“Fisker to build cars at Delaware plant - Charleston Daily Mail” plus 4 more

Fisker to build cars at Delaware plant - Charleston Daily Mail
New NY company to roll out electric cars in 2010 - News On 6
Auto consultant says US auto sales outlook rosier - WTOP Radio
Indian company to build electric car in Central NY - WKTV
Lifting the VAIL: Volkswagen Group, Stanford University Take the Next ... - PR Newswire

Fisker to build cars at Delaware plant - Charleston Daily Mail

Posted: 23 Oct 2009 08:06 PM PDT

DOVER, Del. (AP) - People with knowledge of talks between Fisker Automotive and Delaware officials say the company plans to build vehicles at a former General Motors plant in Wilmington.

The head of the California-based producer of electric vehicles said earlier this week that it would announce shortly a U.S. manufacturing site.

On Friday, a person with knowledge of the situation who didn't want to be identified because an announcement hasn't been made, confirmed Fisker has settled on the Wilmington site.

A state government official who also didn't want to be identified because there's been no announcement described the deal as "99 percent" complete.

A Fisker spokesman didn't immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press. A spokesman for Motors Liquidation Co., a conglomeration of the old GM's liabilities and underperforming assets, declined to comment.

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New NY company to roll out electric cars in 2010 - News On 6

Posted: 23 Oct 2009 05:43 PM PDT

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - A new New York company hopes to complete financing of a Syracuse plant to make electric cars by the end of this year and start rolling out plug-in hatchbacks in late 2010.

Bannon Automotive, with a nearly $7 million state package of grants and tax incentives, says it chose the central New York site partly because of the "dogged pursuit" of local, state and federal officials. Bannon will invest $26.5 million into the plant, and U.S. Sen. Charles Shumer says he is trying to help the company obtain $52 million in federal loans and guarantees.

Bannon has a licensing deal with Reva Electric Car Co. of Bangalore, India, to assemble the NXR. The car is sold across Asia and Europe. Bannon CEO Paul Wimer says the plant will produce 15,000 to 20,000 cars a year.

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Auto consultant says US auto sales outlook rosier - WTOP Radio

Posted: 21 Oct 2009 09:39 AM PDT

DETROIT (AP) - An automotive consulting firm is raising its forecast for 2010 U.S. auto sales, saying improved employment and auto lending numbers should translate to higher sales.

CSM Worldwide raised its forecast Wednesday to 11.8 million vehicles from 11.2 million vehicles. Sales at that rate would represent the first year-over-year increase in U.S. vehicle sales since 2005, when automakers sold 16.9 million vehicles.

CSM said it expects unemployment to peak in the first quarter of next year, then slowly improve throughout the year. Consumer confidence will grow as household finances and auto lending show improvement by the third quarter, the Northville-based company said.

By the fourth quarter, CSM forecasts the annualized vehicle selling rate will be 13.6 million vehicles. That rate shows what sales would be if they continued at the same pace for a full year.

CSM's U.S. sales forecast for 2009 remains unchanged at 10.1 million units, down 23 percent from 2008.

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Indian company to build electric car in Central NY - WKTV

Posted: 23 Oct 2009 11:24 AM PDT

CLAY, N.Y. (AP) - The central New York economy is getting a jolt. Officials are set to announce that an auto maker, based in India, will build a new generation of electric cars at a plant in the Syracuse area.

The Reva Electric Car Co. will work with Bannon Automotive, of Freeport, N.Y., to assemble a three-door plug-in hatchback, the NXR, at a site in the Syracuse area.

A news conference to announce the details of the plant was scheduled for Friday afternoon. Gov. David Paterson and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer are among the expected participants.

The state is providing a $6.76 million package of grants and tax incentives. Schumer is trying to help Bannon obtain $52 million in federal loans and loan guarantees.

The plant is expected to open next year, with an initial work force of 100.

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Lifting the VAIL: Volkswagen Group, Stanford University Take the Next ... - PR Newswire

Posted: 23 Oct 2009 02:37 PM PDT

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWGoA) and Stanford University's School of Engineering today unveiled the Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Laboratory (VAIL), the next step in the evolution of the two organizations' commitment to drive innovation in automotive development.

