Category Archives: engineering

Kia EV4 Sedan Debuts in New York

Posted on 17 April 2025 by Ken Zino

Kia America has unwrapped the all-new 2026 EV4 sedan at the New York International Auto Show. The compact EV4 is Kia’s first global EV sedan. It’s based on a 400V Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which underpins multiple EV models from Kia. How a sedan performs in an EV market dominated by CUVs and SUVs remains to be seen. The U.S. launch of Kia EV4 expected early 2026. Trim Levels, options and pricing among other variables are subject to the unpredictable whims of Trump tariff decrees of course.

“The EV4 makes all-electric ownership accessible for those customers who are seeking a more practical and affordable option on the EV landscape while still desiring an advanced, technology-driven in-car experience,” said Steven Center, COO & EVP, Kia America. Continue reading →

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Annals of Marketing – McMurtry Upside Down Spéirling

Posted on 11 April 2025 by Ken Zino

McMurtry Automotive said today that it has driven its record-breaking Spéirling hyper track car upside down. Proprietary Downforce-on-DemandTM fan system enabled the upside-down driving stunt. Customer deliveries of all-electric hypercar are scheduled for 2026; with 100 to be made. The specific car used was the McMurtry Spéirling PURE Validation Prototype 1 (VP1).

“That was just a fantastic day in the office! Strapping in and driving inverted was a completely surreal experience. The 2000kg of downforce that the fan system can generate is truly astonishing to experience and it’s great to show the reason why our Spéirling continues to take records around the world,” Said Thomas Yates, Co-founder & Managing Director of McMurtry Automotive. Continue reading →

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Nissan Launches Next Gen Autonomous Drive in FY 27

Posted on 10 April 2025 by Ken Zino

Nissan (7201T and NSANY ADR) said today it will launch the next generation of autonomous driving technology in the Japanese fiscal year of 2027 (1 April 2026 and ends on 31 March 2028).*

“The system, featuring Nissan Ground Truth Perception technology with next-generation Lidar and Wayve AI Driver software, will set a new standard for autonomous driving with advanced collision avoidance capability,” Nissan claimed. Continue reading →

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Michigan Governor Whitmer Offers Sensible Tariff Fixes

Posted on 9 April 2025 by Ken Zino

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer today delivered her “Build, America, Build” speech in Washington D.C. Simply put, it was a plan to show both parties and federal officials how to build America’s manufacturing might, increase jobs, invest in people and protect our national defense. It was based on Whitmer’s proven approach – work with friends and compete against adversaries.

“Before we dig in to my proposals today, I need to acknowledge what’s going on with tariffs. I’m not going to sugarcoat it… these last few days have been tough for Michigan. 20% of our economy is tied to the auto industry, which depends on a steady flow of goods from our largest and closest trading partners. We’re home to THE busiest international border crossing in North America. More than 10,000 vehicles carrying parts and materials cross the bridge between Detroit and Windsor every weekday. Continue reading →

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BMW North America Recalls 2025 xDrive Models

Posted on 7 April 2025 by Ken Zino

BMW of North America is recalling more than 4000 model year 2025 330i, 330i xDrive, 530i, 530i xDrive, 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive), 4 Series Convertible (430i, 430i xDrive), 4 Series Gran Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive) and X3 30 xDrive vehicles. The electrical connection between the Chinese-made starter-generator and battery may come loose. The supplier is Shanghai Valeo Auto-Elec System Company.

“This safety recall involves the power connector component of the starter- generator which may not have been produced by the supplier according to specifications. During the supplier production process, a gap could form at the connector location. If a gap exists, this could cause a loose connection between the connector and the positive battery cable (or wiring harness). As a result, resistive heating could start to occur,” BMW said in the required safety defect recall filing made public this morning by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading →

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More Ford Motor Recalls – Fires, Power Loss, Seat Belts

Posted on 7 April 2025 by Ken Zino

Numerous Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) recalls covering a wide variety of serious Ford and Lincoln brand safety defects were publicly released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this morning. Continue reading →

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Honda R&D to Test Life-Support Systems in Space

Posted on 4 April 2025 by Ken Zino

Honda today announced plans to test its high-differential pressure water electrolysis system at the International Space Station (ISS) in collaboration with space and technology companies Sierra Space and Tec-Masters.

