These 25 news stories caught my attention last week. These
stories are across automotive, aerospace, industrial equipment, software, telecom,
3D printing, and IoT, and PLM.
Automotive
EV push continues. Mitsubishi Motors plans to roll out small
sports utility vehicle-based electric
vehicles in Japan, the U.S., Europe and other markets in the early 2020s. Mini
EVs will also become available in Japan in 2019. (Read here). General Motors is working toward an
all-electric, zero-emissions future. That starts with two new, fully electric
models next year—then at least 18 more by 2023. (Read here). Ford
to cut $14 billion in cost for EV push and is looking for partnerships to
spread risk. (Read here).
Ford has some bigger
troubles also. As Ford pushes into electric vehicles, U.S. union aims to save
jobs. Ford is touting a 30 percent reduction in “hours per unit” to build
electric vehicles. Fewer hours mean fewer workers. (Read here).
JLR brings agreement for the supply of engines from Ford to an end. (Read here).
There is activating in EV space in India. Chinese bus maker
edges out Tata Motors & Ashok Leyland,
wins plum EV contracts. BYD Auto
will supply 25 fully built electric buses
to Himachal Road Transport Corporation as well as six buses to the state-owned
transport service BEST in Mumbai. Secunderabad-based, Goldstone Infratech,
a leading manufacturer of rubber polymer composite insulators, has partnered
BYD to manufacture these buses in India. (Read here).
A week after awarding a Rs 1,120-crore order for electric cars to Tata Motors,
state-run Energy Efficiency Services has offered to give 40% of the order for 10,000 e-vehicles to Mahindra &
Mahindra provided it matches the former's bid. (Read here).
Even Hummer can be
electrified. Hummer 4x4s, which are known for their humungous power, performance, and off-road
capabilities, are also seen as fossil fuel guzzlers. The H1 model consumes
around 24 liters of fuel to travel 100 kilometers and emits up to 470g CO2 per kilometer. Now, there is an eco-friendly option
at hand. Austrian start-up Kriesel Electric has developed the world’s first
prototype electric powertrain for an existing Hummer H1 model, enabling the
butch behemoth to go all electric. (Read here).
Interesting activity
in automotive space in South East Asia. Here comes Vietnam's first domestic automotive
OEM. Vietnamese real estate conglomerate Vingroup JSC has appointed a former
executive of U.S.-based auto giant General Motors as the CEO of its new
car-manufacturing subsidiary VINFAST. Vietnam is a country with great
potential in the field of auto manufacturing where the demand of the domestic
market is expected to be approximately 450,000 - 500,000 vehicles by 2020 and
increase to 800,000 - 900,000 vehicles by
2025. (Read here).
In Malaysia, a new CEO appointed by Chinese automaker Geely to head Malaysia's
Proton presented a 10-year plan to make Proton among Southeast Asia's top
vehicle brands. (Read here).
Vehicle recalls are making news again. Fiat Chrysler recalls nearly 710,000 Jeep and Dodge SUVs in
North America because an improperly installed brake shield could let water leak
in and limit braking ability. (Read here).
Nissan recalls 1.2 million vehicles in
Japan that were produced between October 2014 and September this year to
re-inspect them because they had not gone through the proper final checks.
(Read here).
Rolls-Royce has signed a deal with Google in a move
intended to help the British engineering company to develop autonomous
ships. Rolls-Royce has some 4,000 marine customers worldwide,
including 70 navies. The agreement, which the companies claim is the first of
its kind in the marine sector is significant as it signals Google aspires to be
a major technology player in autonomous
vehicles space and not necessarily compete in final product segment. (Read here).
Aerospace
The U.S. Commerce Department has heaped another big tariff on Bombardier's new C Series jet --
a win for Boeing. The total tariff is now
300%. (Read here).
The one good news for Bombardier this week is that
it is nearing a deal to sell at least 14 of the CS300 planes to Air Baltic in an order with a list value of about $1.25
billion. (Read here).
While Air Baltic is expanding, a couple of other short-haul
European airlines are going bankrupt.
Monarch Airlines went burst last week leaving 100,000+ passengers stranded.
(Read here).
Earlier Air Berlin filed for bankruptcy after Etihad pulled the plug. (Read here).
Flying taxis are getting the attention
of Boeing and Airbus. Boeing plans to acquire Aurora, a maker of aerial drones
and pilotless flying systems in a move the company said could pave the way for
fleets of small flying taxis. Uber selected the Aurora eVTOL to explore potential flying taxis, with
50 due to be delivered by 2020. (Read here).
Airbus and HAX create an accelerator program for flying taxi tech in Shenzhen,
China. ( Read here).
Pratt & Whitney has informed the Directorate General of
Civil Aviation that Indian climatic conditions are primarily responsible for
snags encountered in its engines fitted in Airbus A320 new engine option
planes. (Read here).
3D Printing
Materialise announced the acquisition of ACTech, a
Germany-based leader in producing limited runs of highly complex cast metal
parts. (Read here).
Industrial Equipment
Otis to manufacture escalators in India from next year. The
Indian elevator industry is the second largest market after China, with an
estimated 49,000 units in a year, growing at 6-7 percent annually. (Read here).
Software/ High-Tech/
Telecom
Google’s 2017 launch event introduced a whole slew of new
products — but that one that’s undoubtedly making the most waves is the Google Pixel Buds headphones, which is capable
of translating 40 different languages directly into your earholes. (Read here).
IoT/ PLM
Accenture is helping Airbus in developing wearable
technology solutions to improve productivity and worker experience in cabin
interiors. (Read here).
FPT Software and Siemens join forces to push forward the expansion
of Siemens PLM and MindSphere IoT platform. (Read here).