The Volkswagen Group has donated $5.75 million to the creation of VAIL, including $2 million for building construction and another $750,000 a year for five years to fund research and teaching activities where Stanford researchers and international visiting scholars will work with automotive equipment manufacturers and Silicon Valley experts.

This continued collaboration builds on Stanford and VWGoA's already successful partnership, including the development of the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge winner. Stanley, an autonomous driving Touareg, is now on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Stanley was followed in 2007 with an autonomous driving Passat wagon, Junior, that was runner up in the DARPA Urban Challenge.

"Stanford and Volkswagen are ideal partners. This collaboration can draw on a long-standing relationship between the Volkswagen Group and Stanford, which continues to increase the exchange between industrial and academic talent. The Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Lab takes this partnership one step further, and is focused on the university's campus," said Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, chairman and chief executive, Bentley Motors. "The goals are to accelerate automotive-related research on campus, increase opportunities for collaboration between the VW Group and Stanford, and build a global community of academic and industrial partners committed to the future of automotive research. The focus will be vehicle safety, mobility and environmental performance."

The VWGoA and Stanford reception is Saturday, October 24 from 4:30-6:30pm and will include nearly 500 invited attendees. Tomorrow's private reception is open to the media. Located near the corner of Stock Farm Rd. and Campus Drive West., it will offer a variety of activities including:

Driving and parking demonstrations with some of the industry's most innovative autonomous vehicles, including Junior jointly developed by the VW Group and Stanford;

A public showing of models and plans for the building housing VAIL, which currently is under construction on the campus;

An unveiling of the newest iteration of driverless vehicles, the Pikes Peak Audi TT-S;

Presentations and demonstrations by various VW Group executives, university officials and Stanford engineering students.

"When the new building opens early next year, VAIL will provide a home on campus for faculty and students from around the university to work on advanced automotive research," said Jim Plummer, dean of the Stanford School of Engineering. "Transportation is a globally important area in which engineers play a vital role. We look forward to years of productive collaboration with industry in our research and thank Volkswagen for their partnership and support for this work."

The first VAIL workshop was held in November 2008 at the 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in New York. Highlights included Junior autonomously driving through downtown New York and the unveiling the Audi Clean Air Initiative - the vision of linked, intelligent vehicles that are able to interact with each other and their drivers, with the goal of preserving the environment.

Through its Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL), Volkswagen has the largest research presence of any automaker in the Bay Area. Founded in 1998, the ERL includes more than 50 engineers and staff and is one of the company's centers of ideas and innovation for the Volkswagen Group worldwide. The ERL takes a unique, Silicon Valley approach to giving drivers a safer, eco-friendly and more enjoyable driving experience. This has led to numerous driver assisted technologies and communication tools that help drivers stay safer behind the wheel, such as Apple iPhone integration, 3D graphics, speech recognition and LED headlights.

"By partnering with a prestigious university such as Stanford, we've built a global community of academic and industry professionals that are committed to the future of automotive research," said Dr. Burkhard Huhnke, executive director, Electronics Research Laboratory, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. "Our event is intended to showcase the successful partnership between VW and Stanford that has helped drive automobile innovation into the future."

About Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, the world's third-largest automaker and the largest carmaker in Europe. It houses the U.S. operations of a worldwide family of distinguished and exciting brands including Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Volkswagen, as well as VW Credit, Inc. Founded in 1955, the company's headquarters are in Herndon, Va.

Volkswagen Group of America brings to the U.S. vehicles that marry the science of engineering and the art of styling, with the goal of offering attractive, safe, and environmentally sound automobiles that are competitive and set world standards in their respective classes.

The company has approximately 2,500 employees in the United States and sells its vehicles through an 800-strong dealer network. With increasing popularity for its brands in the U.S., the company has set the goal of reaching one million car sales in the country by 2018.

SOURCE Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Website: http://www.volkswagengroupamerica.com

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