Automotive Industry News – All The Hottest Developments
Ben Pate
Despite the current decline in the global economy, there is a buzz in automotive industry news. The slowing economic environment often pulls all the public’s attention away from many exciting new developments and prospects. One growing sector to keep an eye on is the development of greener transport.
With growing global concerns about the effect of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions, consumers are consistently changing their mindset. The global paradigm is migrating towards vehicles with higher efficiency and a smaller carbon footprint, but without sacrificing standards such as safety and performance. For many, an eco-friendly future for transport can be realized with the emerging electric vehicle market.
Electric vehicle models have sparked excitement among many owing to their low emissions and safe designs, making the perfect as short commute city cars. Several new models have already been released in the States, Europe and Japan, with many more in production. There are, however, a few downsides to EV models that will hinder their success for at least a few years, such as cost and lack of infrastructure.
Fortunately, the industry is still very promising and by all appearances electric is set to replace fossil fuels, just not in the next few years. A stepping stone, currently soaring in the markets, is the hybrid. While this is not new technology, much progress has been made and sales have jumped drastically in the past few years as consumers attempt to “green up”. The hybrid offers good fuel economy without any performance loss, as well as a good range. It seems as though it will be a great facilitator in steering the industry away from fossil fuel dependency.
In terms of safety, a whole host of high tech developments have been made. Vehicles are now being fitted with new innovations, such as adaptive cruise control and collision detection, which use technologies such as radar and sensors. Even old safety standards, airbags and anti-lock braking, are being upgraded.
Look out for occupant sensitive airbags, which take into account the weight, size and position of the passenger. Look out for emergency brake assist, which works to apply breaks quicker and to mitigate collisions. There’s even the simple idea of tire pressure monitors, which let you know if levels are dropping too low.
If the safety features were impressive, then the gadgets the latest models are equipped with are outstanding. A whole range of different extras make the driving experience that much more than the norm. For example, are your headlights not helping? Switch to night vision. Your teenage son or daughter finally earned a license? Keep them safe by digitally monitoring and controlling their maximum speed. Is that map-book tiresome to look through? Use the latest in GPS, which now provides step by step instructions and, with some designs, real-time traffic updates.
Out of all the Automotive Industry News, these are but a few of the hottest developments. It’s important that people see past the temporary financial problems and take note of the silver lining mentioned in the News On The Automotive Industry.
Dennis Kucinich talks about GM and China on Fox 06/01/09 Dennis Kucinich is a Congressman from the 10th district in Ohio