By Laura Jozwiak, Senior Vice President of Sales and Client Relations, Wheels, Inc.

Hundreds, if not thousands of books, have been written on the critical skills needed to be successful in today’s corporate environment.

Rapid technology changes, multi-generational teams, and global competitiveness are just a few reasons why it is important to be adaptable, collaborative and organized in order to keep pace with the complex dynamics of today’s workforce. Honing these three skills can open doors – allowing you to take on new responsibilities and to grow within your organization.

Let’s start with adaptability. In order to stay relevant within your company, you need to stay engaged in new trends and ideas, and leverage those solutions to drive results for both your clients and your company.

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By John Wysseier, President and Chief Executive Officer, The CEI Group, Inc.

Perhaps as dramatic an invention as the printing press, the internet has engendered revolutionary changes in the way people work, shop, learn, communicate, receive and share information.

For some industries – like newspapers and retailing — it’s been a disruptive force that threatens the extinction of enterprises that rely on traditional technologies.

The key to this generational trend is that the internet connects people to each other, faster, with more abundant information than ever before. But, like a new life form that evolves rapidly, the internet has morphed to connect more than people to each other, but people to devices and even devices to other devices.

It’s called the Internet of Things – IoT for short — and it’s become one of the latest new battlefronts for business. Like all battlefronts, it presents both opportunities and challenges for virtually every industry, and only those who win the battle to integrate with it successfully are likely to survive and thrive.

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The message was Incremental, Not Abrupt Industry Change

By Mark Boada, Executive Editor

It was hard to find dramatic news at this year’s Work Truck Show put on by NTEA, the commercial truck trade association, in Indianapolis last week. Yes, there were 100 new products unveiled, Ford made show history by introducing four new models in addition to unveiling its own telematics service, and there were several new electrified light- and medium-duty trucks on display.

But when it comes to the four big transportation revolutions referred to as “ACES”’ – vehicles that are autonomous, connected, electric and shared – the show’s message, in more than one place, was that rather than being disrupted by these new technologies, the commercial truck industry is undergoing gradual, incremental change.

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EV Fleet World

The Volkswagen Group has ramped up its plans for electric cars with a new strategy to launch almost 70 new models in the next 10 years – up from the 50 previously planned. The projected number of vehicles to be built on the group’s electric platforms will increase from 15 million to 22 million.

The first of the new-generation electric vehicles go into production this year, with the Audi E-Tron to be followed by the Porsche Taycan. Reservations for each of these models already total 20,000 units, according to the group.

Read the article at EV Fleet World.

Forbes

White hat hackers at Pen Test Partners were able to exploit critical vulnerabilities in popular ‘smart’ car alarm apps and unlock vehicles, listen in on driver conversations and even kill the engine while running.

Researchers were able to access profiles because one simple ‘modify user’ request in the code was not being correctly checked for validation. Cloning of the alarm key fob was possible using the app enabling any smartphone to unlock a car.

Read the article at Forbes.

The Washington Post

Beginning in 2020, Volvo cars will be limited to 180 kph — or about 112 mph.

The change is part of an ambitious plan called Vision 2020, which seeks to eliminate all serious injuries and driving deaths in new Volvos by next year.

“Volvo is a leader in safety: we always have been and we always will be,” Hakan Samuelsson, Volvo’s president and chief executive, said in a statement released Monday. “Because of our research we know where the problem areas are when it comes to ending serious injuries and fatalities in our cars. And while a speed limitation is not a cure-all, it’s worth doing if we can even save one life.”

Read the article at The Washington Post.

The Detroit Bureau

Honda has the highest fleet average fuel economy and lowest carbon dioxide emissions of any major automaker for the 2017 model year, the latest year for which full data is available, according to a new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“Honda is proud to play a leading role in the move toward a more efficient, low-emissions mobility future and it’s encouraging to see the industry as a whole making significant gains, despite low fuel prices and the market trend toward trucks and SUVs,” said Robert Bienenfeld, assistant vice president of Energy and Environmental Policy for America Honda Motor Co. Inc.

Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.

The New York Times

With the average car having over 150 million lines of computer code, securing cars is a big challenge.

New infotainment and autonomous features are important selling points, but because most consumers assume their cars are safe, automakers tend to keep cybersecurity news in the background.

Once a car is out of warranty, automakers are used to cutting or at least loosening their ties. But hacking issues mean that protection will most likely require factory-to-junkyard monitoring.

Read the article at The New York Times.

Bloomberg

At the Geneva International Motor Show 2019, discussions among executives have been dominated by collaboration and consolidation rather than new models.

Global automakers grapple with new technologies, stricter emissions standards and apps that have turned car buyers into renters or just riders.

Profit warnings, missed targets and falling stock prices at parts suppliers paired with the news that luxury segment archrivals BMW and Daimler are teaming up on autonomous driving, and Volkswagen is allowing a startup to share the electric-car technology, the industry’s new contours are taking shape.

Read the article at Bloomberg.

The Drive

The biggest names in auto were at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show, bringing with them some of the newest trends and concepts which are heavily focused on their latest battery-powered cars.

This year’s lineup shows that the industry is fully committed. Plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEV) are visiting center stage for nearly every manufacturer.

Read the article at The Drive.