“China's Geely Eyes Bid for Ford's Volvo Cars - ABC News” plus 4 more |
- China's Geely Eyes Bid for Ford's Volvo Cars - ABC News
- High school students make electric car - WAVY News 10
- McLaren Automotive Introduces the McLaren MP4-12C - The Auto Chanel
- DENSO, Freescale and TRW Join Forces to Form Distributed System ... - FoxBusiness.com
- Freescale Provides Embedded Intelligence for Takata SafeTraK Lane ... - PR Inside
| China's Geely Eyes Bid for Ford's Volvo Cars - ABC News Posted: 08 Sep 2009 09:57 PM PDT
SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's Geely Automotive said on Wednesday its parent wants to bid for Ford's Volvo Car Corp, becoming the latest Chinese automaker to chase a foreign brand in a global industry overhaul. The move could boost the profile of Geely, a small, home-grown car maker and, more importantly, give it access to Volvo technology it needs to upgrade its cars, analysts said, though some doubted it could manage an international brand. Geely's privately held parent, Geely Holding Group Co, would make any bid in conjunction with a government-backed investor, CEO Gui Shengyue told Reuters by telephone. "I believe if Volvo is for sale and Ford has a global announcement, then our parent company will participate," Gui said. "It is interested in Volvo's sedan business and not trucks." Gui added that Geely's parent is waiting for Ford to decide whether to sell the Swedish car maker, but that Hong Kong-listed Geely would not participate in any bid. Rather than merely taking a stake in Volvo, Geely's parent would seek full ownership, Gui said, adding Ford will make a decision on whether to sell Volvo within a month. "On the assumption that the parent company successfully acquires Volvo, it will fine tune the product line and technology until Volvo becomes profitable, and then inject the assets into the listed company," said Vivien Chan, auto analyst with Sinopac Securities Corp. Geely, which once sold the cheapest cars in China, has been upgrading its models to tap China's increasingly affluent drivers. "It is definitely a long-term positive for the stock, but in the short term there is no earnings impact from the news," Chan said. Some analysts cast doubt on the ability of privately-owned Geely to manage an international brand. "It's a risky move even though it may help raise Geely's profile eventually," said Ji Junfeng from Changjiang Securities.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| High school students make electric car - WAVY News 10 Posted: 07 Sep 2009 07:46 AM PDT LITTLEFIELD, N.C. (AP) - An instructor at Ayden-Grifton High School has found an eco-friendly way for students to get some hands-on experience in the classroom. Ronnie Bowen says his automotive technology students are nearing the completion of a class project in which they have converted a 1997 Saturn SL from a gasoline-powered engine to a rechargeable electric vehicle. The Daily Reflector of Greenville reported that the project involves the removal of a 1.9-liter gasoline engine and its replacement with a 48-volt electrical system. Students have been responsible for all of the work, Bowen said, including the wiring, custom mounts and preparation for painting. Bowen said Ayden-Grifton is the first high school in the area to take on such a project. The car can reach speeds up to 72 mph and its charge is good for about 80 miles, he said. "We have heard the new president talk so much about saving the environment and being eco-friendly so we wanted to get on board," Bowen said. "At the same time, maybe we can convince a few people in the community to do it. This really is a perfect commuter car and if everybody in Pitt County would do this for their commute, look how much we could save in a year's time." The car will be painted and ready to show off for the first time during the Ayden Collard Festival parade in mid September, Bowen said. The class will also have it on display at the school's annual car show. Costs for the project have been covered by a $2,500 educational grant from the town of Ayden, battery donations from NAPA Auto Parts and fundraisers such as the car show. The car was donated by Ayden Middle School Principal Seth Brown, who did his principal internship at the school. Bowen said the electric vehicle costs about $3.80 to fully charge. He added that general maintenance is limited to tires, making it a cheaper investment overall than gasoline-powered vehicles. "Not only are you saving the environment, you are saving yourself money," Bowen said. Students began work on the project during the second half of last school year, and some worked with Bowen on it during the summer. While students will have it ready for display in about two weeks, the project will not be completed until later this school year after air conditioning, heating, power steering and other functions are added. Paul Edwards, 16, a junior Auto Tech III student, said the project piqued his interest from the start. "Most of the stuff we would do in this class would be things like oil changes and general maintenance," Edwards said. "This was a real learning experience because I have never pulled an engine out of a car and I