When it announced a range increase for its 2017 Focus Electric earlier this month, Ford executives also revealed an intriguing snippet about the company’s battery plans.

The company is conducting its own research into fundamental battery chemistries, and could develop its own cells for use in future electrified vehicles.

Other makers of electrified vehicles, including General Motors, VW, and BMW, have outsourced cell development to suppliers, albeit working closely with them. Today’s Focus Electric uses LG Chem cells similar to those in the Chevy Volt.

The term “electrified” vehicles include not only battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, but also conventional hybrids and…

The coming year will be a busy one for Honda’s Alabama auto manufacturing operations.

First up, the company will launch a redesign of the Ridgeline pickup, which will debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January and enter mass production at the Talladega County plant in early 2016.

Later in the year, another redesign is expected. This time it’s the Odyssey minivan, the flagship product of Honda’s Alabama assembly lines.

And through it all, the plant will be celebrating 15 years of production in the state. Its first locally-built Odyssey rolled off the line in November 2001.

Officials for…

From competitively low factory wages in Mexico to the increased use of robotics at home, the industry and workforce in Alabama is facing a myriad range of challenges. But many state officials and industry experts believe there is more hope than hazards to be found for a sector that is hardly three decades old.
I recently spoke to some of these experts to see just what lies in store for Alabama automaking.
Growth on the horizon
Bill Taylor, president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, told the BBJ they anticipate continued growth within the auto industry at different tier levels of…

While threats to the industry will continue to exist moving into the future – whether in the global market or at home – many experts are certain that the supplier sector in the state will see growth on the horizon.

The BBJ recently caught up with experts, state officials and the companies themselves to learn more about what could lie ahead for the supplier sector.

A growing demand

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in Montgomery has the most substantial supplier presence in the state with 62 individual facilities densely populating east central Alabama.

Read more: Supplying demand: How Alabama’s automotive growth is…

U.S. jobs at manufacturing plants, research and development facilities and dealer networks tied to Japanese automakers grew 11.5 percent last year, for a total of 1.52 million positions.

That data, found in a new report from the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association USA, underscores the companies’ robust growth across the country, including Alabama.

In this state, both Honda and Toyota have a major manufacturing presence, and they have been adding jobs and investment in recent years at their plants.

Ron Bookbinder, general director of JAMA USA, said the job growth is fueled by several factors.

Read more: Japanese automakers’ jobs growing in…

Alabama’s auto sector is charging forward, with record-setting production and new expansion activity that’s adding more muscle to the state’s prominent position in a global industry.

Just this week, a new analysis showed that Honda’s Alabama assembly plant had an economic impact totaling $6.8 billion in 2014. A similar study this year focusing on Hyundai’s Alabama assembly operation also outlined that facility’s substantial financial impact.

Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz is launching a $1.3 billion expansion at its Alabama plant to prepare for the production of next-generation sport utilities, while supplier growth across the state has been strong throughout 2015.

Read more: Commerce,…