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Chevrolet Volt assembly plant to get largest solar array in MI

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, GM

Solar installation at GM Detroit-Hamtramck plant
General Motors is adding a photovoltaic array to the roof of its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. The facility’s new solar panels will help offset the energy consumed when producing Chevy Volts. GM has partnered with DTE Energy on the planned 516-kilowatt installation, which will cover 264,000 square feet on six acres of land. In addition to the solar array, further energy-saving measures like automated equipment shutdown, more efficient lighting, and upgrades to more energy-efficient assembly tools will be implemented.

DTE Energy is putting $3 million of its own money into the GM partnership as part of its SolarCurrents program. This initiative aims to install 15 megawatts of solar power systems in Southeast Michigan, and the hope is that large-scale, highly-visible projects like the Detroit-Hamtramck plant will drive more demand for renewable energy in Michigan. Press release posted after the jump.

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Chevrolet Volt assembly plant to get largest solar array in MI originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 14 May 2011 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Dodge Challenger torched on assembly line due to unattended heat lamp?

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, Dodge

Dodge Challenger assembly line fire

In March, Chrysler served up a smoking-hot 31 percent sales increase in compared to the same month in 2010. Unfortunately for the automaker, the “heat and serve” theme continued this week, as there were two stories about flaming Chrysler products Monday alone. First we told you about a Dodge Durango turned car-b-que in front of hundreds of onlookers at a Washington D.C. parade. Then came news that China has suspended importation of the Jeep Wrangler due to complaints of vehicle fires.

Now we have a photo of a Dodge Challenger (above) posted by Moparts forum poster Mccannix that allegedly went up in flames at the Brampton, Ontario assembly plant. There is no official cause for the fire, though as you can tell from the picture above the Challenger must have been really cooking.

One unsubstantiated report claims that a heat lamp got too close to some paperwork, which started the blaze. Even sadder is the fact that the high-end wheels tell us that we’re likely looking at a burnt SRT8. A moment of silence, please.

Gallery: 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392: First Drive

2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392

[Source: Moparts via Jalopnik]

2011 Dodge Challenger torched on assembly line due to unattended heat lamp? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Saab 9-4X rolls off the assembly line

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Saab, Luxury

GM's Raymond J Chess and Saab CEO Jan ÅkeJonsson with the first Saab 9-4X

GM’s Raymond J Chess and Saab CEO Jan Åke Jonsson w/Saab 9-4X No. 1 – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s been little over a year since Saab unveiled the 9-4X at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, and now the first production example has left the assembly line.

Envisioned when Saab was still under the General Motors umbrella, the 9-4X is based on the same Theta platform as the Cadillac SRX. As such, it’s being built not in Trollhättan, Sweden, like other Saabs, but in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.

This first example – an Aero model in Ice Pearl metallic with the 2.8-liter turbo V6 and XWD – carries the chassis number 00001, and will be displayed at Saab’s museum in Sweden – after it makes the media rounds, of course. While you’re waiting for the 9-4X to hit U.S. dealers in May, check out our galleries below along with the official production announcement after the jump.

Gallery: Saab 9-4X chassis #00001

Gallery: 2012 Saab 9-4X

2012 Saab 9-4X

[Source: Saab]

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First Saab 9-4X rolls off the assembly line originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: 2011 Nissan Leaf assembly process detailed

Filed under: Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Technology, Videos, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

2011 Nissan Leaf assembly – Click above to watch video after the jump

Earlier this week, we rolled out a time-lapse video of the assembly of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. In that video, General Motors took us inside its Detroit-Hamtramck plant to watch its plug-in hybrid undergo a transformation from a bodyshell to a ready-to-roll vehicle. In the all-too-brief clip, GM attempted to capture the complex steps of assembling the Chevy Volt but, as many of our commenters pointed out, failed to provide a detailed look at the intricate technologies that differentiate the Volt from more conventional vehicles.

In an attempt to be as fair as possible, it’s only fitting that we also showcase the assembly of the 2011 Nissan Leaf. This video, shot inside Nissan’s plant in Oppama, Japan, captures the production of the Leaf in painstaking detail. Hit the jump to watch the Nissan Leaf as it comes together right before your eyes.

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Leaf: First Drive

[Source: Nissan via YouTube]

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Video: 2011 Nissan Leaf assembly process detailed originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Worth the Paper Cuts: Cardboard Honda NSX racer assembly shots are awesome

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Japan, Marketing/Advertising, Honda, Design/Style, Racing

Epson papercraft Honda NSX build – Click either image for high-res gallery

We were never the kinds of kids who could sit down and crank out a plastic model with any sort of aplomb. In fact, we have a stack of half-finished kits in the hall closet that fire disapproving glares at us every time we go for a fresh towel. Paper models, on the other hand, we can do. Few things are more entertaining that transmuting a flat piece of heavy stock paper into a 3D interpretation of, say, a Honda/Acura NSX racer.

You may recall that the printing gurus at Epson rolled out a full-scale cardboard replica of the Honda halo beast at the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year. Now a gaggle of photos detailing the construction process have surfaced via the web-scouring folk over at Jalopnik.

Now, here’s the really cool part. The whole build process is nearly identical to what you’d expect out of stitching together a much smaller papercraft model. How identical? Printer company Epson was kind enough to supply 1:24 scale design plans so that the rest of the world can crank out its own version of the car. Now if you’ll excuse us, it’s time to bust out the X-Acto knife.

Gallery: Epson Papercraft NSX Racer

[Source: Epson via Jalopnik]

Worth the Paper Cuts: Cardboard Honda NSX racer assembly shots are awesome originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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