Car Tech Articles

Ford CEO acknowledges miscues; customers to receive free upgrade on flash drive early next year

DETROIT--Ford Motor CEO Alan Mulally vows that revised versions of the Sync and MyFord Touch infotainment systems will be simpler and more reliable and says more improvements are coming.

He also says Ford has tightened its quality-control process for developing those systems' software. That appears aimed at avoiding the glitches that have dogged the new technologies and hurt Ford's standings in quality and reliability studies.

Told of anecdotal tales of shoppers who want to buy a Ford but won't if they have to … Read more

SAN DIEGO--Because of the chilly reception this year for its redesigned Civic, which was universally panned for its cheap, hard-plastic instrument panel and center console, Honda is moving more quickly than planned on some midcycle changes.

"We take feedback seriously, regardless of who it's from, and we will act accordingly quickly," John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president, said in an interview.

The midcycle update normally would occur in spring 2014. But Mendel said the change could occur sometime in 2013.

Honda was in the midst of redesigning the Civic when the global economy imploded in 2009. … Read more

While their competitors add compacts, hybrids, and electric cars, Volkswagen and Audi are pursuing a different product strategy in the United States.

Both VW Group brands want the volume and higher profits that go with larger vehicles.

VW just launched the Passat sedan designed for the United States and built at its new Chattanooga, Tenn., factory. The U.S. Passat is larger though less expensive than the version sold in Europe.

VW executives have talked about selling a small car like the European Polo in the United States. But for now they are focusing on the Passat and two other … Read more

Storing data outside vehicles could reduce clutter inside.

Access to the "cloud," through a wireless Internet connection in a car, has automakers thinking out of the box.

Potential features go far beyond present uses of in-car Internet access. With the expanded data storage available, a car could become a highly customized personal assistant connected to the owner's home, smartphone, and computer.

For example, a car could automatically tailor ride and handling characteristics for an individual driver on an individual route, instead of having the driver choose from a limited number of modes such as "sport" … Read more

First, the good news: a top executive at SB LiMotive says it may be possible to design lithium batteries that can deliver a 300-mile daily range.

And now the bad news: the prototype batteries have an unsettling tendency to burst into flames.

And that, in a nutshell, is what occupies Joachim Fetzer these days. As executive vice president of SB LiMotive, it's Fetzer's job to deliver lithium ion batteries to customers--mission accomplished--and figure out how to improve their performance--a work in progress.

SB LiMotive is a 50-50 joint venture between Robert Bosch and Samsung, launched in 2008. The … Read more

FRANKFURT--Here's a riddle for luxury automakers: How will big, high-powered cars fit into a world that's greener, more congested, and more tightly regulated than today?

Mercedes-Benz rolled out one possible answer here last month with the F125 concept car.

The F125 checks off many of the boxes on automakers' future-think wish list: hydrogen fuel-cell power train, high-priced materials, computer-assisted driving, advanced telematics. So it's tempting to see it as a science project.

But if you listen to Thomas Weber, r&d chief for Mercedes' parent company Daimler, you realize that the F125 addresses a serious concern--the … Read more

TOKYO--Subaru plans to introduce turbocharging, new transmissions, and hybrid drivetrains in a bid to boost its fleetwide fuel efficiency 30 percent between 2010 and 2015.

The technology blitz also includes a new, lightweight vehicle platform that will be introduced by 2015 and will replace the platform now used for all Subaru nameplates.

Motohisa Miyawaki, head of product planning and engineering, said there will be one full model change each year from 2012 through 2015 on top of this year's introduction of the XV small crossover in Japan and next year's debut of the BRZ sporty car.

The XV … Read more

DETROIT (Bloomberg)--General Electric and Nissan Motor said they signed a two-year research and development agreement to speed infrastructure improvements and spur electric car sales.

GE and Nissan, which has sold more than 7,000 of its Leaf electric vehicles this year, will focus research on how recharging such vehicles affects home and workplace electrical systems and utility power grids.

"Together we'll make a better world possible for the use of electric vehicles," Mark Little, GE's director of global research, said at a press briefing today at Nissan's Farmington Hills, Mich., facility.

The companies agreed … Read more

FRANKFURT--Mercedes-Benz has developed a four-cylinder engine family that will power the upcoming A-, B- and C-class lineups in the United States.

Ranging from 1.6 to 2.0 liters, the turbocharged gasoline direct-injection engine could offer torque ranging from 185 to 260 pounds-feet, depending on displacement, said Bernard Heil, Daimler AG vice president of power train development.

With help from two fully variable camshaft phases, those torque figures could come on at as low as 1,250 rpm and run at full load up to 5,000 rpm without problems with cooling--impressive for a small-displacement gasoline engine, Heil said in … Read more