Manufacturing

  • 2023 Honda Civic Type R assembly

    Watch this video to see the 2023 Honda Civic Type R come to life.

  • Tesla Model Y
    Tesla's German plant goes online with start of Model Y production

    With the start of production at Giga Berlin, Tesla is now building cars on three continents.

  • Porsche 911 assembly line
    Learn how the Porsche 911 is made

    The documentary "Building a Porsche 911: Legend on 4 Wheels" covers the iconic sports car's development, manufacturing process, development, history, and racing heritage.

  • Tesla ventilator made from Model 3 parts
    Tesla created a ventilator out of Model 3 parts to help the coronavirus pandemic

    The automaker released a video showing how it could use off-the-shelf parts for Model 3 sedans to build ventilators.

  • Packard plant bridge in Detroit, Michigan, collapsed Photo via Historic Detroit
    Left to the elements, Packard plant's bridge collapses

    Once a symbol of a prosperous and manufacturing-rich city, Detroit's Packard plant has been left to decay for decades. On Wednesday, the elements took their toll and the Packard plant's skyway bridge collapsed onto the city street. Thankfully, no one was injured in the collapse, according to...

  • Audi contrasting paintwork process
    Audi has figured out how to spray two paint colors at once

    The process of building cars is becoming more complicated and yet easier at the same time. More complex processes and materials are being introduced, but we also have robots to lend a helping hand throughout the manufacturing process. Audi has figured out a way to use these robots to improve its...

  • Artist’s impression of the Polestar plant under construction in Chengdu, China

    Polestar, formerly Volvo's in-house tuner, will forge ahead as a standalone brand within Volvo Cars Group. On Monday, the brand announced it broke ground on its first manufacturing facility in Chengdu, China. It will be the assembly plant for all future Polestar models. Volvo already has a plant in Chengdu and the new plant will follow typical Chinese government regulations for vehicle production. Polestar and Volvo Cars Group will build the vehicles in a joint-venture between two Zhejiang Geely Holding Group companies. Geely owns Volvo Cars Group as well. Polestar said in the announcement...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV pre-production vehicles at Orion Township Assembly Plant, March 2016
    Detroit's "Big 3" automakers to lose North American production crown for first time

    For the first time ever, the Detroit Big Three will likely cede the North American production crown this year. A new automotive manufacturing forecast says General Motors, Ford, and Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles will build fewer cars in North America than foreign automakers (plus Tesla) on the...

  • GM Renaissance Center American flag
    GM says Venezuela has illegally seized its manufacturing plant

    General Motors will immediately cease operations in the country of Venezuela after the U.S. automaker announced authorities there illegally seized its manufacturing plant and industrial hub. The hub, situated in Valencia, employs 2,678 workers. “Yesterday, GMV’s (General Motors...

  • BMW Group Classic buys up old BMW aero engine facility
    BMW Group Classic Buys Original Munich Plant

    BMW is returning to its roots with the purchase of a new facility for its fleet of historic vehicles--returning to a building once used to build airplane engines in the early decades of last century. ALSO SEE: The Story Behind The World's Fastest Nissan GT-R: Video The German automaker has acquired...

  • 2013 Volvo V40
    Volvo Seeks Partner To Build Cars In North America

    Volvo concedes that to be a success in North America it will need a local manufacturing base. Having witnessed the success of premium European marques such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz building cars in the U.S., as well as Volkswagen and soon Audi ramping up their manufacturing bases in North America...

  • Volkswagen's MQB Platform
    Volkswagen Introduces Modular Transverse Matrix Platform

    Volkswagen's new modular transverse matrix platform will allow it to build products as diverse as Polo hatchbacks and Passat sedans from a single platform.

  • Audi R8 e-tron at Le Mans

    Luxury manufacturer Audi is on a roll in terms of hiring and upgrading its infrastructure, which it sees as necessary for continued growth.

  • 2012 BMW 1-Series Hatchback BMW Performance Concept
    Video: How Do You Make A Car? BMW Explains With New 1-Series

    As long as your car starts, stops and does so without going wrong too frequently, most people aren't really bothered how it all came together. Even so, it's a facinating process to observe and there's now a video showing how much effort actually goes into making the new BMW 1-Series compact, from...

  • Urbee Hybrid
    Urbee 3D Printed Car Makes First Appearance In Canada

    It may not be fast and it may not even be pretty, but the Urbee car is important for other reasons. The potential for 166 mpg is clearly a number to raise eyebrows. Using a combination of electric motors and a small, single cylinder, 8 horsepower engine running on ethanol, high economy was never...

  • 2012 Volkswagen Beetle production begins in Mexico
    2012 Volkswagen Beetle: Production Begins In Mexico

    The Volkswagen Beetle and Mexico are inexorably linked. From as far back as 1967 and running until 2003 when production ended for good, Volkswagen's Puebla factory produced the classic Beetle, and between 1998 and 2010 the factory was responsible for New Beetle production. Now, Volkswagen has...

  • Mercedes-Benz wind tunnel climate testing
    Mercedes-Benz' Wind Tunnel Provides Weather On Demand

    One minute it's freezing cold, the next you're battling with a hurricane, and then finally the sun comes out for tropical temperatures. No, it's not some futuristic vision of a world in the grips of rapid climate change, it's actually the conditions available in the new wind tunnels used by...

  • BMW Megacity Vehicle official photos
    More Carbon Fiber Parts In BMW Cars From 2013

    BMW is aiming to become of the first manufacturers to begin high-volume production of carbon fiber car parts. The first part-carbon cars could be seen as soon as 2013. The cost and production time of carbon fiber has been reduced considerably over the last few years. The all-carbon McLaren MP4-12C...

  • 2012 BMW 1-Series Hatchback

    You might not think of the voice inside your sat-nav system or the sound of your blinkers as being particularly sonorous, but then you're probably not working with BMW to turn those sounds and more into a few minutes of music as the backdrop to production of the 2012 BMW 1-Series. The man behind the music is Jonas Imbery, who sampled various sounds from around the car such as the noise of doors closing, safety alarms and the click of seat belts before turning them into a synthesized soundtrack for BMW's video. The music has an ethereal and technical quality to it that suits the clean and...

  • 2010 GM EN-V Concept
    General Motors Picks U.K. For EN-V City Car Euro Manufacture

    Small cars are becoming big business. The smart fortwo, Scion iQ, Gordon Murray's upcoming T.25, the Renault Twizy... more and more carmakers are developing tiny vehicles to provide our city transportation of the future. General Motors has jumped on the bandwagon too. GM showed the cleverly named...

  • 2011 Ford Fiesta interior
    Toxic Tests Ensure Your Car Can't Give You Cancer, Allergies

    Safety isn't a glamorous subject but it's nice to know that when you put yourself and your family into a car you'll all be safe. Not just on the road, but sitting there and breathing normally, too. That's why manufacturers such as Ford are making the effort to put their cars through the rigorous...

  • Graphene paper. Image: Lisa Aliosio
    Graphene Paper 10 Times Stronger, 6 Times Lighter Than Steel

    Nanotechnology, the study of materials and engineering on a molecular scale, has the potential to completely change the vehicles we drive. We've looked at self-healing polymers that can eliminate scratches in paintwork, plastics injected with millions of tiny air bubbles to reduce their weight...

  • Airbike nylon printed bike
    Today, 3D Printed Nylon Bikes... Tomorrow, Nylon Cars?

    3D printing isn't one of those technologies that we might see, some indeterminate time in the future. It's one of those technologies that we can already see, and inspect, and touch. 3D printing, also known as Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) isn't the technology of the future - it's a technology...

  • Tools made with 3D printing. Photo credit: MIT 3DP Lab
    "New Car Sir? Let Me Just Switch On The Printer..."

    Imagine the scenario. You go to your local car dealership for a replacement part. A bracket has sheared in your engine bay and components are rattling against each other making every journey a nightmare. Only trouble is, a replacement part won't be in stock for another few weeks. "Not to worry Sir...

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