In a new sign of the importance of China to international auto makers, Porsche unveiled its new sedan at the Shanghai auto show.
The new Porsche Panamera made its official public debut to journalist to mark the opening of the Shanghi's auto show.
Continue reading "Porsche unveils new Panamera sedan in China " »
So let's pretend for a second that you are directly working for team Obama, and the word comes down from the big cheese himself that you should seriously consider getting a hybrid as your next car.
After all, the Obama administration has made its renewable energy policy central to its core agenda of change.
And let's also suppose that you are very amiable to the idea of driving one them newfangled hybrids that gets over 40 mpg.
Continue reading "Why team Obama is buying hybrid cars built by Ford" »
Way back in the prehistoric days of the crossover car era, the Forester was one of the first vehicles to be forged from the primordial soup that combined the DNA of a car with that of the SUV.
When the elements cooled and the steam drifted away, the Forester stood tallish and proud in the vanguard of the new crossover craze.
Others would follow in its tracks, but it was the Forester that showed them the way.
Continue reading "Road review 2009 Subaru Forester: forged in the primordial crossover soup" »
When it comes to taxing cars, the state of Colorado along with many other large states like California, have got it completely wrong.
In fact, not only does Colorado have it wrong, but completely backwards as well.
Continue reading "So why exactly does Colorado and California tax the hell out of new cars?" »
A few years ago I was at the Munich airport looking for a book to read when I stumbled upon a paperback buyer's guide that listed every new car sold in Germany along with a photo of the cars and their vital specs.
I was amazed at the size of the book. It was about as large as the Wedster's New World Dictionary.
That same type book is published here in magazine form, and it's about a third of the size of the German version.
Continue reading "Why Chrysler declaring bankruptcy is great for America" »
The bigger-is-better approach may indeed improve the driving experience. These screens can display more information in larger formats that are easier to interact with. Large screens also offer a more flexible platform compared to conventional dials and hard buttons. Soft buttons in these multi-touch displays can change on demand. For example, the volume control for the media player can easily transform itself to temperature control. But there are drawbacks to adopting this new trend in automotive technology. First, the physical muscle memory associated with hard buttons help drivers to map locations of each button/control used while driving. In essence, the driver’s muscle memory of hard buttons enables quicker and safer access to controls. Soft buttons on a digital display do not provide the tactile feel necessary to develop the muscle memory. More buttons displayed on screen means a driver needs to spend more time staring at it to find information, otherwise it is like trying to find a moving object in dark. In a driving situation, any additional moment you spend gazing at the screen and not at the road could tremendously increase the chance of accident.
In my last post, I described what mobility means today and offered a glimpse into the automotive industry’s focus on mobility related challenges. With the intent of proposing a new experience of ‘mobility’ of the future, here are technologies that could help improve the mobile experience in cars.
A head-up display, or HUD, is any transparent display that presents data without requiring the user to look away from his or her usual viewpoint. The origin of the name stems from the user being able to view information with his head “up” and looking forward, instead of angled down looking at lower instruments. The first HUDs were essentially advancements of static gun sight technology for military fighter aircraft aimed to offer advantages in in-air dogfights. And the core merit from this technology in automotive applications is that it offers a more ergonomic solution and keeps the drivers’ eyes focused on the road. Key information required in most common driving situations like speed and navigational direction is displayed on the windshield as a clear and easy-to-read image. BMW claims that
Head-Up Display halves the time it takes for eyes to shift focus from road to the instruments and back, dramatically reducing the risk of not seeing the sudden illumination of brake lights of the car ahead, or an unexpected obstacle
But today the display size of HUD units in automobiles is limited a portion of the windshield that measures 18 x 10 cm. The driver may also experience issues switching between the focal distance of a HUD and objects outside the automobile. (Automotive HDs: the overlooked safety issues by Daniel R. Tufano).
The increasing amount of information from sensors in cars and those carried onboard by the driver has led the automotive industry to offer solutions that make them more accessible and manageable. From the BMW’s original idrive to the latest “remote touch” solution from Lexus, the basic approach seems to be the same. These solutions may seem accessible and familiar to the driver because they resembles the mechanism we are used to from using a computer mouse and remote controls. But the core issue remains: it requires drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel.
With advances in natural user interfaces, heads-up displays, and head and eye tracking, the interface can be made safer and ergonomically sound. For example, the combination of headtracking with a HUD can improve the display of information while keeping the drivers hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road. The onboard computer system can also track behavioral patterns that can help “tune” the user interface of the display. In case, information displayed via HUD can stay at a minimized state (creating less distraction) until driver’s focus is engaged with the display when it expands reveal more information. When the driver’s focus looks away, the displayed information would disappear. The driver’s natural movement dictates the interaction.
This report is intended to give a general overview of the global automotive market, and provide information about how Nexans is serving this market.
It opens with a brief introduction which explains the trends affecting the automotive industry worldwide, especially in terms of assembly volume, growth, sales and continuing consolidation. This is followed by specific trends in the industry and especially the automotive cable business. After exploring challenges and the “push-pull” factors transforming car manufacturing, it concentrates on Nexans’ four strategic strengths which also correspond to the concerns of auto and harness makers, themselves: metallurgy, standard and special cables, recycling, and an ability to serve customers in emerging automotive-assembly countries. Finally, the White Paper explains the Nexans approach to innovation, which is driven by technology, new production methods (“lean manufacturing”) and strategic outsourcing. The final chapter explains Nexans service solutions in practical terms, and emphasizes the importance of partnership in finding solutions for an increasingly synergized industry.
