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 »
Ford 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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Audi revamps Web site for the smartphone set 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 10, 2013 Audi has tried to cultivate a tech-savvy image in the United States, becoming one of the first brands to offer Wi-Fi in most vehicles. But until recently, Audi of America's Web site, audiusa.com, did little to shore up that image. When shoppers configured cars, the photos were small, drab and not very useful, says Mark Ramsey, general manager of digital retail operations at Audi of America.... Read More »
OnStar: GM's link to more sales? 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 10, 2013 General Motors, seeking to use its OnStar telematics service as a stronger selling point, is dangling some OnStar features to nonsubscribers. GM said last week that buyers of properly equipped 2014 models will get five years of free smartphone-based features that enable the buyers to start or unlock their vehicles from almost anywhere.... Read More »
Need a parking space? Audi has an app for that 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 10, 2013 A new app available in Audi vehicles makes it easier to find parking spaces. ParkMe Inc., a Santa Monica, Calif., company that collects parking data from operators of lots in 1,800 cities in 19 countries, said at a telematics conference here that it is providing Audi with real-time parking data available through vehicle infotainment systems.... Read More »
Turbos: MPG or muscle? 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 10, 2013  Some automakers say turbochargers offer high fuel economy and quick acceleration, the best of both worlds. Well, yes and no. Turbocharged vehicles allow automakers to keep power output high while they downsize engines for better fuel economy. But much of the mpg gain is lost when American drivers stomp the gas pedal and enjoy turbos' high performance.... Read More »
Apply now for PACE supplier innovation awards 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 10, 2013  The Automotive News PACE Awards, which honor game-changing innovation by suppliers, are entering their 20th year. PACE judges this week are starting to receive applications for the 2014 awards. The deadline is Aug. 30.... Read More »
Adhesives tapped to make cars lighter, tougherJune 8, 2013 06:01 CET  Carmakers including Audi and Mercedes are turning to high-tech adhesives as they seek ways to make cars lighter and tougher. As automakers increase the use of lightweight materials such as aluminum and exotic composites, which cannot be welded together but have to be glued with adhesives, industry experts forecast the amount of glue used in an average car may grow by at least a third over the next five to 10 years, from around 15kg now.... Read More »
Infiniti boss puts EV on hold, reduces sales expectationsJune 7, 2013 06:01 CET  Infiniti's new boss is calling for new priorities. Less than a year into his job as president of Nissan Motor Co.'s premium marque, Johan de Nysschen is tempering expectations that Infiniti will nearly triple sales in four years.... Read More »
Japan's nonstop search for best stop-start systemJune 7, 2013 06:01 CET  Suppliers and carmakers are trying out competing energy-storage systems to power the fuel-saving engine stop-start systems that are increasingly common on vehicles.... Read More »
GM offers free remote-start service via smartphones 2:37 pm U.S. ET | June 5, 2013  General Motors is giving buyers of 2014 models free remote-start service through a wireless OnStar application. OnStar subscribers now have the ability to start or unlock their vehicles from almost anywhere using their smartphones or tablets, via an OnStar application called RemoteLink.... Read More »
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