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For the third time, the Car of the Year was elected at the International Geneva Motor Show: the Peugeot 308 won by a clear advance of its competitors BMW i3, Citroën C4 Picasso, Mazda 3, Mercedes Classe S, Skoda Octavia and Tesla Model S.

The Jury’s decision was indisputable: The Peugeot 308 is Car of the Year. After intensive test drives, the sedan of the French manufacturer was chosen for its general balance and versatility. Hakan Matson, President of the panel of international automobile experts, handed over the prestigious award to Maxime Picat, CEO of Peugeot Brand in the framework of the 84th international Geneva Motor Show. The designation of the award winner is the first announcement from the Show and also its starting signal.

Hakan Matson, Jury President and automobile expert of the Swedish business paper Dagens Industri: “The Peugeot 308 gives a glance of the enormous potential that traditional power trains still have. The winner impresses by its weight reduction and its space management as well as the performance of its combustion engines. In addition, the Peugeot sets new standards in terms of interior space – the 308 is light-flooded, comfortable and ergonomic.”

The « Car of the Year 2014 » was elected by a jury of 58 car journalists from 22 European countries. In the first phase they designed seven finalists out of 30 car novelties before testing them in-depth. Four criteria are particularly important for this nomination: innovation, safety, design and quality. Environmental and consumption aspects are also taken into consideration.

It is the third time that the International Geneva Motor Show is hosting the awarding ceremony. The final vote was directly given at the Show.

Car of the Year:
The international award of Car of the Year is considered to be the most prestigious and desirable car award in the world. Currently, 58 journalists from 22 countries are members of the jury. Car of the Year was called into being by seven European magazines from seven countries: France (L’Automobile), Italy (Auto), Spain (Autopista), Great Britain (Autocar), The Netherlands (Autovisie), Germany (stern) and Sweden (Vi Bilägare).

This press Release is courtesy of http://www.salon-auto.ch/

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida, – After 14 years of filling the skies, the “Spirit of Goodyear” airship retired after the Daytona 500. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s longest continuous operated airship was overhead to provide aerial coverage for its final events this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

Goodyear’s “Spirit of Innovation” joined the “Spirit of Goodyear” in a rare appearance by two Goodyear airships at the same event. The “Spirit of Goodyear” will be decommissioned with a very special retirement gift: a GUINNESSS WORLD RECORDS® achievement for the “Longest Continuous Operating Airship.”

“The ‘Spirit of Goodyear’ has provided captivating aerial coverage of the biggest televised events in its 14-year history including many prominent NASCAR races,” said Paul Fitzhenry, senior vice president, global communications. “Sports fans around the globe have seen the ‘Spirit of Goodyear’s’ aerial coverage and Daytona was an ideal venue to recognize those contributions.”

Since its launch on March 15, 2000, the “Spirit of Goodyear” covered NASCAR races, as well as some of America’s biggest events including the NFL playoffs, MLB All-Star Games, NBA Finals, Preakness, Belmont States, U.S. Opens, and NCAA football games.

As the “Spirit of Goodyear” retires, Goodyear is finalizing construction of an all-new airship at the company’s Wingfoot Lake Hangar in Suffield, Ohio. Training flights on the new state-of-the-art airship are expected to commence in the near future. The new airship will begin a new chapter for Goodyear, which has provided television networks with industry-leading aerial coverage since 1955.

Goodyear began providing tires to NASCAR in 1954 and both companies are celebrating the 60-year relationship this year.

About The Goodyear Airship Fleet
Goodyear’s blimps have adorned the skies since 1925 and are among the most recognizable brand icons, representing the largest tire company in North America. Today, the fleet consists of three North American airships – “Spirit of America” in Carson, Calif.; “Spirit of Goodyear” in Akron, Ohio; and “Spirit of Innovation” in Pompano Beach, Fla.

About Goodyear
Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs approximately 69,000 people and manufactures its products in 52 facilities in 22 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.goodyear.com

DETROIT – General Motors is expanding the recall of certain 2003-2007 model year vehicles to correct a condition with the ignition switch that may allow the key to unintentionally move or switch to the “accessory” or “off” position, turning off the engine and most of the electrical components on the vehicle.

In addition to 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalts and Pontiac G5 and Pontiac Pursuit sold in Canada only, GM is separately recalling 2003-2007 Saturn Ions, 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHRs, and 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky models. The affected U.S. vehicle population, including those vehicles recalled Feb. 13, totals 1,367,146.

This expanded vehicle population raises the number of reported incidents involving frontal crashes, in which the recall condition may have caused or contributed to the non-deployment of the frontal airbags, to 31 involving 13 front-seat fatalities.

As part of the recall, GM is taking steps to address customer concerns and working with its suppliers to increase parts production and accelerate availability.

GM will notify all affected customers that in addition to recalling their vehicles and performing repairs at no charge to them, GM and its dealers will work with customers on an individual, case-by-case basis to minimize inconvenience associated with the recall.

“Ensuring our customers’ safety is our first order of business,” said GM North America President Alan Batey. “We are deeply sorry and we are working to address this issue as quickly as we can.”

Going beyond required written notification, GM, through its customer care centers and social media teams, is using customer records and communications channels to notify affected customers of the recall and additional actions the company is willing to take to relieve their concerns and minimize inconvenience.

GM is recalling these vehicles because the ignition switch torque performance may not meet GM specifications. If the torque performance is not to specification, and the key ring is carrying added weight or the vehicle goes off road or experiences some other jarring event, the ignition switch may inadvertently be moved out of the “run” position.

The timing of the key movement out of the “run” position, relative to the activation of the sensing algorithm of the crash event, may result in the airbags not deploying, increasing the potential for occupant injury in certain kinds of crashes.

