automotive

If Ford's MyFord Touch and the Chevy Volt's digital instrument cluster are any indicator, future vehicle instrumentation may be much more complex than the handful of analog gauges to which we're all accustomed.

Judging from the ideas of high school students tasked with designing conceptual dashboards that encourage green practices, teenagers may have a hand in shaping that future dash.

Their suggestions include an in-dash avatar that coaches drivers toward efficiency, a smart navigation system that tells you when it's better to skip the car and take public transportion, and a Web-connected dash that rewards the … Read more

Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke today will visit Coda's battery manufacturing facility operated by affiliate Lio Energy Systems, in Tianjin, China, to discuss U.S.-China cooperation with respect to the development and manufacturing of clean energy technology and transportation.

The visit is part of the Obama administration's first cabinet-level trade mission. Coda, a California-based battery system and electric car company, will be joined by Nexteer Automotive and BorgWarner.

"International green technology partnerships can produce rapid job growth back home and deliver energy solutions abroad, and Coda's venture proves it," Locke said. "Together, Coda … Read more

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.--The Coda sedan will only impress your friends once they realize it's electric.

The sedan, due to start shipping in California in the fourth quarter, is designed to be simple and useful rather than flashy. But functionally, the car will meet the needs of many people and be priced in the "low to mid 30s," or somewhere in the range of $35,000 after federal and state credits and rebates, according to Kevin Czinger, CEO of Coda Automotive.

"The coolness of this car is that it's anti-cool," Czinger said after showing … Read more

NEW YORK--U.S. leaders of Europe's luxury brands say the time may be right to offer premium-badged small cars here.

BMW is considering selling a front-drive car slotted below the 1 series in this country. Mercedes may offer its next-generation B class in the United States.

Audi and Volvo say they're watching the trends and considering similar vehicles.

The small BMW has been approved for production, although timing is unclear. It will break from the company's rear-drive tradition by sharing a platform with the front-drive Mini.

"We have a couple of challenges in front of us,&… Read more

There are surprisingly few multinational audio companies.

I'm talking about big companies that just make speakers and audio electronics, so that leaves Sony and Panasonic out of the picture. Bose and D & M Holdings (Denon, Marantz, Boston Acoustics, etc) come to mind, but Harman International has a longer reach. Harman owns AKG (headphones, microphones), Harman/Becker Automotive Systems, Crown (professional audio), Harman Kardon (receivers), Infinity (speakers), JBL (speakers), Lexicon (high-end electronics), Mark Levinson (car and high-end audio electronics), Revel (speakers), Soundcraft (professional audio), and Studer (professional audio).

Some brands, like JBL and Lexicon, make consumer and pro gear, and in the case of JBL, speakers for every budget, from entry-level hi-fi and home theater all the way up to recording studios, movie theaters and stadium sound systems.

I was thinking about all that because the Harman Mobile Showroom was in NYC last week for the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. It may soon be in a town near you, or you can take a virtual tour and see and learn more about Harman's Mobile Showroom.

I liked the sound at the Mobile Showroom and chatted with Todd Packer, a technical product and project manager for Harman, about the gear. The company's intention, "To make a strong design statement," came through loud and very clear. … Read more

At the inaugural Open Source Business Conference in 2004, the discussion centered on how to fund open source's survival. Just six years later, the OSBC conversation has taken a 180-degree shift to focus on whether proprietary software's shelf life is nearing its end as open-source software economics increasingly drive technology innovation.

What happened?

In a nutshell, the cost benefits of high-quality, free software came to outweigh the industry's former concerns about risks associated with "rebel code."

This trend, not visible in 2004, started with early adopters like Google. As Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst highlighted … Read more

Fisker Automotive has contracted with Boston-based A123 Systems to supply battery packs for the forthcoming Fisker Karma plug-in electric car.

A123 Systems on Thursday said that it will supply lithium ion-based systems to Fisker for use in the Karma luxury sedan, which is due in late 2010. The intent is to also supply batteries for Project Nina, a lower-end model from Fisker due in 2012.

As part of the deal, A123 Systems is investing up to $23 million in Fisker, which would be up to $13 million in cash and the rest in stock. The battery cells and systems are … Read more

I was driving along the other day and saw a lime green Ford Fiesta--a car that is not currently available in the US, but which launched recently in Europe. It's combination of good looks, driving fun, and low prices has quickly made it the second-best-selling car there after the Golf.

Ford is planning to bring the Fiesta to the US in 2011, an excellent move, as we need more good "economy" cars here that are not boring and/or ugly. Ford is doing an interesting viral/social campaign ahead of the launch. It has engaged 100 "… Read more

The U.S. Army is testing a new diesel hybrid vehicle called the Clandestine Extended Range Vehicle (CERV) designed for quick-paced special operations-type missions such as reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeting--all the while conserving fuel.

The vehicle was developed jointly by Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide and the U.S. Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) National Automotive Center, with funding support through the U.S. Special Operations Command.

The CERV pairs the Quantum's new "Q-Force" advanced all-wheel-drive diesel hybrid electric power train with a light-weight chassis to produce a torque rating that exceeds … Read more