Study: Japan firms are best in infotainment

Japanese suppliers of information and entertainment systems score highest in quality, says a recent study by J.D. Power and Associates. These systems, including satellite radio and navigation devices, are increasingly must-have features in vehicles. About 66 percent of drivers now have satellite radio, up from 59 percent in 2009.... Read More »

Ballooning IT guides car interiors

Advances in consumer electronic devices such as cell phones and laptops are changing drivers' perceptions about the design of information technology in vehicles. As a result, the days of the cloned radio and two levels of interior trim may already be history.... Read More »

GM: OnStar upgrade bypassed dealers

General Motors Co. has upgraded software on its vehicles' OnStar module remotely -- without requiring the vehicles' owners to visit a dealership -- and will do so again, said Karl Stracke, vice president of global vehicle engineering. The action is part of an expanded assertiveness by GM to control its software.... Read More »

Traffic in China: A not-so-great leap forward

China may have overtaken the United States as the world's No. 1 car market, but the country's transportation infrastructure hasn't quite caught up. Last week, news reports told of a 60-mile-long traffic jam on Highway 110, which links Beijing with Inner Mongolia. The monster jam consisted primarily of trucks hauling coal from Inner Mongolia.... Read More »

EV engineers' unusual task: Make it noisier

It used to be that auto companies wanted to make cars as quiet as possible. Now they're working to make them louder. And all in the name of safety. Nissan added a digital humming noise to its Leaf electric vehicle to warn people with hearing or vision impairments that the car was coming. Now Toyota is following suit with the Prius.... Read More »

Honda puts CR-Z ads on Facebook's new 'Car Town' game

Honda Motor Corp.'s campaign for its new CR-Z car features the hybrid vehicle in some colorful roadside billboards that can't be seen from a freeway. The ads are on display in Facebook Inc.'s virtual game “Car Town,” as Honda advertises on the social-network site for the first time today. The game, which allows users to collect and customize cars, has 3.1 million users.... Read More »

Aftermarket rivalry: GPS vs. LoJack Anti-theft tracking systems that use global positioning satellites and cell phone technology are... Aug. 23, 12:01 am U.S. ET

More automakers tune in HD Radio, but Japanese lag HD Radio is getting a better reception from automakers, says Robert Struble, CEO of iBiquity... Aug. 23, 12:01 am U.S. ET

Infiniti ponders more hybrids Three months before unveiling its first hybrid vehicle, the M35 h, Infiniti already is... Aug. 23, 12:01 am U.S. ET

So far, Toyota electronics are passing muster Federal regulators studying reports of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles said last week... Aug. 16, 12:01 am U.S. ET

Hyundai seeks more output, 50 mpg by '25 Hyundai Motor America may expand output at its Alabama assembly plant as it remains on track to... Aug. 9, 12:01 am U.S. ET

India's Mahindra to bid for South Korea's Ssangyong Motor India's Mahindra & Mahindra said today its board of directors approved submission of a binding bid... Aug. 7, 3:46 am U.S. ET

TRW posts $227 million in Q2 net income as sales grow | Aug. 4

Stop-start restart: GM mild hybrids return in 2011 | Aug. 3

Nissan revamps Smyrna complex for EVs | Aug. 3

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