Dealers will replace the ignition switch to prevent the unintentional or inadvertent key movement. Until this correction is performed, customers should use only the ignition key with nothing else on the key ring. As always, customers should drive responsibly and use their safety belts.

On Monday, the company submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration a detailed chronology associated with its initial recall of the ignition switch torque performance condition in Chevrolet Cobalts and Pontiac G5s and Pursuits. The chronology outlines events that happened during the time that elapsed between receiving the first field reports and issuing a recall.

“The chronology shows that the process employed to examine this phenomenon was not as robust as it should have been,” said Batey. “Today’s GM is committed to doing business differently and better. We will take an unflinching look at what happened and apply lessons learned here to improve going forward.”

About General Motors Co.
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.gm.com

Alcoa (NYSE: AA) and clean technology company, Phinergy, have entered into a joint development agreement to further develop Phinergy’s electric vehicle batteries that run on air and aluminum. Announced at the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference in Atlanta, the companies will collaborate on new materials, processes and components to commercialize the aluminum-air battery, which can extend electric vehicle range by 1,000 miles.

“Alcoa’s extensive technical materials expertise, along with our deep roots in bringing new products to market in the automotive industry, were of great interest to Phinergy as its revolutionary aluminum-air battery moves from research to commercialization,” said Dr. Raymond Kilmer, Alcoa’s Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. “Automotive manufacturers are looking for technologies that enable zero-emission cars to travel the same kinds of distances as gasoline-powered cars. The aluminum-air range extender has the potential to meet that challenge.”

“Electric vehicle adoption has been slowed by the limited range of regular batteries, causing what is commonly known as ‘range anxiety’,” said Aviv Tzidon, CEO of Phinergy. “With Phinergy’s technology, and Alcoa’s industrial leadership across both the aluminum value chain and the automotive market, we see an exciting opportunity to help move electric vehicles into the mainstream.”

Phinergy’s aluminum-air battery uses air and water to unleash energy stored in aluminum. According to Phinergy, just one of the 50 aluminum plates in the battery can power a car for approximately 20 miles, extending vehicle range by approximately 1,000 miles. The technology allows an energy density that surpasses conventional battery technologies and creates electric vehicles with travel distances, purchase prices and life-cycle costs that are comparable to fossil-fuel cars.

In addition to use in electric vehicles, Phinergy indicated that the battery technology can be used for stationary energy applications such as commercial emergency generators for hospitals and data centers, general purpose generators, and defense applications such as mobile housing and unmanned vehicles. It can also be used for first responders due to its infinite shelf life and high energy density. Phinergy and Alcoa are also working on the aluminum-air technology for these applications.

Alcoa’s team engaged on the project is based at the Alcoa Technical Center located outside of Pittsburgh, which is the largest light-metals research facility in the world.

About Alcoa
A global leader in lightweight metals engineering and manufacturing, Alcoa innovates multi-material solutions that advance our world. Our technologies enhance transportation, from automotive and commercial transport to air and space travel, and improve industrial and consumer electronics products. We enable smart buildings, sustainable food and beverage packaging, high-performance defense vehicles across air, land and sea, deeper oil and gas drilling and more efficient power generation. We pioneered the aluminum industry over 125 years ago, and today, our 60,000 people in 30 countries deliver value-add products made of titanium, nickel and aluminum, and produce best-in-class bauxite, alumina and primary aluminum products. For more information, visit www.alcoa.com, follow @Alcoa on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Alcoa and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Alcoa.

About Phinergy
Phinergy is an innovative clean tech company developing breakthrough metal-air technologies. Benefiting from a diversity of talents and disciplines, the Phinergy team has come up with creative ways to address traditional challenges. Phinergy’s aluminum-air energy system offers significant advantages over competing technologies, including: very high energy density, no polluting emissions, fully recyclable materials, safety and low cost.

Phinergy is a leading developer of breakthrough zero-emission, high energy-density systems based on metal-air energy technologies. The company’s primary focus is on aluminum-air and zinc-air batteries.

Unlike conventional batteries that carry oxygen, these batteries freely breathe oxygen from the ambient air to release the energy contained in metals.

This Press Release is courtesy www.alcoa.com

DETROIT – Chevrolet is investing in clean energy efficiency initiatives of U.S. colleges and universities through its voluntary carbon-reduction initiative. The brand helped develop a formula where campuses can earn money for certain upgrades that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This marks the first time college campuses can use carbon performance methodologies to make money via greenhouse gas reductions that result from energy efficiency. As carbon emissions continue to contribute to the warming of the earth, such funding enables universities to reduce their impact and save money on utility bills while engaging and educating students in their efforts. The funding opportunity is timely given that 675 campuses have pledged to reduce their carbon emissions.

“Historically, campuses purchased other organizations’ carbon credits to help achieve carbon neutrality,” said Eban Goodstein, director of Bard College’s Center for Environmental Policy in New York. “Now they are earning revenues for the carbon reductions achieved right on their own sites, where the long-term clean energy benefits lie for their community.”

Campuses are increasingly pursuing aggressive clean energy efficiency efforts from installing more efficient building equipment to using renewable energy to help power operations. With this initiative, Chevrolet will buy and retire carbon credits resulting from some campuses’ greenhouse gas reductions from either their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings or other campuswide energy-saving initiatives.

Chevrolet is dedicated to securing a cleaner energy future through efficient vehicles, responsible manufacturing and supporting community-based carbon-reduction projects.

“Electric cars like the Chevrolet Volt and Spark EV drawing electricity from a cleaner energy infrastructure is a win-win for our customers and the environment,” said David Tulauskas, GM director of sustainability. “The Chevrolet carbon-reduction initiative is about supporting the ingenious ways people are reducing their carbon emissions, like the efforts of leaders driving the higher education sustainability movement.”