Buick Riviera Concept Car
Buick Riviera Concept Photo
Buick Riviera Auto Show
Buick Riviera Concept Car Picture
New Buick Riviera Car
Buick Riviera Image
If you need more proof the world needs more lithium than SQM:NYSE, FMC, and Chemetall Foot (Rockwood ROC:NYSE) can supply, look no further.
PERTH, Feb 15, 2010 (AsiaPulse via COMTEX) --Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation (TSE:8058) has agreed to buy about 30 per cent of battery grade lithium carbonate output from Galaxy Resources Ltd's (ASX:GXY) Mt Cattlin mine in Western Australia.
Shares in Galaxy were up four cents, or 3.25 per cent, at A$1.27 (US$1.12) at 1253 AEDT.
Galaxy said in a statement on Monday it was close to finalising similar off-take agreements with other major groups and high-end users of battery grade lithium carbonate in China and other parts of Asia.
The value of the Mitsubishi deal was confidential, a Galaxy spokesman said.
Demand is growing for lithium, which is used in batteries for electric cars.
(AAP)ma
Confirmed speakers include:
| Advanced Metallurgical Group |
| Altairnano Inc |
| Amalgamet Canada |
| American Lithium |
| Amerpro Resources Inc |
| AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group NV |
| Angelo & Newton |
| Argonne National Laboratory |
| Asahi Kasei America Inc |
| Avalon Rare Metals Inc |
| Bal-Co Spa |
| Barclays Capital |
| BBA Inc |
| Boart Longyear E & I Drilling |
| Bollore |
| Brgm |
| Bruce Consultancy |
| Bureau of Land Management |
| Byron Capital Markets |
| Calaway Interests LLC |
| Camet Metallurgy Inc |
| Canaccord Adams |
| Canada Lithium Corporation |
| Canadian Orebodies |
| Capital World Investors |
| Chemetall Foote Corp |
| Chemetall GmbH |
| Chemtura Corporation |
| Chenco GmbH |
| CIF Mineracao SA |
| Clearbridge Advisors |
| CMAI |
| Cormark Securities |
| Dajin Res |
| Defense National Stockpile Center |
| Electric Metals Inc |
| Ener1 |
| Enerdel |
| Enova Systems Inc |
| Eramet |
| Eye Management |
| FCM Lithium Corporation |
| First Analysis |
| FMC Corporation - Lithium Division |
| FMC Lithium |
| Ford Motor Company |
| Galaxy Resources Limited |
| Geological Survey of Japan |
| GeoXplor Corp |
| Gilford Securities |
| GlobeStar Mining Corporation |
| Hains Engineering Co Ltd |
| IGC Technologies LLC |
| Ihor Kunasz |
| Ilgren Consulting |
| IMERYS |
| Industrial Minerals |
| Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS) |
| International Lithium Corp |
| International Royalty Corporation |
| Itochu Chemicals America Inc |
| Itochu Corporation |
| Japan Oil, Gas & Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) |
| JCI USA Inc |
| Juan Carlos Zuleta |
| Kay Investment Ltd |
| Keith Evans |
| Kodiak |
| Lanxess Deutschland GmbH |
| Leverton Clarke |
| LG International |
| Li3Energy |
| Limtech Technologies Inc |
| Lithea Inc |
| Lithium Americas Corp |
| Lithium Corporation |
| Lithium One Inc |
| Lomiko Metals Inc |
| MAC Equipment Inc |
| Marubeni Corporation |
| Matamec Explorations Inc |
| MDB Capital |
| Minerales Industriales Tubutama |
| Mitsubishi Corporation |
| Mitsubishi Corporation Unimetals |
| Mitsubishi International Corp |
| Mitsui & Co (USA) Inc |
| Mitsui & Co Canada Ltd |
| Mitsui & Co Ltd |
| MRC Corp |
| NAATbatt |
| Nation-E AG |
| Netzsch-Condux Mahltechnik GmbH |
| New World Resource Corp |
| Nordic Mining ASA |
| North Arrow Minerals Inc |
| Orocobre Ltd |
| Owens Corning Co |
| Pan American Lithium |
| Panasonic Corporation |
| Peter W Harben Inc |
| Pinetree Capital Ltd |
| Plug in America |
| Popular Science |
| Portal Capital LLC |
| POSCO |
| PowerOne Capital Markets |
| Prince Minerals |
| Reed Resources Ltd |
| Renault |
| Renault SAS |
| Rincon Lithium Ltd |
| Rio Tinto |
| Rio Tinto Minerals |
| Rodinia Minerals |
| Roskill Information Services Ltd |
| Salares Lithium Inc |
| Samsung |
| SCL |
| SGS Minerals Services |
| Simbol Mining Corp |
| Small Ventures USA |
| Sojitz Corporation of America |
| Solmax International |
| SQM SA |
| Stephens Investment Management |
| Sumitomo Corporation |
| Talison Lithium Limited |
| Tata Chemicals Ltd |
| The Doe Run Co |
| TNR Gold Corporation |
| Total SA |
| Toyo Chemicals Co Ltd |
| Toyota Tsusho Corporation |
| URS Corporation |
| US Geological Survey |
| Ward Chemical Inc |
| Western Lithium Corporation |
