Category Archives: milestones

Daimler and Bosch Target San José for Automated Ride-Hailing

Daimler, Bosch and San José have signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue this test. Using automated Mercedes-Benz S-Class vehicles, Daimler will offer the service to a selected users in the San Carlos/Stevens Creek corridor between downtown and west San José. With its population expected to grow 40% in the next two decades, the metropolitan area faces growing transportation challenges. Continue reading

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Amazon Free Shipping has High Negative Costs

Ads say that candidates must have the “ability to lift, bend, reach above the head, kneel, crouch, and/or stretch during shifts up to 12 hours long.” Continue reading

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2019 Toyota Mirai Brings Real Power

“Mirai means ‘future’ in Japanese and that’s where this technology will take us,” claimed Ed Laukes, group vice president, marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “The new marketing campaign shows how Mirai gives drivers the power to move the world forward with the touch of a button.” Continue reading

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Distracted Dining? Buick Adds Yelp

Marketplace, claimed to be the industry’s first in-vehicle commerce platform, is one more way Buick is using connectivity to enhance vehicles and create new and convenient “customer experiences,” if you are willing to give up your privacy and have your personal data sold for the profit of other organizations. Continue reading

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Parker Solar Probe – First Close Flyby of Our Sun Today

Parker Solar Probe’s four sets of scientific measurement instruments are on and collecting as it works under extreme conditions that no automotive engineer has ever faced. Continue reading

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Toyota to Start New Car Subscription Service in Japan

Toyota wants to change from an automobile manufacturing company into – what else – a mobility company that offers a range of services to society of the future. Until now, Toyota has strengthened alliances between Toyota Group companies and other automobile manufacturers and new companies offering mobility services to create partnerships. The next steps are murky. Continue reading

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Detroit’s Michigan Central Station Haunted for Halloween

Ford and its community partners today hosted a Halloween event at Michigan Central Station, one of Detroit’s most neglected landmarks, for 800 neighborhood residents and Ford employees. From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., the interior of the long-vacant train station had spooky kids’ activities, trick-or-treating stations, live music, and decorations. Continue reading

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Nishitetsu, Toyota to Test Multi-modal Mobility Service

The so-called my route provides shop and event information while allowing users to search, book, and pay for transport, offering a single mobility-focused application with integrated functions, with the aim of supporting smooth movement in Fukuoka City, helping support “the city’s vibrancy.” Continue reading

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Walmart and Advance Auto Parts to Launch Specialty Store

The new specialty store will complement Walmart’s automotive offering of common parts and accessories online and in stores, including an extensive assortment of tire, lube and battery services in more than 2,500 Walmart Auto Care Centers across the country. Launching in phases over the coming year, the specialty store will also feature a variety of Advance’s “value-added content and product information.” Continue reading

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Governor Brown, Attorney General Becerra, CARB Chair Nichols to Demand Trump Administration Withdraw Proposal to Eliminate National Clean Car Standards Today

The state will also release its formal analysis and comments on the federal proposal, showing it is riddled with errors and based on faulty assumptions, incorrect modeling, cherry-picked data and a fundamental misunderstanding of consumer behavior. It will also note that the current, achievable standards save consumers money, prevent serious health issues and help curb harmful carbon emissions. Continue reading

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Roll by Goodyear Another Way to Buy and Install Tires

Roll by Goodyear was designed – it appears – as a defensive move to counter the onslaught of internet shopping and informed, mobile consumers. Goodyear said it conducted pre-market testing for Roll and the results were favorable across all demographics, particularly with millennials. Continue reading

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Volkswagen Group China Builds First Factory for EV Modules

The VW Group’s first factory specifically designed for the so-called MEB platform (it’s a modular EV drive adaptable to multiple models) is now under construction in Anting. The first vehicle that will be produced in the factory of SAIC Volkswagen is a Volkswagen Brand SUV in 2020. Together with the FAW-Volkswagen factory in Foshan, which opened this summer, SAIC Volkswagen’s plant will begin to produce e-cars on the MEB platform directly after the first worldwide MEB-production starts in Zwickau, Germany. Continue reading

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Ford Motor Creates Stand-Alone China Business to Stop Loses in Its Latest Asia Pacific Shakeup

The timing seems odd as Ford is entering a busy period of product renewal in China, including the current high-volume launches of the Ford Territory, Ford Focus and Ford Escort. It’s part of Ford China’s commitment to launch 50 new vehicles by 2025. Continue reading

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Foundation in at Hockenheimring Porsche Experience Center

The first Porsche Experience Center opened on the factory grounds in Leipzig in 2002. It was followed by Silverstone (UK, 2008), Atlanta (USA, 2015), Le Mans (France, 2015), and Los Angeles (USA, 2016). A new center in Shanghai (China) was added in April 2018. Continue reading

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Mercedes-Benz Construction for U.S. Battery Factory Underway

The new production site for batteries – along with the new Consolidation Center – is located seven miles from the Mercedes-Benz Cars vehicle production site in Tuscaloosa. The Consolidation Center, also part of a 2017 investment announcement, will consist of three major areas, including the body parts preparation area, the assembly parts preparation area and the empties storage. It is expected to be operational next year in 2019. Continue reading

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