Getting Excited About Automotive Industry News

People involved with the cars need to stay current with the automotive industry news. Doing so ensures a cutting edge understanding of the new technologies, designs, and trends that bring about a greater success for the industry and a better value for the customer.

The first line of defense when something goes wrong with your car is your trusted mechanic. Your mechanic probably keeps up with the latest news regarding the automotive industry, not just because it is his livelihood, but because he knows that doing so will bring him greater success. A mechanic must be well informed in order to perform maintenance on the latest models and new technologies found in them.

The new technologies often come from prototypes or concept cars. These prototypes are to the automotive industry what the bikini edition is to Sports Illustrated. It’s the sexiest and most anticipated event of the year. Manufacturers get to show off their new designs and ideas for the future of the industry. Often times you’ll find both designer and general car enthusiasts that line the walls of the annual Detroit Auto Show or similar ones throughout the world. Sometimes these cars set the stage for upcoming cars such as the Chevrolet Volt, which has new “green” technologies that have been implemented in new and upcoming cars.

In addition to designer and enthusiasts being at these trade shows, you’ll find inventors and entrepreneurs. These are the folks that often times find ways to implement new technologies in a way that can be delivered to the general public. Such is the case with Tesla Motors, an entrepreneurial company that has found a way to make high performance cars that rival world renowned sports cars, all the while using electricity to power the car.

These people’s experience and jobs culminate in serving a very critical person, the consumer. It is after all you and I that drive the industry based on not only how many, but more importantly, what cars we buy. Before we begin our shopping, we should update ourselves based on the industry news and trends. This way we can be sure to get the most bang for our buck.

Clearly, where there is a consumer, there is a dealer. The dealerships must maintain a pulse on the industry trends in order to stock his lots with the cars that we want to buy. Otherwise he won’t be in the industry for long.

No matter what role we play in the industry we need to always be sure and keep up with the auto industry news, otherwise how will we be effective at what our role is? It is absolutely critical that we all stay informed. To do so we can: keep magazine subscriptions, attend trade shows, and read blogs and other information about the industry.

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Business Excellence in the Automotive Industry

Business excellence is an ideal that all good entrepreneurs strive to achieve.  In fact, many organizations are devoted to honoring those businesses that best exemplify this concept.  However, business excellence cannot be strictly defined.  Rather, it varies from one industry to another.  For example, in the automotive industry, business excellence includes customer commitment, quality control, efficient supply, and innovative management.

Leaders in the automotive industry understand the need to form a strong bond with customers.  Perhaps more than other sectors, consumers are more likely to make a decision regarding an automobile purchase based upon their experience with those in the industry.  Thus, entrepreneurs need to be concerned with two key features relating to customer commitment.  The first is meeting the needs of the consumer, financially and socially.  People need automobiles that meet their economic means.  This not only means getting a good initial purchase price, but also finding a vehicle that will require minimal repair and maintenance down the road.  Consumers also want to purchase automobiles that will not require excess money to be spent on fuel.  Therefore, business excellence includes finding more cost-efficient production and distribution processes, and subsequently passing these savings on to the consumer. 

The second aspect of customer commitment is meeting societal needs and desires.  This means staying informed of what vehicle features are most important to consumers.  Such information can be garnered using formal surveys and demographic research.  Once you understand the buyer, you are more capable of catering to him or her.  For example, people in some regions are especially concerned with the environmental impact of their purchases.  Thus, the automobile industry would need to show those people they are committed to using recycled materials and alternative fuels.  Additionally, many consumers want family vehicles that are safe and comfortable for children.  Therefore, excellent automobile entrepreneurs will focus their attention on crash test results and extra amenities.

In addition to customer commitment, business excellence must include exceptional quality control measures.  This means ensuring that automotive vehicles are safe and easy to maintain.  Appropriate testing should be undertaken for each new product model, and the results of these assessments need to be made public in a timely manner.  Additionally, individual dealerships should take care to ensure every vehicle is inspected prior to sale and stored under ideal conditions prior to purchase. 

