ANETECHNOLOGY
Talk from the Top
Manufacturing
| $4 gasoline now a reality >> |
Design
| Some Chinese still follow the leaders >> |
Green Cars
| Bosch: Watch out Japanese! >> |
Cutaways
Audi, BMW seek to match Lexus with 8-speed transmissionsAudi and BMW want to catch up with Lexus by offering eight-speed automatic transmissions on their top-of-the-range cars, company sources say. Audi is testing vehicles equipped with an eight-speed transmission, a company source told Automotive News Europe. [SUB] May 12 06:01 CET |
Nissan plans wide range of electric vehiclesWhile many in the industry ponder whether electric cars are viable, Nissan Motor Co. CEO Carlos Ghosn is preparing to plunge into the market. Ghosn sees potential for 10 million global electric-car sales per year in cities such as New York, Washington, London, Paris and Mumbai, India. And he wants Nissan and its partner, Renault, to be a major player. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 12 |
Japanese take lead in carbon fiberAmazingly strong and light, carbon fiber is perhaps best known for its use in golf clubs and jet planes. Yet the silvery checkerboard-textured composite also holds great potential as a steel substitute as automakers race to squeeze every extra kilometer from a liter of fuel. Unfortunately, carbon fiber is also amazingly expensive -- up to 30 times the price of steel. Now, three Japanese companies, which together control 70 percent of the global carbon fiber market, want to change all that. [SUB] May 12 06:01 CET |
In career change, VW's former design chief goes greenAfter a career in the automotive industry that spanned more than two decades and senior design posts at Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot and Volkswagen, Murat Günak has found a new challenge. In August, the acclaimed Turkish-born designer became CEO of Swiss Mindset, a company he co-founded to develop a plug-in electric hybrid car. [SUB] May 12 06:01 CET |
BMW offers full on-board Internet accessBMW will introduce full on-board Internet access that will allow drivers to copy maps and other information directly to their navigation systems. The service will operate via an EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) mobile connection, currently the fastest universal mobile connection available. [SUB] May 12 06:01 CET |
ACEA doubts EU's eCall launch dateIt is unlikely that a Europewide emergency call system will be launched in time to meet the European Commission's 2010 target. “It will take years to put a European system in place, 2012 or even longer,” Wolfgang Reinhardt, head of regulatory affairs at the European car manufacturers association (ACEA), told Automotive News Europe. [SUB] May 12 06:01 CET |
Hewlett-Packard may buy EDS to compete with IBM
Hewlett-Packard Co. is close to a deal to buy former General Motors unit Electronic Data Systems Corp. for $12 billion to $13 billion, a source briefed on the matter said on Monday. HP confirmed it was in talks with EDS about a business combination but said it would give no more details until an agreement is reached or discussions terminated. [REG] 4:14 pm U.S. ET | May 12 | UPDATED: 5/12/08 4:40 p.m. EDT
Going green: It's no longer an option |
Autobytel posts $2 million loss in Q1
Internet marketing services company Autobytel Inc. today reported a first-quarter net loss of $2.0 million compared with net income of $7.7 million in the first quarter last year after an expected drop in revenue. Revenue fell slightly to $20.7 million in the first quarter of 2008, compared with $21.9 million in the same period last year. [REG] 12:44 pm U.S. ET | May 8
Noble nearly doubles Q1 revenue, still has net loss
Automotive supplier Noble International Inc. nearly doubled its first-quarter revenue compared to the same period last year, but it still chalked up a net loss. Noble had a net loss of $2 million on revenue of $314 million, compared with a loss of $186,000 on revenue of $160 million in the first quarter of 2007. [REG] 12:52 pm U.S. ET | May 8
Manufacturing technology group names new president
Robert K. Simpson, a longtime manufacturing executive, was named president of the Association for Manufacturing Technology. Simpson, 48, is taking over from John B. Byrd III, who will retire after five years with the group. AMT represents American suppliers of manufacturing machinery and equipment. AMT coordinates the International Manufacturing Technology Show, held this year from Sept. 8-13 in Chicago. [REG] 11:16 am U.S. ET | May 8
eBay Motors seeks deals with other automakers
eBay Motors says it wants to build on an agreement with General Motors by adding other automakers' certified used-vehicle programs to its online listings of cars and trucks for sale. In February, eBay and GM signed a deal that will enable about 3,900 GM dealers in the United States to list their inventories of certified used vehicles on eBay's automotive auction Web site. [REG] 4:36 pm U.S. ET | May 6
