Review About Automotive Industry

Eco friendly cars are all the rage in today’s economic turmoil. General Motors and Chrysler both wagered heavily on the fuel thirsty, big horsepower inefficiency of large vehicles and have since found themselves, as we all know near collapse. Ford on the other hand has followed behind the eco friendly footsteps of both Honda and Toyota and have seemingly secured themselves within the environmentally conscious hearts of the North American car buying public. Both Honda and Toyota have long been the fuel sipping masters of the automotive industry and still are able to hold the crowns of eco friendly cars.

Toyota launched into the fuel miser, eco friendly car market more then forty years ago with the introduction of the Corolla. Honda followed suit in North America with the CCVC which is also known as the Civic. Both of these eco friendly cars have continually allowed drivers fuel consumption of approximately 5.5 litres of fuel being burned per 100 kilometers of driving. Both manufacturers have maintained this level of fuel consumption even with the ever increasing size of their cars. They have also both been able to deliver phenomenal fuel consumption from their larger vehicles, Camry and Accord, as well. Both vehicles have survived an approximate 6 litres per 100kms even with their substantial increase in size.

Honda took the first steps in the next generation of environmentally friendly cars with the introduction of the first mass produced hybrid vehicle for North America, the Honda Insight. The eco friendly Insight was based on the Honda J-VX concept which was unveiled at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show, and these eco friendly cars hit the market in December 1999. It featured an optimized blend for fuel economy from aerodynamics, a lightweight aluminum structure and Honda’s IMA (Integrated Motor Assist). The car remained the most fuel efficient machine available in the U.S. while it was produced and is still the leader of any current mass market car. The Insight earned an EPA fuel efficiency estimate of 70 miles per US gallon or 3.4 L/100 km which equals 84 mpg. The Honda Civic Hybrid was introduced in the 2003 model year to compliment Honda’s commitment to eco friendly cars and environmental sustainability

Toyota entered into the Hybrid market of friendly cars with the introduction of the Prius. It was first introduced in Japan in 1997 and then went on sale worldwide in 2001. The Prius is sold in more than thirty five countries, with the largest markets being Japan and North America. As a top seller, the U.S. Toyota Prius made up more than half of the 1.2 million Prius’ sold around the world by early 2009. The Prius is rated to get 3.7 litres per 100 kms on city streets and 4.0 litres per 100kms on the highway. Even with its higher price tag it is a benchmark for the hybrid eco friendly car market.

For the 2010 model year Honda challenged Toyota for the benchmark hybrid crown with the introduction of the second coming of the Insight. The second generation of the Insight has taken a shot at the environmentally friendly cars thrown with a less expensive yet similarly designed vehicle. The Insight which now shares its platform with the Honda Fit has an estimated fuel economy of 4.8 litres per 100 kms in the city and 4.5 litres of fuel burned for every 100 kms driven on the highway.

The undisputed winner is still yet to be decided and will inevitably change constantly. Eco friendly cars are with no doubt the future of the automotive industry and with an ever increasing selection of cars designed to save fuel, the champion of the environment is still up for grabs.

By: James Hand

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Detroit was once the envy of the world. In the early 1900′s it was the heart of the automotive industry the pinnacle of luxury and technology. During World War II it was called ‘The Arsenal of Democracy’ when factories were retooled to build war machines. The Milwaukee Junction, the center of the automotive industry in was vibrant and alive, full of business and prosperity. Detroit is where the middle class was born and the rich ordered cars made to order.

Dodge Main, Ford Model T plant, American Axle, Murray Body. Pole town, named for the community GM bought to build its plant; a huge sprawling facility. The Ford Piquette building built in 1904 was the prototype for the assembly line. There men walked the line, the line did not move. The most fascinating ruin was the old Packard plant in the Milwaukee Junction.

