Mazda Motor Corp. shut one of its three car plants in Hiroshima Prefecture on Friday, with some 500 employees and managers attending a farewell ceremony. Mazda said it plans to move the factory's 450 workers to an automobile plant in Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, by mid-October.
The closed Ujina No. 2 factory had been making the popular Familia sedan at a rate of 136,000 units per year. Familia production will move to the Hofu factory and the Ujina No. 1 plant.
The average utilization rate at the Ujina No. 1 factory and another Hiroshima plant that makes commercial vehicles will be boosted to 95 percent from the current 70 percent.
The rate at the Hofu plant will be boosted to 105 percent from the current 55 percent.
GM, allies team up
General Motors Corp. and its three Japanese alliance partners have set up an online car-shopping search engine that allows customers to search, select and request information about vehicles they want to purchase, the American auto giant said Friday.
It is the first time for GM and Suzuki Motor Corp., Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. and Isuzu Motors Ltd. to jointly participate in e-business in the domestic market, they said, adding that the collaboration will enable them to enhance their business opportunities.
The BuyPower Japan Web site will be run by Japan AutoWeb Services Inc., a joint venture by GM, Suzuki and Fuji Heavy. The joint venture will manage the site for the four firms, they said.
Through the Web site, domestic customers will be able to choose from 179 variants of 65 vehicle models of seven brands: Cadillac, Saab, Opel, Chevrolet, Suzuki, Subaru and Isuzu. Customers will be linked to their nearest car dealer, where they will receive personalized service, they said.
Similar online car-shopping search engine services are already provided by other automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp.