All South America articles – Page 2
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Feature
Argentinian economic downturn hits Brazil
Brazil’s National Association of Automotive Vehicle Manufacturers (Anfavea) has confirmed it is lowering its forecast for automotive exports this year, after warnings that the economic crisis in neighbouring Argentina is impacting on that country’s ability to import finished vehicles.While total automotive exports will not actually decline this year, they will ...
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Manta reports huge increase in vehicle traffic
The port of Manta, in northern Ecuador, has reported a doubling in the volume of finished vehicles it handled over the first seven months of this year to 42,056 units, compared to 20,691 units in the same period last year.Roberto Salazar, president of Manta Port Terminals (TPM) – the private ...
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Suape to put vehicle terminal in private hands
A public consultation has begun over plans for a new concession to run the finished vehicle terminal at the north-western Brazilian Port of Suape. The National Waterways Transport Agency (Antaq), the port authority currently running the terminal, plans to issue a tender for the concession in early September. The consultation ...
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Car sales drive growth in Latin America
The first two quarters of 2018 have seen a 7% increase in the Latin American automotive market, with sales of light commercial and passenger vehicles increasing from 2.64m to 2.83m.However, Felipe Munoz, global analyst of JATO Dynamics, comments that while the results are positive, the economies of the region have ...
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Nissan opens up new production Frontier
Japanese OEM Nissan has started manufacturing the Frontier pick-up truck in Argentina – the fifth country to make the vehicle. Known as the Nissan Navara elsewhere in the world, the vehicle is already produced in Mexico, Spain, China and Thailand.The company has opted to produce the truck in Alliance partner ...
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Port Canaveral on a roll
Port Canaveral is now able to handle more finished vehicles thanks to a draft deepening project that allows post-Panamax ro-ro vessels to berth at the port. Late last month, the Floridian port accommodated vessels from Höegh Autoliners and NYK Line simultaneously, a first for the facility, which only started handling ...
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After Marchionne, what next for Fiat Chrysler?
Sergio Marchionne (pictured), former CEO at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), was a remarkable man. He frequently dominated the automotive industry’s headlines and news agenda over the last decade or so and his recent passing away robs the industry of one of its few stars. In an age when corporate suits ...
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Cosco Shipping Lines hit by cyber-attack
Cosco Shipping Lines has restored network services to its America regions following a ransomware attack that took out local email and telephone connections last week, delaying services and temporarily affecting its global business. On July 25 the company was forced to isolate internal networks and shutdown connections within its American ...
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Argentina reduces rates on parts imports
The Argentinian government is cutting import duties by 2% on more than 130 automotive parts to improve the vehicle industry’s competitiveness.The reduction is intended to help manufacturers of trailers, buses, trucks and agricultural machinery, as well as cars and vans.“We will continue working on different measures to improve the industry’s ...
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Transforming inbound flows
Daimler Trucks’ division in Brazil – Mercedes-Benz do Brasil – has invested 500m reais ($150.6m) in its 1m sq.m plant in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo state, to establish a new truck assembly line and transform its supporting inbound logistics structure. The comprehensive overhaul of operations is part of ...
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Russia's fresh focus on exports
In recent years, Russia has put considerable resources into encouraging recovery in its domestic automotive industry. Last year, the federal budget included 62.3 billion roubles ($1 billion) in state aid for carmakers. Such sums have been spent primarily on boosting demand in the domestic market, which has been under pressure ...
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Kia moves Sportage through Santa Marta
The Colombian port of Santa Marta has started handling imported Kia vehicles from Slovakia. By the end of the year, it is expected to have handled around 4,000 Sportages.The vehicles are being imported into Colombia on a monthly basis by regional distributor Metrokia SA and are being delivered to the ...
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NYK sets up direct service between Europe and South America
Ro-ro line NYK has set up a direct monthly service for ocean vehicle shipments from Europe to South America.The first departure left the port of Bremerhaven, Germany, on May 19 before calling at the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. Cargo from Spain is also being taken on-board by NYK through several ...
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VW resumes production after haulage strikes
Volkswagen’s bus and truck plant at Resende, in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, is reported to be back to normal production, following a week of strikes in the road haulage industry at the end of May.A spokesperson for the company said it was now working with its 4,000-strong ...
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Manta becoming regional hub for finished vehicles
The northern Ecuadorian port of Manta is looking to expand its role as a hub for finished vehicles and this month reached its full storage capacity for transhipped vehicle volumes.Manta only began operating regularly in the transshipment market as of July last year but in the third week of May ...
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Waking up to a new dawn
Brazilian vehicle manufacturers are increasingly optimistic that the country can claw its way out of a deep recession. The country is experiencing a period of low inflation, low interest rates, light GDP growth and a tentative recovery in employment, reflected in improving purchasing power and consumer confidence. Moreover, consumers with ...
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VW cancels contracts with Prevent Group after supply problems
Volkswagen has cancelled the majority of its contracts with parts and material supplier Prevent Group following a series of supply problems affecting production in Brazil between 2015 and 2016. The carmaker said the problems had cost it a total of €250m ($307m).Since the 1990s, Prevent Group, based in Bosnia, has ...
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Suape reports strong start to 2018
The Brazilian port of Suape, in the state of Pernambuco, has reported a 54% rise in the number of finished vehicles handled in the first two months of 2018. In total, 10,274 units moved across the docks in the period, with February alone accounting for 6,824 units – a month-on-month ...
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Mercedes-Benz starts up industry 4.0-based truck line in Brazil
Mercedes-Benz do Brasil has started production on a new truck assembly line at its plant in Sao Bernardo do Campo that uses industry 4.0 technology to raise production line and inbound logistics efficiency. The move follows a three-year investment programme totalling 500m real ($150.6m).The company said the use of the ...
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Brazilian automotive sector raises its profile
Brazil’s automotive sector now accounts for 22% of industrial GDP and 4% of GDP as a whole, the country’s industry, overseas trade and services minister, Marcos Jorge, has revealed. Directly and indirectly, it is responsible for 1.6m jobs.“The Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC) is committed to backing ...