Distracted driving: US steps up the pressure on carmakers

Though US traffic facilities are declining, the administration worries driver distraction may reverse that trend (Photo: NHTSA)

The US administration is stepping up the pressure on carmakers to make in-vehicle electronic devices less distracting to drivers. US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Thursday issued a series of proposed voluntary guidelines for in-car communications, entertainment, information gathering and navigation devices. The guidelines, which were issued by the department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [...]

Audi confirms 1st time CeBIT participation

Audi's MMI

Audi confirmed that it will be present at the CeBIT fair with its own dedicated exhibition stand for the first time. The premium car maker said it will participate in the trade fair under the “Audi connect” banner. Audi connect groups its present and future solutions for mobile IT applications.The carmaker will show how its [...]

GM global profit jumps despite big losses in Europe

gm 2011 earnings.automotiveIT

General Motors Co. on Thursday said net profit jumped 67 pc in 2011, despite a big loss in Europe. The US carmaker posted a net of 7.6 billion dlrs in 2011, up from 4.7 billion dlrs in 2011. In the fourth quarter, earnings m to $468 million from $510 million a year earlier. GM’s 2011 [...]

Top N. American Toyota exec predicts more alliances

N. America chief Inaba has a long to-do list for in-car IT functions (Photo: Toyota)

Toyota’s top North American executive said the carmaker will likely engage in more alliances and partnerships to meet customer demands. “When you ask the question…’What do customers want?’ most people in business today will answer with one word: Everything!” said Yoshi Inaba, president and COO of Toyota Motor North America. “Even the world’s largest automakers [...]

CeBIT: Audi to present connected-car solutions

audi cebit.automotiveIT

Audi is planning a sizeable presence at the upcoming CeBIT IT fair, insiders say. The German premium car maker, a member of the Volkswagen Group, will have its own stand at the high-tech trade show, which is held in Hanover March 6-10. Audi will showcase its Audi connect vehicle networking suite of products. It is [...]

German top execs don’t see need for more data security – poll

Consultants Steria Mummert find views differ on data security measures in German companies (Photo: Singapore government)

A majority of German top executives don’t see any need for more data security in their companies, according to a survey by consultants Steria Mummert. The poll, conducted in the second half of 2011 among 205 senior German executives, found that two-thirds of the board members interviewed felt their companies are doing enough to safeguard [...]

CeBIT 2012 – Hanover

cebit digital drive.automotiveIT

This year’s CeBIT high-tech fair will pay special attention to the growing importance of IT to the auto industry. The annual event, the world’s biggest IT fair, will include a special automotive focus under the “Digital Drive” banner. Various automakers, suppliers and service providers will provide solutions that are increasingly finding their way into the [...]

Visser leaves Opel for Chevrolet; Sedran joins board

At Opel, Visser (left) is leaving to join Chevrolet, while consultant Sedran is joining the German GM brand (Photo: GM)

Opel gained a new board member for operations but lost senior executive Alain Visser to General Motors sister brand Chevrolet. The German car company said Thomas Sedran, a senior consultant with AlixPartners, will join Opel as board member in charge of operations, business development and corporate strategies. Sedran, 47, will be an Opel/Vauxhall vice president [...]

CeBIT Global Conferences – Hanover

The conference center at the Hannover Messe will be the venue for the CeBIT Global Conferences program (Photo: CeBIT)

Senior IT managers from Amazon, eBay, IBM, Microsoft and Siemens will be among the speakers at a series of events hosted at the CeBIT high-tech fair in Hanover next month. CeBIT Global Conferences, which will stage its conference program at the Hanover Fairgrounds March 6 -9,  will focus on key IT issues such as intelligent [...]

automotiveDAY – Hanover

More than 400 people attended the automotiveDAY conference in 2011 (Photo: automotiveIT)

The fourth annual automotiveDAY conference will focus on the role of IT in fostering growth in the auto industry. Speakers will focus on a range of topics, including the role of IT in boosting growth in the industry; how Cloud computing benefits global companies; the outlook for mobile IT; and how IT consolidation can lower [...]