Archives for May 2014

• JAPAN: New semiconductor to tweak hybrid fuel efficiency – Just-auto: Toyota is aiming to achieve a 10% improvement in the fuel efficiency of its hybrids and other electric-powered vehicles using a new power semiconductor technology.
• VW Leveraging MQB Architecture in U.S. Golf Lineup – Wards: VW quality chief says common architecture saves costs, but there is a risk if a bad part infects thousands of vehicles across multiple product ranges.
• GERMANY: BMW to announce Mexican plant in July – reports – Just-auto: BMW plans to announce in July it will build its first assembly plant in Mexico and has identified two regions where the site could be built, media reports said.
• Japanese Truck Makers Focus on Cutting Emissions – Wards: Isuzu is cool toward hybrids, noting Jana’s leading truck maker is putting less emphasis on diesel-electric technology than its two main Japanese rivals, Hino and Mitsubishi Fuso.
• BELGIUM: Battery technology change would impact passenger cars – Just-auto: There would be a significant impact on the overall performance and cost of vehicles, plus an effect on targets for fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions, if established battery applications were to be replaced with alternative technologies, according to a study by Europe’s automotive and battery industries.
• Ford takes 2015 Mustang to Europe – Automotive News: A slew of new videos made our viral list this week, including Ford Motor Co. announcing the chance for European buyers to pre-order the 2015 Mustang.
• Ford’s head of digital media communications departs – Automotive News: Scott Monty, the architect of Ford’s pioneering social media efforts, has left the company after nearly six years. [ There is more … ]

• Windshield washer fluid linked to deadly Legionnaires’ disease – Automotive News: Windshield washer fluid may be a breeding ground for bacteria that causes the deadly pneumonia known as Legionnaires’ disease.
• Inquiry by General Motors Is Said to Focus on Its Lawyers – NY Times: The automaker’s legal department has become a focus of a broad internal inquiry into how the company handled a vehicle safety defect linked to 13 deaths, said people with knowledge of the inquiry.
• US: GM ignition repair parts on round the clock production – Just-auto: With parts production running seven days a week on multiple shifts, General Motors plans to produce enough repair parts by October to have the ability to repair the majority of the vehicles impacted by the ignition switch and ignition cylinder recalls.
• SWEDEN: Volvo Group studies ‘electric roads’ for buses – Just-auto: Volvo Group is getting closer to testing an electric road that would enable city buses to be charged wirelessly in operation using inductive charging.
• US: NHTSA fines GM record $35m over ignition switch defect – Just-auto: General Motors has agreed to pay the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) a US$35m fine for failing to report in a timely manner the ignition switch defect.
• Porsche readies facelifted 911 for 2015 launch – Autocar: Updated 911 flagship receives bodywork and mechanical upgrades, which will provide some models with as much as 425bhp. A facelifted version of the Porsche 911 is in development and will launch next year, as these first spy pictures show.
• Jaguar’s new XE needs to be a global hit rather than a UK success story – Autocar: While the launch of Jaguar’s new 3-series rival is still some months away, the brand needs to think about how it will win buyers on facts and figures rather than on emotions.· Gan Maomao opens Car Dealer in Yunnan, China – CarNewsChina.com: The beautiful Chinese car model Gan Maomao was hired to open a car dealer in the great city of Yuxi in Yunnan Province. The dealer sells Lexus, Jaguar, Land Rover, Honda, and the Honda sub-brand Cimo.
• Feinberg’s dilemma: Who are GM’s victims – Automotive News: GM’s acknowledgement of its ignition switch defect raises questions about whether the flaw could have played a role in any unexplained crash involving its recalled vehicles.
• Google’s self-driving experiment heads towards next phase – Automotive News: Google’s self-driving car has never driven in the snow and gets puzzled by parking lots. Yet so much progress has been made in this 5-year experiment that the technology is ready to move out of tricked-out test vehicles and into real-world cars.
• Suppliers invest in brick and mortar — finally – Automotive News: Parts makers can no longer simply run an extra shift to keep pace with expanding North American vehicle production; they have to build or expand factories.
• GM’s wide price range for 4G service reflects uncertainty about demand – Automotive News: When General Motors rolls out an embedded high-speed Internet connection across most of its lineup beginning next month, there will be a range of subscription options available for everyone from hard-core tech geeks to the technologically curious.
• Nissan to go on ‘offensive’ in U.S. – Automotive News: A bullish Carlos Ghosn, emboldened by bumper profits and booming sales in North America, vowed a continuous offensive until Nissan Motor Corp. achieves 10 percent market share in the United States.

[ There is more … ]