Efficient supply is an aspect of business excellence that is frequently overlooked.  The balance between supply and demand is vital to the automotive industry.  Producing too many vehicles can lead to severely diminished profits.  It can also lead to a waste of resources that could have been better utilized for vehicles more likely to be purchased.  Meanwhile, a supply that is too short can cause companies to lose customers.  When an individual needs to purchase a vehicle, he or she may not be able to wait any extensive period for a desired product to come into supply.  As a result, they will simply find an alternative automobile to purchase.

Finally, business excellence in the automotive industry requires innovative management.  There are several parties involved in the manufacture and distribution of vehicles, and financial as well as labor resources need to be managed from the top down as well as controlled on a micro-level.  Thus, not only do large factories need to communicate with business executives and the dealerships that asses supply, but individual sales representatives need to be appropriately trained and supervised at each individual dealership.

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The 2009 Camaro An Automotive Revolution

As far as I can see the new 2009 Camaro concept car is being very well received in the automotive community, at the first a lot of people hemmed and hawed about one thing or another, just the same as I did. But after spending some time doing a little research on it, I discovered that the 2009 Camaro is a very well put together car for a concept car.At first I thought that it could use a few upgrades, but after thinking about it, there were a lot of Camaro fans putting in their two cents when Chevrolet took the Camaro out of production, in 2002, and I thought that Chevrolet had made a horrible mistake at the time.The result of a lot of people telling Chevrolet what they thought the new Camaro should be, has made it a real work of art, and I for one will give Chevrolet their kudos. They have put a lot of effort in to making the Camaro a car that most people could like, and if they didn’t at the first, then they’d get used to it.At SEMA the CEO of Chevrolet drove out in the new Camaro concept car, and their wasn’t a dry eye in the house, but the return of an icon will bring out the joy and happiness to a lot of people, when the big man spoke about the car he said: a few things would be changed at the time of release, but nothing major, he’d mentioned that, right now it has 22″ wheels on the rear end, and that will be changed to 20″ when the car is released.The front wheels are destined for a change also, for from 21″ to 20″, nothing that will be to noticeable, but it will help them save some money on the production of the car, he also said that there were going to be some changes in the interior also, they would change the center consol from stainless steel to plastic, in an effort to save money on the production.All this is supposed to keep the base price on the car down to the $20,000 range, and that says a lot for their efforts to sell their new cars, in this range almost anybody can afford to own one of them.The Camaro concept with it’s low slung stance, it has the look of a sports car, while still retaining it’s identity as a muscle car, Chevrolet has done brilliant work on this car, and will get one big “YAY” form this muscle car maniac.

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The Science of Automotive Designs

The automobile industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, specific attention is paid to the design of an automobile and the art of designing automobiles has a lot of science involved to it. Designers need to even look at the ergonomics when they are designing the appearance of a car. The people working on the design of a car are called automotive engineers. Normally, these people hold degrees in industrial design or transportation design.Developing the visual appearance and the overall aesthetics of the car is the major job criterion. It is further divided into exterior styling, interior styling and color and trim design. The design of the vehicle needs to be in harmony with all its functions and accessories. Exterior styling refers to the exterior shape, surfaces, proportions and the external design of the car. Virtual models are first created before the actual prototypes. The main purpose of interior styling is to provide maximum convenience and comfort to the passenger. The shape, proportion and surfaces are also important here. The instrumental panel, seats, doors, windows, dash board etc are fall under the broad category of interior styling. The color and trim design team is primarily responsible for researching, designing and developing all the colors and materials which will be used in the interior and exterior design of the vehicle. Often, these designs follow a particular theme or concept. With the advent of computers and technology, computer-aided design is used by graphic designers to design 3D models of cars.Historically, automotive design was not as significant as it is today. In 1924, a turning point occurred when General Motors decided to make annual model changes and urged the customers to develop a need to replace their car each year. Alfred P. Sloan Jr., the head of General Motors, referred to the strategy as dynamic obsolescence whereas critics slammed it as being planned obsolescence. Ford did not adopt this strategy and hence by 1931 General Motors outsold Ford. After that period the design of the car has acquired utmost importance in the eyes of a customer and car manufacturers constantly update models, even if the underlying function and design of the car remain the same.Along with the physics of the car and a need to be aerodynamically stable, car manufacturers also need to focus their attention on the psychology of the customer. When a powerful car is mentioned, the image of a sleek design with a low and wide base comes to the mind since many of the sports cars manufactured follow that general theme. However, we have internalized these notions and we tend to generalize along these lines. It is difficult for manufactures to go beyond these stereotypes and beyond the psychology of the mass audience to innovate greatly. Car manufactures are constantly looking for major innovation to cater to market differentiation. Concept cars are often produced as prototypes to judge the reaction of people. Many car manufacturers believe that a concept that lacks context is simply confusing so there is great interest in developing stories around concept cars to create popularity.

