EU
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Battery cells are poised to become the most important component in future vehicles as the industry moves away from internal-combustion engines and toward battery-electric vehicles. With an increased demand for battery packs, battery cell production will be paramount, and the European Union plans to address its competitive disadvantage. The EU announced a battery cell alliance to build battery cells for future vehicle and technology applications. Maroš Šefčovic, EU Commission vice president in charge of the Energy Union, led the announcement and said Europe must act swiftly to...
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EU Considering Banning Combustion Cars From Cities By 2050Can you imagine a future--thirty-nine years from now--where there are no engines humming, no exhaust smells, no car sounds of any kind in the city except the presumably Jetsons-like beeping of EVs? The European Commission, the governing body of the European Union, can, and it has a transportation...
Nelson Ireson -
UK auto aid approved by EU, now accepting bids for share of £2.3 billion
The weak economy knows no borders, rampaging across the globe taking its toll in lost jobs and bankruptcies. The car industry in particular is no stranger to this strife, and some might say Great Britain's carmakers most of all, considering their rocky history. In late January UK Business Secretary...
Nelson Ireson -
Germany's interior minister suggests insolvency may be best bet for Opel
Saturn is expected to go its own way, Pontiac is being pared down, Hummer is up for sale and Saab has already announced it will be seeking independence. General Motors' brand hemorrhage continued last week with the announcement that Opel will be spun off from the brand as well, with a potential...
Ralph Hanson -
Ferrari confirms 599 hybrid prototype in testing
Governments around the world are bowing to public pressure to reduce greenhouse gases, and more often than not the first sector they look at is the auto industry. The European Council has proposed a ruling that could see carmaker’s forced to limit their fleet average CO2 levels to 130g/km by...
James Martinez -
Toyota renting ships to store unsold cars
Strange times are on the car industry, perhaps none stranger than what's facing Toyota right now with its European inventory backlog. Short of storage space for cars that are unsold in the EU, Toyota has taken to floating the cars just off the shore of Sweden in a rented container ship. The...
Alex Kaufmann -
Europe's Office for Harmonization of the Internal Market (OHIM) maintains a trademark database that helps to ensure a minimum of conflict and easy filing for claims. That same database also lets slip basic sketches of car designs before their official unveiling on a regular basis, and this time the Nissan 370Z Roadster gets its unofficial debut. Though the simple line drawings reveal nothing in terms of materials, the key details of profile, function and outline are all present. The last-generation 350Z Roadster was often criticized for its top-up looks, with a soft top that looked like a...
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Volvo launches research project to map driver behavior
As advanced as cars are becoming in terms of safety aids, nothing can make up for a skillful, attentive driver behind the wheel - yet, at least. Volvo has launched a research program to study how normal drivers react to tough traffic situations in the hopes of improving their cars' safety. The data...
Alex Kaufmann -
European Parliament agrees to looser CO2 rules
In September, a committee in the European Parliament proposed easing the carbon dioxide emissions rules previously set to phase in over the next several years, and today the proposal was approved. The modifications require only 65% of manufacturer fleets to meet the strict 130g/km targets in 2012...
Nelson Ireson -
European Commission proposes €5 billion aid package for auto industry
The European Commission has reportedly given its stamp of approval to a large aid package to help the struggling European economy, with at least €5 billion earmarked for the automotive industry. In total, the proposed package will encompass €200 billion for a number of sectors of the...
Alex Kaufmann -
EU considering three year delay of 120g/km CO2 limit
The European Union is ready to abandon its long-established goal of cutting carbon dioxide limits for new vehicles to 120g/km by 2012. Under a proposal introduced during negotiations between nations in the EU late last week, the 120g/km limit originally set for 2012 would be pushed back to 2015, a...
Kenneth Hall -
EU considering incentive program to scrap older cars
The European commission put forward a proposal on Wednesday to introduce a scheme to offer motorists incentives to scrap their old cars in order to boost sales of new fuel-efficient models. The latest proposal is just one of a number of government backed schemes being considered to help carmakers...
Alex Kaufmann -
As the EU ramps up its Intelligent Car Initiative, more and more carmakers are coming forward with car-to-car communications systems and advanced collision avoidance systems to help guide traffic and reduce accidents. Nissan's system is among the latest to be displayed, coming on the heels of a similar system shown by General Motors this week. Nissan's system, dubbed 'Intelligent Transport System', combines a cellular communications with vehicle telematics to help avert pedestrian-related accidents. The unique pedestrian focus makes sense in major urban environments where there is as much...
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EU announces plan for mandatory daytime running lights by 2011
The European Commission has announced plans to make it mandatory for all new cars to be fitted with daytime running lights (DRLs) as standard from 2011, and on trucks and buses one and a half years later. Despite widespread opposition from carmakers, the issue was raised once again on the back of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran
