Japanese automakers are a source of new technologies and processes to meet the environmental needs of society. The Japanese production system has been widely studied with automobile manufacturers identified as models of flexible production, however, the production system should be set in a wider context of societal goals to reduce environmental harm. These innovations may [...]

The key to future internal combustion engines is an electric motor.

Offering everything from silent starts to high-torque speed boosts with ultra-low emissions, the powerful integrated starter-generator’s capabilities appear to be a technician’s dream.

But it also might be a supplier’s nightmare. Engines could shed a host of time-tested components, from the gear-toothed flywheel and starter motor [...]

The wrong colors can make an automaker bluer than blue.

But the right ones can make an automaker see green.

A car can have the smoothest engine, the best brakes and the nicest interior, but if it’s the wrong color, it just won’t sell, said Alan Starling, a Kissimmee, Fla., auto dealer who owns Pontiac, [...]

MoTown 2000. It’s the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit and with more than 6000 press credentials issued, you have doubtless seen or read a thing or two about it. But you probably didn’t hear this and it’s time you did. There is a considerable effort being exerted to expunge the word “diesel” [...]

Child safety plays increasing auto role with seats, gadgets.
The leading cause of death for children from 6 to 14 years old is a traffic accident, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Crashes kill six out of 10 children who are not restrained in child safety seats.

Fortunately, improving safety is an ever-increasing trend at [...]

Left in the red by colour
Choosing the wrong colour when you order your shiny new 53 registered car could end up costing you dear.
And according to motor trade experts,if you opt for a trendy,bright colour, you could end up seeing red when you eventually come to trade it in a few years down the line.
Experts [...]

Supplier involvement in the automaking process will foster a steady inflow of low cost, high quality parts. Automakers are using supplier input to improve and quicken materials development and to utilize suppliers’ technical resources. Materials that are expected to be affected by this relationship are high-performance steels, plastics, and aluminum.

Motor vehicle design teams chant the [...]

Akron, Ohio Those who think a “tire will always be a tire” are in for a surprise.
I found that out during a three-day tour of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., considered the world’s largest, most advanced tiremaker.
Striking tire developments ahead include “run-flat” tires, elimination of the spare, debut of performance tires so wide they [...]

Few drivers in the US want a standard shift automobile, and the numbers are dwindling further lately. The Porsche Tiptronic S can be switched from manual shift to automatic. This type of car is likely to become the norm in the future.

The most primal part of the art of driving is what you hold in [...]

Possibly more than at any time in its history, the U.S. automotive industry is committed to engineering and appearance design innovation and quality as weapons against pervasive global challenges and losses in profitability. A new intensity is driven by the will not only to survive but also to prosper. Plastics are now solidly at the [...]