plus 4, Gov. Doyle, Milwaukee Mayor Barrett: Announce $800,000 grant to revitalize Tower Automotive site - WisPolitics.com

Gov. Doyle, Milwaukee Mayor Barrett: Announce $800,000 grant to revitalize Tower Automotive site - WisPolitics.com
GM Says It Intends To Sell Nexteer Automotive - WNEM
Ralph Schomp Automotive to pay $1.5 million to settle EEOC bias case - Denver Business Journal
Ford Motor Company and TeleNav to Launch Connected In-Vehicle GPS Navigation System TeleNav's Automotive-Grade Software - PR Inside
Impala split may aid suppliers - Windsor Star

Gov. Doyle, Milwaukee Mayor Barrett: Announce $800,000 grant to revitalize Tower Automotive site - WisPolitics.com

Posted: 08 Jan 2010 10:11 AM PST

Gov. Doyle, Milwaukee Mayor Barrett: Announce $800,000 grant to revitalize Tower Automotive site
1/8/2010

Contacts:
Laura Smith, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162
Steve Kwaterski, Office of Mayor Barrett, 414-286-8504
Tony Hozeny, Department of Commerce, 608-267-9661

Development on Renewed Site Could Create 700 to 1,000 Jobs

MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett today announced that the state is awarding the City of Milwaukee Redevelopment Authority an $800,000 grant to assist in the redevelopment of the former Tower Automotive site in Milwaukee. Renewing the industrial site is expected to attract new development that could potentially create 700-1,000 new jobs.

"The Tower Automotive site project demonstrates the state's and Milwaukee's shared commitment to working together to invest in the Milwaukee community and position the city for long-term economic growth," Governor Doyle said. "This project will not only revitalize this industrial site, but will also protect public health and the environment and leverage private investment."

"The redevelopment of the AO Smith/Tower Automotive property will remediate environmental contamination from a century of heavy industrial use, and the development of the CenturyCity business park will return between 700 and 1,000 jobs to central city neighborhoods," Mayor Barrett said. "State investment in this project will help to transform a highly distressed property into an economic engine and symbol of hope."

Under the leadership of Mayor Barrett, the City of Milwaukee's Redevelopment Authority recently closed on the purchase of the former Tower Automotive property. Most of the site, which had been used for heavy industrial production for a century, will be redeveloped as a new business park known as Century City. Previous redevelopment projects similar to the one proposed at Century City, such as in Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley Industrial Center, have attracted significant new investment that has created hundreds of local jobs. The Mayor's plan is for the City to provide Tax Incremental Financing and other development tools to help grow businesses at CenturyCity, which in turn will become an economic anchor in the 30th Street Industrial Corridor.

The $800,000 Blight Elimination and Brownfield Redevelopment (BEBR) grant from Commerce will be used for site clearance and will supplement the city's redevelopment efforts. The total project cost is over $30.5 million and the site cleanup project is expected to take over two years to complete. The site currently contains 2.1 million square feet of buildings in various states of disrepair.

The Tower Automotive project builds on the major investments Governor Doyle is making in the future of the state. Under the Governor's leadership, Wisconsin has gained some of the most powerful economic development tools in the country. The budget Governor Doyle signed last year made unprecedented investments in Wisconsin businesses, including powerful new tax credits designed to keep and add jobs. The budget also offered companies major new incentives to spur research and development and gave investors new tools to promote start-ups and new companies. The Governor's efforts have strengthened a continuous drive to modernize and grow all segments of Wisconsin's economy.

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GM Says It Intends To Sell Nexteer Automotive - WNEM

Posted: 07 Jan 2010 09:58 AM PST

Chinese Steering Company Rumored To Want Nexteer

SAGINAW, Mich. -- General Motors has announced that it plans to pursue the sale of its Nexteer Automotive business.

A GM spokesperson said the company has responded to informal inquiries regarding Nexteer's possible sale.

They also said GM wants to realign Nexteer as a wholly independent business so that it will be better positioned to serve its 60-plus global customers.

The company released this statement of intent to sell the business Thursday:

GM recognizes the value of the global steering and driveline operations and seeks to realign Nexteer as a wholly independent entity, thus better positioning its business for growth among a wide range of global OEM customers.

The sales process will begin immediately. GM intends to identify suitable potential buyers and conclude a transaction as soon as is practical.

Nexteer makes steering systems for GM for truck and automotive applications.

In November, representatives from a Chinese steering company visited the plant and were rumored to be interested in purchasing the facility.

GM acquired the Saginaw-based division last year as part of the bankruptcy of auto parts supplier Delphi Corp.

Nexteer employees just under 3,000 people at its Saginaw facility.

GM used $1.1 billion of the nearly $50 billion in government aid it received to take the steering unit and four plants from Delphi, which once was GM's parts-making division.

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Ralph Schomp Automotive to pay $1.5 million to settle EEOC bias case - Denver Business Journal

Posted: 07 Jan 2010 12:28 PM PST

Arapahoe Motors Inc., doing business as Ralph Schomp Automotive, has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a sex and age discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced on Thursday.

Ralph Schomp, based in Littleton, is one of the highest-volume BMW, Honda, and Mini dealers in Colorado.

In statement late Thursday, the dealership continued to deny the EEOC allegations.

"Ralph Schomp Automotive adamantly denies all the allegations asserted by the EEOC and all claimants. Ralph Schomp Automotive has never engaged in or tolerated discrimination of any sort against any of its employees, customers or vendors," the statement said.

It said the company "stood ready, willing and anxious to litigate each and every allegation and had full confidence that Ralph Schomp Automotive would have prevailed on each and every claim. The decision for settlement of these complaints was predicated on our desire to protect our company, our employees and their jobs and to protect our business from economic hardship and damage in defending against claims which lack both merit and basis."

According to the EEOC's lawsuit (EEOC v. Arapahoe Motors, Inc., d/b/a Ralph Schomp Automotive, 09-cv-02961 REB-MJW), five women were subjected to sex discrimination and a sexually hostile work environment while employed by the car dealership.

The unlawful conduct allegedly included offensive verbal comments and physical touching, demotion, refusal to transfer, salary reduction and failure to promote.

The EEOC also alleged that five older male employees were terminated because of their ages and replaced with younger, less experienced workers. Additionally, a manager in his 20s allegedly made age-related comments prior to the terminations and younger employees with lower sales numbers were retained.

"Sexual harassment and sex discrimination against women in traditionally male-dominated industries, such as the auto industry, are still unfortunate realities," EEOC Acting Chairman Stuart Ishimaru said in a statement. "Likewise, older workers continue to experience age discrimination, despite their experience, productivity and qualifications."

In addition to the monetary settlement, which will be distributed among the 10 former employees, Ralph Schomp has agreed to enter into a two-year consent decree requiring it to post its anti-discrimination policy, provide training about anti-discrimination laws to its employees and managers, and make periodic reports to the EEOC, the agency said.

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Ford Motor Company and TeleNav to Launch Connected In-Vehicle GPS Navigation System TeleNav's Automotive-Grade Software - PR Inside

Posted: 06 Jan 2010 09:12 PM PST

2010-01-07 06:12:54 -

LAS VEGAS, NV -- (Marketwire) -- 01/07/10 -- TeleNav, Inc., one of the largest global wireless navigation services providers, announced today that Ford Motor Company will use TeleNav's automotive-grade GPS navigation software in its next generation of Ford SYNC(TM), launching with the company's latest innovation, MyFord Touch driver connect technology. The in-vehicle system has the ability to integrate with Ford's award-winning SYNC platform -- also powered by TeleNav software -- and leverage the infotainment and telematics system in the vehicle.

First introduced at CES 2007, Ford SYNC is an easy-to-use, hands-free system that connects mobile phones and media devices to the vehicle. Recent SYNC updates include vehicle diagnostics, emergency services assist, voice-activated access to turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic, and on-demand news, weather and sports updates.

Ford's introduction of the new MyFord Touch driver connect technology provides a simpler and smarter SYNC interface allowing customers to interact with the system through a new touch screen-based interface or enhanced voice commands. MyFord Touch includes an 8-inch touch screen that facilitates a more elegant solution to activate TeleNav's map-based GPS navigation. Using SYNC's new SD card slot, drivers are able to easily and affordably upgrade to TeleNav's full map-based in-vehicle navigation system which leverages the touch screen that is already embedded in the car. The SD card navigation system provides uninterrupted access to navigation information, even if cell phone coverage is limited.

Differing from traditional embedded GPS navigation systems currently available in cars, the next-generation of SYNC combines the best of the system's off-board connected navigation services -- such as updated POIs and live traffic -- with the stability of an embedded navigation system.

"With SYNC at the forefront of in-vehicle technology, Ford has redefined the automotive industry once again," said HP Jin, president, CEO and co-founder of TeleNav. "Whether customers are looking for a nearby Italian restaurant or directions to a friend's house, MyFord Touch and SYNC provide an in-vehicle system that has the benefits of a traditional navigation system but with the added feature of access to the latest and most updated information via a wireless connection."

Ford is using TeleNav's in-vehicle routing and navigation platform to calculate precise turn-by-turn driving directions that takes into account real-time traffic information as well as provides access to more than 12 million up-to-date business listings.

As part of the global rollout of Ford SYNC, the new embedded navigation system will be available in select Ford vehicles beginning in 2010. For more information on Ford SYNC, please visit www.syncmyride.com : .

