Free Republic

Ford will again shut down the Chicago Assembly Plant and lay off thousands of workers because of the worldwide semiconductor shortage that's greatly disrupted automaking. The automotive factory at 12600 S. Torrence Ave. in Hegewisch will shut down the week of May 31 and then operate on a reduced schedule the week of June 7. It's one of many Ford auto factories that will be down because of a shortage of the microchips that are commonly used in vehicles, such as in rearview cameras, lane assist and parallel parking assist systems. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker will idle the Flat Rock...

China’s vehicle manufacturer Foton is setting up an assembly plant in Kenya in what is set to heighten the battle between China and Western nations for business in Kenya. The Sh1.2 billion assembly plant is expected to churn out 10,000 units of prime movers, tippers, buses, pick-ups, and light commercial trucks per year, making it one of the biggest foreign direct investments by a Chinese company. Foton said it is setting up the plant to avoid paying a 25 per cent import duty on cars to allow in its low cost products putting it in a head-to-head battle with Japanese...