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One of the most worrisome areas is the automobile maintenance area. This is because they face consumers directly on the front line and play an important role as a professional area.

There are about 4,500 general and small car maintenance industries called automobile factories nationwide, and about 40,000 businesses called car centers. Overall, there are about 45,000 employees, and it is a large-scale specialized area with more than 150,000 employees.

Recently, the durability of internal combustion engines has improved significantly, the free after-sales service period has increased, and various consumer incentives such as engine oil exchanges have increased, reducing the areas that existing maintenance businesses can do. As the maintenance area has already become a red ocean, concerns about extending the industry were increasing. On top of that, the crisis is approaching as the transition to electric vehicles has accelerated recently. The most important area disappeared as the engine room with the most work in the maintenance area disappeared at all and the transmission disappeared.

Batteries and motors that replace this have become modular, making it an area where technicians can enter. Only the lower part of the existing area, including tires and braking systems, suspension devices and steering devices that use the same parts and parts, is applicable. On top of that, there is almost no training for mechanics such as electric vehicles, so maintenance of electric vehicles is currently impossible. For now, it is necessary to prepare and wait until the time when it can last through education such as electric vehicles.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s program to train future car professionals is almost the only situation, but there are more than one or two problems.

Within a few years, there are a number of areas that require training for future cars, such as the parts industry as well as training for professional mechanics. Jobs are easier and more continuous in maintaining jobs than creating new ones in the future era of mobility. It’s the most important thing.

In the near future, the area of automobile maintenance is also expected to decrease significantly. This is because the number of parts, modularization, and mobility foundations have also appeared, and there is a limit to the significant reduction in the maintenance area.

In the end, only large-scale maintenance companies in the form of nationwide franchises will survive. In the future, the current maintenance industry is likely to decrease by at least 70%. Therefore, it is necessary to consider ways to greatly increase the number of items that can revive the maintenance area while increasing diversity such as electric vehicle tuning, used electric vehicle diagnostic evaluation, and electric vehicle parts and supplies.

All other areas are important, but even now, thorough preparation for the maintenance area and efforts to reduce the impact on future cars are required. Even industry transformation and transformation education are needed, and various methods such as mergers and acquisitions should be considered. This is the most important time.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 21st that it will conclude by the end of this month on the business adjustment applied by the used car trading industry to prevent Hyundai Motor (005380) and Kia (000270) from entering the used car market.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups released a press release on the same day and said, “We plan to hold a SME business adjustment council at the end of this month to conclude the business adjustment related to Hyundai Motor and Kia’s entry into the used car market.”

The used car trading industry previously applied for business adjustment to the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business in January, asking Hyundai and Kia to prevent them from entering the used car market. Since then, the used car sales industry and Hyundai and Kia Motors have attempted to reach an agreement through self-adjustment, but they have still failed to narrow the gap.

The used car trading industry is demanding that large companies postpone the start of their business for up to three years and restrict their purchases and sales for up to three years after that.

Hyundai and Kia Motors say that sales volume can be limited within a certain range, but business postponement and purchase restrictions are not possible.

In response, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups decided to stop self-adjustment and hold a business adjustment council.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups predicted, 중고차 사이트 “Considering the situation where the two sides run parallel lines, it is highly likely that a recommendation that compromises their respective positions will eventually come out.”

The Business Adjustment Council may recommend delaying the acquisition, initiation, and expansion of large companies for up to three years or reducing production items, quantities, and facilities so that small and medium-sized companies can secure business opportunities.

However, as this is a recommendation measure, it has no legal effect to forcibly block it. Large companies can enter the used car market at any time as the review committee of the used car sales business, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, dropped the used car sales business last month.

If buying a new vehicle is not in your budget right now, but you do need another vehicle you may be considering a used automobile. In this article we will discuss some second hand car buying tips that will help to prepare you for buying one, as well as to help you to avoid some common mistakes that consumers typically make and then regret later. Most used cars are sold “as is” that means what you see is what you get; the private seller or dealership will not make any improvements before you buy it.

Once you confirm with the seller that it is indeed sold this way, then the next step is to figure out how much the car is really worth. In order to do that, you will need to assess the condition of the following:

Engine – how does it run, do they have maintenance records?