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Automotive ERP Solutions: Great Source of Earning

ERP is one of the necessary solutions tailored to meet the demands of the challenges of the automobile industry. The demand for the automobile industry is rising up. Thus, the industry holders have to manage with the huge customer base along with the strict compliance requirements, Tier 1, 2, and 3 automotive suppliers. Mostly every second automobile industry is struggling with the stringent needs of the customer and ERP software works as an incredible supporting feature.1. Tools supporting ISO 9001 and TS1649 standards.
2. Completely automated EDI processing
3. Warehouse management system (WMS) and the detailed labeling capabilities
4. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
5. Automatic VIN generatorAmazingly, as the research analysts says, a few successful industry is already using ERP software solutions for example it is fully approved by Honda of the North America, Inc to target the goals of the EDI requirements in multiple functional areas. The ERP software solutions help in the creating EDI templates and label creation, as well as creation of ASNs to evaluate software installation and supplier capability.Quality AssuredThe ERP solutions are deliberately equipped with the Quality Management system (QMS), which is a powerful solution that enables streamlined operations and also cut the cost of product. Right from the APQP to Gage R&R to SPC, your automotive quality requirements are fully covered so that you can move ahead with complete peace of mind.Technology steers uniform ManufacturingERP software solutions provide comprehensive support for lean manufacturing initiatives with features such as:1. Serialized label generation
2. Release control Management
3. Complete audit trails
4. Both eKanban and conventional Kanban Control support
5. Heijunka Scheduling
6. Sequence Management
7. Multidimensional sales forecasting and planning
8. Preventative/ predictive maintenance trackingAutomotive FocusAutomotive ERP software helps in a long-standing participant and upgrades with the extensive knowledge of the all automotive standards. It makes you to abreast of industry needs and drives the constant enhancement of leading-edge to perform with excellence, delivers real and show impressive results. In the present marketing scenario of the automotive industry, ERP solutions are a becoming as one of the basic necessities. With some of the eminent features, such as the supply of chain and quality management, EDI systems, Inventory forecasting, Full traceability and warranty management, financial management, lean manufacturing, electronic document management, engineering control management ERP solutions, makes your task pretty easier and lets you to enjoy the fruits ripen before its actual season.ConclusionAutomotive ERP systems bring a new touch to the present automotive industry. It provides the wide array of options for their challenges. By using this software one can tackle easily with some specific requirements such as automotive components and accessories manufacturers which will enable you to survive in the global market. With the automotive ERP, your will gather experience of centralized business along with efficient management. It also helps in cutting down cost and operating time. Hence, if you are planning to move to automotive industry, then have a look in this article, it will guide you with some best concept regarding automotive ERP.

