Vehicles: Page 167
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Plant Mitigates Chip Shortage, For Now
MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO, SUPPLIER Robert Bosch decided the university town of Reutlingen, Germany, 30 minutes south of Stuttgart, would be the center of competence for semiconductors, the fundamental building blocks for cell phones, laptop computers, game consoles and, of course, cars. It turned out to be a strategically brilliant wager as the market for consumer electronics and connectivity exploded
By Tom Murphy • July 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Rising Gas Prices Favor Ethanol
DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE CURRENT GAS price moderation, and be prepared to fill up with E85 when the time is right, experts advise. The prevailing gas-price trajectory is upward, unlike E85's more stable trend line. This sets up a cost-benefit scenario that favors E85, say backers of the gasoline-ethanol blend. The tipping point is somewhere north of $4 for a gallon of regular-unleaded gas, says Mark
By Byron Pope • July 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Interior Motives
No one sets out to make an ugly vehicle interior. It evolves over time and requires many staff meetings. Surprisingly, most of the defining features of a bad interior are the products of good intentions. They are the result of designers and engineers studiously following the wrong metrics, trying to camouflage flaws or make parts easier to manufacture. Former General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz's
By Drew Winter • July 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Schaeffler Improves Stop/Start for Auto Transmissions
The permanently engaged starter is designed to enable simple stop/start integration with automatic transmissions, without an awkward pause when the engine restarts at a traffic light.
By Tom Murphy • June 3, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Taiwan’s Bold Move
APPLE IS ADORED THE WORLD OVER FOR coming up with innovative products. But Apple does not manufacture the iPads and iPods that have taken the consumer electronics market by storm. No, they are made by Foxconn, a Taiwanese company. And now Taiwan wants to follow a similar strategy when it comes to electric vehicles. More than two decades ago, Taiwan recognized it was going to be swamped by China in
June 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Brand DNA Key to Mustang Interior, Top Designer Says
THE U.S. AUTO INDUSTRY HAS A PLETHORA of vehicles that boast reliability and performance, but there are few that successfully convey a brand's DNA, says Robert Gelardi, design manager, North American Design-Ford. Gelardi and his team designed the interior of the '10 Mustang with that philosophy in mind, as they identified what the brand meant by studying past models throughout the pony car's rich
By Byron Pope • June 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Student Designs Fun, Functional, Very Emotional
THERE IS CONCERN AMONG AUTO MAKERS that future generations of car buyers only will want soulless iPads with wheels, but the winners of this year's Ward's vehicle interior student design competition honored at the Ward's Automotive Interiors Conference suggest otherwise. The students' thought-provoking designs for the year 2020 do indeed borrow ideas from iPads, smartphones and video games. But they
By Drew Winter • June 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
CEO Stint Overshadowed Stempel’s Engineering Prowess
THE LATE JIM JONES, NEWSWEEK'S Detroit bureau chief during the 1970s and 1980s, was fond of saying, The whole world is full of nice guys, but there's absolutely no demand. But Robert (Bob) Stempel truly was a nice guy and car guy who made it to the top as chairman and CEO of General Motors in 1990 after a string of successful technical achievements. Stempel was the second engineer to be named CEO
By David C. Smith • June 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
New Tech Center Part of Inteva’s Growth Strategy
Inteva may be hiring additional engineers in Ohio and Michigan to support future programs as economics improve for suppliers focused on auto interiors.
By Tom Murphy • May 26, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
U.S. SAAR to Fall in May as Vehicle Stocks Shrink
Despite lower volumes for Japanese auto makers, the industry’s daily sales rate is expected to track more than 9% above April, as U.S. and Korean car companies work to meet pent-up retail demand.
By John Sousanis • May 20, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Inergy Wins Ford Fuel-Tank Business
The French supplier will build a new plant in Michigan and take over work once performed by Ford’s Visteon parts spin-off.
By William Diem • May 20, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
High Scrappage Rate Holds U.S. Vehicle Parc in Check in 2010
The U.S. car and truck fleet grew slightly last year, following a sharp decline in 2009, but the average age of vehicles on the road increased.
By Al Binder • May 20, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Taiwan’s Bold Move to Become EV Player
Taiwan wants to brand itself as the global supply-chain leader in EV components.’
By John McElroy • May 19, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dodge Durango - Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2011 Judging
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
May 17, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler 300 - Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2011 Judging
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
May 17, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler 200 - Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2011 Judging
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
May 17, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chevy Volt - Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2011 Judging
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
May 17, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chevy Cruze - Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2011 Judging
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
May 17, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dodge Charger - Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2011 Judging
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
May 17, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Audi A8 - Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2011 Judging
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
May 17, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Acura TSX - Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2011 Judging
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
May 17, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Acura TL - Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2011 Judging
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
May 17, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Volvo S60 - Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2011 Judging
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
May 17, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Subaru Forester - Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2011 Judging
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
May 17, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Saab 95 - Ward’s 10 Best Interiors of 2011 Judging
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
May 17, 2011
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