Exterior – How’s’ the paint, does it have any scratches, dents or fading.

Interior – what’s the condition of the seats, carpet, and dashboard? Do the windows, locks and sunroof work properly? car repairwoman

Anything that is not working right, needs to be deducted from the fair market value of the vehicle. If you are not comfortable with doing this type of inspection, it will be well worth it to hire a professional that can figure this out for you. As the last thing you will want to do is pay too much for the vehicle, that’s not even worth the money you bought it for.

Having this knowledge will also help you to negotiate a better deal on the car, truck or van, because if you can show the seller why you need the price reduced they will be a lot more flexible on both the price and the terms. Any repair that needs to be done on a pre-owned vehicle can quickly add up, which can make the car not worth you investing in. For quality used cars check out this site

There are several ways that you can connect an iPod or MP3 player to your are stereo

Cassette Adapter

If your car has a cassette deck you can opt for a user-friendly cassette adapter to connect to your MP3 player. Simply insert the cassette adapter into the deck, and connect the cable to your MP3 player’s headphone jack. Some cassette decks also include a front-panel auxiliary input, giving you two ways to connect to your iPod®, iPhone® or other MP3 player.

FM Transmitter

Any vehicle with an FM stereo can use an FM transmitter to listen to MP3 music. The transmitter connects to your iPod® or MP3 player by way of a dock or headphone jack. Manually select an FM frequency on the transmitter, and then tune the car radio to the same station to hear your MP3 music.

Auxiliary Input

Auxiliary input decks are available in many newer vehicles. They’re considered iPod®-ready because they come equipped with a front-panel auxiliary input that makes playing your iPod through your car stereo extremely simple. All you need is an inexpensive 3.5 mm auxiliary cable. Connect the cable to the input on your stereo and the headphone jack on your MP3 player. You may want to consider using a car mount to keep your player within reach. NOTE: An auxiliary cable will not charge your iPod or MP3 player.

iPod AdapteriPod® Adapter

An iPod adapter is the newest way to allow you to easily connect your iPod or iPhone®. A connection cable is installed in the glove box for simple, out-of-sight connection — you can even leave the iPod in the glove box, since all functions are controlled from the car deck. An iPod adapter also charges your iPod while you play it in your car.

USB InputiPod®-Ready Decks with USB Input

A USB-input deck features an easy access, front-panel USB input for connecting and controlling your iPod directly through the car stereo. These decks also charge your device — so you won’t run out of power when you take your MP3 player out of the car. USB-input connections are fast at relaying information between the iPod and the stereo, with little lag time.

Mechless

A “mechless” — mechanical less — deck is a newer breed of in-dash receiver that omits mechanical playback methods. (It does not play discs.) These decks are made for iPods and can also use other MP3 players, iPhones and USB flash drives. Easily connect, charge and control your digital-music player via USB 1-Wire inside the unit. Your iPod or MP3 player stores neatly within a tray in the receiver, eliminating loose wires and hiding your player from view.

Technologies like the eight-track and cassette player have come and gone in the car, and the CD player is soon to follow. And so far, AM and FM car radio have survived them all. But with Internet radio and streaming music services such as Pandora, iHeartRadio and Rhapsody coming to the car, traditional broadcasting is facing new forms of competition.

“Today it is much easier for any audio content from around the world to find its way into a vehicle as long as the car or its driver is connected,” says Thilo Koslowski, an automotive electronics analyst at Gartner. “You no longer need expensive transmitters to get content into the driver’s ears. All you need is space on a server and attractive content.”

That doesn’t mean that traditional AM/FM car radio will go away, Koslowski adds. “But it certainly will no longer be the only option for consumers.”

Valerie Shuman, an auto industry consultant, illustrated the current state of radio during “The Digital Dash” panel at the recent National Association of Broadcasters convention by showing a picture of an elephant climbing into a Model T Ford. The point, she said, is that a ton of content is now coming into the car.

“In-vehicle infotainment systems have evolved from traditional radios into much more flexible platforms capable of supporting a host of media, content and apps,” she told the audience. Business as usual for broadcasters “is probably not going to be the right answer.”

