SAIC GM and Toyota recall faulty China-made models

SAIC General Motors is recalling

161,281 cars made in China from Feb 28, 2016, because of faulty components that could make it difficult to shift gears under extreme circumstances, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. The cars involved include 139,168 Excelle vehicles, 18,187 Chevrolet Cavaliers and 3,926 Lova recreational vehicles. Toyota is recalling 286,578 Vios cars made through its joint venture Tianjin FAW Toyota. The cars, made between October 2013 and February 2016, have engine covers that might not lock properly. The cars will have their faulty parts replaced free of charge.

Ford to build Mexico plants despite one cancellation

Ford is sticking with its plan to build two new factories in Mexico, despite an announcement last month that it had scrapped plans for a plant in the central state of San Luis Potosi. The two facilities will cost about $2.5 billion and employ some 3,800 people, said Gabriel Lopez, president and CEO of Ford Mexico. Last month, without warning, Ford canceled plans to build a $1.6 billion project in San Luis Potosi.

Union supports disgruntled employees at Tesla facility

The United States' United Auto Workers union has sent organizers to support employees at Tesla's electric-car plant, a move that - if successful - would give the union the kind of presence it has long sought beyond traditional automakers' factories. A group of Tesla workers have contacted the union to seek assistance and the UAW is in discussions with them, Dennis Williams, the union's president, told reporters during a roundtable recently in Detroit. He said union organizers have received complaints about long hours and potentially unsafe conditions at Tesla's plant in Fremont, California.

French automaker signs deals to produce vehicles in Iran

PSA Group, which makes Peugeot, Citroen and DS Automobile vehicles, is seeking to speed up its return to the Iranian market, taking an aggressive approach to beat those rivals wary of mounting tensions between the country and the United States. The auto group will start building the Peugeot 2008 crossover near Tehran in the coming days and plans to close a deal to make Citroen models in the next few weeks, said Jean-Christophe Quemard, who oversees PSA's Middle East and Africa operations. PSA said a year ago that Iranian production under a new joint venture would begin in the second half of 2017.

Motoring - Agencies