Milwaukee Junction was the heart of the automotive industry in the early 1900′s. Packard was a brand with the cache of Lexus or Mercedes. In the beginning of the automotive industry, the manufacturing model was outsourcing. Packard built Chassis. You could order the frame, the engine, transmission. Then you had a catalog to order the body from a number of body manufacturers. What you actually ordered were the body components. There was a good deal of customization. You literally designed your own car. Truly a bespoke business model. Packard was an elite brand priced for the wealthy. You’d order your car like a fine suit. They only built around 200-1000 cars of any one model a year. At their peak, they built 55,000 vehicles per year.

During WWII Packard built Rolls Royce Merlin engines for our fighter planes. Detroit and the automotive industry were called the ‘Arsenal of Democracy’. Without the industrial might of Detroit Germany would have won WWII. It was surreal to stand outside and to walk around the decrepit ruins that used to be the pinnacle of luxury and technology in another era. You could almost imagine what it must have been like so many years ago. The Packard plant ruins must be a mile long and they’re as high as eight stories. Vehicles moved from floor to floor in an assembly line using huge hoists. Giant sliding doors separated sections of the assembly. Thousands of middle class Americans must have worked there, coming and going during shift change. Imagine at lunch, thousands of people leaving the factory to eat at the restaurants, shop in the stores or enjoy the beautiful Michigan day. Today hardly a soul lives in the Milwaukee Junction, it’s a ghost town.

Detroit is a melting pot of humanity. The waves of immigrants influenced the culture and fabric of life in the city. The first wave was from Europe. Germans, Finnish, Dutch, French, English, Irish. The next wave was from Eastern Europe, Poles, Ukraine, and Serbs. In the 1930′s and 40′s blacks immigrated to Detroit from the south to escape oppression. Each culture brought with it their customs and cuisines, their religions and values. There were micro cultures. Each wave of immigrants built their own churches and clustered together. You’ll find four catholic churches in one area. One for Germans, one for the Irish, one for the English and so on. Many of the churches and buildings still stand. Many are crumbling like the Packard plant.

There’s a bridge over the road by the plant, it used to have the Packard emblem on it and the tag line ‘ Ask the man who owns one’ above the door to the plant. During the depression, Packard decided to ‘go down market’, to produce a cheaper car for a larger audience. They built the 120 model. The 120 had the Packard quality, and looked like a Packard but it was at a lower price point. This move marked the demise of Packard. They lost their cache and exclusivity among the wealthy.

Their timing was off. In 1941, they built and introduced the Clipper. Then came the war and they had to retool for the war effort. Four years later, after the war, they reintroduced the Clipper. They sold a lot, and even through the late 1950′s they sold more Packards that GM sold Cadillac’s but the management was too conservative. The new Clipper design for 1949-1950 was nick-named ‘the pregnant clipper’ . They had some supplier problems when Chrysler bought Briggs one of their body suppliers. What finally killed Packard were quality problems.

In 1952- 53, Packard brought in Jim Nance to run the company. He was talented and brilliant, but he saw the multi floored Packard plant as an albatross. He moved manufacturing to a new facility that was nicknamed ‘the cracker box’. It was just too small. It was so small men couldn’t move around, it was dangerously close. Quality suffered. The final Packards ever produced were beautifully designed with amazing engineering. Bu they fell apart and by 1956 the public had had enough.

Today the Packard plant ruins are stripped of almost all metal. A few frames remain with shards of broken glass. A musty smell exudes from the entry ways filled with garbage. Strange things like a boat, computer equipment, tires, shoes and plush toys. We didn’t see any vagrants, bodies or animals. Packard is the most decrepit.

We also went to the Rouge plant which is still operational. Raw materials go into the plant and cars come out. Raw materials like steel, rubber. Huge piles of coal sit ready to heat the furnaces to melt the steel , which is then rolled and formed and cut and assembled. Ford Rouge is the only plant where raw materials go in and a finished car comes out.

Outside the Rouge complex is a memorial. There’s a bigger than life bronze statue of Henry Ford. Along the courtyard are etched marble photos of historical events in Ford’s history. The images are not all favorable to Ford. They tell an amazing story. Then there’s the bridge where ‘the battle of the overpass’ took place. This is the very place where the UAW was born. Workers battled with Henry Ford’s goons and won the right to fair work conditions and pay. Since then the UAW has grown too strong and fallen out of favor, but there is still a need for unions. There’s a need for bargaining strength for the small and weak against the strong and rich who hold all the advantages. That’s another story.

