Automotive IT News and Facts
LAS VEGAS — A research vehicle based on the Lexus LS showed the direction safety technologies are likely to take in coming years, Toyota said. The Japanese carmaker showed a vehicle that is equipped with a range of futuristic-looking technologies aimed at making driving safer and at times relieving the driver of some responsibilities. But [...]
The US administration wants all cars to be equipped with event data recorders (EDRs) from September, 2014. The proposal by the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would mean automakers have to install in all new cars EDRs that capture valuable safety-related data in the seconds before and during a crash. [...]
Ford will introduce an inflatable rear seatbelt in Europe next year, when it launches the latest version of its Mondeo sedan. The US carmaker said the airbag-seatbelt combination will help reduce head, neck and chest injuries because it disperses crash forces over a greater area of a passenger’s body. The technology isn’t new, but it [...]
Continental, which sees its ability to offer integrated solutions as a major competitive advantage, has combined its inertial sensors and airbag control segments into a new unit, Passive Safety & Sensorics. The German automotive supplier said the move resulted from the increased integration of stability control (ESC) functions into airbag control units. Sensor clusters will [...]
Gentex said it will supply a new auto-dimming mirror with a camera-based driver assistance system for the 2013 Ford Explorer. The Michigan-based supplier said the system will use a multi-function camera combined with algorithmic decision-making to provide high-beam control, lane keeping and driver alert functions. Gentex developed the system together with Mobileye, a maker of [...]
Cadillac says it will be ready to build a self-driving or “semi-autonomous” vehicle by the middle of this decade. The luxury car brand of General Motors said it already has the technology to let cars manage themselves with the use of adaptive cruise control and lane centering software. Those technologies, which are available on the [...]
The proliferation of in-car electronics raises new safety issues that need to be monitored and addressed, a report by a US expert panel said this week. “The increasing role of electronic systems in automobiles creates new safety oversight challenges that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must address explicitly and proactively,” the report by [...]
DETROIT — Daimler’s r&d chief, Thomas Weber, expects autonomous driving to be available in cars in the not too distant future. “By 2015 the preconditions for autonomous driving will be in place,” said Thomas Weber in an interview during the Detroit auto show here. Weber said new technologies already available in Daimler’s Mercedes models and [...]
A poll conducted by Ford in major European markets found that drivers continue to use handheld mobile phones, despite increased legislation aimed at curbing driver distraction. The survey of more than 4,300 drivers in Spain, Italy, France, Germany and Britain also showed that many European car drivers eat, drink, apply make-up, send text messages or [...]
A group of 11carmakers, suppliers and research institutes has been working on new technologies that improve safety at intersections. One project effectively lets a driver look around the corner. Another prevents accidents from occurring when a car turns left. Such systems would help defuse and prevent dangerous traffic situations at intersections, traditionally major black spots [...]
