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VauxhallUk

Stellantis UK Manufacturing Lead and Luton Plant Director, Mark Noble, retires after 36 years’ service

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  • Mark Noble, Stellantis UK Manufacturing Lead and Luton Plant Director, will retire after 36 years’ service
  • Mark oversaw the electrification of Stellantis crops at each Ellesmere Port and Luton
  • Fernando Andreu will assume the function of Luton Plant Director from 1st June 2024

Stellantis has introduced the appointment of Fernando Andreu as Luton Plant Director, following the retirement of Mark Noble after 36 years of service.

Mark has labored on assignments in 5 nations and in virtually each Plant Department since becoming a member of the Vauxhall plant in Luton on 1st May 1988 as a Production Foreman. After having held numerous administration positions at Luton, he took on a lot of roles inside General Motors manufacturing, together with FAW-GM Manufacturing Director in Shanghai, China. He later served as Director of Manufacturing on the Gliwice Plant in Poland from 2013. 

In 2018, Mark grew to become Plant Director of Ellesmere Port, earlier than returning to Luton to take up the identical function in 2022, and was accountable for the electrification of each crops. Production of electrical automobiles (EVs) at Ellesmere Port, the UK’s first EV-only quantity manufacturing plant, started final 12 months, and EV manufacturing will start at Luton from Spring 2025.

Fernando Andreu joined Opel in 1996 as a Junior Engineer on the Zaragoza plant. He subsequently took on positions of rising duty at Zaragoza, earlier than attaining his first worldwide project as Quality Director at Eisenach in Germany. He served as Plant Director in Eisenach from 2018 to 2021, overseeing the launch of the Vauxhall Grandland. Since 2021, he has served as Stellantis Vice-President for VEH Industrial Strategy in MFG Corporate and can assume the function of Plant Director at Luton on 1st June 2024.

Maria Grazia Davino, Group Managing Director, Stellantis UK, stated: “Mark has been instrumental in so many important moments for this company, and we are very grateful to him for his role in the electrification of both Ellesmere Port and Luton. After 36 years of exemplary service, we wish Mark all the very best with his well-earned retirement! I am delighted to announce the appointment of Fernando, whose track record of successes will ensure that the Luton plant makes a smooth transition as it begins electric vehicle production.”

Mark Noble stated: “I’ve had a fantastic 36 years working across almost every level of vehicle manufacturing, and am pleased to be leaving the newly-electrified Luton plant in Fernando’s capable hands. I am proud of the work I’ve been able to do here, and to have had a front-row seat to watch the company progress to a new stage of vehicle production.”

Fernando Andreu stated: “I am looking forward to assuming this new role and overseeing the very first fully-electric vehicle rolling off the line at Luton next year. The team has been working hard to ensure that Luton is continually innovating and evolving, and I am excited to get started and deliver strong results for the business.”

  

For extra data, please contact:

Jeremy Townsend 
+44 (0)7827 896480
jeremy.townsend@stellantis.com

Motorsport

The Porsche V-8 Engine Will Continue Into the Next Decade

Downsizing could also be in full swing, however Porsche is not able to retire its V-8 simply but. Despite more and more stricter emissions rules, the engineers from Zuffenhausen are at all times one step forward. The eight-cylinder engine is already being tweaked to satisfy the Euro 7 commonplace, regardless that its implementation has been pushed again. It was supposed to come back into impact in 2025 however it’s been delayed to 2030.

In an interview with Australian journal Car Sales, Porsche Panamera mannequin line boss Thomas Freimuth revealed new elements are being developed to make the engine Euro 7 compliant: “We know this engine is ready for EU7, it’s no problem. We have to add some parts which are in development, so we are ready with this V-8 to go to the EU7 regulations.”

2024 Porsche Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid

Porsche will not essentially must depend on a hybrid setup to maintain the V-8 alive because the Euro 7 commonplace will not be as strict as initially proposed. But different rules will power engineers to make some undesirable adjustments. Freimuth talked about the utmost exhaust noise degree permitted, which he believes will proceed to go down through the years. Tougher laws relating to noise ranges “makes it more complicated to get a good emotion to our Panamera V-8.”

