Tag: Toyota

Ford Elevates Customer Experience by Making FordPass Remote Features Complimentary; Company is First to Offer Connected Service for No Charge

FordPass, powered by FordPass Connect, delivers a single mobile platform where owners can remotely start/stop/unlock their vehicles, schedule maintenance and chat with Ford Guides, along with other features; introduced in 2016, the number of subscribers has been increasing every year FordPass, powered by FordPass Connect service, previously available through one, two or five-year trial subscriptions… Continue reading Ford Elevates Customer Experience by Making FordPass Remote Features Complimentary; Company is First to Offer Connected Service for No Charge

Self-Driving Requires Unprecedented Collaboration

By: Raj Kapoor, Chief Strategy Officer; and Luc Vincent, EVP Autonomous Driving In conversations about self-driving cars, people often talk about the rush to full autonomy like they’re commentators on a race — tracking new developments in technology, analyzing the strategic moves of the companies hurrying to be first. It’s easy to get caught up… Continue reading Self-Driving Requires Unprecedented Collaboration

TriLumina announces first automotive-qualified AEC-Q102 Grade 1 semiconductor laser – Semiconductor Today

26 July 2019 TriLumina Corp of Albuquerque, NM, USA, which develops flip-chip vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) array light sources for automotive, consumer and industrial 3D sensing and interior illumination products, has completed all required tests for AEC-Q102 Grade 1 operation, which means it can reliably operate at temperatures ranging from -40°C to 125°C. This is… Continue reading TriLumina announces first automotive-qualified AEC-Q102 Grade 1 semiconductor laser – Semiconductor Today

TriLumina launches first surface-mount flip-chip back-emitting VCSEL array without need for submount – Semiconductor Today

24 June 2019 TriLumina Corp of Albuquerque, NM, USA, which manufactures and integrates flip-chip vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) array light sources for 3D sensing LiDAR (light detection and ranging) and interior illumination products, has launched the first surface-mount flip-chip back-emitting VCSEL array without the need for a submount or bond wires, allowing lower costs and… Continue reading TriLumina launches first surface-mount flip-chip back-emitting VCSEL array without need for submount – Semiconductor Today

Dyson EV’s demise, Mirai’s radical remake, Audi’s plug-in hybrids: The Week in Reverse

Which automaker partnered with Boeing for a personal luxury aircraft?

What brand priced its Tesla Model 3 rival for Europe?

This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending October 11, 2019.

One of the much-discussed pieces of news of the week came from the UK, and a well-funded long-shot project aiming to make an high-efficiency electric car. Dyson said that its electric-car program is done—although it will continue work on some of the ancillary tech, including solid-state batteries.

Patent drawing for Dyson electric car due in 2021

Several important pieces of news came from Toyota. It revealed that the next-generation version of its Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car is a sport sedan. Although the radical remake is officially called a concept car, the future is suddenly looking much better for that model, as well as the Prius. Toyota also confirmed that a 2021 RAV4 plug-in hybrid is on the way—although it will be some time before we get range and mpg. And its luxury brand, Lexus, teased the design of a production-bound electric city car, set to bow at the Tokyo show.

A new Honda Fit hybrid has been confirmed for a Tokyo show debut and is a critical model for Europe—although chances are slim that the model will arrive in the U.S.

Porsche Boeing premium urban air mobility vehicle

Porsche and Boeing are involved in a premium personal aircraft project—not a shared air taxi, but something aiming for private ownership.

Volkswagen is hoping its owners see the light—with a new light-based communications feature in its ID 3 urban electric car. We would presume it’s also headed to the other ID models that are U.S.-bound.

Volvo announced that it’s merging engine development into a new joint venture with parent Geely—so it can focus efforts on EV development. And as we eagerly await the introduction of the Volvo brand’s first fully electric model next week, pricing was detailed for the related Polestar 2—including its Performance Pack version—in several of its European launch markets.

Polestar 2

In the issues and policy department, U.S. commute times reached a new high in 2018, a cloud that hangs over us even as vehicles continue to get cleaner and more efficient. And Denmark and the UK were among the nations looking to tighten the timeline for phasing out internal combustion engines.

India is very much seen as an emerging (and important) market for EVs, with some challenges. Tata will be targeting its own domestic market with a vehicle called the Tata Nexon EV. This model could be seen as a serious rival to models coming from both European automakers, Japan, and China.

Volta free DC fast charging

The charging-network news keeps flowing, as infrastructure takes form in Europe and North America. Volta readied its ad-supported free DC fast charging network in the U.S. and announced its first station starting later this month. The energy company Repsol claimed the highest power passenger-vehicle DC fast-charging station in Europe. And Electrify Canada announced that it’s pushing ahead this year with more than 20 fast-charging stations—enabled for a future-leaning 350 kw—at Canadian Tire locations across the country.

