2011 North American Car of the Year Candidates Selected
Twenty-seven new cars were eligible for the 2011 North American Car of the Year award. Last week jurors voted on those they thought deserved additional consideration or what is known as the “short list.” That narrowed the field to 14 semi-finalist cars, which will be on the ballot in December.
Fuel Systems Solutions Closes EvoTek Acquisition
Fuel Systems will integrate EvoTek into its IMPCO U.S. automotive division.
Dayco Expands Global Presence with Brazilian Acquisition
According to Dayco, this new acquisition verifies that the company has emerged from its business restructuring stronger than ever.
Executive interview with Ed Rammel, Vice President of Marketing, Dayco Products Inc.
Ed Rammel is the vice president of marketing for Dayco Products LLC. In this capacity, he is responsible for all marketing activities for the automotive aftermarket including, product management, sales administration, purchasing, product research and development, cataloging, communications, sales automation and intellectual properties. In today’s Executive Interview, Rammel speaks about technology in the aftermarket, data standards and association initiatives like OptiCat and the SEMA Data Pool.
SSBC Selects Talking Pictures from Solenium Group for Catalog Management and Publishing
Performance brake system manufacturer and supplier adopts Talking Pictures for efficient, centralized catalog management and publishing.
American Axle & Manufacturing Forms Joint Venture with Saab
The new company, e-AAM Driveline Systems AB (e-AAM), will engineer, develop and commercialize electric all-wheel-drive (e-AWD) and hybrid driveline systems for passenger cars and crossover vehicles.
Eaton and Murphy Oil USA Team Up to Expand Electric Vehicle Charging Network
The collaboration will attempt to address the “range anxiety” electric vehicle drivers (and potential EV drivers) currently face due to the limited availability and visibility of installed and operating charging stations. The demonstration project will include Murphy Oil USA’s installation and use of Eaton’s DC Quick Chargers.
Volkswagen Group Expands North American Investment with New Engine Plant
Strengthening the market position of the Volkswagen Group in North America is an essential component of the company’s global expansion strategy, VW noted. The company is planning sales of 1 million vehicles in the U.S. annually by 2018.
Three Teams Awarded Share of $10 Million Purse in Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE for Super Fuel-Efficient Vehicles
The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE was launched in 2008 to inspire a new generation of viable, safe and super fuel-efficient vehicles capable of achieving 100 miles per gallon or the energy equivalent (MPGe). Now, after nearly 30 months of vehicle and business plan development, on-track testing at Michigan International Speedway, including dynamic safety testing by partner Consumer Reports, and laboratory verification at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Lab, three vehicles were selected as winners.
Pittsburgh Glass Works to Build New Auto Glass Manufacturing Facility in Poland
The new facility’s manufacturing focus will be on high-technology, high-content windshields with full surface control that meet the needs of the European premium vehicle market. This segment currently accounts for approximately 60 percent of European auto production.