General Motors announced plans on April 27 to add a manufacturing line at a southern Indiana factory in a $111 million project that is expected to add 245 jobs in the coming years.

Workers at the Bedford factory and area residents were worried a year ago that the plant would close amid GM’s restructuring. The factory, which once had more than 1,200 workers, is one of the world’s largest aluminum die-casting facilities and now has some 370 employees.

The Bedford plant is part of an $890 million investment GM is making at five factories to make more fuel-efficient V-8 engines and preserve or create roughly 1,600 jobs.

Mayor Shawna Girgis said GM’s decision was especially welcome in a city that saw a 600-worker Visteon Corp. auto parts plant close two years ago.

“With other losses in the community, I think to have lost this facility would have been absolutely devastating,” she said.

GM’s restructuring plan announced last year included closing its Indianapolis metal-stamping plant, while keeping open Indiana plants in Bedford, Fort Wayne and Marion.

Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, who is from Bedford, said GM’s expansion at the plant was a sign of confidence in its work force and community.

The new jobs are expected to be added by 2013, with many of them expected to be filled by idled GM workers from other factories.

“I personally have another 15, 20 years before I can look at retirement,” worker Curtis Jewell said. “Anything that we can do for the community to try to provide not only these jobs but creates cash flows to other businesses — it’s a plus for everybody.”

The advantages of Aluminum Automotive Parts over steel. In recent decades, aluminum is used more and more in car manufacturing. It has started to replace steel as base metal for car frames and other parts. Aluminum is said to be stronger and less likely to be corroded than steel. It is also easier to form, that is why aluminum parts require less labor costs. However, while labor cost is low, aluminum as a material is also expensive. It is in fact five times more expensive than steel.

But the advantages of aluminum automotive parts over steel outweigh its disadvantages. More and more manufacturers are experimenting with relatively expensive aluminum because it is lighter than steel. It makes the car leaner and faster. It also helps achieve fuel efficiency standards – since lighter vehicle means less fuel used. So the expensive material makes up for the cheaper fuel consumption of the car in the long run. There are several luxury models that are made with aluminum car frames. This is in fact a few times more expensive than steel cars but the user will be ensured that it would help save energy. Environmental advocates will love it more because it is almost a hundred percent recyclable – another standard that aluminum helps achieve.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Monday said it was seeking a $16.38 million fine against Japanese auto manufacturing giant Toyota for its failure to quickly notify authorities about vehicle safety problems.

After poring over 70,000 pages of evidence, the NHTSA said it was seeking “the maximum civil penalty against Toyota” after it failed to report safety defects in a timely manner.

According to the NHTSA, Toyota failed to report “the dangerous ’sticky pedal’ defect for at least four months, despite knowing of the potential risk to consumers.”

It is the largest civil fine against an automaker ever sought by the NHTSA.

Toyota has recalled around 2.3 million cars in the United States for the pedal defect and more than eight million cars worldwide over several problems, including the sticking accelerator pedal which caused cars to speed out of control.

“Auto manufacturers are legally obligated to notify NHTSA within five business days if they determine that a safety defect exists,” the department said in a statement.

“We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in the statement. “Worse yet, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months from US officials and did not take action to protect millions of drivers and their families. For those reasons, we are seeking the maximum penalty possible under current laws.”

The recalls have caused an outcry in the United States, with Toyota executives hauled over the coals by Congress and the company’s previously stellar reputation for safety left in tatters.

Toyota insists the problems were caused by mechanical defects including a sticking accelerator pedal, but is facing allegations it is due to an electronic failure.

The NHTSA said Monday’s announcement related only to the sticky-pedal issue and said it “is still investigating Toyota to determine if there are additional violations that warrant further penalties.”

Toyota has two weeks to agree to pay the fine, or contest it. If the two parties cannot agree to a settlement they could go to court.

In a statement Toyota said it had not yet received a letter from the NHTSA, and said it was taking steps to rectify the manufacturing company failings.

“We have already taken a number of important steps to improve our communications with regulators and customers on safety-related matters as part of our strengthened overall commitment to quality assurance.

“These include the appointment of a new chief quality officer for North America and a greater role for the region in making safety-related decisions,” the automaker said.

Toyota Motor announced the creation of a North American “quality task force” as it struggles to repair its reputation in the wake of a series of mass recalls.

The task force will answer to Toyota chief executive office Akio Toyoda and will be responsible for implementing a six-point action plan aimed at improving quality, cooperation with regulatory authorities and creating greater regional autonomy.

Toyota has come under intense criticism for its handling of deadly safety defects which led to the recall of more than eight million vehicles worldwide.

“We are making fundamental changes in the way our company operates in order to ensure that Toyota sets an even higher standard for vehicle safety and reliability, responsiveness to customers, and transparency with regulators,” said Steve St. Angelo, a top executive at Toyota’s North American manufacturing unit who was appointed chief quality officer for the region.

“The new organization will open the lines of communication globally and enable us to respond faster here in North America to any concerns about our vehicles,” St. Angelo said.

“In keeping with Akio Toyoda’s mandate, North America will have greater autonomy and play a critical role in decision making on recalls and other safety issues.”

St. Angelo will join his counterparts in Japan on March 30 for the first meeting of the automotive manufacturer’s special committee for global quality. The North American task force will also work closely with an independent advisory panel led by former U.S. transportation secretary Rodney Slater.

Toyota’s U.S. arm on Feb. 1 said it would start fixing a technical glitch in its cars this week after recalling millions of vehicles in a public-relations nightmare for the world’s top car maker.

Toyota said the company “developed and rigorously tested” a fix to the problem with accelerator pedals in faulty models and had also come up with “an effective solution” for vehicles currently in production.

“I want to sincerely apologize. I know that the recall has caused many of you concerns and for that I am truly sorry … I know that we let you down,” Jim Lentz, president of Toyota’s U.S. sales arm, told CNBC.

Lentz said the fix could be completed “in a short period of time depending on work force of your dealership. We hope to start these repairs in just a few days. Owners will be notified by mail when to set up a proper appointment.”

Toyota engineers have been putting the finishing touches to a repair to insert a “spacer” in the pedal mechanism, in order to increase the tension in a spring and reduce the risk of the pedal staying down.

Toyota pulled up to 1.8 million vehicles in Europe on Jan. 29, the latest in a series of recalls that has affected almost eight million Toyota cars worldwide — more than its entire 2009 global sales of 7.8 million vehicles.

The company has also temporarily halted U.S. production of eight models.

Toyota’s president Akio Toyoda kept a low profile last week as the company, founded by his grandfather over 70 years ago, battled to contain the fallout. In his first public remarks since the recall went global, the Toyota family scion gave a brief apology to a Japanese television crew on Jan. 30.

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