“Every entertainment medium has had to adjust to stay relevant, or the world just moves on to the next thing,” says GM spokesman Scott Fosgard. But he pointed out that there are services that Internet radio may not be able to replicate, such as local news, weather and live sports.

“I can’t imagine listening to sports without AM/FM or SiriusXM,” he says.

Technology has its own form of survival of the fittest. Once-popular media formats are eventually pushed aside as the masses move on to the new, more convenient way to watch movies, listen to music or read books. DVDs are currently falling victim to this vicious cycle as on-demand streaming video has finally become widespread. CDs have been on a slow decline since the dawn of the iPod over a decade ago. (When’s the last time you brought a disc into the car?) And now the auto industry has started to ditch the disc as well.

The Car CD Player Death Knell Is Nigh
Car technology moves at a much slower pace than consumer electronics. The cassette slot didn’t disappear from the dash until 2010, when that year’s Lexus SC 430 became the last car to offer a tape deck.

Now it’s the disc’s turn to fade away as drivers turn to music that’s either stored on their smartphones or streamed to them. (What’s the future of the car radio? Not quite so dire.)

“With the rising popularity of digital music and streaming services, some automakers made the decision to shift focus from the CD to connected services and smartphones,” says Vadim Brenner, VP of product management at Gracenote, the predominant supplier of “metadata” such as the album, artist, song information and album art that’s often seen on a car’s infotainment display.

Automakers and consumers aren’t abandoning the disc in droves just yet: Gracenote reports nearly 5.5 million CD “lookups” on its database every day, representing only an 18 percent decline since 2008. But all signs indicate that the death knell may be sounding for the car CD player. The main motivating factor is that fewer drivers are carrying clunky discs into their car: probably because they’ve stopped buying them in the first place.

Forecasts show that sales of CDs and DVDs topped out worldwide in 2011, says Mark Boyadjis, senior analyst and manager of infotainment for IHS Global. He adds that in 2013, the overall CD “attach rate” (the number of vehicles that include a disc drive) dropped 75 percent. But beyond this shift in consumer taste, automakers also want to ditch car CD players to save weight and open up their interior design options.

Spark, Sonic and Soul Skip CDs
General Motors recently deserted the disc in its MyLink system in the Chevy Sonic and Spark. MyLink mostly relies on a connected smartphone to bring music and other content into the car.

“We decided to put one of our more advanced radios in our entry-level vehicles because we knew that the most connected customers are younger buyers — the ones who buy Sonics and Sparks,” says Sara LeBlanc, GM’s program manager for MyLink in the Spark and Sonic. She adds that customer research conducted by Chevy revealed that the target buyers for the cars listen to music on their phones. “So we took the disc drive out to give our customers more memory or a bigger screen because CD is not a feature they want,” she says.

Another youth-targeted vehicle that’s dumping the disc drive is the Kia Soul, which will shed the CD player starting with the 2014 model. “Because the Soul lends itself to a demographic of purely digital customers, it makes sense for it to mark the beginning of an evolution in which car CD players will eventually disappear from dashboards,” says Henry Bzeih, Kia’s chief technology strategist. “But this transition could take three to five years across the industry as a whole.”

It’s not just these lower-priced or small vehicles that are abandoning the CD. The 2013 Ram 1500, 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2013 SRT Viper can now be ordered without a disc drive, Boyadjis says. He says that a local Ram dealer told him that among the trucks customers have ordered, only about 10 percent of buyers wanted a radio with CD player. “And only two or three buyers demanded to have a CD drive in the truck,” Boyadjis says.

“Customer preferences are clearly trending in favor of content being brought into the vehicle on mobile devices rather than CDs,” says James Robnett, director of UConnect strategy and product management for Chrysler. UConnect is Chrysler’s vehicle-wide infotainment platform, encompassing the Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Viper brands. “And we anticipate growing demand for cloud-based content.” That’s why Chrysler is launching UConnect Access Via Mobile, a service that supports Internet radio streaming via a customer’s smartphone.

Ford has been on the cutting edge of infotainment technology since the release of its Sync system in 2007. Yet the automaker isn’t saying when (or if) the CD will disappear from its vehicles.

John Schneider, chief engineer of Ford Electronics and Electrical Systems Engineering, does think that the disc is in its twilight years, however.