For the last two years, Chevrolet has been the largest U.S. corporate buyer of voluntary carbon credits by volume, according to the nonprofit Forest Trends Ecosystem Marketplace. The brand has supported many projects, from helping a landfill heat a hospital with methane gas to helping truckers avoid idling their engines at rest stops. The initiative is part of the brand’s voluntary goal set in 2010 to prevent up to 8 million metric tons of carbon emissions from entering the earth’s atmosphere. That’s like the annual carbon reduction benefit of a mature forest the size of Yellowstone.

With this next phase, Chevrolet aims to spur even more carbon-reduction activities that benefit college campuses, their communities and job creation.

To develop the new methodologies, Chevrolet worked with an advisory team led by the Climate Neutral Business Network with support from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, the U.S. Green Building Council and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The methodologies have been approved through the Verified Carbon Standard.

Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. and Valencia College in Orlando, Fla. are among the first to apply these new methodologies with pilot projects, confirming that funding such as Chevrolet’s is strategic to their other efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.

Chevrolet’s funds will be used for additional energy efficiency retrofits at Valencia. Ball State’s pilot involves selling some of the carbon reductions from installing the largest geothermal system at a U.S. college.

Said Robert Koester, professor of architecture and chair of the Ball State University Council on the Environment: “Without such third-party financing of this type, most colleges and universities would not be able to capitalize on the more significant investments needed to bring down their carbon load on the atmosphere.”

Visit Chevrolet’s website for more information about the carbon-reduction initiative.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.9 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.gm.com

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced today that it is seeking public comment on whether it should propose a rule to ban voice communications on passengers’ mobile wireless devices on flights within, to and from the United States. The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on Use of Mobile Wireless Devices for Voice Calls on Aircraft, can be found here (DOT website) and provides the public with 30 days in which to offer comments on whether or not a rule should be proposed.

“DOT is committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to express his or her opinion when it comes to this important issue, and this Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will give stakeholders and the public significant opportunity to share their comments,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx. “We will continue to work with the Federal Communications Commission as we carry out our respective responsibilities regarding this important issue.”

Today’s ANPRM is intended to address the significant concerns raised by the public, airlines, flight attendants and members of Congress regarding the possibility of in-flight voice calls on aircraft. The Federal Communications Commission recently issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that if adopted would, among other things, revise the FCC’s prohibition on the use of cellular service on airplanes. The FCC issued this proposal in light of the technical viability of and increasing public interest in using mobile wireless data services on board aircraft. The DOT’s request for comment would provide insight into passengers’ flight experiences that should be considered if the FCC allows airlines to choose whether to enable voice communications on mobile wireless devices.

Comments on the ANPRM must be received within 30 days of the date the notice is published. The ANPRM can be found at regulations.gov, docket number DOT-OST-2014-0002-0001.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.dot.gov

GREENVILLE, S.C.— Toyota Technical Center (TTC), the North American Research and Development arm of Toyota Motor Corporation headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is proud to sponsor the sixth generation innovative Deep Orange program, a vehicle prototype designed and conceived by automotive engineering students at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in partnership with the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

Deep Orange 6 is hands-on project-based learning initiative. CU-ICAR graduate automotive engineering students have the opportunity to create and manufacture a new vehicle prototype during their master’s degree study.

“The students’ task is to develop a utility/activity vehicle concept that not only expands Toyota’s model range, but also addresses important issues such as creating desirability and relevance among youth consumers,” said Paul Venhovens, BMW Endowed Chair in automotive systems integration at CU-ICAR, leads the Deep Orange program. “Throughout this process, Clemson students work directly with automotive OEMs, suppliers and entrepreneurs to develop and implement novel ideas”.

“Innovation is a high priority for Toyota and this project is an excellent opportunity to involve the engineers of tomorrow in some of the key challenges of today,” said Jeff Makarewicz, VP of the TTC Corporate Strategy Office. “We are honored to partner with Clemson and look forward to seeing their fresh and innovative ideas”.

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About Clemson

Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research
The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research is an advanced-technology research campus where academia, industry and government organizations collaborate to create a global venue for the automotive industry. The 250-acre campus in Greenville, S.C., is composed of five technology neighborhoods, each designed uniquely for optimizing an innovative and collaborative environment. CU-ICAR is home to Clemson’s department of automotive engineering, which offers master’s and Ph.D. programs and is conducting leading-edge applied research driven by industry needs.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world’s top automaker and creator of the Prius, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we’ve built more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants and directly employ nearly 40,000 people. Our 1,800 North American dealerships sold more than 2.5 million cars and trucks in 2013 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today.

Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As part of this commitment, we share the company’s extensive know-how garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.toyota.com

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Workers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant today have voted against union representation that would have led to the establishment of a works council that would have been the first such model of labor-management relations in the United States.

At the end of voting on Friday, Volkswagen workers voted against joining the union in a vote of 712 to 626.

The decision follows three days of voting during an election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board and comes amid a firestorm of interference and threats from special interest groups.

“While we certainly would have liked a victory for workers here, we deeply respect the Volkswagen Global Group Works Council, Volkswagen management and IG Metall for doing their best to create a free and open atmosphere for workers to exercise their basic human right to form a union,” said UAW President Bob King.

“We commend Volkswagen for its commitment to global human rights, to worker rights and trying to provide an atmosphere of freedom to make a decision,” said UAW Region 8 Director Gary Casteel, who directs the union’s Southern organizing. “Unfortunately, politically motivated third parties threatened the economic future of this facility and the opportunity for workers to create a successful operating model that that would grow jobs in Tennessee.”

