Job Creation

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has been working to expand Mopar, its parts and service division, over the past seven years.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said today it will invest $10.4 million to build a new Mopar Parts Distribution Center in Romulus as it continues to expand the national presence of its parts and service division.

This former SAP executive’s specialty is the Internet of things.

Ford Motor has hired a Silicon Valley executive with deep experience in connected devices and machine learning to bring self-driving cars to market, the latest signal that the automaker is accelerating its shift from research and development of autonomous vehicles to a full-scale business.

Laura Merling will be vice president of autonomous vehicle solutions at Ford Smart Mobility, a subsidiary focused on developing the automaker’s transportation services such as car-sharing.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said today it plans to spend $1 billion to retool its plants in Toledo, Ohio, and Belvidere, Ill., and create 1,000 new jobs as it shuffles its North American production footprint.

FCA said it will invest $700 million at its Toledo Assembly North Plant to prepare for the next-generation Jeep Wrangler and expand the production capacity of the SUV. The automaker said it plans to add about 700 jobs at that plant.

Ford Motor Co. has filed plans with metro regulators outlining its next series of improvements in its continuing effort to upgrade its Kentucky Truck Plant at Chamberlain Lane and Westport Road.

Ford Motor Land Development Corp. of Dearborn, Mich., a Ford Motor affiliate that undertakes corporate development projects, filed the improvement plans last week with the Metro Department of Planning & Design Services.