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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.

Tesla teases Model S prior to debut

Prior to its world debut on March 26, Tesla has decided to whet the appetites of green-car fans by releasing a teaser image of its upcoming Model S sedan. Under the direction of former Mazda designer Franz von Holzhausen, the Model S features a rounded front nose, a front fender plate with an affixed Tesla emblem and a noticeably shorter hoodline. Unlike the Fisker Karma, the Model S will be powered solely on battery propulsion and do without a range-extending engine, which helps accommodate the shorter hood.

Mercedes to sell Sprinter vans through its own stores

Mercedes-Benz USA is getting back into the commercial-van business Jan. 1 and will appoint up to 120 dealers to sell Sprinter vehicles. That means Mercedes will yank the Sprinter from nearly 350 Dodge dealers who now carry the van.