Chinese drivers get away with speedingBEIJING (Reuters) -- Speeding drivers in south China are getting clear away thanks to machines which switch the numbers on their licence plates in seconds, state media said today. [REG] May 6 06:01 CET |
Diesel dynamoA former Ford Motor Co. engineer is playing a key role in an Indian automaker's bid to sell pickups and SUVs in the United States next year. Arun Jaura, 42, a powertrain specialist, is in charge of getting clean-burning four-cylinder diesel engines certified by U.S. regulators for Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. At the same time, Jaura is guiding Mahindra into a more advanced engine technology: diesel-electric hybrids, which could arrive in the United States in 2010. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 5 |
Hyundai: Powertrains will take us halfway to mpg targetHyundai's plan to boost U.S. vehicle fuel economy significantly in the next decade is a 50-50 strategy. About 50 percent of the increase will come from changes to vehicle structure and equipment -- efforts such as lighter vehicles and energy-saving technology such as LED lighting. The rest will evolve from improved powertrain efficiency, said Timothy White, senior manager of the powertrain department at the Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 5 |
Suzuki to offer standard navigation in $16,000 carSuzuki says it will soon offer the least expensive vehicle on the market with a navigation system that comes as standard equipment. Navigation will be standard on the 2009 SX4 sedan and hatchback, which go on sale in late summer at an estimated base price of less than $16,000. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 5 |
Dealers must choose: Reynolds, GM -- or start over
Reynolds and Reynolds Co. won't let 400 of its General Motors dealership customers go without a fight. But the incentives that the company is offering them to remain with Reynolds are not as liberal as the terms dealers now have with GM under the GM Integrated Dealer Management System. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 5
GM makes 2nd ethanol deal
General Motors is investing in a small company that says it can make ethanol economically from nonfood plant material. The deal with Mascoma Corp., announced here last week, follows a similar investment by GM in Coskata Inc. a few months ago. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 5
Infiniti asks: Do you smell something?Is there anything worse than spending $50,000 on a vehicle with that sweet, leathery new-car fragrance, only to have your 8-year-old lose a smelly bag of french fries under a seat for a month? Engineers at Nissan Motor Co.'s luxury Infiniti Division think they have solved the problem of nasty odors in the upcoming FX50. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 5 |
Electricity, gasoline and lots of hot airThe Beijing auto show gave automakers a chance to show off their green technology, but Chinese consumers aren't likely to be impressed. Later this year, several hybrid-powered vehicles will go on sale in China. But don't expect to see many on China's roads in the near future. Industry observers agree that no viable market exists for hybrid vehicles in China. And this is unlikely to change for some time. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 28 |
New centers to help improve Renault safetyRenault will open new safety research centers later this year in India, Morocco and Romania, and in Russia next year. The centers will adapt the French carmaker's safety planning and r&d to conditions in emerging markets, which differ from those in the mature markets of western Europe. [SUB] April 28 06:51 CET |
Bright ideas for new-car interiorsSince Volkswagen popularized cool-blue illumination by using it in instrument gauges in the fourth-generation Golf in 1997, interior lighting has become more important as a brand identifier. Today's new lighting solutions promise to revolutionize cars' interior ambience at night. [SUB] April 28 06:01 CET |
Exec predicts mandatory stability controlRenault invests more than 100 million euros a year in safety r&d. It is the only carmaker that has five-star EuroNCAP ratings on nine vehicles. This strong record is largely due to the work of Renault's 600-strong safety team, which is constantly developing new active and passive safety solutions. Renault's safety director, Jean-Yves Le Coz, spoke about the company's safety policy. [SUB] April 28 06:49 CET |
Electric car may offer leased batteryWhen Th!nk Global of Norway brings its small electric City car to the United States next year, it hopes to take one big worry off the minds of buyers: what to do if something goes wrong with the battery. The answer: Have the customer lease the battery, not buy it. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 28 |