Henry Ford while no philanthropist did see the benefit in paying his employees well. You could say he was the father of the middle class. He was the first to pay his workers enough so that they could afford to buy his products. He paid them enough so that they could afford to buy his cars and one of his homes. The basis of the Ford family’s wealth is the belief that the good of many is most profitable; much more profitable than today’s culture of ‘everyone for themselves’.

Those were the days.

Check out original pictures of the Detroit ruins tour in Club Fossati

By: Catherine Fossati

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Why do you need Automotive Translation?

Automotive translation involves a lot of technical jargon. It is important that the vehicle translation is accurate because it needs to convey important safety information to the vehicle’s users. Inaccurate translations may have far reaching consequences especially if car users are unable to operate their cars in a safe manner. In addition, many cars are now being assembled in the same country they are being sold in. Therefore, the local assembly plant workers will need accurate translated assembly manuals to aid them in the assembly process.

Companies that frequently employ vehicle translations are manufacturers of cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, helicopters, aeroplanes, lawn movers, quarry machineries, public works and agriculture handling equipment. Automotive translation will also be able to provide precise translations on mechanical and electronic systems. This would ensure that all the technical terms used in the translation are in accordance to the convention familiar to the local mechanics, engineers, suppliers and customers.

What Types of Documents Require Translation?

As the automotive industry is such a multi-billion business, there are plenty of different materials needing automotive translation. From user manuals to marketing catalogues, they will all need accurate translation. Here is a non-exhaustive list of materials commonly sent for professional automotive translation.

• Technical training manuals

• Repair manuals

• Technical update bulletins

• User manuals

• Catalogues

• Vehicle marketing brochures

• Service manuals

• Diagnosis manuals

• Warranty booklets

• Marketing campaign websites

• Compact disc with car information for customers

• Car owners manuals

• Parts lists

• Car security wiring diagrams

• Technician reference booklets

• Assembly manuals

Who does the Automotive Translation?

A professional translation company will choose only native translators that have experience in engineering, automotive or aero-sciences to do the job. This would ensure that the automotive translations are done only by translators who understand the local automotive industry. It is also common for qualified mechanical engineers to be part-time professional translators.

To begin with, the translation project manager will coordinate with the translators so that standard vocabulary can be established to ensure consistency. During the course of the translation process, a local technical engineer will be hired to carry out regular reviews so that early error detection can be detected, and corrections made quickly. Once the translation project is completed, another professional translator is called in to proofread the translated material. The proofreading ensures that the translated work is accurate and uses uniform technical terms throughout the work before handing it back to the client.

By: Stephen De Greenwood

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The automotive industry degenerated into the poster company for the recession in 2009. Bankrupt and asking the U.S. government for funds, GM and Chrysler seemed to be banking on the impossible. They chose the tactic of emphasizing their problems to Washington while reassuring the public that it can still provide competitive vehicles. Ford evaded this marketing collision by refusing government help, despite losing $1.4 billion in the first quarter of 2009.

With these dismal sales and Congressional hearings dominating 2009, do the Big Three have what it takes to boost consumer confidence and sales in 2010? Fourth quarter figures from 2009 suggest that the automakers can recover. Unsurprisingly, Ford made the biggest gains, increasing its total sales by 33.5% in December 2009 compared to sales in December 2008. Chrysler’s total sales dipped, but only slightly thanks to a big increase of 30.9% in car sales.

GM was the hardest hit. Yet, its total sales in December only dropped 5.6 from December 2008, hardly a doomsday decrease. At the starting gate of 2010, GM and Ford seem to have their engines revving, so to speak. Ford will upgrade their Ford Focus with lots of cool technologies and the higher-power 2.0L, direct-injected 4.0L engine.

