public from July 18.
STOCKHOLM—Chinese auto investors are increasingly pouring money into Europe rather than the United States because of intense U.S. scrutiny of their deals under the Trump administration, according to Reuters news service.
SAVANNAH, GA—The burgeoning growth in U.S. auto exports may be coming in separate parts. The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. automakers are exporting more cars this year, even as proposed tariffs on imported vehicles, and key materials such as steel and aluminum, are raising concerns over global supply chains.
SANTA CLARA, CA—Electric vehicle developer SF Motors has announced a $160 million investment in its recently acquired assembly plant in Mishawaka, IN. The investment will create up to 467 jobs created by 2020, according to Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology International.
TUCSON, AZ—Raytheon Missile Systems and its Norway-based partner will arm the U.S. Navy’s new littoral combat ships with a long-range surface attack missile, in a program that could be worth nearly $850 million, reports the Arizona Daily Star.
RICHLAND, WA—Engineers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory here have developed a new process for joining aluminum and steel. Friction stir dovetailing was inspired by assembly techniques used in woodworking.
Engineers at the VTT Technical Research Centre here recently developed a process to print smart shafts. It combines metal additive manufacturing, sensor technology, wireless data transfer and condition monitoring in the same package.
Newport News Shipbuilding has partnered with 3D Systems to develop metal additive manufacturing technologies. The goal of the joint effort is to revolutionize how the next generation of warships is assembled.
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