Posted Jul 26, 2011, by John Day
Ford announced in England that in-car CD players are going the way of cassette tapes. The company noted that each Focus in the UK is equipped with an auxiliary input socket for connecting MP3 devices, and Bluetooth for wireless connection.
Ford said it’s increasing the availability of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) radio to UK customers, and will launch Ford SYNC next year. So customers won’t … Read More
Tags:
MP3 devices,
Ford Sync,
reel-to-reel tape players,
Bluetooth,
cassette tapes,
8-track players,
Ford,
Ford Focus,
Chrysler,
Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB)
Posted May 19, 2011, by John Day
It was fun while it lasted and quite rewarding for Johnson Controls-Saft (JCS), the advanced battery development joint venture (JV) involving Johnson Controls and Saft Batteries, but all good things come an end, and it appears as though the end may come in Delaware Chancery Court, where Johnson Controls filed suit to dissolve the JV the firms formed in 2006.
Saft says it will oppose the suit. It says … Read More
Tags:
Johnson Controls-Saft,
Johnson Controls,
lithium-ion batteries,
Beijing Automotive Industry Company,
Beijing Electric Vehicle Company,
Azure,
Saft Batteries,
Ford,
GM,
SAIC,
BMW,
Daimler
Posted May 16, 2011, by John Day
How does an automaker decide which smartphone apps can access vehicle resources, and how access should be enabled?
“More and more drivers will find a way to use their devices and their apps while in the car,” says Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president of Global Product Development. “They can do it unsafely, or they can do it through safer voice-activated solutions such as Ford SYNC – keeping their … Read More
Tags:
SYNC,
Robert Bosch Car Multimedia GmbH,
AppLink,
automotive apps clearinghouse,
Airbiquity,
in-car multimedia systems,
Nissan's LEAF Electric Vehicle,
Ford,
Hitachi Automotive Systems
Posted Dec 14, 2010, by John Day
Four years from now, if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has its way, every new car sold in the U.S. will include technology to let drivers see what – or who – is behind them when the vehicle’s transmission is in reverse. That’s government acting responsibly to save lives, or another assault on my individual freedom, depending on your perspective.
NHTSA’s proposed rule was … Read More
Tags:
Rear-View Camera,
NHTSA,
Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act,
cross traffic system,
backover fatalities,
Lincoln,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
Ford,
Jim Buczkowski
Posted Dec 6, 2010, by John Day
Suppose you’re the person responsible for managing an automaker’s infotainment strategy. Let’s say you currently offer SiriusXM satellite radio, AM/FM, and HD. When and how do you add Internet radio?
Ford is offering Pandora and Stitcher (music and news programming respectively), Toyota recently announced a partnership with Clear Channel’s iheartradio (750+ stations). Is now the time to make a move, … Read More
Tags:
Slacker Internet Radio,
Sirius/XM,
Stitcher,
Clear Channel,
Ford,
ABC News Radio,
Toyota,
Internet radio,
Pandora,
Wi-Fi,
iheartradio,
Infotainment
Posted Nov 26, 2010, by John Day
The market research firm iSuppli recently predicted that factory-installed Wi-Fi will grow from about 174,000 this year to 7.2 million in 2017. That got me thinking about in-vehicle Internet access.
iSuppli said automakers increasingly view wireless connectivity as a key competitive differentiator, and I am sure they do, but there is little consensus on how to provide that connectivity and little evidence … Read More
Tags:
Harman Automotive,
General Motors,
in-vehicle Internet access,
Audi a8,
USB mobile broadband modem,
Autonet Mobile,
Wi-Fi,
WLAN,
Amazon,
Chrysler,
iSuppli,
eBay,
Marvell Technology,
Ford,
Bluetooth,
Subaru,
BMW
Posted Nov 9, 2010, by John Day
The folks at USCAR drew my attention to cyber-physical systems (CPS), a discipline of keen interest to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and to a growing number of universities, as well as to Ford, GM, Chrysler, and other automakers.
USCAR thinks of CPS as a network of highly sophisticated electromechanical subsystems autonomously controlling hybrid drive, automated parking assist, crash avoidance, … Read More
Tags:
Ford,
GM,
cyber-physical systems,
Chrysler,
National Science Foundation,
USCAR
Posted Oct 27, 2010, by John Day
Cars today have more electronic content than ever, which means more circuits, more wiring, and more weight. At the same time, automotive semiconductor and networking technologies pack more performance into smaller space. How does that net out?
I posed the question to Paul Geyer, who has design responsibility for connectors, schematics and wiring tools in Chrysler’s Power and Signal Distribution group … Read More
Tags:
GM,
SAE/USCAR 21,
Ford,
USCAR,
Chrysler,
SAE/USCAR-2,
United States Council for Automotive Research
Posted Oct 14, 2010, by John Day
The New York Times published a positive story about Detroit this week (Oct. 12). It referenced the fact that U.S. brands edged imports in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study, 108 to 109 PP100 (problems per-100 vehicles within 90 days of purchase).
Ford cracked the IQS top five for the first time, and Lincoln had 23 fewer problems per 100 vehicles than it did last year. Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac all … Read More
Tags:
New York Times,
J.D. Power and Associates,
Chrysler,
Cadillac,
Chevrolet,
Buick,
GM,
GMC,
Ford,
Ford Sync
Posted Jul 7, 2010, by John Day
“Lights on a car door handle? What’s so great about that,” I wondered when I first saw Magna International demo the feature. But then I noticed that it wasn’t just the door handle that was illuminated, but also the ground next to the door, and it wasn’t just an ordinary light shining down but also a projected logo. That’s when I realized just how brilliant an idea door handle projection lighting is.
Aftermarket … Read More
Tags:
door handle projection lighting,
Elaine Bannon,
CUV,
smart key fob,
TheDetroitBureau.com,
Ford,
Magna International
Jim Martens
Harry Foster
J VanDomelen
Paul Johnston
Robin Bornoff
Dennis Brophy
Mike Jensen
Colin Walls
Jay Gorajia
Mark Olen
Travis Mikjaniec
Per Viklund