By: Gary S. Vasilash - January 16, 2019 at 11:13 AM
Masking tape has its genesis in the automotive body shop, back in the 1920s when an employee of 3M watched painters have difficultly removing the paper that they had affixed to vehicles to “mask” portions of the cars from the paint that was being applied.
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Automotive Engineering
By: Gary S. Vasilash - January 15, 2019 at 6:17 AM
The North American International Car, Truck and Utility (NACTOY) Awards were presented at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday.
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Automotive Electronics
By: Gary S. Vasilash - January 14, 2019 at 6:18 AM
As fans of Mandrake the Magician will recall, he had the ability to “gesture hypnotically” and make things happen.
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Automotive Engineering
The New Explorer & Everything That’s Old Is. . .
By: Gary S. Vasilash - January 11, 2019 at 2:20 PM
As we await the sixth-generation 2020 Ford Explorer, it is interesting to note how there are some things coincident with its past and today. 2020 Ford Explorer The first two generations of the vehicle, which was launched in 1990, were based on the Ford Ranger platform. 2019 Ford Ranger The Ranger went out of production at the end of 2011.
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Automotive Materials
Mazda Steel Stamping Breakthrough
By: Gary S. Vasilash - January 11, 2019 at 8:24 AM
As vehicle manufacturers look for the ways to save mass in vehicle structures, the amount of advanced high-strength steels used is increasing.
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Automotive Powertrain
How to Make a Favorite SUV Even More Favorable: 2020 Ford Explorer
By: Gary S. Vasilash - January 10, 2019 at 1:22 PM
A remarkable thing about the Ford Explorer is that for so many years—it was introduced in 1990 as a ’91 model year vehicle—it has been rolling along with its three rows, often full of families, and nameplates tend not to have this sort of longevity, nor a vehicle such popularity.
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Automotive Materials
By: Gary S. Vasilash - January 10, 2019 at 6:45 AM
In 2008 BMW revealed a concept vehicle that was unusual in that the body panels weren’t made from steel, aluminum or composites but, rather, a fabric that was fitted over an underlying metal frame.
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Automotive Electronics
By: Gary S. Vasilash - January 09, 2019 at 6:52 AM
With the drive toward more technology in vehicles that must be kept up at a consumer electronics freshness pace, not the classic “let’s wait until the midcycle refresh” one, OEMs are faced with a variety of challenges, not the least of which is a financial one: How can they generate some revenue from tech?
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Automotive Electronics
By: Gary S. Vasilash - January 08, 2019 at 6:44 AM
While you might not think about Ducati, Ford and Audi in the same context (OK, they all provide vehicles, but there are differences between motorcycles, mass market vehicles and premium products) but the three companies were literally—or perhaps that should be digitally—linked together via C-V2X technology from Qualcomm.
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Automotive Engineering
Exceedingly Important Mobility
By: Gary S. Vasilash - January 07, 2019 at 10:20 AM
When people related to the auto industry talk about “mobility,” typically this has something to do with some ride hailing service or new logistics-based app.
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Automotive Powertrain
Engineering the Tesla Model 3. And More.
By: Gary S. Vasilash - January 07, 2019 at 6:15 AM
Generally, the people who do competitive benchmarking via comprehensive teardowns don’t become particularly well known.
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Automotive Electronics
TRI to Launch New Automated Driving Test Vehicle
By: Gary S. Vasilash - January 03, 2019 at 2:08 PM
One of the advantages that the Toyota Research Institute (TRI) has in its pursuit of developing automated driving technology is that it is part of Toyota.
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