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Which car companies are creating new jobs in America?

Since January, automakers have announced investments totaling $9.5 billion in U.S. plants, creating or retaining more than 12,000 jobs. Some of those companies have yet to announce just how many jobs will be created given their investments, with the location of many of those jobs still to be determined. Specifically, the 4,000-job Toyota-Mazda joint venture plant still hasn't announced its location, with numerous states jockeying for it. Hyundai has plans to invest $1 billion but has not announced a jobs number yet. And likewise Ford is investing $1.2 billion in Michigan without specifying a number of jobs. Volvo this week announced plans to add a second line to its factory under construction in South Carolina, spending another $500 million and adding 2,500 jobs to the 2,000 it was already trying to fill. Then Thursday, Daimler announced a $1 billion expansion to its facility in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to produce EV batteries and electric SUVs, a move that will add 600 jobs to its hiring this year. Above, we've created a handy pie chart showing you which companies have announced new jobs and how many there will be. Reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit News Source: Reuters Plants/Manufacturing BMW Chrysler Ford GM Honda Hyundai Mazda Mercedes-Benz Toyota Volvo jobs

Mazda CX-5 named Japan's Car of The Year, Subaru BR-Z wins "Special Award"

The Mazda CX-5 stamped its Kodo design and SkyActiv technology authority all over the Japan Car of the Year awards, taking the top prize ahead of the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT 86. It is Mazda's second victory in the last ten years, the 2005 MX-5 claiming the same trophy, and the fourth time the Hiroshima company has won.
The award is decided by 60 local "automotive experts and journalists," and open to any passenger car released in Japan from November 1, 2011 to October 31, 2012 that has sold more than 500 units. Each judge gets 25 votes, his or her top vote getting 10 points, the rest of the points being spread among the judge's choice for the next best four cars.
The second-place getters were the Toyobaru twins with 318 votes, the surprise being they didn't beat or get any closer to the crossover. The Subaru BRZ did claw some mojo back, earning the Special Award given to cars that have made "an exceptional impact." The BMW 3 Series was third overall and won the Import Car of the Year award with plenty of room between it and the second place Range Rover Evoque.

2015 BMW i8 [w/video]

The most important thing to keep in mind while driving BMW's all-new i8 is that it's not a product of the company's vaunted M division.
Sleek sports-coupe design, carbon-fiber construction and blistering acceleration may cause automotive enthusiasts to drool, but the i8 has not been conceptualized, engineered or assembled to be another one of BMW's world-class track stars. Instead, the i8 has been hatched as a progressive sports car from the Bavarian outfit's new i division, which "represents visionary electric vehicles and mobility services, inspiring design and a new understanding of premium that is strongly defined by sustainability." Think of it as thrilling, but with an engaging environmental twist.
It's nearly impossible to walk up to the i8 with stopping twenty feet short and taking in its styling. There's no other production car as visually fascinating - this BMW is showroom-ready sculpture that captures all of the essence of the Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept that wowed crowds at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The wind sees it as a 0.26 drag coefficient, but humans will study its beautifully crafted carbon fiber and glass panels and realize they're in the presence of the future.