“While we’re outraged by politicians and outside special interest groups interfering with the basic legal right of workers to form a union, we’re proud that these workers were brave and stood up to the tremendous pressure from outside,” said UAW Secretary-Treasurer Dennis Williams, who directs the union’s transnational program. “We hope this will start a larger discussion about workers’ right to organize.”

This Press Release is courtesy of www.uaw.org

DETROIT – To help the National Corvette Museum recover from the massive sinkhole that opened under the facility this week, Chevrolet will oversee restoration of the Corvettes damaged. General Motors Design in Warren, Mich., will lead the project.

“The vehicles at the National Corvette Museum are some of the most significant in automotive history,” said Mark Reuss, executive vice president of General Motors Global Product Development. “There can only be one 1-millionth Corvette ever built. We want to ensure as many of the damaged cars are restored as possible so fans from around the world can enjoy them when the Museum reopens.”

Ed Welburn, vice president of GM Global Design, will oversee the restoration.

When the cars are recovered, they will be shipped to the Mechanical Assembly facility, a small specialty shop within GM Design, where the best restoration approach will be determined. Mechanical Assembly has been part of GM Design since the 1930s, and today maintains and restores many of the vehicles in the GM Heritage Collection and GM’s historic concept cars.

The National Corvette Museum is independently owned, and supported solely by charitable donations from enthusiasts. It is currently accepting donations on its website to assist in refurbishing the facility. Donations are tax-deductible.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.9 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.gm.com

CHICAGO – Chevrolet’s all-new 2015 City Express matches maneuverability and cargo-hauling flexibility with efficiency, giving urban business owners and fleet managers value-driven capability with low operating costs.

The City Express goes on sale this fall, offering 122.7 cubic feet (3,474 liters) of customizable cargo space, a tight turning diameter of only 36.7 feet (11.2 m) and an estimated payload capacity of 1,500 pounds.

The City Express also will deliver greater efficiency than full-size vans due to its smaller size and a 2.0L inline-four-cylinder engine with continuously variable valve timing matched to a continuously variable transmission.

“As the newest member of the Chevrolet Express family of vans, the 2015 City Express offers a smaller, more efficient choice for businesses that don’t need the cargo volume or other capabilities of a full-size van,” said Ed Peper, U.S. vice president, GM Fleet and Commercial. “It is an easy-to-maneuver van that makes the most of its compact dimensions with clever features, allowing business owners to maximize its space – and their resources – with a vehicle sized for their needs.”

Versatile and well-equipped
Designed for function, the City Express’s all-important cargo area accommodates large and bulky items, with 4’6” of space from side wall to side wall – more than enough to load a standard 40” x 48” pallet flat on the floor.
There’s also 6’10” of room from the rear doors to the back of the front seats. With the passenger seat folded, the length grows to 9’8”. The tops of the rear wheel houses are flat to enable tiered storage and to maximize storage space.

Additional features include:

Fold-down passenger seat that converts to a flat work space
Center console designed for storage, including a standard file folder bin
Tall, 40/60-split rear cargo doors that open to 90- and 180-degree angles
Left- and right-side sliding doors
Twenty integrated cargo-mounting points throughout the interior
Six floor-mounted D-rings
Six exterior roof rack mounting points
Standard vinyl flooring
Standard solid rear doors with tinted-glass windows available
Standard driver information center
Standard power windows
12-volt power outlet standard on LS
Remote keyless entry with automatic locking feature standard on LT
Heated, power-adjustable outside mirrors standard on LT
Cruise control standard on LT, (available on LS)
Backup sensors standard on LT, available on LS)

“The City Express is engineered to carry what’s important to business owners – and do it with cost-effective efficiency and surprising versatility,” said Peper.

A Technology package available on LT models includes a 5.8-inch diagonal touch screen, navigation, Sirius/XM Satellite Radio with a three-month trial period, Bluetooth phone connectivity, a USB input and a rearview camera system.

Bluetooth connectivity is also available on LS models.

Under the hood
Rated at 131 horsepower (98 kW) and 139 lb-ft of torque (188 Nm), the City Express’s dual overhead cam 2.0L inline-four cylinder engine features continuously variable valve timing. A continuously variable transmission drives the front wheels, contributing to efficiency by making the most of torque delivery across the rpm band.

Designed to provide a balance of strength and low mass, a body-integral chassis enhances efficiency and the feeling of performance. A MacPherson-strut suspension is located in the front with a truck-style multi-leaf rear suspension. Other chassis features include 15-inch wheels, front disc brakes and efficiency-enhancing electric power steering.

Four-wheel antilock brakes and electronic brake-force distribution are standard, as is an electronic stability control system.

The City Express also comes with six airbags standard: dual-stage frontal airbags, side-impact supplemental airbags and roof-mounted curtain airbags for enhanced side-impact and rollover protection.

The City Express gets Chevrolet’s Complete Care including:

Three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper new vehicle limited warranty
Five-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty
Two-year/24,000-mile scheduled maintenance

All 3,200 Chevrolet dealerships across the United States can service the City Express.

Based on the Nissan NV200, the City Express comes i LS and LT trims. Pricing will be announced later.

Chevrolet also offers Express full-size cargo vans in half-ton, three-quarter-ton and 1-ton chassis, in regular and extended lengths, and with gas – including CNG-capable – and diesel engines. Cut-away and passenger models are also available.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.gm.com

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced today that it will begin taking steps to enable vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology for light vehicles. This technology would improve safety by allowing vehicles to “talk” to each other and ultimately avoid many crashes altogether by exchanging basic safety data, such as speed and position, ten times per second.