definitely never thought about making a car run off of four batteries. It has been great because most auto tech students don't get this kind of hands-on experience." Junior Eric Romero, 17, agreed, noting that getting a head start on working with battery-powered vehicles will be beneficial to him as he pursues a career in the automotive industry where they are becoming more common. Bowen said the class plans to undertake similar projects in the future, including the conversion of a pickup truck. Anyone willing to pay for parts related to the conversion can get the work done by future classes, he said. "The guys will tell you it is not really a hard process at all," Bowen said. "But I think it is something they have really enjoyed and learned a lot from." Information from: The Daily Reflector, http://www.reflector.com  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| McLaren Automotive Introduces the McLaren MP4-12C - The Auto Chanel Posted: 08 Sep 2009 10:11 PM PDT • The first in a range of high performance sports cars from the home of the world's most successful racing car company • McLaren MP4-12C set to re-write the rules of sports car design through Formula 1-inspired engineering, revolutionary chassis architecture, and absolute focus on efficiency • Legendary McLaren F1 inspires concept; 21st century demands drive McLaren MP4-12C execution • McLaren MP4-12C represents 'pure McLaren'; from unique engineering to bespoke design where everything is for a reason SURREY, England - September 9, 2009: The McLaren MP4-12C is revealed as the first in a range of high-performance sports cars from McLaren Automotive, the independent car division based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. The 12C, and future models within the range, will challenge the world's best sports cars, benefiting from the expertise and virtuosity of the McLaren Group.Twenty years of sports car design, engineering and production combined with inspirational success in Formula 1 have driven Ron Dennis, McLaren Automotive Chairman, to announce his plans for the ultimate line-up of technology-led and customer-focused performance cars for the 21st century. The rules in the sports car world are about to be re-written. Through a rich modern history, McLaren's automotive division has already built the world's most critically acclaimed supercar, the McLaren F1 (1993-1998) and the world's best-selling luxury supercar, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (2003-2009). McLaren Automotive now looks to the future with a new range of revolutionary sports cars. "It is a long-held dream of mine to launch a range of high performance sports cars that set new standards in the industry," said Dennis. "We began designing and building cars for aficionados of thoroughbred sports cars almost 20 years ago. Incorporating the leading edge technologies that the McLaren Group has built up within its various companies, I believe we are now perfectly placed to open up this new chapter in McLaren's history as well as play a part in the regeneration of high-tech manufacturing in the UK and global automotive environment," he concluded. At its heart, the McLaren MP4-12C features a revolutionary carbon fibre chassis structure, the Carbon MonoCell: the first time a car in this market segment is based around such a strong and lightweight racing car engineering solution and the first time any car has ever featured a one-piece carbon fibre structure. This step change in sports car design means that the 12C introduces new standards not just in handling, ride and outright performance, but also safety, economy and practicality in an already competitive sector. Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal of McLaren's racing team highlighted the integral part that McLaren's motorsport and road car experience played in developing the 12C: "McLaren has for years offered a potent mix of race car and road car technologies. This combination of McLaren's performance heritage, and future demands on what is expected of high performance sports cars in the 21st century, gave us a head-start when we embarked on this project. The 12C, and future variants, draws on the spirit of Formula 1 and delivers real-world technological advances." The first car from the new company, the McLaren MP4-12C, is a high performance two-seat mid-engine model in the 'core' sports car market segment for cars costing between 125,000 and 175,000. The 12C is pure McLaren, featuring no carryover parts from any other car, and will be produced by McLaren in the UK. It goes on sale through a dedicated, worldwide retailer network in early 2011. "McLaren is already a car maker with maturity and experience, having produced iconic cars such as the F1," said Antony Sheriff, McLaren Automotive Managing Director. "The next step was to construct a range of pure McLaren high performance sports cars that are true to the company's philosophy and reflect our position as an absolute technology and performance leader. So, when we embarked on the 12C project, we wanted to re-write the rules of sports car design. Indeed, the 12C offers performance and technology that exceeds that of the world's most expensive and sophisticated supercars, while competing in a much more accessible market segment. And to achieve this result, we designed every component from scratch to meet the extreme goals of the 12C and avoid any compromise." "Forget what you know about sports car companies, McLaren is different," he concluded.