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CARNORAMA»Archive for July 2013

Archive for July 2013

Japanese Automotive Industry Focuses on Luxury © CCTV.com

Japanese Automotive Industry Focuses on Luxury

Japanese vehicle manufacturers are raising sales and profits, helped by economic recovery in the US and Japan. Toyota, Nissan and Honda are focusing less on budget vehicles and more on luxury cars with higher profit margins. Takeshi Miyao – CARNORAMA Japan analyst – says a weakening yen and a recovering US economy will lift North American sales growth and be a key profit driver for the big three Japanese vehicle manufacturers this year. Further down the road, he says sales will come from markets much closer to home. Read more

Car Hacking

Car Hacking

Currently, there’s nothing to stop anyone with malicious intent and some ­computer-programming skills from taking control of your car. After gaining access, a hacker can control almost every system; from infotainment to brakes. Read more

Automotive MIST (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey)

Automotive MIST

As automotive enthusiasm for the BRICs cools, the industry romances with a new emerging markets acronym, the MISTs (or MIKTs). Emerging automotive market investors have been deluged with a blizzard of catchy labels and acronyms. The automotive industry is looking for the next big thing beyond the four original BRIC nations; therefore new concepts such as MIST (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey) and Next 11 are formulated. Read more

Tesla Battery Swap

Tesla unveiled a 90-second battery swap system. The niche vehicle manufacturer is planning to roll out premium battery-swapping stations later this year. Electric cars have been slow to catch on with consumers because of their high battery price, limited driving range and lack of a charging infrastructure. Tesla has been working to address some of those issues with fast-charging stations and now with the battery-swapping technology. A battery pack swap will cost between $60 and $80, about the same as filling up a 15-gallon tank. Read more