Automotive IT News and Facts
Citing strong demand, Ford is expanding the number of dealerships that can sell its electric vehicles in the US market. The carmaker said that more than 900 US dealers will soon be certified to sell EVs, up from 200 in November, 2012. The move reflects increased demand for Ford’s electrified models. The company continues to [...]
Volkswagen has inaugurated its largest solar park worldwide at its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The German carmaker said the solar park has a peak output of 9.5 megawatts and will generate power to build the US version of the VW Passat. Frank Fischer, CEO of Volkswagen Chattanooga, said the solar facility is part of the [...]
Fiat will start building Jeeps in Italy from 2014. The Italian carmaker said Thursday it plans to invest more than 1 billion euros in its plant in Melfi in southern Italy to build both a new Jeep brand vehicle and a new Fiat. Melfi will be “one of the most advanced car assembly plants in [...]
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’s 2014 Fiesta model, which will be available in the US next year, will feature a new 6.5 inch LCD touchscreen designed to appeal to tech-savvy younger buyers of smaller cars. The screen is part of the MyFordTouch infotainment system the US carmaker is rolling out across all its models. Citing the growing importance of [...]
General Motors, which is keen to broaden the geographical reach of its OnStar safety and emergency calling system, will make the technology available in Mexico from 2013. OnStar is already marketed in the US, Canada and China. “We will continue to grow GM’s connected vehicle solutions in other regions of the world in the coming [...]
The announcement follows news last week that Deutsche Telekom intended to buy MetroPCS, another US wireless communications group. Both moves underscore the continuing transformation of the US wireless market. SoftBank, a Japanese telecommunications group, said it would pay 12.1 billion dlrs to Sprint shareholders and make available 8.0 billion dlrs of new capital to strengthen [...]
Deutsche Telekom said it is acquiring MetroPCS, a US telecommunications company, and will combine Metro’s activities with those of its US subsidiary, T-Mobile USA. The move comes less than a year after US regulators vetoed a planned 39 billion dlr acquisition of T-Mobile USA by AT&T. Deutsche Telekom, Germany’s biggest telecommunications group, has been looking [...]
SiriusXM, moving beyond satellite radio, will provide a range of telematics services to Nissan vehicles in North America. SiriusXM said it will provide services that include emergency accident support, stolen vehicle tracking and roadside assistance in addition to its regular menu of satellite-delivered radio. “Offering telematics services is a logical net step for SiriusXM,” the [...]
With regulation-driven demand expected to increase, TRW will invest more in automotive camera technology for the North American market. “In North America, in the coming five years, we expect to see a strong trend to implement camera systems – particularly in light of the high frequency of accidents caused by lane drift,” said Peter Lake, [...]
