Brembo to temporarily lay off 1,800

by Dan Roth

With fewer cars being produced and sold, automotive suppliers face the same challenges as automakers. Italy's Brembo, producer of some of the most delectable braking hardware, will be laying off more than 1,800 workers to cope with a fourth quarter loss. The cuts will more closely align Brembo's production with newly decreased demand, and will affect workers at Brembo's locations in Italy, Mexico, and Poland. There is a government/industry fund that Brembo wishes to tap to help pay for the layoffs, though the cuts may be for a longer term than "temporary" implies. Brembo's orders have fallen drastically, and signs of recovery have yet to materialize.

Japanese Magazine Spins out New Mazda RX-7 Rendering

Another day, another artist's impression of a fourth-generation Mazda RX-7 model. This time, the speculative rendering comes from Japan's Motor Magazine with the artist taking a more 'wedgy' approach to the design that incorporates all the usual styling cues from Mazda's latest production and concept models like the 'smiley' front grille, the pronounced front wheel arches and the sharp-angled headlights.

It's not our style to create stories out of nowhere, so we must say that both officially and unofficially, our Mazda sources have yet to confirm the return of the RX-7 in the Japanese automaker's car range. Plus, with the current global economic downturn and dire predictions for the near future, we gather that like any other automaker, Mazda will be cautious in its spending preferring to invest in the development of its core models rather than in niche cars like the RX-7.

Via: Motor Magazine - Thanks for the scan JK!

Mercedes-Benz Launches Armored Package for 2010 E-Class

If you have reasons to be concerned for the safety and well-being of yourself and your passengers or if you're basically neurotically paranoid and at the same time you take a liking to the new 2010 E-Class, then you may be interested in Mercedes-Benz's 'E-Guard' armored package. Available for an extra cost of €45,000 or $58,500 U.S. (that's the German list price excluding tax), the E-Guard package can be ordered on the E350, E500 and the diesel-powered E350 CDi.

Even though the E-Guard sedan look no different than any other 2010 E-Class, the vehicle has been fortified with a network of protective features of special steel, which are invisibly integrated beneath the otherwise identical body while the standard glass windows have been replaced with all-round polycarbonate glazing.

According to the German automaker, the new E-Guard meets the stringent requirements for High-Protection according to protection class VR4 (formerly B4) which means that the vehicle is able to withstand handgun bullets of up to .44 Magnum in calibre at random angles of fire. An underbody armor is also available upon request. With this feature, the entire underfloor area of the passenger cell is resistant to attack with a DM51 hand-grenade.

Other extras include an emergency alarm system that causes the headlamps to flash and sounds an alarm at the touch of a button in the event of a threat and an intercom system that allows communication between the protected passenger cell and the outside world.

Aside from the protective armor, the E-Guard saloon is equipped with a special Level II version of Merc's AIRMATIC air suspension as well as uprated brakes to cope with the increased weight caused by the protection features.

GM to Slash 10,000 Jobs Globally and Reduce Pay by up to 10%

In the latest round of job cuts, General Motors said today that it will reduce salaried employment globally from a current level of 73,000 to approximately 63,000, with 3,400 of those job cuts coming from the United States where the company employs around 29,500 salaried workers. Most of these reductions are expected to take place to take place by May 1, 2009. Furthermore, GM also announced a temporary pay reduction for a majority of its U.S. salaried employees.

Beginning from May 1, in the U.S., executive employees will have their base pay reduced by 10%, and many other salaried employees will see reductions of 3 to 7%.

General Motors said that the job cuts are part of the company's restructuring plan that was submitted to Congress on December 2, 2008. The announcement this week begins implementation of this aspect of the plan. "These difficult actions are necessitated by a severe drop in vehicle sales worldwide and by the need to restructure GM for long-term," said the automaker in a statement.

New Seat Exeo Sport Tourer Breaks Cover

Having unveiled the sedan version of its rebadged previous-gen Audi A4 at the Paris Motor Show last October, SEAT is moving ahead with the presentation of the station-wagon variant of the Exeo that will make its global premiere in Geneva. Called Exeo ST that stands for Sport Tourer, the SEAT-branded A4 Avant will go on sale accros Europe before next summer with an engine range and equipment list that is identical to the for-door model. The only differences will be a longer body, at 4.666 meters in length, and a boot capacity of 442 liters.

The Exeo ST's initial range will include three petrol engines – VW Group's undying 102HP 1.6-liter, a 150HP 1.8-liter turbo and the 200HP 2.0 TSI, and two diesel versions – the 143HP and the 170HP 2.0-liter equipped with the DPF particulate filter and common rail technology. The entire range is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and complies with the stringent EU5 emissions legislation that becomes effective in 2011. Like the sedan, the Exeo ST is available in three trim levels, Reference, Style and Sport.

2010 Chevrolet Spark - New Official Photos and Details Released

Next month's Geneva Show will see the world debut of the 2010 Chevrolet Spark which is set to go on sale in Europe towards the end of the year with the U.S.A and other core international markets following suite in 2011. Due to replace the Matiz in the 'Old Continent', the Spark was inspired by the Chevy Beat 3d concept, the most popular of a trio of mini-car concepts that were revealed back in 2007.

Even though the production Spark comes with a five-door body style, it retains all of the concept's styling cues adding a few more interesting details such as the 'hidden' rear door handles. With an overall length of 3,640 mm and a 2,375 mm wheelbase, the Spark is slightly larger than Fiat's A-Segment Panda that measures 3,538 mm in length.

