Tag: facility

Porsche to relocate U.S. headquarters to ex-Ford facility, plans to build track

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Rumormill

porsche logo

The North American headquarters for Porsche has been in an Atlanta suburb for years, but a report by the Atlanta Journal Constitution suggests that’s about to change. Unnamed sources claim that the German automaker is planning to announce that it will build a new headquarters on the site of the former Ford Taurus plant, just outside the Hartsfield-Atlanta International Airport.

The old plant has since been leveled and the ground has been scrubbed of environmental hazards left from years of industrial use, so Porsche will need to start from scratch. That’s probably a good thing, since the German company reportedly plans to build a new offices where the plant was demolished and a new test track very similar to the automaker’s facility in Silverstone, England. Porsche’s lease at its current location ends in 2013, and it is likely to take several years to complete a new facility.

If true, the move would bring hundreds of new marketing and sales jobs to the region, though most positions are likely already filled at Porsche’s current suburban location. Porsche is expected to make the announcement on Thursday.

Porsche to relocate U.S. headquarters to ex-Ford facility, plans to build track originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2011 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Behind the scenes at the Consumer Reports auto test facility

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Videos

Consumer Reports behind-the-scenes

Consumer Reports Behind the Scenes – Click above to watch video after the jump

Admittedly, the crew from Consumer Reports hangs out in a different slice of the automotive spectrum than we do. While we can’t seem to wrap our minds around why every driver doesn’t want rear-wheel drive, diesel-powered wagon with a manual cogbox and roll-up windows, CR knows the Hows and Whys of what people actually look for in a vehicle. They spend hours upon hours testing every make and model of vehicle imaginable – all of which are bought from dealers instead of borrowed from press fleets. If you want the bare-bones, honest take on what a car, truck or SUV is like to live with, these guys have the answers.

Consumer Reports has gone through the trouble of releasing a video that shows off exactly what goes into their testing process, including some antics on the organization’s sprawling test track. The quick clip even lends a glimpse into some of the high-tech data acquisition devices used to churn out the publication’s braking numbers – too cool.

Hit the jump to take a look at the video for yourself.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

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Video: Behind the scenes at the Consumer Reports auto test facility originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors invests $483 million in Spring Hill facility, rehires 483 workers

Filed under: Technology, GM, Earnings/Financials

GM Ecotec engineGeneral Motors has announced that it will invest a total of $483 million in its Spring Hill, Tennessee powertrain facility by 2012. The news comes as GM continues to move toward building more fuel-efficient engines. The automaker says that the next-generation Ecotec four-cylinder engine, complete with direct-injection, will be built in the Spring Hill plant. Those funds will also go toward bringing back a total of 483 workers that have been idle since last year.

In 2009, the company laid off 2,000 workers at the Spring Hill facility as part of its restructuring efforts, though 800 of those individuals relocated to other GM plants around the country. Even so, that didn’t do much for the economy in Maury County, Tennessee. According to the Associated Press, the locality has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state – 14.5 percent in July.

Until now, the future of the Spring Hill plant had been more than a little uncertain. The facility was originally designed to produce Saturn vehicles, but was reworked to produce the Chevrolet Traverse to the tune of $600 million. GM then pulled Traverse from the plant last year.

[Sources: Associated Press via Google, General Motors]

General Motors invests $483 million in Spring Hill facility, rehires 483 workers originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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