“The project is part of Honda’s vision for a regenerative fuel cell system that could provide advanced energy storage capable of supporting human life on the lunar surface,” Honda said. Continue reading →

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Toyota Top Automaker Again in U.S. Patent Rankings

Posted on 2 April 2025 by Ken Zino

For the 11th consecutive year, Toyota (NYSE: TM) has obtained more patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office than any other automotive company, according to the annual report by the Intellectual Property Owners Association. Toyota also remains in the top 10 among all patent recipients with 2428 U.S. patents in 2024. Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls Improperly Fixed Explorer Recalls

Posted on 31 March 2025 by Ken Zino

Explorer vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under NHTSA recall numbers 23V-199 or 22V-255. The rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect. This is another Ford Motor recall caused by software errors and its inability to ascertain if the prior recall was implemented correctly. Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls Previous Bronco and Escape Fire Recalls

Posted on 31 March 2025 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: Ford) is recalling ~34,000 model-year 2020-2022 Escape and 2021-2023 Bronco Sport vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under NHTSA recall numbers 22V-859 or 24V-187. A fuel injector may crack and leak fuel inside the engine compartment risking a fire. It’s the latest in a growing series of Ford recalls that were not properly repaired the first time because of software programming errors, requiring a recall of the recall, so to speak. Continue reading →

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Porsche Adding Wider Range of Apps and Services

Posted on 28 March 2025 by Ken Zino

Porsche AG (P911.DE) said this week that  it is optimizing its hardware for improved performance so that its App center offers  a wider range of services, including Dolby Atmos® for an immersive sound,  the integration of the Amazon Alexa® voice assistant among other things. It will also be offering Porsche Connect at no charge for 10 years on the purchase of new Porsche models. Thus Porsche known for its automotive performance technology is finally updating its digital age technology.*

“With the start of the new model year, the 911, Taycan, Panamera and Cayenne model series will benefit from significant improvements in infotainment technology and an expanded range of new functions in this area,” Porsche said. Continue reading →

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GMC 2026 Sierra EV – Bring Money

Posted on 27 March 2025 by Ken Zino

GMC (NYSE: GM) today introduced the 2026 Sierra EV with a wide range of trims, capability, and battery configurations, giving customers more choice than in an electric GMC pickup due in showrooms this summer. The premium Elevation and offroad AT4 trims join the Denali to complete a lineup that now has a starting MSRP of $64,495 including $2095 DFC. The top of the line AT4 will start at an MSRP of $81,395. Continue reading →

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Aston Martin Debuts Vanquish Volante

Posted on 25 March 2025 by Ken Zino

Aston Martin in Gaydon today announced the arrival of the new Vanquish Volante. It is the fastest, most powerful open top (convertible in Brit speak – AutoCrat) series production Aston Martin to date. It shares with the coupe the claim as the fastest, most powerful front-engine production car on sale today. Continue reading →

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Renesas Electronics Shows New Bluetooth Chip

Posted on 25 March 2025 by Ken Zino

Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) today introduced a new Bluetooth chip that combines a radio transceiver, an Arm® M0+ micro-controller, memory, peripherals and security features in a compact SoC (system on a chip) design.*

“The DA14533, the first automotive-qualified device in the company’s Bluetooth® Low Energy system-on-chip (SoC) family, includes advanced power management features to simplify system integration and reduce power consumption,” Renesas said. Continue reading →

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Ford Motor Recalls another Previous Recall

Posted on 24 March 2025 by Ken Zino

“According to Ford’s records certain 2020 – 2023 model year Ford Explorer, 2020 -2023 Lincoln Aviator, and 2020 – 2022 Lincoln Corsair vehicles did not have the remedy for Safety Recall 23S23 / 23V342 installed correctly but were recorded as having the repair successfully completed. Because the correct software update remedy may not be installed on the vehicle, the underlying condition specified in Safety Recall 23S23 / 23V342 may still exist, and customers may intermittently experience either a rear camera blue image or a full blue or black image on the SYNC screen when the vehicle is placed in reverse, or when the 360-degree view is selected and available during low- speed operation,” Ford said in the required safety defect recall filing made public this morning by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading →

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