“Vehicle-to-vehicle technology represents the next generation of auto safety improvements, building on the life-saving achievements we’ve already seen with safety belts and air bags,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “By helping drivers avoid crashes, this technology will play a key role in improving the way people get where they need to go while ensuring that the U.S. remains the leader in the global automotive industry.”

DOT research indicates that safety applications using V2V technology can address a large majority of crashes involving two or more motor vehicles. With safety data such as speed and location flowing from nearby vehicles, vehicles can identify risks and provide drivers with warnings to avoid other vehicles in common crash types such as rear-end, lane change, and intersection crashes. These safety applications have been demonstrated with everyday drivers under both real-world and controlled test conditions.

The safety applications currently being developed provide warnings to drivers so that they can prevent imminent collisions, but do not automatically operate any vehicle systems, such as braking or steering. NHTSA is also considering future actions on active safety technologies that rely on on-board sensors. Those technologies are eventually expected to blend with the V2V technology. NHTSA issued an Interim Statement of Policy in 2013 explaining its approach to these various streams of innovation. In addition to enhancing safety, these future applications and technologies could help drivers to conserve fuel and save time.

V2V technology does not involve exchanging or recording personal information or tracking vehicle movements. The information sent between vehicles does not identify those vehicles, but merely contains basic safety data. In fact, the system as contemplated contains several layers of security and privacy protection to ensure that vehicles can rely on messages sent from other vehicles and that a vehicle or group of vehicles would be identifiable through defined procedures only if there is a need to fix a safety problem.

In August 2012, DOT launched the Safety Pilot “model deployment” in Ann Arbor, Mich., where nearly 3,000 vehicles were deployed in the largest-ever road test of V2V technology. DOT testing is indicating interoperability of V2V technology among products from different vehicle manufacturers and suppliers and has demonstrated that they work in real-world environments.

In driver clinics conducted by the Department prior to the model deployment, the technology showed high favorability ratings and levels of customer acceptance. Participants indicated they would like to have V2V safety features on their personal vehicle.

“V2V crash avoidance technology has game-changing potential to significantly reduce the number of crashes, injuries and deaths on our nation’s roads,” said NHTSA Acting Administrator David Friedman. “Decades from now, it’s likely we’ll look back at this time period as one in which the historical arc of transportation safety considerably changed for the better, similar to the introduction of standards for seat belts, airbags, and electronic stability control technology.”

NHTSA is currently finalizing its analysis of the data gathered as part of its year-long pilot program and will publish a research report on V2V communication technology for public comment in the coming weeks. The report will include analysis of the Department’s research findings in several key areas including technical feasibility, privacy and security, and preliminary estimates on costs and safety benefits. NHTSA will then begin working on a regulatory proposal that would require V2V devices in new vehicles in a future year, consistent with applicable legal requirements, Executive Orders, and guidance. DOT believes that the signal this announcement sends to the market will significantly enhance development of this technology and pave the way for market penetration of V2V safety applications.

“We are pleased with the direction NHTSA is taking in terms of V2V technology,” said Greg Winfree, Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology. “The decision to move forward comes after years of dedicated research into the overwhelming safety benefits provided by a connected vehicle environment.”

V2V communications can provide the vehicle and driver with 360-degree situational awareness to address additional crash situations – including those, for example, in which a driver needs to decide if it is safe to pass on a two-lane road (potential head-on collision), make a left turn across the path of oncoming traffic, or in which a vehicle approaching at an intersection appears to be on a collision course. In those situations, V2V communications can detect threats hundreds of yards from other vehicles that cannot be seen, often in situations in which on-board sensors alone cannot detect the threat.

NHTSA has worked in close partnership in this research both with other DOT agencies, including the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and the Federal Highway Administration, and with several leading auto manufacturers and academic research institutions, who have invested significant resources into developing and testing V2V technology. The collaboration of government, industry and academia is critical to ensure V2V technology’s interoperability across vehicles.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.nhtsa.gov

WASHINGTON – At the Washington Auto Show today U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced nearly $50 million to accelerate research and development of new vehicle technologies that give drivers and businesses more transportation options and protect the environment in communities nationwide. This new funding includes support for the Energy Department’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, a broader initiative launched in March 2012 to make plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) more affordable and convenient to own and drive than today’s gasoline-powered vehicles within the next 10 years.

“Today, the American auto industry is on the rise, experiencing the best period of growth in more than a decade. The new research and development funding announced today will help support our domestic automakers’ continued growth and make sure that the next generation of advanced technology vehicles are built right here in America,” said Secretary Moniz.

With support from the Energy Department, U.S. automakers, universities and national laboratories have achieved significant advances in vehicle efficiency and electrification, including cutting the cost to manufacture advanced electric vehicle batteries by 50 percent over the last four years.

Building on these advancements, the funding opportunity announced today will support a wide range of technologies that further cut fuel costs for drivers and help make vehicles more efficient and durable, including lightweighting materials; cost-effective batteries and power electronics; advanced heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; and improved fuels and lubricants.

By bringing together America’s best engineers, scientists and businesses, the Energy Department’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge is focused on making electric vehicles more affordable and convenient to own than today’s gasoline-powered vehicles within a decade. A new progress report released today highlights continued growth across the U.S. plug-in electric vehicle industry:

Last year, Americans bought nearly 100,000 plug-in electric vehicles, nearly twice as many as sold during 2012. According to industry estimates, the U.S. PEV market is on track to pass the 200,000 sales milestone by spring 2014 – nearly two years before hybrid electric vehicles reached this milestone since their introduction 10 years ago.
The Kelley Blue Book 5-Year Cost to Own Awards ranked the 2013 Chevrolet Volt as #6 on its list of vehicles that have the lowest total cost of ownership for five years after the purchase of a new car. Only compact and subcompact cars cost less over this same period.

Through the Workplace Charging Challenge, the Energy Department is working to expand access to workplace charging stations for Americans workers across the country. In the first year of the challenge, more than 50 employers – including Facebook, Coca-Cola and Dell – have pledged to provide PEV charging access to their workforce at more than 150 worksites.

Over the last four years, the cost to manufacture advanced electric vehicle batteries has fallen by 50 percent. At the same time, the size and weight of PEV batteries has also been reduced by over 60 percent, while improving overall vehicle performance and durability.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.energy.gov

WASHINGTON D.C.,- FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., announced today at the Washington Auto Show that the two companies will start testing the Nissan e-NV200, a 100% electric compact cargo vehicle under real world conditions in Washington, D.C.

This test marks the first time the vehicle will be operating in North America. FedEx Express and Nissan have conducted similar e-NV200 tests with fleets in Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Brazil.

FedEx and Nissan are both committed to reducing the environmental impact of their operations worldwide. Rotating the Nissan e-NV200 into the delivery fleet is part of the FedEx EarthSmart program, a global sustainability platform designed to guide the company’s environmental commitment in the communities where it operates. For Nissan, this effort aligns with its “Blue Citizenship” corporate social responsibility program with a focus on increasing the number of vehicles that emit no greenhouse gases by exploring additional vehicle segments where its leading electric vehicle technology may be applied.

FedEx will deploy the Nissan e-NV200 in the Washington D.C. area, where it will undergo field tests that subject it to the routine requirements of a delivery vehicle for approximately six weeks. The results will be used both to determine the viability of using an electric vehicle in this role in the U.S. as well as for further development and refinement of the mass production version of the e-NV200 which is scheduled to begin later this year in Europe.

“As a global fleet operator serving 220 countries and territories worldwide, FedEx is committed to improving the efficiency of its vehicles as part of our EarthSmart initiatives,” said Mitch Jackson, vice president of Environmental Affairs and Sustainability, FedEx Corp. “We are pleased to continue our work with Nissan and bring the e-NV200 into test in North America.”

“We’re eager to work with FedEx and other companies to put the e-NV200 through its paces to continue to build awareness of the capability of electric vehicles and to evaluate how well it meets the needs of the commercial consumer,” said Erik Gottfried, Nissan director of Electric Vehicle Sales and Marketing. “We’d also like to explore clever uses of EVs in work environments where carbon emissions of gas-powered vehicles make them impractical or impossible to use.”

Nissan’s Second 100% Global Electric Vehicle

Following the LEAF, the e-NV200 will be the second EV that Nissan markets globally. The all-electric compact cargo vehicle strengthens Nissan’s leadership in zero emission mobility. The 100 percent electric model offers the same versatility, functionality and roominess as its gasoline-powered sibling. The e-NV200 delivers unique, emission-free and quiet performance thanks to a powertrain based on Nissan LEAF. The e-NV200 is powered by the same advanced lithium-ion battery composed of 48 compact modules mated with a high-response, 80kW AC synchronous motor that generates 107 horsepower and 187 lb-ft of torque. It emits no carbon dioxide, compared to approximately 140 g of CO2/km emitted by gas-powered engines in a similar vehicle. The e-NV200 can be charged up to 80 percent of its full capacity in less than 30 minutes when equipped with a quick charge port and using a fast charger.

With front-wheel drive, the e-NV200 provides rapid and smooth acceleration and excellent handling with a high degree of maneuverability. The electric vehicle delivers immediate torque, which benefits acceleration with a heavy payload from a dead stop. The e-NV200 offers the low cost of ownership that EVs such as LEAF boast—based on fewer maintenance requirements and the reduced cost of charging versus fueling.

The smart positioning of the battery ensures a larger cargo area, and the vehicle maintains a low load floor, key considerations for light commercial vehicles. With only the two front cargo seats, it has six feet of loading space and a load capacity of about 188 cubic feet and can haul an estimated payload of about 1,000 pounds (based on the European spec of the demonstration vehicle.)

FedEx: The EV Global Fleet

FedEx Express currently has 167 electric vehicles and 365 hybrid electric vehicles in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and China, including the units that will be deployed in Brazil starting in January. By the end of this fiscal year (May 31, 2014), the company plans to increase these numbers to 222 and 393, respectively. From 2005 to 2012, the introduction of this type of vehicle in the fleet enabled the company to save nearly 2.4 million liters of fuel.

Initiatives like this, aligned with others, such as matching the right vehicle to the right route, buying vehicles with the right-sized engines and inclusion of light vehicles into the fleet, have allowed FedEx to quickly progress towards its goal of increasing the fuel efficiency of its fleet, which the company revised in the beginning 2013 by increasing its initial improvement target from 20 percent to 30 percent by 2020.

This Press Release is courtesy www.fedex.com

DETROIT – The 2014 Chevrolet Spark is a Top Safety Pick and is the only vehicle in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety minicar segment to earn the rating in 2014 model year testing.

Spark achieved highest possible “good” scores in the IIHS’s moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints tests, and scored an “acceptable” in IIHS’s new small overlap test, designed to replicate what happens when the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle or an object like a tree or a utility pole.

“Spark’s impressive performance in IIHS’s most stringent test yet demonstrates the intensive efforts of our global safety team to deliver big safety in a small package,” said Gay Kent, General Motors general director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness. “Spark’s safety structure makes extensive use of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels and its robust passenger protection package includes 10 standard air bags.”

