Vehicle TechnologyFord adding knobs, buttons to MyFord Touch 12:07 pm U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Ford plans to revert to more traditional knobs and buttons in its MyFord Touch infotainment and control system. The system has hurt Ford's ratings in several quality surveys. Customers have complained the system is bulky, distracting and overly complicated to use. Ford has issued several software upgrades.... Read More »
HANS GREIMEL Honda's little radiation-proof robot does nuke duty 8:58 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  In the highly radioactive crucible of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, there are simply some areas too hot and hazardous for humans to venture for cleanup. Now, Honda is parlaying its expertise in robotics into a helping hand.... Read More »
Apple's bid to crack the center stack 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Last week Apple executive Eddy Cue said 12 car brands will let motorists link iPhones to center consoles to make calls, send text messages, use maps and issue voice commands. So Apple is poised to invade the cockpit and take over the center stack, right?... Read More »
SiriusXM offers trial to service customers 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013 SiriusXM Radio is launching a program this summer that allows dealers to offer a complimentary two-month SiriusXM subscription to qualifying service customers.... Read More »
Voice controls: Just another distraction? 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Car companies are moving full steam ahead on voice controls and are unlikely to be slowed by the note of caution AAA sounded last week, automakers and suppliers say. The influential consumer group, which has more than 53 million members in North America, released research last week that showed voice-to-text systems can cause as much mental distraction as talking on a hand-held cellphone.... Read More »
EDITORIAL Jury's out on hands-free 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013 As Apple squares off with Microsoft to determine which will become the dominant operating system for in-vehicle infotainment programs, there is another factor to consider. A study backed by AAA and conducted by the University of Utah found that some hands-free functions can be nearly as distracting to drivers as talking on a hand-held cellphone.... Read More »
Pop the clutch? Not with Bosch system 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Any parent who has taught a kid to drive a stick knows the problem: When the clutch comes up too slowly, the engine stalls; too fast and there's lurching, angst and potential whiplash. Bosch thinks it has a solution.... Read More »
EDITORIAL Should EVs help pay for highway maintenance? 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013 It had to happen. State highway maintenance programs are at least partially funded by gasoline taxes. But owners of electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and other alternative-power vehicles pay less in taxes because the vehicles use less, if any, gasoline.... Read More »
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE CONGRESS Audi sales boss calls for car-to-car data standard 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  The auto industry needs a standard for car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure data communication in order to keep a leading role in providing services to motorists, says Luca de Meo, Audi board member for sales and marketing.... Read More »
DAVID BARKHOLZ Like race for MVP, call centers pit old school, modernists 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  When we asked readers last month whether the business development center is obsolete, you'd have thought we had asked something as monumental as who should be Major League Baseball's MVP. Traditionalists argued for the BDC, reasoning that golden-tongued showroom stars couldn't use that magic on the phone or Internet. Modernists said no.... Read More »
Dealers reap more Internet leads 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013 Dealerships are seeing a surge of traffic on their Web sites and a greater willingness by shoppers to leave their crucial contact information, said data consultant Dataium. The brightening auto-selling climate combined with dealership Web-site improvements are prompting more Internet leads than a year ago.... Read More »
Toyota limits online warranties 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Until a month ago, Acton Toyota of Littleton had a nice little side business for five years selling Toyota-sponsored extended service contracts over the Internet. Toyota Financial Services, though, pulled the plug on the business in May, prohibiting Acton Toyota and a handful of other dealerships from selling the contracts nationally online.... Read More »
Automakers spread more glue to eliminate weight, rattles 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Carmakers including Audi and Mercedes-Benz are turning to high-tech adhesives as they seek ways to make vehicles lighter and tougher. Automakers are using more aluminum and exotic composites, which cannot be welded together but have to be glued with adhesives that will not lose their strength and can hold together parts even at top speeds and high pressure.... Read More »
Q&A: PETER GUTZMER, SCHAEFFLER AG Schaeffler exec: Suppliers will play bigger role in engines 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013 
Soon, waving a finger will switch radio stations 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Gesture control, the use of hand gestures to control a vehicle's infotainment system, is gaining momentum. Suppliers are developing technologies that allow motorists and passengers to adjust a vehicle's audio, climate control or navigation system through motion sensors. The technology works like Microsoft's Kinect game system.... Read More »
Quick-swipe plan removes pain from pairing a phone 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Tired of plowing through a 300-page owner's manual to pair your smartphone with the infotainment system in the rental car you just picked up? There may be a solution. A Finnish software designer is adapting a technology called NFC to allow motorists to pair smartphones simply by swiping the phones against the instrument panel.... Read More »
Robots take the wheel for Ford road tests 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 15, 2013  Making sure vehicles are "built Ford tough" has become too tough on the test drivers whose job involves putting thousands of bone-jarring, teeth-rattling, mind-numbing miles on new models. So Ford has started giving some of that work to replacements who don't need breaks: robots.... Read More »
Toyota targets fewer parts, complexity to speed product creation 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 15, 2013  Toyota has decided it no longer needs 50 kinds of air bags to protect drivers' knees. Ten, the company says, ought to suffice. In one of President Akio Toyoda's biggest initiatives since taking over in 2009, the company is winnowing the number of parts it uses and increasing common components across models.... Read More »
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE Tech edge, global reach help European suppliers, CLEPA boss saysJune 14, 2013 06:01 CET  Europe is in a deep slump but the head of the region's suppliers group says many partsmakers are growing their businesses because of their global footprints. Another key for Europe's component makers is to maintain their lead on technology, CLEPA CEO Jean-Marc Gales says.... Read More »
DealerTrack sued in U.S. court for racial discrimination 3:58 pm U.S. ET | June 13, 2013 Software vendor DealerTrack and its holding company are facing a federal lawsuit for alleged race discrimination filed by two former employees. DealerTrack wrote in a statement that it believes the defendants' claims do not have merit.... Read More »
2013 AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE CONGRESS Jaguar Land Rover, ZF, Tesla are 2013 L.E.A.D.E.R. winnersJune 12, 2013 18:00 CET  Jaguar Land Rover, ZF Friedrichshafen and Tesla are the 2013 winners of the fourth annual Automotive News Europe/Automotive Intelligence Center L.E.A.D.E.R. awards.... Read More »
Apple's connected car move creates challenge for automakers, analysts say 3:43 pm U.S. ET | June 12, 2013  Apple wants to invade automotive instrument panels by making its iOS mobile operating system accessible on vehicle screens. The initiative, which Apple discussed publicly this week, creates a challenge for automakers, who want to keep up with the latest connected-vehicle technologies but still control the overall experience with their own operating systems.... Read More »
2013 AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE CONGRESS Audi sales boss calls for global car-to-car data standardJune 12, 2013 17:00 CET  Audi sales boss Luca de Meo wants the European auto industry to lead the way when it comes to creating a common global standard for car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure data communication.... Read More »
For some, driving is more stressful than skydiving 10:54 am U.S. ET | June 12, 2013  According to research funded by Audi, driving in chaotic urban traffic can be nearly as stressful for some people as skydiving. The study, conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, used Audi Q5s to test driver frustration, Audi said in a statement.... Read More »
Sonic to use iPads for sales from start to finish 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 10, 2013  Sales reps at Sonic Automotive Inc. dealerships will begin using iPads next year to handle the vehicle sale from beginning to end.... Read More »
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Special Report
 Dealer O.C. Welch's big-truck turnaroundAfter Mercury's demise, South Carolina Ford-Lincoln dealer O.C. Welch had to find a way to replace lost revenue. He decided to load up on Super Duty pickups – and sell them online. Mon., June 17» Watch the Video |
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