This upscale C-class car features MyFord touch driver interface and an optional rear-view camera park assist camera. Consumers want fuel efficiency without sacrificing power and the Focus’s new engine adds 20hp and a 10% fuel consumption reduction. The Ford Taurus has traditionally been a reliable, albeit, tame, stand-by on Ford’s lineup. This year, the 2010 Taurus has been spiced up with cool, practical, and affordable technology, so much so, in fact, that it has won the first Edmunds.com Technology Breakthrough Award.

Standard features of this tech-savvy car include 911 Assist and GPS navigation. The new Taurus can also be equipped with collision warning systems, rear-parking sensors, even heat and massaging seats. The 2010 Ford Taurus is an example of the digital cars of the future, with enhanced computers systems.

The Chevy granite is a trendy extended range electric vehicle. Swank french doors make this vehicle eye-catching. The Granite’s special design maximizes cargo space. It will come with a 1.4L four-cylinder turbo-charged engine. Set to come into production in 2011, the Granite’s unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show showcases GM as a leader in design innovation for the coming decade.

With leading-edge new models, electric vehicles, and fuel-efficiency, Detroit is finally giving U.S. consumers what they’re asking for, with enough trendy perks to make us notice. Chicago Chevrolet and Chicago GMC dealers are eager to spread the word. For consumers living in Chicago, bad credit needn’t be an issue with the contemporary C-class vehicles soon available. Also in Chicago, used cars are projected to be replenished in the coming year.

By: Nick Messe

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Automotive advertising agencies have been forced to take on additional responsibilities in today’s troubled economy. As the President of national network of independent affiliated automotive advertising agencies and the host of an auto industry social networking resource portal I recently promoted the 2010 NADA Convention on my blog talk radio show as a real world venue similar to the online resources that I rely on to listen and learn and contribute to so I can presume to teach.

I consider the NADA convention as a must attend event for automotive advertising agencies, auto dealers, auto industry vendors and decision makers that regularly tune in to listen and learn from the auto industry experts regularly featured on various online resources. The NADA Convention is the real world version of online social networking communities focused on sharing best practices for the auto industry and a perfect platform to make new friends and connect with old ones in both the real and the virtual world.

The NADA Convention is a means to stay ahead of the competition by learning about the new Internet technologies and applications being introduced by the vendors and speakers that will be featured at the convention. The 2010 NADA Convention is being held in Orlando, Florida this February 12th. through February 15th., 2010 at the Orlando Convention Center. Additional information on the convention is available at their site — NADA.Org — and their online pre-registration savings of $50 -$75 has been extended to January 27th., 2010. I strongly advise anyone seeking to survive in today’s consolidating auto industry to register before the deadline to take advantage of the discount with the confidence that your investment of your time and money will provide a R.O.I. that can’t be duplicated by any online auto industry-centric venue; including my own.

My affiliated agencies are connected by a proprietary online communication/distribution system I developed in December of 2001. I designed the operating system that links this national network of independent businesses as a means to leverage the resources of the participating automotive advertising agencies, production partners and select vendors to allow them to compete with national automotive advertising agencies. The resulting savings in fixed and semi-variable expenses coupled with access to a wide variety of production and creative resources for the member agencies was made possible through their use of several online technologies that were developed to support the growing World Wide Web.

I reference this history as evidence that I have practiced what I now preach. These same technologies must be applied to the internal processes of auto dealerships to allow them to survive in a consolidating auto industry. The combination of the resulting efficiencies realized in technology enhanced selling systems in brick and mortar auto dealerships integrated with their online showrooms, and the newly developing applications being applied by automotive advertising agencies to promote their auto dealer clients on the Internet, is the key to profitability today and survival tomorrow.

The NADA Convention allows auto industry vendors to present new cutting edge applications to auto dealers and automotive advertising agencies who are anxious to gain an advantage over the competition. More importantly, in a consolidating auto industry auto dealers must sell more for less to satisfy budget conscious and better educated online car buyers and the technology being applied to sell vehicles on the Internet Super Highway is the way to do it in a scalable and cost effective manner!

