Information Technology

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW

Diaz: Keep it simple

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
Fred Diaz, CEO of Chrysler Group's Ram truck brand, says the 2013 Ram 1500 pickup's Uconnect infotainment system has been well received by buyers because it's not designed with early adopters in mind.... Read More »

 

Ford seeks best real-world mileage measurements

11:31 am U.S. ET | March 27, 2013
Carmakers that figure out the best ways to help consumers measure their real-world fuel economy could enjoy a competitive advantage, Jim Farley, Ford's global marketing chief, said today in a speech at the New York auto show.... Read More »

 

Infiniti will get new DMS

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013
Infiniti is preparing to retire InfinitiNet, a homegrown dealer communication and management system that Infiniti dealers have used since the premium brand's first U.S. vehicle sales in 1989.... Read More »

 

NHTSA app aims to ease consumers' access to safety info

4:15 pm U.S. ET | March 21, 2013
Federal regulators are offering a free app for iPhones and iPods that provides the latest vehicle safety information to consumers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's SaferCar.gov Web site.... Read More »

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Drilling data for repeat sales

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 18, 2013
Software that peers into a dealership's own data to anticipate when customers are ripe for a new vehicle has helped Daytona Toyota-Scion almost double monthly vehicle sales since November, says General Manager Dan O'Brien.... Read More »

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Study: Fickle shoppers need salespeople

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 18, 2013
Even though online shopping gives shoppers more information and clout, salespeople still play a key role in closing deals, given the propensity of shoppers to change their minds late in the buying process. So concludes a study by lead generator Autobytel.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Is that available with the Luddite package?

2:59 pm U.S. ET | March 15, 2013
This month the iconic British motoring series Top Gear stumbled into a fantastic idea for automakers to pursue on future vehicles.... Read More »

 

PHILIP NUSSEL

Why GM should go all out with hot spots

1:43 pm U.S. ET | March 11, 2013
If General Motors wants to take the industry lead in installing Internet hot spots in its vehicles in coming years, then it should go all out. GM needs to make the cable industry uncomfortable by making these hot spots robust enough to become householdwide connections while the vehicles are parked in a garage.... Read More »

 

GM hiring 1,000 information technology workers in Ariz.

3:34 pm U.S. ET | March 6, 2013
General Motors plans to hire 1,000 information technology employees for a new office in Chandler, Ariz., as part of its effort to bring such work back into the company instead of using outside contractors. Last year, the automaker said it would reverse that trend by having 90 percent of its information technology work done internally in three to five years.... Read More »

 

GM cars to be Internet hotspots

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 25, 2013
General Motors, laying down a high-stakes bet on the future of vehicle connectivity, plans to make each of its cars an Internet hotspot with a high-speed broadband connection.... Read More »

 

SHOP, CLICK -- HOLD ON A MINUTE

GM pilot program shows that shoppers resist buying without seeing and trying

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 25, 2013
To attract Web-savvy customers, General Motors is experimenting with easy-to-use online shopping. Consumers can cut time at dealerships, for instance, by filling out credit applications online and getting preliminary values on trade-ins.... Read More »

 

JESSE SNYDER

Wait, how many new features?

3:42 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 21, 2013
When Mercedes-Benz USA product planners detailed the latest features they'll add on three new products this year, it wasn't the technology that struck me. We all know automobiles carry lots of electronic sensors and controls. We recognize that combining different ones yields new features.... Read More »

 

NADA CONVENTION

Telematics challenge: Capable but simple

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 18, 2013
Telematics systems run the risk of becoming too complicated and distracting, yet they also can become outdated well before the vehicle's life is complete. So said a panel at the J.D. Power International Automotive Roundtable.... Read More »

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Chrysler closes digital divide

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 18, 2013
In an era in which 90 percent of vehicle buyers do some shopping online, Chrysler Group in July had just one in four of its dealerships consistently advertising on Google and other search engines. That had to improve, and it has, said Jeff Strickland, Chrysler's director of U.S. dealer relations and retail strategies.... Read More »

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Diverted leads distress dealer

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 18, 2013
Chevrolet dealer Todd Caputo is happy to use Cars.com, the online lead generator, to help him sell cars. But he was upset after discovering that some customers who had looked at his vehicle inventory on Cars.com and had taken time to fill out credit applications had been channeled to other dealers.... Read More »

 

Auto industry raises safety concerns about broadened Wi-Fi usage

8:20 am U.S. ET | Feb. 12, 2013
Automakers and suppliers say a federal push to broaden Wi-Fi use could jam accident-prevention technology that may cost as little as $100 per vehicle and save thousands of lives annually.... Read More »

 

LINDSAY CHAPPELL

This year’s buzz: Dealer apps

10:13 am U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013
Was it all of three or four years ago that the buzz at the auto retailers convention was all about dealer Web sites? Who was doing them well? Who was missing the boat? Who was making sure they met standards, and what bright new promise did they held for the auto industry?... Read More »

 

Panel backs embedded, simple telematics systems

1:35 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 9, 2013
Telematics systems run the risk of becoming too complicated and distracting for drivers, yet they also can become outdated well before the vehicle's life is complete. So said a panel at the JD Power International Automotive Roundtable here.... Read More »

 

Continental watches eyeballs to limit distraction

Feb. 7, 2013 21:30 CET
Continental AG is developing a system -- dubbed the Driver Focus Vehicle -- that monitors the driver's eye movements, then warns if the driver is looking away from the road under hazardous conditions.... Read More »

 

Continental watches eyeballs to limit distraction

3:30 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 7, 2013
Continental AG is developing a system -- dubbed the Driver Focus Vehicle -- that monitors the driver's eye movements, then warns if the driver is looking away from the road under hazardous conditions.... Read More »

 

Mazda Europe names new chief information officer

Feb. 1, 2013 06:01 CET
Mazda Europe has promoted company veteran Alex Janssens to be the unit's first chief information officer.... Read More »

 

Honda puts Siri in three '13 models

10:40 am U.S. ET | Jan. 30, 2013
American Honda says it will install Apple's Siri voice-activated telematics assistant into several of its 2013 models. The 2013 Honda Accord and Acura RDX and ILX will offer Siri as a dealer-installed option, the company said in a statement today.... Read More »

 

Why can't cars do what phones do?

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 28, 2013
There is an intense, behind-the-scenes race to find what automakers see as the cure to clunky infotainment systems: natural language. If all goes well, natural language systems will enable motorists to activate infotainment apps by using conversational phrases just as users of iPhone or Android smartphones do.... Read More »

 

Plan kicks CSI into cyber era

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 28, 2013
Hyundai is trying to bring the venerable written CSI survey into the age of the cloud, Twitter and Facebook. The brand has devised a new method, using e-mail and three-day turnarounds, to change the way it determines customer satisfaction.... Read More »

 

Hewlett-Packard bid to query 2 GM defectors denied by judge

7:54 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 25, 2013
Hewlett-Packard lost a bid for a Texas court order allowing it to question under oath two former information technology workers who were among 18 people that quit the company in November to join GM.... Read More »