Mazda’s SkyActiv-X May be the World’s Most Fuel Efficient Engine
SkyActiv-X, the new engine from Mazda provides more torque and tests project fuel savings of anywhere from 20 to 30% compared with a conventional gas engine. That puts the SkyActiv-X in the range of today’s best diesels and even some gas-hybrids.
The Mazda team said they’re targeting real-world performance and efficiency, rather than tuning the new engine just to pass EPA fuel economy tests.
“We expect the SkyActiv-X will be the most fuel-efficient engine in the world at launch,” promises Jay Chen, a lead development engineer. Considering Mazda has been rated by the EPA as the most fuel-efficient brand in the U.S. for the past five years, that’s no idle boast.
Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.
German Carmakers Involved in Human Testing Scandal
Testing on human subjects to toxic exhaust chemicals in an attempt to prove they were not carcinogenic, between 2012 and 2015, was carried out by the European Research Association for Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT), a research group set up and funded by Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler, the maker of Mercedes.
In 2014 similar testing occurred in the US in which ten monkeys were exposed to diesel fumes for several hours
“These tests on monkey and humans cannot be justified ethically in any way,” a spokesman for Angela Merkel said. “The outrage felt by many people is completely understandable.”
Read the article at The Telegraph.
Nuro’s Self-Driving Car Focuses on Last-Mile Deliveries
New startup Nuro is focused on creating a new kind of self-driving car: one that is specifically geared for last-mile deliveries, like groceries or laundry.
Founded by two of the main engineers from Google’s self-driving project, Nuro is coming out at just the right time — a recent McKinsey study is showing tremendous opportunities for last-mile deliveries.
Read the article at The Verge.
Would Your Customers Recommend You?
By Wendy Eichenbaum
According to Gartner, 80% of a company’s future revenue will come from 20% of its existing customers. Who in your customer base is part of that 20%?
The answer in part comes from asking your customers one key question: On a scale of 0-10, how likely are they to recommend your product?
Your future customers will answer with a 9 or 10. These are your Promoters. They repeatedly use your product, and enthusiastically recommend your product to others. Their word of mouth fuels your growth.
Passive customers are the people who answer 7-8. They are satisfied, but have little loyalty, and won’t take the time to recommend you. They’ll be swayed toward your competitors by a new feature or price.
There is a chasm between Passive and Promoter customers. Both groups are likely to answer that they’d use your product again. But when you ask them, “Would you recommend us?,” you’re changing the stakes. Now you’re asking your customers to put their own reputations on the line with their friends and colleagues. You’ll see a big gap between 8 & 9.
Ford Improves SYNC 3 by Adding Alexa and Waze
Ford's new small economy SUV, the EcoSport will soon be available in the US, and is equipped with the latest version of its in-car infotainment system SYNC 3.
Two big names, Amazon Alexa and Google's WAZE have been added to its SYNC in-car infotainment system for iPhone users.
"You can now get in a car with SYNC 3, plug in your iPhone, and navigate with: Ford’s navigation, Waze’s navigation, or Apple Maps. But if you fire up CarPlay, you won’t be able to use Alexa anymore until you back out to the SYNC menus. You also can’t, say, ask Alexa to get directions in Waze instead of with Ford’s navigation system."
Read the article at The Verge.