Minicars present unique challenges when designing for crashworthiness. Spark’s relatively short wheelbase of 93.5 inches required the Spark team to strengthen the car’s front-end structure to better absorb and distribute impact energy around occupants. A cradle extension offers additional support in frontal collisions.

Lightweight, high-strength steels constitute more than 62 percent of Spark’s under body and 42 percent of its upper body. The car’s rigid door beams and H-shaped structure under the seating area are designed to enhance protection in side impacts, and its high-strength cross members are designed to help manage crush space in side impacts.

Spark’s roof bow and B-pillar also use high-strength steels to help preserve the occupant space in a rollover crash. Likewise, the high-strength rear rail is designed to help protect the fuel tank in side and rear impacts.

Spark’s driver and passenger front knee air bags are designed to reduce the risk of lower extremity injuries in frontal crashes. Further protection is provided by dual-stage frontal air bags, seat-mounted side air bags and side curtain air bags that extend over the front and rear seating rows.

Additional safety features include a rollover sensing system, three-point safety belts in all four seating positions, safety belt pretensioners in the front driver and passenger seats, the LATCH child seat attachment system, adjustable head restraints and collapsible steering column.

This Press Release is courtesy of General Motors www.gm.com

RICHMOND, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan. 16, 2014– For 10 years in a row, CarMax, Inc. (NYSE: KMX), the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, has been named by FORTUNE magazine as one of its “100 Best Companies to Work For.” CarMax ranks No. 54 for 2014.

The growing company is hiring for more than 1,400 positions across the country in all business areas including sales, purchasing, business office and service operations, and has plans to open between 10 and 15 stores each year for the next two fiscal years. Interested candidates can visit the CarMax careers page to apply and view videos from associates on why CarMax is a great place to work.

“We are a young company, recently celebrating our 20th birthday, and our culture of integrity, diversity and respect has been in place since day one,” said Tom Folliard, CarMax president and chief executive officer. “CarMax associates have the opportunity to build fulfilling careers, with strong personal and professional development and a sense of family. A decade on this list is a testament to that.”

CarMax has opened 11 stores in the current fiscal year, with two more scheduled. The unique CarMax experience continues to be introduced throughout the country in areas including Savannah, Ga,, St. Louis, Mo., and the Delaware Valley. CarMax’s first store of the upcoming fiscal year will open in March in Rochester, its first store in the state of New York.

CarMax starts with selecting the best cars that meet its high retail standards. Every used car the company retails is CarMax Quality Certified, undergoing a rigorous 125-point inspection, and is protected by a 30-Day Limited Warranty and a 5-Day Money-Back Guarantee. Consumers can search the inventory of more than 35,000 vehicles by fuel economy and features, read customer reviews, and view a free vehicle history report, all on carmax.com.

Related stories will appear in the new issue of FORTUNE available on newsstands January 20; the complete list is available today online.

To pick the 100 Best Companies to Work For, FORTUNE partners with the Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America; 257 firms participated in this year’s survey. More than 252,000 employees at those companies were surveyed by the institute, a global research and consulting firm operating in 45 countries around the world. Two-thirds of a company’s score is based on the results of the institute’s Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions related to their attitudes about management’s credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie. The other third is based on responses to the institute’s Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring practices, methods of internal communication, training, recognition programs, and diversity efforts.

This Press Release is courtesy Carmax corporate website

DETROIT – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) dealers delivered 9,714,652 vehicles around the world in the 2013, up 4 percent compared with 2012. Among GM’s top five global markets by volume, China and the United Kingdom posted the largest year-over-year sales increases on a percentage basis, with each up 11 percent. GM’s China sales set a new full-year record. Sales in the United States increased 7 percent.

“A healthy auto market in the United States and China, and very successful product launches at all of our brands worldwide drove GM’s growth in 2013 and helped us navigate difficult conditions in Europe and parts of South America and Asia,” said Dan Ammann, GM executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Ammann, who has been named president of General Motors, will discuss the company’s outlook and strategy at the 2014 Global Auto Industry Conference hosted by Deutsche Bank on Wednesday, January 15, in Detroit. GM’s presentation will begin at approximately 7:30 a.m. EST followed by a Q&A session.

A live webcast of the presentation will be available here. Presentation materials will be posted in the Investor section of gm.com shortly before the webcast.

Going forward, GM plans to announce its global sales on a quarterly basis using this new template as part of the company’s effort to provide insightful and easily accessible information about its global growth strategy.

Highlights (vs. 2012)
■Chevrolet sold a record 4,984,126 vehicles in 2013, an increase of 19,304 from the previous record set in 2012. Key product launches included the Silverado, named the 2014 North American Truck of the Year, and the Corvette Stingray, named the 2014 North American Car of the Year.
■Cadillac’s global sales were up 28 percent. The brand ended 2013 as the fastest-growing full-line luxury brand in the United States, with sales up 22 percent following the introductions of the all-new XTS and ATS. In China, Cadillac’s sales grew 67 percent to a record 50,005 vehicles. Cadillac broke ground on a new assembly plant in China last year and plans to add one new model per year in the country through 2016.
■Buick’s global sales were up 15 percent as it introduced redesigns of the LaCrosse and Regal in all of its major markets and added new models in North America, including the Encore crossover. Dealers delivered 1,032,331 vehicles for the best year in the brand’s 110-year history. The previous record of 1,003,345 vehicles sold was set in 1984, before the brand entered the China market.
■Opel/Vauxhall sold more than 1 million vehicles globally and delivered a slight increase in European market share to the mid-5 percent range, its first in 14 years, following the successful launches of the Mokka and ADAM.