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| DENSO, Freescale and TRW Join Forces to Form Distributed System ... - FoxBusiness.com Posted: 08 Sep 2009 10:33 PM PDT TOKYO, Sep 09, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----DENSO Corporation, Freescale Semiconductor and TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. have joined together to form an industry consortium to drive further development and deployment of the Distributed Systems Interface (DSI) standard. DSI is the automotive industry's most widely adopted bus standard used to connect remotely placed sensors to the main airbag electronic control unit (ECU) in automobiles. The consortium will actively seek broader industry participation to enhance the capability of bus systems, while also expanding the range of applications beyond automotive and into industrial control and networking. Consortium members will be free to use the DSI standard and will be able to influence the development of future generations of the DSI standard. "With the establishment of this consortium, we expect acceleration in the development of advanced competitive DSI standards that have higher performances and lower costs, as well as help expand the DSI standard in the market," said Mitsuhiko Masegi, DENSO's managing officer responsible for the Information & Safety Systems Business Group. With this announcement, the DSI Consortium unveils DSI 2.5, the next-generation standard. The consortium will also work to develop the DSI 3.0 standard, which will aim to increase bus performance such as electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) signature and transmission speed. The DSI protocol has been adopted by the world's leading supplemental restraint system (SRS) airbag manufacturers. Currently, more than a dozen automotive OEMs have included DSI-based systems in their vehicles. DSI-compliant products have been in production for many years. Demand for airbag-related systems is driven by legislation, consumer influences and automotive growth in emerging markets. "As automotive airbag systems continue to become more sophisticated and require more collision detection sensors, car manufacturers face pressures to reduce cost while enhancing safety," said Tom Deitrich, senior vice president and general manager of Freescale's RF, Analog and Sensors Group. "This consortium will enable implementers of the DSI safety bus to participate in the evolution of the standard and to continue providing robust, high-speed communications for the growing number of collision sensors planned to be used in new vehicles." "As a global leader in the development of active and passive safety systems, TRW looks forward to the further development of advanced network protocols and is already at work on enhanced future generations for DSI," said Martin Thoone, vice president of TRW Electronics Engineering. To learn more about the DSI Consortium, membership requirements and to gain access to the latest specifications, product links, application notes and contacts, visit www.dsiconsortium.org. About Denso Corporation DENSO Corporation, headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, is a leading global supplier of advanced technology, systems and components. Its customers include all the world's major carmakers. Worldwide, the company employs approximately 120,000 people in 32 countries and regions, including Japan. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009 totalled US$32.0 billion. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.globaldenso.com, or visit our media website at www.densomediacenter.com. About Freescale Semiconductor Freescale Semiconductor is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial and networking markets. The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations around the world. www.freescale.com. About TRW With 2008 sales of $15.0 billion, TRW Automotive ranks among the world's leading automotive suppliers. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, USA, TRW, through its subsidiaries, operates in 26 countries and employs approximately 60,000 people worldwide. TRW Automotive products include integrated vehicle control and driver assist systems, braking systems, steering systems, suspension systems, occupant safety systems (seat belts and airbags), electronics, engine components, fastening systems and aftermarket replacement parts and services. All references to "TRW Automotive" or "TRW" in this press release refer to TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. (NYSE: TRW) and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated. TRW Automotive news is available on the internet at www.trw.com.. Freescale and the Freescale logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. (C) Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 2009. SOURCE: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. DENSO