“Like the cassette player before it, customer demand for integrated in-dash CD players has peaked and is on the decline, being replaced by more popular, portable and cost- and space-efficient technologies,” he says. Portable digital media players connected to the car by Bluetooth or USB connectivity are the primary choice of today’s customers, who use them to play music or other content that either lives on their devices or is delivered over the Internet, Schneider says.

Design and Weight Help Kill the Disc
Designing a new vehicle is a trade-off that involves making sure individual systems fit the car’s budget, size and weight requirements. Adding one element often means taking away or compromising on another. And increasingly, designers and engineers are foregoing the disc drive so they can add other more desirable features.

“We budget a certain amount that we’re going to pay our suppliers for a radio, and if we can delete the CD and improve one of the other features, that’s a win-win situation,” LeBlanc says. Since the car CD player wasn’t a feature that Spark and Sonic customers necessarily wanted, that freed GM to work on making the cars’ displays bigger and improving their resolution or processing speed.

The center location that an in-dash CD player occupies has “high real-estate value,” says Ford’s Schneider. And since it could be used for higher-priority features, disc drives have started to migrate to new locations in the car. The CD player in the 2013 Ford Escape, for example, sits at the very top of the dashboard “center stack,” not in the middle of it. In Edmunds.com’s long-term test 2013 Dodge Dart SXT Rallye, the CD player resides in the center console, so as not to hog space that’s better used by the car’s 8.4-inch touchscreen. In the Chevrolet Traverse, the CD slot is at the bottom of the center stack.

Another consideration in discarding the disc drive is its weight. Any savings there can help make a car more fuel efficient. Although the weight of a CD player may seem insignificant, automakers are looking to shed as many pounds as possible to increase miles per gallon.

At an Automotive Press Association presentation in Detroit last year, Michael Arbaugh, chief designer for Ford interiors, said that eliminating the CD player could shave almost 5 pounds from a car’s overall weight.

“That was definitely on our minds,” GM’s LeBlanc said of the decision to leave the CD player out of the MyLink system. “We track mass savings, and that was especially important in the Spark and Sonic.”

Discs Slots Will Look Odd in the Dash
You don’t have to throw out that sun visor CD holder just yet. The car CD player will stick around for a little longer.

“A significant percentage of customers around the globe still expect an integrated CD player to be offered for their vehicle,” Schneider says. “Automakers will be challenged to continue to offer CD players, at least as optional content, through the remainder of this decade.”

Boyadjis predicts that by 2019, 35 percent of vehicles worldwide will still have CD players. “At the end of the day, the hardest technology to remove from the vehicle is the well-established one,” he says.

But even if disc drives don’t completely disappear from the dash for a decade, they could soon make the cars that have them appear antiquated. That may be enough for more automakers to consider killing the car CD player.

“Now if you see a cassette deck in a car,” LeBlanc says, “you think, ‘How old is this thing?’”

Toyota Prius
Toyota Motor Sales (Toyota, Lexus) was the top winner in the 18th annual Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards announced last week at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit.

Chrysler Group (Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, SRT, FIAT) scored the second-highest total of Loyalty Awards, which are based on actual model-year (2013) purchase/lease activity and recognizes manufacturers for superior performance in owner retention.

Toyota earned nine Loyalty Awards, while Chrysler Group received five awards for the 2013 model year. Ford Motor Co. and Mercedes-Benz each took home four Loyalty Awards.

Ford was recognized with two overall awards, including its fourth straight for loyalty to manufacturer.

Calling owner retention “a critical aspect of building and maintaining market share,” Polk said, “Owners had such a positive overall experience that they came back to buy another vehicle of the same model, make, or manufacturer. … Awards are based on actual consumer transactions to determine the winners and information obtained from state registration and lease transactions.”

During the 2013 Model Year, more than 25 new vehicles were launched and 115 vehicle platforms refreshed or redesigned, according to Polk Automotive’s announcement. More than 7.4 million households came back into the market to purchase a new vehicle, Polk said.

Toyota winners, all in non-luxury categories, included Prius (traditional compact), Tacoma (mid-size pickup), Avalon (full-size car) and Land Cruiser (full-size SUV). Lexus scored in three luxury categories.

