Intelligence

Technological advances in both hardware and software components have increased their strategic value in automotive. Moving away from a purely mechanical industry, where the expertise and intellectual property of traditional OEMs reside, electronics and software are becoming key assets. Consistent with this, Wards Intelligence is observing an evident trend at various levels of the automotive supply chain: strategically increasing the value of goods developed in-house through vertical integration, hence increasing control and margins while also reducing costs.

ZF is developing a full stack open platform solution for production-volume vehicle control, ADAS and AD vehicle systems with central processing and enhanced sensor suites that is gaining traction with suppliers and carmakers.

The push for sustainable interior materials is not new, but Sage Automotive Interiors’ Julie Jacobs says consumer demand is fueling the growing scope and seriousness of the efforts, especially among the rising tide of younger, environmentally conscious consumers who care deeply about how the vehicles they buy are made.

Companies and investors are pumping billions of dollars into the autonomous vehicle sector for the chance to score big in this nascent market. Early movers are getting a jump on the competition with partnerships, pilot projects and production. This article analyzes survey results related to the market and sales outlook for AVs, including a Wards Intelligence forecast.

In this brief article, I will present an overview of next-generation vehicle platforms around the world.

Targeting battery production under the Defense Production Act puts another $750 million toward support of battery-material mining and processing, but the movement to increase lithium-ion capacity in the U.S. was already under way.

After being the first automaker to receive UN R157 certification, Mercedes is pushing the autonomy envelope by bringing optional Level 3 functionality to S-Class in Germany in 2022, then in California and Nevada after 2022.

Companies and investors are pumping billions of dollars into the autonomous vehicle sector for the chance to score big in this nascent market. Early movers are getting a jump on the competition with partnerships, pilot projects and production. This article analyzes survey results related to the impact of AVs on the industry and society.

Companies and investors are pumping billions of dollars into the autonomous vehicle sector for the chance to score big in this nascent market. Early movers are getting a jump on the competition with partnerships, pilot projects and production. This article analyzes survey results related to AV hardware technologies and development.

Canadian-based Tier 1 supplier Magna is working hard on electrically driven componentry designed to replace today’s conventional all-wheel-drive and 4-wheel-drive hardware. Fully 70%of its engineering projects these days are related to the battery-electric-vehicle market. “Anyone who is in powertrain has to be thinking about transitioning toward eDrives,” says CEO Swamy Kotagiri.

Electric-vehicle battery packs largely will continue to have a modular layout, rather than the cell-to-pack design being touted by some OEMs. Aluminum and steel will be overtaken by multi-material and composite enclosures.

Automakers can’t afford to invent everything from scratch if they want to get SDVs on the market by mid-decade. ETAS is focused on supplying the basic software building blocks that will allow OEMs to meet their objectives.