Corporation Goro Kanemasu, (81-5) 6625-5594 goro_kanemasu@denso.co.jp or Freescale Semiconductor Americas Jack Taylor, 512-996-5161 jack.taylor@freescale.com or Lois Paul & Partners Travis Williams, 512-638-5315 travis_williams@lpp.com or Freescale Semiconductor Asia-Pacific Gloria Shiu, (85-22) 666-8237 gloria.shiu@freescale.com or Europe, Middle East and Africa Laurent Massicot, (33-16) 935-7712 laurent.massicot@freescale.com or India Anjali Srivastava, (91-120) 395-0000 anjali.srivastava@freescale.com Japan Masako Tanikawa, (81-3) 5437-9128 masako.tanikawa@freescale.com or TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. John Wilkerson , 734-855-3864 john.wilkerson@trw.com Copyright Business Wire 2009  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Freescale Provides Embedded Intelligence for Takata SafeTraK Lane ... - PR Inside Posted: 08 Sep 2009 10:54 PM PDT 2009-09-09 08:02:04 -
Freescale Semiconductor is providing the processing intelligence behind a next-generation lane departure warning (LDW) system introduced by Takata Corporation, a leading global supplier of automotive safety systems. Designed for the commercial trucking industry and use in heavy trucks, the SafeTraK 3 LDW system uses advanced monocular vision technology to help reduce highway accidents related to driver error, fatigue and inattention. The SafeTraK LDW system features a monocular camera mounted on the truck's windshield to monitor lane markings. The system alerts the driver with an audible warning if the vehicle is veering into another lane or if there's any degraded or erratic driving behavior within the lane. Freescale collaborated with Takata in the development of the monocular system, providing critical microelectronic components. The system incorporates Freescale's 16-bit S12 microcontroller (MCU) and an MCZ33810 analog output driver IC. Takata's SafeTraK 3 system is in production now and shipping to leading heavy truck manufacturers and fleet operators worldwide."We've designed our new SafeTraK 3 system to address the majority of fatal crash types involving driver fatigue and other instances where drivers fail to stay in their lane," said Dave Martin, SafeTraK account manager at Takata Electronics. "Collaborating with Freescale and using their advanced silicon technology has made our latest lane departure warning system even more robust, providing truck drivers with an additional safety control measure designed to help save lives." "Freescale is committed to developing automotive electronics solutions that help enhance driver safety, reduce crash risks and avert life-threatening accidents," said Steve Nelson, manager of global automotive marketing at Freescale Semiconductor. "Takata's SafeTraK system based on Freescale's robust silicon technology will be a welcome safety feature for commercial trucks around the world." The SafeTraK 3 System is designed to meet stringent automotive and commercial truck performance standards and certifications, such as IS0 14001, ISO 9001/2000 and TS 16949. SafeTraK 3 systems are shipped to customers only after all of the industry certification and testing criteria are met.
About the Freescale S12XEQ512 MCU Freescale's S12XEQ512 device is a scalable, flexible MCU built on Freescale's 16-bit architecture for automotive body electronics and driver convenience applications. Freescale has shipped more than 300 million S12/S12X MCUs to date. S12 MCUs are widely used in body, chassis and safety applications, as well as in cost-sensitive engine control designs. The MCZ33810EKR2 analog IC is an 8-channel output driver IC intended for automotive applications. The IC consists of four integrated low-side drivers and four low-side gate pre-drivers. The low-side drivers are suitable for driving fuel injectors, solenoids, lamps and relays. The four gate pre-drivers can function either as ignition IGBT gate pre-drivers or as general-purpose MOSFET gate pre-drivers. The MCZ33810 is designed to operate over the range of 4.5 V ≤ VPWR ≤ 36 V and interfaces directly to the MCU using 3.3 V/5V SPI protocol. To learn more about Freescale's automotive semiconductor solutions, visit www.freescale.com/automotive : To learn more about the Takata SafeTraK system, visit www.safetrak.takata.com :
About Takata Takata Corporation, one of the world's leading suppliers of automotive safety belts and airbag modules, has a long history of safety innovation and provides a host of safety technologies with the goal of protecting human life. The company's product portfolio includes seat belts, front and side-impact airbag modules, steering wheels, safety electronics, interior trim and textiles. www.takata.com :
About Freescale Semiconductor Freescale Semiconductor is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial and networking markets. The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations around the world. www.freescale.com :
Reader Inquiry Response Freescale Semiconductor Takata CorporationAlby Berman, 248-475-2413 alby.berman@takata.com : mailto:alby.berman@takata.com orFreescale  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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