Vehicles: Page 209

Delphi, GE step on the gas: tricky gas-assist molding process makes ‘Super Plug’ possible

It doesn't look like much, but it represents a revolution in the way automotive components are developed and assembled. Five years in the making, General Motors Corp.'s Delphi Interior and Lighting Systems' "Super Plug" door hardware module epitomizes the trends taking over the automotive industry today, from modular construction to the development of new business alliances among suppliers.Simply

By Drew Winter • March 1, 1995

Steer by wire: Saginaw puts electric steering on ‘97 1 2 model.

Electric power steering systems currently are used only on very small or very exotic cars, but their fuel-saving benefits will be hitting the automotive mainstream soon, say officials at General Motors Corp.'s Saginaw Div.The steering system and component supplier introduced two new electric power steering systems at the North American Auto Show and says the most sophisticated all-electric version

Feb. 1, 1995

Tanks a lot: suppliers prepare for plastic fuel-tank bonanza.

Now that the issue of permeation has seemingly been vaporized with the drafting of the SPI Protocol, plastic fuel tank suppliers are getting ready for an explosion (probably not the best word) of new business, expected to reach around 80% of the market by the turn of the century.Solvay Automotive Inc. President Norman W. Johnston says: "We see a very nice growth pattern." That chart, he says, goes

By Sorge, Marjorie • Feb. 1, 1995

Best engines of the future: award winning engineers offer a peek at what’s coming.

Response to January's first annual Ward's Best Engines of 1995 feature has been overwhelming. WAW readers, from engineers to executives to suppliers, phoned, faxed and wrote to express their opinions and to support -- or contest -- our 10 Best Engines of 1995 selections.The story behind the "Best Engines" story is what's in store for the future. Our interviews with some of the engineers responsible

By Bill Visnic • Feb. 1, 1995

Electric vehicle makers charge into LA with new ideas

Dreamers, schemers and down-to-earth electric vehicle diehards shared the stage at the 12th annual International Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS-12) in California in December. Major automakers joined many would-be manufacturers at the conference.Among vehicles making news at the conference was U.S. Electricar's Electrolite 2000, an electric urban delivery vehicle, which the company will build and

Jan. 1, 1995

‘We are at the beginning.’

PARIS -- Spend a week visiting a half dozen of France's most picturesque cities and one feasts on stunning monolithic architecture, monumental scenery and fascinating art.It's all the more curious, then, that these same cities are home to perhaps the most extensive electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in the world.The French, it turns out, are quite committed to the EV.We are not.It's not that the

By Bill Visnic • Jan. 1, 1995

Best engines of 1995

We recently came across a Detroit chassis engineer sweating over a hideously complex-looking multilink suspension computer simulation. We asked if his was a difficult task."Nah, this is easy stuff," he sniffs. "Now my old college buddy, he's in Powertrain. They're busting his butt over there."Engines have evolved into more than just the symbolic heart of the auto industry. Engines certainly have always

By Visnic, Bill; Winter, Drew; MCCann, Karey; Keenan, Tim • Jan. 1, 1995