Although the V-8 will reside to see the 2030s, we reckon Porsche will not be making that many vehicles with the twin-turbo 4.0-liter engine by the tip of the last decade. In the Annual and Sustainability Report 2023 revealed this month, the German automaker reiterated its projection of getting EVs account for greater than 80 p.c of annual deliveries by 2030. However, it did say reaching that aim relies upon “on the demand of our customers and the development of electromobility in the respective regions of the world.”

2025 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT

The EV onslaught began with the Taycan in 2019 and continued in early 2024 with the second-generation, electric-only Macan. The 718 Boxster/Cayman EVs are scheduled to come back out in 2025, seemingly with the convertible first and the coupe shortly after that. The successor to at present’s Cayenne has already been confirmed to be an EV, whereas that three-row large SUV can be going to skip gasoline engines.

The 911 will not get the totally electrical remedy this decade however a hybrid setup will debut in early summer season with the 992.2 refresh. Porsche hopes to maintain the ICE alive with near-carbon-neutral artificial gasoline, which it is at the moment producing in Chile. The aim is to scale up annual manufacturing to 145 million gallons by 2030.

News

Mercedes A-Class lives to 2026 as agency scales again EV-only plans

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is ready to be produced effectively into 2026, plans to retire the fourth-generation hatchback as quickly as this yr having been cancelled.

News of the transfer comes after Mercedes-Benz confirmed it was abandoning its EV-only stance in favour of what its CEO Ola Källenius describes as a extra “flexible” mannequin technique, below which it can continue to produce ICE models primarily based on current platforms effectively into the subsequent decade.

The agency had been making ready to make its line-up totally electrical by 2030, as a part of a so-called “electric first” technique. However, Källenius has now revealed that its newest research venture PHEVs and EVs will possible make up simply half of its international gross sales by then.

“I don’t think anyone had ever thought that the once-in-a-century transformation of the auto industry will be a straight line. There will be peaks and troughs,” he stated.

Källenius pointed to the continuing worth disparity as one motive for the slower-than-expected take-up of EVs, suggesting they are going to stay dearer than their ICE equivalents for a while.

According to Mercedes’ research, demand for EVs will primarily be within the small and medium automobile segments.

Cost parity between EVs and ICE automobiles “is many years away”, Källenius stated. “You can see that in the pricing.”

In preparation for the continuation of A-Class manufacturing, Mercedes has altered its Rastatt manufacturing plant in Germany to allow it to provide automobiles atop the MFA compact automobile platform and its electric-biased MMA successor. 

The MMA platform has been conceived as a hybrid construction able to accommodating ICE, PHEV and EV drivetrains.

It will first be used for the third-generation CLA compact saloon, the primary prototype for which was accomplished in September final yr, Autocar has realized.

NewsNew

Taylor Robert to Retire Following 2023 ISDE

The Red Bull KTM Off-Road team has announced that Taylor Robert will retire after the upcoming ISDE in Argentina. The following press release explains:

American offroad icon Taylor Robert will retire from his professional career after representing the United States at the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in Argentina. Taylor Robert, a member of the FMF KTM Factory Racing team, is recognized as one of the most accomplished riders in the sport. Throughout his career, he has achieved numerous titles and victories, including ISDE World Trophy Team Champion, ISDE individual Overall and Class winner, three-time World Off Road Championship Series (WORCS) Pro Class/Overall Champion, and 2019 WORCS Sprint Hero Champion.

Robert has also received accolades such as an X-Games Enduro-X Gold Medal, WORCS Pro 2 Championship, and an EnduroGP World Championship round victory. After joining KTM a decade ago, he became an integral part of the factory team and has primarily focused on his ISDE endeavors. Despite facing injuries later in his career, Robert has remained dedicated and determined.

ISDE podium, 2019

Taylor Robert expressed his gratitude towards his fans and sponsors for their support throughout his career. He began his journey as a young racer in Arizona and has since become the most successful WORCS rider with three titles, in addition to his ISDE Championships and X-Games Gold Medal. Robert achieved success across various disciplines and has thoroughly enjoyed his time competing worldwide, with the support of KTM and Red Bull.

FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Manager, Tim Weigand, acknowledged Taylor Robert’s accomplishments and expressed confidence in his future endeavors. The team thanked Robert for his dedication and success over the ten years he spent with KTM.