The design of Spark's interior continues the funky exterior theme with a swoopy dashboard and a motorcycle-inspired instrument cluster that is mounted on the on the steering column.

In Europe, power will come from a choice of 1.0 and 1.2-litre 16-valve four-cylinder gasoline engines with GM promising that they will deliver "excellent fuel efficiency and low emissions."

Depending on global markets, the Spark's safety equipment will include driver and passenger front air bags, front side airbags, roof rail head curtain airbags, antilock brakes and electronic stability control. Prices and exact equipment specifications are be announced closer to the car's on sale date.

Geneva Preview: MINI John Cooper Works Convertible 211HP

The hottest drop-top variant of the new MINI Cooper has been officially revealed ahead its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in the beginning of March. Not surprisingly, the MINI John Cooper Works (JCW) Convertible features the same performance engineering and chassis modifications as the hatch model including a more powerful version of the 1.6-litre twin scroll-turbocharged engine that produces 211 hp and up to 280 Nm peak torque with Overboost deployed.

The engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox which has been strengthened to handle the extra available power. The MINI JCW Convertible goes from zero to 60 (96 km/h) in 6.9 sec or 0.4 sec slower than the hatch, and onto a top speed of 146 mph (235 km/h) while returning a combined 39.8 mpg UK that translates to 33.2 mpg US and 7.1 lt / 100km.

Other modifications concern the uprated brake system with bright red Brembo performance calipers, a series of electronic aids such as the EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution), CBC (Cornering Brake Control), EDLC (Electronic Differential Lock Control), DSC (Dynamic Stability Control incorporating Hill Assist) and DTC (Dynamic Traction Control).

Like the hatch, the JCW Convertible also features a sport button located in front of the gear stick that activates a bespoke engine control map producing boost earlier in the rev range and sharpening steering and throttle response.

Visually, the JCW Convertible subtly stands out thanks to an aero kit and a set of unique cross-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels while inside, it features a bespoke John Cooper Works Alcantara steering wheel, sport seats, JCW floor mats and glossy piano black interior.

Nissan Suspends 'GT 2012' Business Plan, Announces Layoffs after Forecasting $2.9bn Loss

Driven by the severe downturn in the global economy and after the firm's CEO Carlos Ghosn reversed his forecast for the 2008 fiscal year that ends on March 31, 2009, from a net profit of $1.76 bn to a loss of $2.89 bn (265 billion yen), Nissan has put on hold its "GT 2012" mid-term business plan and announced a series of emergency measures. For instance, the company plans to reduce its global workforce by 20,000 employees to 215,000 by March 2010 and cut salaries paid to board members and corporate officers by 10% and those paid to managers in NML and affiliate companies in Japan by 5%.

Nissan also said that it will revise its product portfolio canceling 'selected future programmes' without however giving out any specific details. From now until 2012, the automaker will launch an average of 10 all-new vehicles per year, including the company's all-new, A-Platform entry-car lineup and a dedicated all-electric vehicle.

Commenting on the countermeasures, President and CEO Ghosn said: "The additional actions we are announcing today will reinforce our ability to manage through this global crisis, but they also position Nissan for rapid, strong growth when conditions improve. An organisation needs to be flexible enough to meet the changing needs of the business, and I am confident we have the talent, diversity and experience to lead Nissan effectively."

New recovery actions

• In order to focus on recovery actions, our 2008-2012 midterm business plan, Nissan GT 2012, will be suspended, but commitments on quality and zero-emission vehicles will be retained.
  
• Labour costs will be reduced in line with the decrease in revenues. During FY2009 labour costs in high-cost countries will be reduced by 20%, from 875 billion yen to 700 billion yen.
  
• Bonus payments to the board of directors will be eliminated for FY2008. Starting in March and until the situation clearly improves, salaries paid to board membersand corporate officers will be reduced by 10% and those paid to managers in NML and affiliate companies in Japan by 5%.
  
• Nissan will negotiate the implementation of a work sharing scheme for staff workers, to be announced by the end of the fiscal year.
  
• Global headcount will be reduced by 20,000 through FY2009, reducing Nissan's headcount from 235,000 to 215,000.
  
• Inventory will be tightly controlled. In March 2008, company and dealer inventory was 630,000 units; that level will be reduced by 20%, to 480,000, by March 2009.
  
• Production will be right-sized through changes such as shift elimination, non-production days and shorter working hours. These actions will reduce global production by 787,000 units – a 20% decrease compared to planned volume – by the end of this fiscal year.
  
• Capital expenditure reductions will result in a 21% contribution to saving cash by the end of FY2008 compared to FY2007. An additional reduction of 14% will be made in FY2009, taking overall capital expenditures from 384 billion yen in FY2008 to less than 330 billion yen in FY2009.
  
• Joint manufacturing projects with Alliance partner Renault in Morocco and India will be revised. In Chennai, India, the joint plant will proceed with a reduced ramp-up speed. In Morocco, Nissan will suspend its participation in the industrial project near Tangiers.
  
• The product portfolio will be revised, including the cancellation of selected future programmes. Nissan will launch an average of 10 all-new vehicles per year in the 2009-2012 period, including the company's all-new, A-Platform entry-car lineup and a dedicated all-electric vehicle.
  
• By improving working capital, mainly accounts payable and receivable, Nissan will generate 130 billion yen of cash in FY2009.
  
• A detailed review is ongoing to identify deeper synergy opportunities within the Renault-Nissan Alliance. The focus is on future investments in products, technology, support functions and purchasing cost reductions. Each company will contribute to free cash flow with a minimum of 90 billion yen (750 million euros) in synergy benefits during FY2009.