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Sculpting in Automotive Art

If college students come home on spring break and tell their parents that they have decided to major in art and become a sculptor, many parents would be aghast. Their first thought would be how would they support themselves and next they would envision their child living at home forever. However, there are sculptors who are self-supporting and don’t fit into the ‘starving artist’ category. And one industry that employs sculptors is automotive manufacturing. The concept of clay modeling in automotive design began at General Motors seventy years ago. Today automotive sculptors combine the designer’s drawings with the engineer’s specifications to create a three dimensional model.Harvey Earl first introduced the idea of modeling sculptor’s clay to produce three-dimensional models. Clay was more workable than the plaster and wood used previously so it permitted more flexibility and creativity. So sculptors as well as illustrators and engineers became an integral part of an automotive design team. However, when automotive art emerged as a fine art genre, some of the sculptors left the industry and started to freelance.One of these is Steve Posson. Posson had majored in automotive design at the Art Center College of Design in California and did prototype bodywork for Jeep, Volvo and Renault. Now he has revived the ancient technique of lost wax casting to create bronze automotive sculptures. Lost wax is notable for capturing minute details. His sculptures usually feature people and scenery along with the automobile but still give an illusion of motion. He has exhibited his work at major shows such as the Pebble Beach Retro Auto, The Newport Beach Concours, the L.A. Roadsters Show, and The Grand National Roadster Show, to name a few. Steve also has many well-known corporate clients such as Petersen Automobile Museum, Ford Company, and Auto Aficionado Magazine.Greg Johnson became involved in automotive sculpture as a result of a career as an entrepreneur in the automotive collision business.Greg does both painting and sculpture. Greg’s sculptures are unique in that his materials are salvaged and wrecked auto parts that he reshapes and combines before applying an acrylic urethane finish. Greg uses the same acrylic urethane paints to create abstract paintings.Richard Pietruska is another widely recognized automotive sculptor. Richard’s career in art began early in his life. When he was in high school, he was a winner of the Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild competition that earned him a scholarship to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He received a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Design and a Master of Fine Arts from the Art Center College of Design.He now teaches at the Art Center College of Design in the Transportation and Product Design Department where he has been employed for the last thirty years. Richard’s students have included many of the top automotive designers in the world. Some of Richard’s work is whimsical such as his red and blue Viper salt and pepper shakers. He has also produced some non-sculpting art such as an interesting creation print and a Ferrari scroll. Richard recently received an invitation to the Automotive Fine Arts Society and is one of their newest members. The Society mounts two exhibitions each year to feature the work of their members.

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Electric Automotives and Their Future

BMW MegacityThe BMW’s megacity is going to be released in 2013. It is developed under BMW’s Project, its much better than a classic normal car. Its loaded with corrosion-proof aluminum car chassis, and the carbon traveler compartment and vigorous electric motor, with a focal point on its sustainability. We can also expect the BMW Megacity will still stay in car services for decades and the BMW’s cost a little for maintenance.Audi A1 e-tronAnother electric car Audi A1, basically developed on the bases of Germans manufacturing company, and it has also been described as a Mega City car. Like the car Chevy Volt and Vauxhall the Audi A1 is an extensive ranges EV. Only Audi A1 is the car which delivers you 31 miles in city traffic, where as another electric car will not be able to give you such a good mileage except Mazda. For 124 miles you have to recharge the Audi A1 in enough.Mazda 2Mazda are the newest car manufacturer for announcing the plans to follow a new emotional or electric car, which will be based on the car brands well-liked city car- the Mazda2. The Mazda has a electric range of 124 miles, which is identical Audi A1. The Japanese car maker imagines that the upcoming electric cars will be the traveler cars of the upcoming and the Mazda 2 car is the first one in edifice their EV information.Kia PopThe Kia POP car comes with the concept of hailed as a glimpse of the upcoming for EVs. With its better chrome colored, nice side windows pill shaped, and gull wing way car doors and its transparent dash really making it fantastic. The Kia Pop comes with the 68 PS/190 Nm electric motor and with lithium polymer of 18kwh and remaining its gel type battery made the Kia POP has an inspiring 98 to 10 average on road. The Kia’s car designer Gregory Guillaume from Europe has said that: I have this dream in my mind of a Kia POP sat at the illumination at a hard Paris connection with all these Vesper car riders that are waiting beside. Also there are no planning for putting the POP into production it is just likely it will encourage for a future look for the car developers in Japan.Ford FocusAccording to the new generation and features the ford is also going to release his Focus. The Ford Focus is the Britain’s most discussed car; it comes with the feature of few tongues wagging across the globe. The electric trim level of Ford’s focus is described by the company brand as it also completely and make it sure that it is the maintenance free car.