This Press Release is courtesy www.gm.com

LAS VEGAS – Chevrolet announced at the Consumer Electronics Show today an industry-first Performance Data Recorder for the 2015 Corvette Stingray. The fully integrated system enables users to record high-definition video, with telemetry overlays, of their driving experiences on and off the track.

“The Performance Data Recorder combines the ability to record and share drive videos with the power of a professional-level motorsports telemetry system,” said Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer. “Drivers can easily record and share their experiences driving down the Tail of the Dragon or lapping Road Atlanta. In addition, with the included telemetry software, users can analyze their laps in incredible detail and find opportunities to improve their driving and lap times.”

The Performance Data Recorder, or PDR, system was developed with Cosworth, the British motorsports-engineering company that supplies the Corvette Racing team’s data acquisition and telemetry electronics system. It will be available with the start of regular 2015 Corvette production, later in the third quarter of 2014. Pricing will be announced closer to launch.

The PDR system includes three major components, all seamlessly integrated into the Corvette Stingray’s interior. First is a 720p, high-definition camera, mounted within the windshield header trim, which records the driver’s point-of-view through the windshield. Audio is recorded via a dedicated microphone in the cabin.

Second is a self-contained telemetry recorder. The system uses a dedicated GPS receiver that operates at 5 hertz, or cycles per second. That is five times faster than the in-dash navigation system and allows more precise positioning and corner traces. The recorder is also hard-wired into the Stingray’s Controller Area Network, or CAN, to access vehicle information, ranging from engine speed and transmission-gear selection to braking force and steering-wheel angle.

Finally, the system features a dedicated SD-card slot in the glove box for recording and transferring video and vehicle data. Recording time depends on the capacity of the memory card, but an 8-gigabyte card can record approximately 200 minutes, while a 32-GB card stores up to about 800 minutes – more than 13 hours of driving time.

The PDR system can record video with three data overlay options, each rendered in real time:
■Track Mode – shows the maximum level of data on the screen, including speed, rpm, g-force, a location-based map, lap time and more.
■Sport Mode – shows fewer details on the overlay but includes key data including speed and g-force
■Touring Mode – simply records and displays video and audio of the drive with no data overlay
■Performance Mode – records performance metrics, such as 0 to 60 mph acceleration, 1/4-mile speed and elapsed time, and 0-100-0 mph runs.

The video can be viewed on the Corvette Stingray’s eight-inch color touchscreen when the car is parked, or downloaded to a computer for further editing, and sharing video via social media sites.

For users who want a more in-depth understanding of their performance, the PDR vehicle data can be opened in the included “Cosworth Toolbox” software, which combines Cosworth’s professional-level motorsport data analysis with an easy-to-use graphic interface.

The Cosworth Toolbox application overlays recorded laps on a Bing-enabled satellite map of the track, and compares selected laps in detail for any requested point on the drive. Comparisons include corner traces, vehicle speed, and cornering force to help drivers improve their driving consistency and ultimately their lap times.

“The ability to review laps between track sessions can identify immediate adjustments for quicker laps in the next session,” said Juechter. “It’s like having a 32-GB crew chief trackside providing you with real-time feedback to improve your driving skills.”

This Press Release is courtesy of GM.com

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers told United States and European Union negotiating teams that the industry will sponsor a study by leading research institutions to demonstrate equivalence between certain American and European auto regulations. The Alliance, along with the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) and the American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC), have been actively engaged with U.S. and E.U. governments to seek a vital regulatory harmonization component to a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement.

“The U.S. and Europe have the most advanced auto safety regulations in the world, and in many cases, the differences between the standards are very modest,” said Rob Strassburger, Vice President for Safety and Harmonization at the Auto Alliance. “Mutual recognition of certain standards by the U.S. and E.U. governments will result in significant economic benefits while maintaining safety and environmental performance.”

Regulatory differences between the U.S. and E.U. can act as non-tariff barriers to trade, effectively putting a “trade tax” of 25 percent or more on products sold across the Atlantic, according to a recent European impact assessment.

The study will be conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in partnership with SAFER, a transportation research center at Chalmers University, located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Researchers will examine the degree to which vehicles produced to U.S. safety standards can be expected to provide essentially equivalent real-world safety benefits when driven on European roadways as provided by vehicles produced to E.U. standards (and vice-versa for E.U.-certified vehicles when driven on U.S. roadways).

“UMTRI and SAFER have considerable expertise in road safety on both sides of the Atlantic. We are excited that they chose to pursue this project,” said Strassburger.

UMTRI is a national leader in transportation data and analysis with over 40 years of experience with analysis of national crash datasets in the US to understand both injury risk and benefits of a variety of crashworthiness as well as crash avoidance technologies. SAFER is a joint research unit comprised of 25 partner organizations that have participated in a large number of E.U. projects on traffic safety, including in-depth data collection projects such as PENDANT, SafetyNet and DaCoTA and the major Field Operational Tests (FOTs) such as euroFOT and DriveC2X plus the networking project FOTnet.

Harmonization is an economic vitality issue, according to the Auto Alliance. Compliance with diverse national environmental and vehicle safety standards imposes engineering, design, and manufacturing constraints that can raise costs to consumers.

Manufacturing is the most important sector for a strong economy, according to Alliance opinion polling where 92 percent of those polled said manufacturing is “very” or “somewhat” important to a strong, modern economy, with only 4 percent saying it was not important. Within the manufacturing sector, the production of automobiles has a dramatic impact. Auto manufacturing depends on a broad range of parts, components and materials provided by thousands of suppliers, as well as a vast retail and vehicle maintenance network of dealers. In the U.S., 8 million workers and their families depend on autos. Each year the industry generates $500 billion in paychecks, while generating $70 billion in tax revenues across the country.

This Press Release is courtesy of Autoalliance.org