The blog talk radio station featured on my portal is another example of how a new technology platform can enhance the reach and performance of an automotive advertising agency in today’s Internet driven marketplace. I use various blog talk radio shows as an online communication system for my network to share best practices and new vendor applications with site visitors surfing the web to get the inside story on the auto industry. In addition, my shows attract new vendors anxious to tell their story to the decision makers who follow me on the World Wide Web which allows me to review cutting edge automotive advertising applications before competing agencies know that they exist.

Several vendor clients of mine were discovered during their online reviews and most of them will be represented at the NADA Convention. Why? Because the NADA Convention is the perfect real world venue to launch new products and services and this year is no exception.

Automotive advertising agencies know that they must apply cutting edge automotive advertising technologies to their online marketing plans that integrate with proven selling processes in their auto dealer clients’ real and virtual world showrooms but they don’t know where to find them. Online automotive advertising focused social networking sites provide an excellent filter to find the newest and the best but the NADA Convention is the place to see them all in one place and one time in an environment where the decision makers from both the automotive advertising agency and the vendor can sit across the table and work out the best deal for both. After all, what are friends for!

By: Philip Zelinger

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Infrared thermometers are today the best alternative to the traditional thermometer for gauging temperature in a non – contact manner. They are used in almost every industrial sector that requires measuring temperature in their operations such as in gourmet industry, in household appliances, in electrical appliances, and the automotive industry among many others. In this article you would find information regarding their uses in the automotive sector.

As mentioned above, infrared thermometers are used extensively in the automotive industry to diagnose problems ranging from air conditioning, brakes, to engines. They also help in avoiding dangerous car interiors by convenient temperature measurement with these non-contact devices. They are however most effective in diagnosing temperature-related engine problems. This is because, as with other traditional thermometers, the user doesn’t have to dissemble the whole engine, as it reaches even inaccessible areas. Among the various uses of these infrared thermometers in engine and exhaust troubleshooting are for scanning manifold temperature to determine low compression, for misfire condition, measuring and comparing exhaust system components for correct fuel/air mixture and for scanning both sides of the catalytic converter for temperature differences.

These are also used for cooling system diagnostics like checking for overheating problems, scanning radiators for core restrictions, measuring thermostat temperature and above all for measuring coolant temperature sensors and manifold air temperature sensors.

Even for measuring climate control, in automobiles infrared thermometers are used most of the times. With them you can check heaters, air conditioners, and vents at a convenient pace for any kind of malfunction or system output. These are equally powerful like digital multimeters, as gauging instruments.

Further, infrared thermometers are used for checking the condition of braking system in automobiles. This is very necessary because if the temperature is significantly higher than ambient or varied temperatures of rotors, drums or bearings, it would indicate excessive wear. Uneven braking can also be diagnosed with this amazing instrument.

Use infrared thermometers for simple, fast and frequent temperature gauging and enjoy the difference.

By: Genelia Winslet

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Today the global automotive industry faces a brand new set of challenges as well as opportunities. Recent demand for cars, SUV’s and light trucks dropped significantly during the past year as a result of several significant factors including:

o Higher prices at the gas pump
o Deteriorating consumer confidence
o Deterioration in the global economy
o Higher unemployment levels
o Tightening credit requirements
o Lack of availability of credit

These factors have only recently exacerbated the decline of the US-owned automotive companies. For the past twenty five years or so, increased competition, pricing pressures, higher fuel economy requirements, improved quality level from some foreign automotive manufacturer have hurt the US companies’ standings in the global market place. Ford’s US market share has declined from about 25 per cent to about 15 per cent. Since 1982, GM’s market share has deteriorated from about one half of the US market to roughly 25 per cent.

To put this drop into perspective, based on unit sales, Ford used to be the number two automotive manufacturer in the world. By 2007, Ford ranked fourth behind GM, Toyota and Volkswagen. In 2008, Gm slipped into the number two position behind Toyota. Finally, the domestic US market used to be the largest in the world. Today, that position has been taken over by China.