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The Green Luxury Car – Lincoln C Concept

Where have all the luxury cars gone?It seems as though nice cars have been put on the back burner while small, cheap cars take their place. There’s nothing wrong with small cheap cars, but there is something wrong with taking away the nice cars.Lincoln seems to have a solution to this. They call it the “C” Concept. It’s a completely green luxury car with the capacity to change how we think about automobiles – and is downright cool.The “C” gets its styling from the ever-so-popular box car design, but Lincoln has rounded it off quite a bit. On the exterior one might say that a VW New Beetle and a Chrysler PT Cruiser ran into a Lincoln Navigator and formed what we see as the “C”. On the interior, the Bladerunner-esque ergonomic seats make you want to take a nap while the panoramic instrument panel invites you back to the future. While you’re marveling at the design the “C” senses your presence and greets you with a customizable avatar that proceeds to go over your schedule with you and alerts you to any e-mails or text messages that you’ve received.Assuming you’ve cleaned up the mess you’ve made while you were drooling and decided to take the 1.6L EcoBoost powered vehicle for an environmentally friendly spin you’ll probably notice that your “C” winks at other “C”s that it comes across on the road. Just a little flash from the headlight closest to the other “C”.Here’s something for the audiophiles. Fingertip controls for GPS Navigation, Satellite Radio, MP3 Players, and Social Networking. Lincoln has yet to define social networking in this respect, but it will be interesting none the less.Hopefully this will be one car we’ll be “C”ing a lot of in the future.

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Unique Oil Change Concepts Research

In the mobile oil change business there is no standard system, many folks simply build what works or buy a biz-op unit that makes since to them. For years we have studies these various types of units in the market place. If you are in the oil change business you realize how serious it is to stay efficient. In our company like anyone else in this industry, we are out to bring new innovation to the market. We have been looking at ways to better our services.We have been to http://www.Kibbi.com in Elkhart, Indiana, we have viewed there unit in another state. We have discussed these and other concepts with other engineers and thinkers. What we have decided is that all ideas are worthy of exploration in our quest to find the most efficient and most environmentally sensitive units. Why are we so driven to build a better mouse-trap? Why are we un deterred with the exploitations of Box Stores changing oil, such as Wal-Mart on what appears to be a below cost endeavor at $12.99. Why do we believe that it is possible to stay efficient enough to compete? Because we see the new innovations out on the street and see entrepreneurs everywhere are rising to the occasion.Well this year in San Diego, Jiffy Lube is announcing a new program for franchisees with extended bays and adding everything from brake jobs, and engine repair including complete R and R rebuilding of motors. It makes sense for them due to the increased competition in the market place. Midas Muffler has also gone to changing brakes and oil changes. Tilden Franchise is also looking to co-partner with other services and to bundle services to compete. Jiffy Lube’s largest franchisee with well over 150 stores; was de-listed by NASDAQ; are we witnessing a new era in automotive repair and oil changes? We think so.We watched recently as Roger Penske left Kmart as they closed the doors on 500 stores nationwide and now are merging with Sears in their re-organization plan and closing another 150 stores. In Tucson, AZ for instance we see Kmart on the North West side of town pulling out of the market and then we see a new awesome Valvoline Oil Change Facility on the same property with a 2 million dollar carwash and Detailing Center? Why, well as Lance Fisher the proprietor sees it, he can bundle services, get a no interest loan deal from Valvoline, give the customers what they want and his incredible facility will draw three different services to the same property. Is this the answer to the price wars, bundling, like Microsoft? Well Lance Fisher bets with real money in Tucson, is that a good bet? We think it is, you should see this place, WOW, one of the nicest carwashes in the country, ranks up there with Auto-Wash East and Danny’s Family Carwashes in Phoenix.These are just a few of the latest interesting changes in the Industry. Some would say this Industry is stagnant. We disagree. We are watching Kendall battle for the latest changes in oil change interval extension and the war against traditional thinking with AMSOIL, Mobile One and others. Lots of new innovations and claims to come; who will lead? Well as we approach the pack and have our sights on the Yellow Jersey, we believe that the team who can service the customer and bring the value will be team yellow. We know this is an up hill grind and we will pursue the race with open eyes and an open mind. If you are in the Oil Change Business Think on this.