Antti Kallonen, Director of Offroad Racing, also highlighted Taylor Robert’s remarkable career and the impact he has had on the sport. Kallonen praised Robert’s dedication, precision, and commitment, which have influenced other racers and contributed to their improvement. Kallonen emphasized that Robert’s versatility as a racer is evident in his impressive resume, and he hopes that future generations will follow in his footsteps.

KTM North America and the FMF KTM Factory Racing organization expressed their gratitude and congratulated Taylor Robert on his exceptional career achievements. They look forward to a strong final week of competition at the ISDE as part of the U.S. World Trophy Team.

NewsNew

HUSKY TC85 PROJECT: BEHIND THE BUILD

What happens to race bikes when they retire? Sometimes they end up sitting in the corner of a garage, but more often than not, they become a headache for unsuspecting buyers. This TC85 was one such case. After being raced for a season by the original owner, it was cleaned up and sold. The new owner took it on a few desert trips before the engine gave up. After a couple unsuccessful attempts at rebuilding it, we rescued it from a Marketplace ad. To bring our 2019 Husqvarna TC85 back to life, we enlisted the help of “Project Bike Master” Jay Clark.

Decal Works gave the bike a classic yet updated look with a semi-custom graphics kit, and we mounted them on a complete set of all-white plastics from MXPlastics.com. We partnered with various companies during the rebuild, including Decal Works, Motoseat, Rekluse, Nacstar Wheels, ProX, Wiseco, FMF, Dunlop, Lectron, Works Connection, UFO Plastics, San Diego Powder Coating, Schmidt Performance, ODI, Sano Metal Finishing, Cranks By Andrew Langston, and ParaPros. As part of the rebuild, we decided to upgrade to larger wheels, transforming it into a Supermini project by using a complete set of blacked-out Nacstar wheels and ProX components. Schmidt Performance set up the suspension to accommodate the larger big-wheel size.

PROJECT TC85
When we first came across this Husqvarna TC85 on Marketplace, we thought, “Oh no, someone is going to buy that bike and be very disappointed!” Then we had the idea of turning it into a project ourselves to save someone from that headache. Okay, maybe we have some issues, but the seller was honest with us about the bike’s problems, so we already had a game plan in mind. We just needed to execute it. For that, we enlisted the help of bike builder Jay Clark and his network of leading companies in the moto industry. We then stepped back and watched the magic happen.

The main problem with the bike was the engine. Despite being rebuilt after its racing retirement, it would not stay running for long. Brad at ParaPros Racing, who is skilled at solving engine issues, took on the challenge. After a complete teardown and cleaning, they found a few air leaks, as well as some problematic gas and a lean oil/gas mixture.

The crank was rebuilt using a ProX rod kit from Langston Motorsports, and it was put back together with all-new bearings, seals, a top-end kit, and gaskets from various aftermarket products. To give the bike some additional power, a Rekluse Core manual clutch system, VForce reed intake, and a complete FMF exhaust system were added. The final aftermarket touch was the brand-new Mini Billetron carburetor from Lectron.

While Brad worked on the engine, Jay Clark addressed the chassis issues. The first step was to send the main frame to Chris Johnson and his team at San Diego Powder Coating to give it a fresh satin black finish, replacing the faded blue color. Similarly, Sano Metal Finishing vapor-blasted the triple clamps, swingarm, and braking systems to make them look better than new. All the chassis bearings were replaced using ProX kits, and the suspension received major attention from Schmidt Performance to prepare it for off-road Grand Prix-style events. The stock wheels were upgraded in both style and size using a set of NacStar wheels, complemented by Dunlop tires, a ProX sprocket, and ProX brake rotors.

This project had a unique aspect compared to most Marketplace builds we undertake—we had a lot of information about the bike’s history. This greatly reduced the guesswork involved and, in some ways, the fun factor, but we certainly did not miss the surprise headache moments. Jay Clark successfully completed the complete rebuild and upgrade to Supermini status with the addition of the Nacstar 19-/17-inch wheel combo, while Brad at ParaPros handled the engine work without any issues. We are pleased to report that this project is already winning races in the Supermini division at the NGPC and SRA Grand Prix series. Once again, another happy ending!