Factories

Thanks to my job, I’ve been fortunate to experience a few behind-the-scenes factory tours to see how automakers build cars. They usually won’t let me film because they don’t want trade secrets leaking out.…

This week, Ford announced what it’s calling its most advanced, most efficient, and largest automotive construction complex in its history. The facility will be called Blue Oval City and is designed to enable Ford to produce electric vehicles at scale for customers in America.…

Ford has confirmed that pre-production has begun on its all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup. The trucks are being made at at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan.…

On April 26, 2001, the first new MINI rolled off the line in the BMW Group’s UK manufacturing plant in Oxford, England. No one predicted that it would be the first small step into a giant future for the tiny-but-mighty people pleaser.…

Each time Ford prepares to retool one of its factories, it has to 3D scan the space to update its digital model. Computer-aided design is used when updating factory layouts, and gathering 3D scans of the space typically takes humans weeks of work.…

Many automakers have been moving out of states where unions are common, such as northern states and California, instead moving into southern states such as Texas, where unions are rare.…

When it comes to producing cars, hitting the 1 million mark is always a significant milestone, so when I found out that ten times that many Ford Mustangs have now rolled off the assembly line, I was duly impressed.…

I’m not sure what to think of Dodge promising again to end Viper production. I mean, the company has axed the car before only to bring it back a few model years later.…

It has been a while since I was very excited about a new Ford vehicle. Yet I am quite enthusiastic about the possible return of the Ford Bronco.…

Toyota may have its main headquarters in Japan, but they operate a massive operation here in North America, with the vast majority of vehicles sold here being produced here, and with a good deal of their parts being made domestically as well.…