Ford, however, is financially in better shape than the other US automotive manufacturers in today’s environment. By structuring to “spin off” some of its parts businesses and starting to refocus on its core business of manufacturing vehicles, Ford began laying the groundwork to solidify its business base. Eventually, by selling off some of its parts manufacturing operations as well as some of the brands (i.e. Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover) it had acquired earlier, Ford gained cash to be used for other purposes such as funding the development of new vehicles and new technologies required for them to become more competitive and to meet customer needs.

It appears that these actions have generated the cash to help them bring out a stream of new vehicles with enhanced product content, and with product quality equal to or better than its competitors. In addition, Ford remains the only US-owned automotive company that did not have to go begging to the government for “bailout money”. And that’s good for Ford, its shareholders and us, the taxpayers.

By: Charles H. Newman

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The Italian based “Bertone” or formally named “Gruppo Bertone” has had an outstanding and exceptional influence on the automotive industry far away from its native country of origin of Italy. Bertone’s influence on a stable of automotive extended over a whole different geographic and company automotive manufactures across the globe – whether if be Italian cars such as Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Fiat or European cars such as Mercedes Benz or the Swedish Volvo vehicles. To some degree there are family similarities in the designs across the mix. This would be expected. On the other side of the coin each Bertone design project is a unique creation from inception to fruition.

With the death of Giuseppe “Nuccio” Bertone in 1997, at the age of 82 a glorious period of Italian car design came to an end. It can be said that before the end of the Second World War, and the period that followed in 1946, that Italian automotive design was plainly a regional event and nothing more. Even if vehicle designs had been downright brilliant little was ever noted or noticed outside of the immediate area and car community of Italy. The world looked to France for coachwork from 1919 to 1938, and might have continued to do so had Communist influenced governments after the war not punitively withheld raw materials from coachbuilders. Italy’s communists it seemed were more interested in jobs primarily. As a result, or as a direct initiative, they directly encouraged and nurtured a luxury car industry, in essence moving Italian automotive design to a center stage.

It can be best said that Bertone was one of the first carozzerie (coachbuilders_ to move into “series” production, with the construction of 200 Bertone MGs for Wacky Arnolt of Chicago starting in 1952. These orders then directly led to the production of some 350 Arnolt-Bristols and put Bertone in a position to manufacture a small series of coupes for Alfa Romeo, which was then in trouble with clients who had been promised a new car , whose release had been delayed by body tooling. That product – the Giulietta Sprint designed by Alfa’s Ferruccio Palamidessit, can be said to have put Bertone on the map forever. More than 40,000 of these classic vehicles were produced before replacement by the Bertone-styled Giulia GT.

Nuccio Bertone was not a designer himself, but he served first and foremost to discover, employ and guide some of the very best automotive designers known. An astute businessman, Bertone owned several anonymously titled companies in the Turin area .Thus as a result of splitting the work, and the pie across several enterprises and unconnected enterprises; he was able to persuade different automobile manufacturers across the board to let him produce automotive vehicles in series for them. Fiat 850 spiders and X-1/9s, Opel Cabriolets, Volvo coupes, and many others came from his factories. In addition his design center also created practical shapes for Japanese Mazda, French Citroen as well as Korean Daewoo among others. It could be said that this was the start of the globally integrated car industry. The country of origin of an automotive product no longer was distinct and mattered so much. The car might be designed in one country, engineered in another and yet be manufactured in yet another country and even be marketed from a different area. Where was the car made? Who knew? In the coming future the direct geographical origins of a car would be even less evident and distinct.

Time went on and with impeccable taste Bertone continued to issue audacious show cars, including several Chevrolets, the astonishing Lancia Stratos Zero and the Alfa Romeo Carabo. The production Lancia Stratos and the Lamborghini Miura and Countach brought that audacity to the automotive marketplace.

In the end it can be said that Nuccio Bertone himself was the last of the creators of the Italian automotive renaissance, a group whose names became magical talismans in the automotive world. By his ability to launch so many brilliant design careers as well as so many legendary as well as wonderful cars it can be said that this gentleman had a great influence which has left an impact not only then but even on the automotive market and styling even today.

By: Shaun Stevens

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