We learned that Tesla has quietly acquired the Canadian battery maker Hibar. Could it mean the automaker is setting up to make its own proprietary cells?

At the start of the week we rounded up a list of the most important electric cars for 2020.

2020 Audi Q5 plug-in hybrid (Euro-spec) – first drive, October 2019

Back on Monday and Tuesday, we also brought you two sets of first drive impressions on Audi’s upcoming plug-in hybrid vehicles—in the Q5 crossover and the A8 flagship sedan—to see how they fit into a lineup that’s rapidly going electric.

And as you head out this weekend to go watch the game, you might remember some news we reported at the start of the week: that Anheuser-Busch and Frito-Lay are expanding plans—in California—to deliver their beer and snacks with electric trucks.

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Thursday Morning Auto News, Oct 10, 2019

Nissan says European operations unsustainable with no-deal Brexit tariffs – Reuters: Nissan’s European operations, which include plants in Britain and Spain, will not be sustainable if Britain’s departure from the European Union leads to 10% tariffs on vehicles, the firm’s European Chairman Gianluca de Ficchy told reporters on Thursday.
Indicted FCA manager circulated press release about prior diesel emissions settlement – Freep: Experts say Fiat Chrysler could face more trouble because of emails that were shared among those connected to diesel emissions cheating.
BYD NEV sales volume up 34 pct in Jan-Sept – Xinhua | English.news.cn – Xinhuanet: BYD NEV sales volume up 34 pct in Jan-Sept
GM Factory Hands Making 40% Less Than Their Co-Workers Are Fed Up – Bloomberg: GM Factory Hands Making 40% Less Than Their Co-Workers Are Fed Up
Nissan to start building new Juke car at UK plant as Brexit looms – Reuters: Nissan said it will begin making the next-generation Juke vehicle at Britain’s biggest car plant on Monday, just over two weeks before a possible no-deal Brexit which the industry has warned could bring production to a halt.
BMW bets on doubling of luxury car sales to boost margins – Reuters: To lower development costs for electric and driverless cars, BMW will pursue alliances, such as a plan to make a low-cost electric car with Chinese …
BMW to Boost Sales of Gas-Guzzling SUVs to Cover Electric Shift – Bloomberg: BMW to Boost Sales of Gas-Guzzling SUVs to Cover Electric Shift

GM’s Q3 China sales slip 18% – Automotive News: The drop marks the fifth straight quarterly decline for GM in China as U.S. automakers continue to lose market share while Japanese and German automakers gain ground in the largest light-vehicle market.
Uber’s UK VAT liability confirmed – FT: Earlier this week Uber London Ltd filed its full accounts up until December 2018 at Companies House. The big news wasn’t that the division made a …
NASA boss to tour SpaceX factory after feud over capsule delays – Reuters: SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk opened up his private rocket factory to the top official of NASA on Thursday for a tour and progress report on the company’s long-delayed Crew Dragon astronaut capsule.
Nissan cuts role of former Ghosn aide – Nikkei:
Italdesign names Audi veteran as design chief – Automotive News: Italdesign has appointed veteran Audi executive Carsten Monnerjan as head of design. Monnerjan succeeds Filippo Perini who joined Hyundai’s …
Volvo embeds Android on its new EV – Automotive News: Volvo embeds Android on its new EV
GM’s Q3 China vehicle sales down 17.5%, as U.S. automakers cede ground – Reuters: General Motors Co’s July to September vehicle sales in China fell 17.5%, as the U.S. automaker was hurt by a slowing economy amid the Sino-U.S. trade war and by heightened competition in its key mid-priced SUV segment.
The Radical Manifesto Embraced by Google Workers and Uber Drivers – New York Times: Just before 20,000 Google employees left their desks last fall to protest the company’s handling of sexual harassment, a debate broke out among the …
Automakers, suppliers, tech companies form AV computing consortium – Automotive News: GM has invested heavily in autonomous vehicle development, especially through its Cruise unit. Toyota has also started to form alliances for …
Strengthening Renault-Nissan alliance is crucial: French minister – Reuters: Strengthening the alliance between car makers Renault and Nissan is crucial, said French junior economy minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher on Thursday, amid signs of a possible management shake-up at Renault.
Nissan Plans Shareholders’ Meeting to Vote In New Top Management – Bloomberg: Nissan Motor Co. is considering holding an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting early next year following the recent adoption of a new management …
New Volkswagen Golf design shown in official sketches – Autocar: Volkswagen Golf Mk8 sketch Eighth iteration of popular hatchback will be unveiled later
Champagne! Fur! Caviar! How St. Moritz’s Snow Polo Lures the Jet Set – Bloomberg: Photographers hoping to score a celebrity shot mill around on the edge of the runway, where a vintage Rolls-Royce and a racing-green Porsche …

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