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OEM Signature Lighting
OEM Signature Lighting
June 6, 2013 | Posted by Anthony Spark in Consumer, Design, Factors, Lighting, Societal & Cultural Trends, Style, Systems, Topics, TrendsNo comments
Luxury brands are usually wary of introducing accessories to accentuate exterior branding. High-efficiency LED lighting became one of Audi’s design signatures. The brand was hardly alone in using LEDs, but no one has adopted them as widely and successfully as Audi, which uses them to give every model a branding advantage. Naturally, when Mercedes chose to produce such an accessory for their cars, they wanted to refrain from adding something that could be seen as garish and keep it decidedly simple. Read more
Upcycling Car Parts
Upcycling Car Parts
March 14, 2013 | Posted by Anthony Spark in Commodities & Other Resources, Design, Environment, Factors, Manufacturing, Needs & Demands, Style, Substitute Products & Services, Topics, TrendsNo comments
Upcycling Car Parts: Taking a car part that would otherwise go to waste and finding a way to make it into something else/useful. Two of the most basic terms in the automotive Eco-Design field are ‘Cradle to Grave’ and ‘Cradle to Cradle’. They relate to the product life cycle from the raw materials (Cradle) to disposal (Grave). Cradle-to-Grave A term used in life-cycle analysis to describe the entire life of a material or product up to the point of disposal Cradle-to-Cradle A model of industrial systems in which material flows cyclically in appropriate, continuous biological or technical nutrient cycles. All waste materials are productively re-incorporated into new production and use phases. Read more
ID4Motion Digital Instrument Clusters
ID4Motion Digital Instrument Clusters
November 20, 2012 | Posted by Anthony Spark in Consumer, Design, Electrical, Factors, Infotainment, Media, Needs & Demands, New Entrants, Systems, Technology, Technology Trends, Topics, TrendsNo comments
Enter the ID4Motion MotionGraphic Design Digital Cluster into the market. More and more car brands are favouring LCD instrument clusters over analogue gauges; therefore it was only a matter of time before an aftermarket company came up with an option of its own. The instrument cluster has been virtually free of aftermarket accessories for a long time. ID4Motion has set out to change that. Read more
Glowing Infotainment Roads
Glowing Infotainment Roads
November 5, 2012 | Posted by Anthony Spark in Design, Factors, Infotainment, Substitute Products & Services, Systems, Technology, Technology Trends, Topics, TrendsNo comments
A smart-road design that features glow-in-the-dark tarmac and illuminated weather indicators. Smart Highway is a futuristic concept that incorporates glow-in-the-dark technology into the road to make them safer for drivers. Although this would seem like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, the Smart Highway is set to be realised mid-November 2013 in the Netherlands. In addition to the glowing roads, it will boast Dynamic Paint, Interactive Lights, an Induction Priority Lane and Wind Lights. Read more
Silvercar Airport Car Rental
Airport Car Rental 2.0
November 5, 2012 | Posted by Anthony Spark in Consumer, Factors, New Entrants, Substitute Products & Services, Topics, Transport, TrendsNo comments
Silvercar aims to streamline the car rental process by offering a new disruptive business service The brainchild of one of Zipcar’s founders Silvercar has raised a first round of funding to in its attempt to disrupt the dismal airport car rental experience. There’s been a lot of excitement in Silicon Valley lately over new disruptive automotive business ideas. We are witnessing a new generation of companies breathing new life into everything from taxi services to auto repair. In particular, startups like RelayRides, GetAround, Wheelz, Zipcar, RideJoy, SideCar, Lyft and Uber – to name a few – are leveraging collaborative consumption and peer-to-peer models to bring a new buzz to traditional automotive business models. Read more
New e-fuels developed by Audi
Audi Pioneers Fuel Alternatives Using Waste Water
October 12, 2012 | Posted by Anthony Spark in Engine, Factors, New Entrants, Substitute Products & Services, Supply, Systems, Topics, TrendsNo comments
Audi engineers have contributed to a breakthrough of almost miraculous proportions by helping to develop fuels for the TFSI and TDI engines of the very near future using nothing more than lengths of ordinary-looking pipe, waste CO2, sunlight and microscopic organisms suspended in waste water. Read more
Sexy Biking
Bike Sales Surpass Car Sales
October 9, 2012 | Posted by Anthony Spark in Consumer, Economy, Environment, Factors, Market Issues, Socieconomic Trends, Societal & Cultural Trends, Topics, Transport, TrendsNo comments
In the midst of economic turmoil in Europe, more Italians are turning to bikes as their preferred mode of transportation. Such is the bicycle’s popularity in Italy that purchases of the pedal-powered two wheelers have eclipsed automotive sales for the first time since World War II. Read more
Thinking Outside The Box
Car Black Boxes
It’s been working its way through Congress for years, but according to Car and Driver, an event recorder mandate could soon become law. The Senate has already voted to adopt a transportation bill that would make the so-called “black boxes” mandatory by the 2015 model year. According to the report, the House of Representatives is also expected to pass a similar statute. Read more
Domino's Pizza Safe Sound
Domino's Pizza Safe Sound
May 7, 2012 | Posted by Anthony Spark in Consumer, Drive, Electrical, Engine, Environment, Exhaust, Legislation, Safety, Systems, Technology, Topics, TrendsNo comments
We’ve seen plenty of discussion on the merits of pedestrian warning systems for hybrid and all-electric vehicles. From synthesized engine sounds to the noise of George Jetson’s flying car, automakers and the aftermarket industry have worked to come up with a way to keep people aware of a vehicle’s presence. Read more