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Rev Up Design Innovation and Automotive Product Development

Innovate Faster
Today’s economy, more than ever, compels innovation and a rapid succession of new models in order to remain vital and profitable in the market. The ability to reduce development cycles and development costs can be achieved by sharing expensive engineering capabilities, and dynamic, cost-effective collaborations to design quickly and efficiently more and multiple products. Effectively utilizing the latest CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM technology including 3D design to suit your specific needs can help produce more accurate, more complex designs in shorter lead times at an average of 22% and reduce non-conformance issues up to 40% when compared to standard 2D methods.Collaborate Better
Effective and early collaboration is absolutely critical, with up to 70% of a product’s total lifecycle costs being defined during the early phases of product development. Having a supplier that understands the demands and challenges of your product development process and is able to help meet those challenges lends itself to faster innovation capacity and capability. Even if you are already implementing the latest CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM in-house a professional design services firm can provide the ability to increase your capacity by seamlessly integrating with your team to manage the demand with focused expertise.Manage Data Effectively
The development of new automotive products and processes is no easy task. A host of design, product, and process data must be captured and managed. The better managed, and more this data can be condensed into an easy-to-search repository, the higher the quality of development process that can be achieved and the more this data can be leveraged for future designs. Vital to this end, is the creation of fully assoicative 2D production drawings, 3D solid models and 3D visualisations, rapid prototyping models, BOM’s, products with multipe configurations and model variants, simulations and analysis reports, and project management documents such as revision lists and drawing lists.Manage Engineering Changes
Engineering changes typically occur at a rapid rate during the design, assembly, and testing phases. A change to the project can affect many documents. Utilizing the latest CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM technology can help avoid costly mistakes by ensuring that changes made anywhere in the process automatically update all product documentation, including parts, assemblies, and systems drawings.If you are not currently using industry standard solutions, implementing this capability will require a large upfront investment of not only money but also time. A professional design services firm, having already made the necessary investments to overcome the steep learning curve and infrastructure setup for these tools, will be prepared to augment your capability quickly and cost-effectively. Acting as an extension of your team, they can provide the focused services that you need to more rapidly develop innovative designs, and create professional product and project documentation quickly and easily. You can take advantage of the following benefits:o Achieve optimized solutions around cost and performance.
o Innovate new high efficiency products with respect to energy and resource conservation while maintaining leading positions in product performance and reliability.
o Develop and evaluate multiple design concepts with the use of engineering analysis, rapid prototyping techniques and general design skills.
o Test and evaluate models to identify best practices in design, manufacturing and performance.
o Perform component and subsystem design.With more and more electronic and software content, hybrid power trains, drive-by-wire systems, sophisticated infotainment systems, highly optimized aerodynamic and vibration behavior it helps to be able to tightly integrate the domains of Mechanical, Electrical and Software Engineering. You need the ability to work unimpeded with ECAD and MCAD data. Electronic devices can be checked for efficient cooling by simulating convection and conduction within their designs.Automated, parametric drawings substantially reduce the time and cost of the design, especially when the task is complex, involves intricate details, custom and broken-out sections, cavity pieces for mold generation or requires numerous changes.With engineering services you can analyze the physical behavior of designs through simulation to improve time to market and reduce errors later in the development cycle, conduct quick stress analyses to make sure that parts can carry anticipated loads, improve designs by reducing weight without sacrificing strength. Collision detection can be invaluable, particularly in the engine area where clearances can be a major issue. These capabilities help reduce developments cost by reducing the number of needed physical prototypes.

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