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Mazda opens new plant in Salamanca, Mexico

Mazda Motor Corp. chairman Takashi Yamanouchi opened the company's new small-car assembly plant in Mexico today, calling it the company's "most important global strategic base." The factory, which will produce up to 230,000 vehicles each year, is a cornerstone of the structural reform plan "upon which the very future of company hinges," Yamanouchi said in remarks prepared for the opening ceremony. "Mazda's Structural Reform Plan, upon which the very future of the company hinges, positions this plant as our most important global strategic base," Yamanouchi said of the factory, which is about three hours northwest of Mexico City in Guanajuato State.

Infiniti: M can be about mpg or zip

Infiniti will face a new marketing challenge when it introduces its first hybrid vehicle next spring, the 2012 M35h sedan. Since the import brand has never sold a hybrid, officials will be attempting to learn which marketing chord resonates more with its customers: performance or fuel economy. "The marketing will center on the point that hybrids have always been about compromise," says Ben Poore, Infiniti Business Unit vice president.

Faurecia opens new Shanghai Technical Center

Faurecia has opened a new technical center in Shanghai, China, which will also serve as its Chinese headquarters. The automotive equipment supplier wants to reinforce its research and development capabilities and engineering localization in the world's largest automotive market. The new 18,000 square meter Faurecia China Tech Center is made up of the Training Center and the Tech Center, which includes an industrial design facility, two showrooms and various prototype workshops alongside five labs for testing, acoustics, airbag, complete seat and quality inspection.