Representatives from Ford and TeleNav will be available for interviews at the CES Showstoppers media event on January 7, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. in the Lafite Ballroom at the Wynn Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

About TeleNav, Inc.

TeleNav, Inc. is a leading provider of location based services, or LBS, including voice guided navigation, on mobile phones. TeleNav's LBS solutions provide consumers and enterprises with convenient and easy to use location specific, real time and personalized features and functions.
TeleNav's flexible and proprietary LBS platform enables it to efficiently provide its LBS to millions of end users, across more than 500 types of mobile phones, all major mobile phone operating systems and a broad range of wireless network protocols. TeleNav's service providers include Alltel, AT&T, Bell Mobility, Boost Mobile, China Mobile, Cincinnati Bell, NII Holdings, Rogers, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile UK, T-Mobile USA, Telcel, Telecom Italia Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Vivo Brazil. TeleNav's other partners include Ford Motor Company, Hewlett-Packard, HTC, INRIX, LG, Motorola, NAVTEQ, Nokia, Palm, Qualcomm, Research In Motion, Samsung, Sanyo and Tele Atlas. TeleNav is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

For more information on TeleNav automotive programs, please visit www.telenav.com/auto : . Follow TeleNav on Twitter at www.twitter.com/telenav : or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/telenav :

"TeleNav," the TeleNav logo, and "telenav.com" are registered and unregistered trademarks and/or service marks of TeleNav, Inc. Unless otherwise noted, all other trademarks, service marks, and logos used in this press release are the trademarks, service marks or logos of their respective owners.

Contact:
Mark Burfeind
TeleNav
markb@telenav.com :
206-240-3790

Chris Zinkowski
Hill & Knowlton for Ford
charles.zinkowski@hillandknowlton.com :
212-885-0630

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Impala split may aid suppliers - Windsor Star

Posted: 06 Jan 2010 10:59 PM PST

Windsor-area suppliers stand to benefit if General Motors proceeds with plans to split production of the next generation of its Chevrolet Impala between its plants in Oshawa, Ont., and Hamtramck, Mich., Steve Rodgers, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, said Wednesday.

"From Windsor, you can get to both Hamtramck and Oshawa," Rodgers said Wednesday. "If you want to be a provider of a product that's going to be located in two facilities, it may be better to be located in the Windsor area."

The Oshawa complex builds the Camaro muscle car with one shift on a flexible manufacturing line and runs two shifts to assemble the Impala full-size sedan on another line.

In a note to his members, Rodgers said General Motors is planning to build a new Impala or its replacement vehicle in February 2013 and the Cadillac XTS sedan in January 2012 in Oshawa. The move could create between 750 and 1,000 jobs at the Oshawa complex, an official with the Canadian Auto Workers said.

The automaker recently announced plans to begin assembling the Buick Regal mid-size sports sedan at Oshawa during the first quarter of next year. As well, the plant will produce the convertible Camaro in the first quarter of 2011.

While the CAW welcomes the new products, it expressed concerns about allocating production of the Impala to Michigan. "That's what's scary," said Keith Osborne, CAW staff representative for GM. "Oshawa has been the lead plant for the Impala; even with the new products, it doesn't get us back to past employment levels."

Since 2008, the Oshawa workforce has fallen to 4,500 workers from 11,000, in part due to the closure of GM's truck plant, said Osborne.

"I still have 1,100 production workers and 250 skilled trades members on layoff."

GM's plans suggest the automaker could reduce production at its Canadian plants when it adds new car models over the next few years, added Rodgers.

"That's the potential," he said. "We don't believe, in any way, that General Motors will undermine their commitment from that perspective. They're fully cognizant of that and will continue to pay attention to that. It just continues to create alternatives going forward."

In a statement Wednesday, GM would only repeat its pledge to maintain 16 per cent of the automaker's North American vehicle assembly production in Canada.

"While we do not comment on future product planning scenarios or speculation in this regard, we would like to clarify that inferences of a reduction in our Canadian production volume plans are simply inaccurate," the statement said. "Going forward, we will fully comply with our commitment to the Ontario and federal governments that we will maintain 16 per cent of GM's North American vehicle assembly capacity in Canada."

GM recently announced plans to boost production at its CAMI plant in Ingersoll, where it assembles the hot-selling Equinox and Terrain crossover vehicles.

"We are also expanding our CAMI facility to produce 40,000 more Terrains/Equinoxes per year and are currently running on three shifts and full overtime to keep up with demand," the automaker said.

"With GM's 2009 production in Canada at approximately 400,000 units from Oshawa and CAMI as well as production plans (for the Camaro and Buick Regal), we fully expect GM's production volume in Canada to increase going forward."

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