New GM Europe chief's plans for Opel/Vauxhall

Nick Reilly speaks out on the future of GM Europe By Richard Webber Motor Industry 07 December 2009 13:54 Following General Motors' back-track on a buy-out from Magna in November 2009, the company's president of international operations Nick Reilly was appointed interim head of GM Europe. Now he's been made the permanent CEO of Vauxhall and Opel, making him the man charged with guiding GM's European division back to profitability.GM has big plans for Opel and Vauxhall, but has made no secret that there will be widespread pain and change before the good times return. The turnaround plan is nearing completion and it's expected there will be around 8300 redundancies, spread around Europe.

Hyundai to expand U.S. engine production

Hyundai Motor Co. will spend $173 million to expand its engine plant in Alabama to build more four-cylinder engines. The expansion work is set to be complete this fall and production is set to begin in March 2012.

Storing classic concept cars is a huge hassle

If you see a dazzling concept car at an auto show this year, consider this: Somebody is going to have to find the space to park it and maintain it in a heritage collection, perhaps until the end of time. Preserving this year's hits as the museum pieces of the future is one of the great backroom issues of the auto industry. If you need to see the first wood-paneled Honda Civic Country station wagon from 1980 for some good reason, Honda has one in storage in Japan.