Nissan Motor Co. says it is the first automaker to have a new safety system working on its vehicles that links its cars with roadside sensors to warn drivers of dangerous intersections and blind spots. The goal is to reduce traffic accidents and congestion. Originally 1,000 roadside sensors were planned for Japan, but recent budget cuts scaled back implementation to 15 sites. Using sensors posted on poles around high-risk intersections, cars approaching the intersection are monitored and information is sent to the car's navigation computer. Collision risk is calculated, and drivers are warned as needed.
The technology for fully automated cars that drive themselves is closer to reality, and they are expected within the next decade. Appearing much sooner than driverless vehicles are "connected cars" equipped with sensors and onboard computers that enable them to dodge moving vehicles or stationary objects. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that connected vehicles could reduce accidents involving unimpaired drivers by 80 percent. The autos would rely on devices with a monitoring range of about a quarter mile, reading signals sent out from other equipped cars, plus units placed at traffic lights or stop signs.
Credit unions have come through for dealers as an important finance source ever since the economic slowdown started three years ago. While they're nowhere near the size of major banks, the nation's credit unions increased profits by $658M to $1.7B despite a $6.1B decline in lending in the 1st Q compared to a year earlier.
ALG analysts have discovered that the trim mix offered by automakers to car rental companies has begun to include better-equipped vehicles. ALG?s industry report also said many makers have staggered rental fleet sales to mitigate the negative impact from large quantities of used supply returning to the market within a short period of time.
Chrysler will become the first automaker to offer a fuel-saving 8-speed automatic gearbox with a V6 engine when it introduces its 2012 Charger and Chrysler 300. Highway mileage will be increased 4 miles per gallon, boosting the Dodge sedan to 31 mpg on the highway. A Chrysler spokesman said the automaker is working on a 9-speed automatic gearbox that is expected to be even more efficient. The new transmission will be offered on other models over the next few years.