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Kia adding Optima production line to Georgia plant

Filed under: Sedan, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Kia

2011 kia optima ex

2011 Kia Optima EX – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Kia Optima has been a resounding success from the minute the midsize sedan’s redesigned 2011 model hit dealer showrooms. Optima sales have nearly doubled since its November introduction, which has helped the automaker claim a 36 percent sales increase on the year.

The Korean automaker seems to think the good times will continue into the future, announcing a third hiring wave at the Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia plant. The additional employees will help increase Optima output when the 2012 model arrives in the third quarter. This is good news for the red-hot Kia brand, and those looking for work in Georgia are likely excited as well. Kia says in the post-jump press release that its hiring spree will increase the workforce at the facility to 3,000 workers. Hit the jump to read over the official release.

Gallery: 2011 Kia Optima EX: Review

2011 Kia Optima EX

[Source: Kia]

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Kia adding Optima production line to Georgia plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM adding 750 jobs to build more heavy-duty pickups

Filed under: Truck, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Work, Chevrolet

Chevrolet Silverado HD at Flint Assembly

General Motors has announced that it will add another shift at its Flint Assembly plant to produce more Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickups. The third shift is expected to add a full 750 new jobs, and the first wave of employees will begin arriving at the facility during the second quarter of this year. Production will ramp up in the third quarter. Right now, Flint Assembly employs 2,100 workers, and last year, the factory churned out 115,000 vehicles. GM says that the first wave of positions will be filled by workers who were laid off at other facilities. The majority of those workers are expected to originate from Lansing.

The remainder of the positions will be taken by employees who were laid off at other plants, including Orion, Willow Run and Warren. GM won’t be hiring any new employees for the third shift. Hit the jump for the full press release.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading GM adding 750 jobs to build more heavy-duty pickups

GM adding 750 jobs to build more heavy-duty pickups originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford adding 100 dealers in China

Filed under: China, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford, India

Ford Fiesta

According to Ford, 70 percent of the company’s growth in the next decade will come from the Asia-Pacific region and Africa. The Blue Oval had only planned to have 310 dealerships in China at the end of 2010, but having sold nearly half a million cars this year and expecting the boom to continue, the number has jumped to 340 dealers. This is part of Ford’s larger plan to add 100 new dealerships in China, mostly in smaller cities and inland provinces where new car demand is high.

Ford is planning a new plant with its Chinese joint venture partner, Changan, and will introduce four more models into the Chinese market next year, including the 2011 Edge. Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific market, Ford has already spent $500 million on increasing production capacity in India, where it now sells the Figo subcompact.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req. | Image: STR/AFP/Getty]

Report: Ford adding 100 dealers in China originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 27 Nov 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VW considering adding all-wheel drive to Audi A1, Polo?

Filed under: Hatchback, Audi, Volkswagen, Rumormill

Audi A1 live in Paris

Audi A1 TFSI – Click above for high-res image gallery

Audi surprised us all when it took the wraps off its top-of-the-line A1 TFSI hatchback packing everything but the kitchen sink…and the S1 nameplate. The reason, according to reports, was that every S model in the company’s history has featured Quattro all-wheel drive, but the PQ25 platform on which the A1 is based can’t accommodate it. At least, not yet.

The UK’s Autocar now suggests, however, that a business case is being made inside the Volkswagen Group to engineer the platform to accept the extra driveshaft. Doing so would allow for proper Quattro-driven S1, but that’s not all. In order to justify the cost, the Volkswagen Polo could get a couple of models driven on all fours, including a Polo R hot hatch to slot in above the Polo GTI and a CrossPolo soft-roader with actual traction to back up its butch styling.

Gallery: Paris 2010: 2011 Audi A1 TFSI

Gallery: 2012 Volkswagen CrossPolo

[Source: Autocar]

VW considering adding all-wheel drive to Audi A1, Polo? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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