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Towards a lightweight future |
01/11/2011
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| Aluminium is stepping out of the shadows of steel to become the material of choice for vehicle makers as they strive to make their products lighter, more efficient and more environmentally friendly. By Daniel Jubera, Novelis director sales and marketing automotive Europe |
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2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 |
10/09/2011
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| Company engineers have packed more new hardware under the skin while designers have produced an opulent new cockpit meant to coddle occupants as never before. |
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Battle for infotainment operating system heats up |
27/06/2011
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| Companies that make operating systems are scrambling to gain seats in infotainment systems. The open source Linux community is gravitating towards the GENIVI Alliance platform, while a handful of consumer companies are attempting to exploit the growing link between portable consumer products and
... Read more |
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SAE publishes 18 standards on new A/C refrigerant HFO-1234yf |
15/02/2011
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| Standards developed by the Interior Climate Control Standards Committee cover safety, components design, engineering measurements, service equipment, and technician training for the new refrigerant that will go into production later this year. |
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Should there be an app for that? |
24/01/2011
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| The migration of consumer interest from basic mobile phones to smartphones is having a dramatic impact on automotive infotainment systems, as many OEMs and their suppliers scramble to develop connectivity solutions to keep up. With many more third-party apps inevitably coming to vehicles,
... Read more |
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DIS makes 3-D measurement possible in climatic extremes |
30/11/2010
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| The ability to pinpoint a product's dimensional profile before and after exposure to temperature and humidity extremes is a standard testing practice, but the ability to measure a component's shape during exposure to harsh conditions is a new option. |
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Infotainment could migrate to smart phones |
07/11/2010
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| Changing how smart phones are used inside a car could obsolete certain in-vehicle electronics and data storage units as early as 2015, according to a Delphi executive. |
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Electronic supplier and automaker collaboration grows |
07/09/2010
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| Freescale Semiconductor and the BMW Group teamed up to jointly develop a dual-core microcontroller that is being used in BMW’s 2010 luxury sports activity vehicles, highlighting a growing trend for automakers and suppliers to collaborate. A growing number of automakers and suppliers are
... Read more |
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Ford adds fuel-efficient routing to Sync |
23/08/2010
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| Navigation system with mapping data from TeleNav remote servers, delivered via cell phone, provides in-depth information on the My Ford Touch screen, including a choice of fastest, shortest, and most fuel-efficient ("eco") routes. |
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Signs point up for touch input |
12/07/2010
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| Touch-screen input is rapidly becoming a mainstay in automotive human/machine interfaces, prompting component makers to beef up their development efforts. Analysts predict that demand for touch screens will outpace voice over the next few years. |
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Factory-fit swivel seat from Renault |
07/04/2010
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| Aftermarket equipment and components for disabled or mobility-limited car passengers are widely available, but Renault is introducing what it believes is Europe’s first original-equipment front swivel passenger seat. Designed to enhance entrance and egress, the seat is an option on the New Clio. |
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Competition brings further Microsoft-based telematics advances |
22/03/2010
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| Ford's exclusive rights to the specialized Microsoft automotive consumer electronics platform that powers Sync have expired. Kia is the first to capitalize, introducing its UVO (for "Your Voice") system, but Ford is upgrading its offering including the addition of Internet-based upgrades. |
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Electric seat drives reduce in size |
01/01/2008
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| Modular electric drives that are 20% lighter and smaller than previous models are just going into production at Bosch. They are also much quieter.
Known as the NSA (New Seat Actuator) series, they are suited to applications beyond seat adjustment. |
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Ejector boosts air-conditioning |
01/11/2007
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| Replacing the expansion valve with an ‘ejector’ (a small refrigerant injector) has enabled Denso to increase the efficiency of the air-conditioning cooling cycle in the Toyota Land Cruiser launched in Japan during September. |
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Vent breakthrough stops cockpit drafts |
01/10/2007
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| Until now it has only been possible in HVAC systems to adjust the direction and volume of the airflow from vents in the cockpit. Horizontal and vertical louvres divert the airflow to the left and right, and up and down, and a shut-off valve closes or reduces airflow. As a result, draft-free
... Read more |
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Super soft foam breakthroughs for car interiors |
01/09/2007
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| Car-makers are placing strenuous demands on foam materials. They must be durable while offering good haptic properties, flexible, robust, odourless and have low emission values.
These requirements are said to be met by Alveolit TP EE and Alveo-Soft, the latest polyolefin foams developed by Sekisui
... Read more |
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Nanofibres double cabin filter efficiency |
01/09/2007
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| An automotive filtration specialist has introduced a nanofibre filtration medium that retains the smallest particles, including diesel exhaust particulates and fine dust, writes Roger Bishop. |
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