Chrysler Group received loyalty awards, also in non-luxury categories, for Jeep Grand Cherokee (mid-size SUV), Chrysler Town & Country (mid-size van), Jeep Wrangler (compact SUV), Dodge Challenger (mid-size car) and Fiat 500 (traditional subcompact car).

The only other multiple-award winner was Honda Motor Co., with its non-luxury Accord (traditional mid-size car) and CR-V (compact crossover), as well as its luxury compact crossover, Acura RDX.

Single category winners were Audi, Subaru, Kia, Hyundai, Land Rover, McLaren and Rolls-Royce.

Polk recognized Loyalty Awards in 32 categories, double last year’s total. See the full list of winners, including repeat winners and previous year’s winners, at

To see the future of driving, it’s smart to check in with the companies that develop the systems and components that will be in tomorrow’s cars. “We know exactly what car manufacturers will be working on in the coming decade,” says Elmar Degenhart, chairman of German automotive supply giant Continental AG.

The list includes numerous safety systems aimed at achieving an accident-free future. These, not coincidentally, are the building blocks for a new generation of self-driving cars that navigate the roads via a myriad of sensors, signals and electromechanical systems. Also on tap: more efficient tires and internal-combustion engines, a wide range of electric-drive systems, and vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, or “connected cars.”

To show off some of the work it’s doing, Continental recently opened its testing grounds just north of Hanover, Germany, to Edmunds and other automotive journalists for a technology showcase.

After seeing it all in action, it becomes easier to imagine a future where the ability to enjoy the morning commute with a cup of coffee and a digital newspaper won’t be limited to bus and train riders. The technologies have the capacity to invert the current state of gas-guzzling, traffic-clogged, accident-plagued driving. With advanced systems in place, passenger vehicles will deliver better than 40 miles per gallon, avoid traffic jams and virtually never get into accidents.

That future isn’t so very far away. Continental believes that semi-automated cars will be available by 2016. Fully automated vehicles will hit the roads as early as 2025. Indeed, Continental’s own highly automated prototype already has racked up more than 16,000 miles of test-driving in the U.S. The company is the first industry supplier to be awarded an autonomous vehicle license plate by the state of Nevada.

Continental certainly isn’t the only company deeply invested in future automotive technologies. But it is one of the largest components and systems developers and manufacturers on the globe. It is working closely with BMW on development of automated driving technologies, and has also provided a number of automakers including Mercedes-Benz with systems being used to develop automated traffic jam negotiating systems. An early version that still requires the driver to monitor things and keep her hands on the wheel will be available on the new 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Continental says the first of the fully automated systems will be in the market by 2016. The company won’t say so, but Mercedes-Benz is a likely candidate for that system. A forward-looking, stereoscopic camera and traffic sign recognition software (two key items to Continental’s traffic jam and self-driving system) debuts in the 2014 S-Class.

In addition to enhanced safety, the desire to increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be the major controlling factors in passenger vehicle development for the next few decades at least, according to Continental.

The company’s top managers are among those who believe that advanced automotive technologies, many of which are already on hand, can provide the necessary solutions.

Timetable for Self-Driving Technology
The first batch of self-driving “automatic” cars, as Continental prefers to call them, will start hitting the road in the 2015-’16 model years, says Alfred Eckert, Continental’s top safety and chassis systems engineer.

The first cars out of the gate will be partially or semi-automated in low-speed situations such as traffic jams and stop-and-go urban driving. They will be able to stay in the lane the driver chooses, maintain a safe distance while following other vehicles and be able to react quickly to avoid potential rear-end collisions or side impacts from other vehicles.

But they still will require “drivers” to sit behind the wheel. (Perhaps “operators” or “pilots” will become the new word.) Whatever you call them, humans must be prepared to take control when it’s time for a lane change, or when the semi-automated system’s speed limit is exceeded or, in a worst-case scenario, if the automated controls fail.

By 2020, Continental expects to see the rollout of “highly automated” vehicles in which the electronic systems will take control in specific situations, such as driving on a highway, and won’t require the driver to monitor things constantly. In this mode, you could read e-mails, send texts or have a long conversation with a passenger without having to concentrate on the road. The vehicle would give the operator a warning signal when it needed human intervention.

The final stage of fully automated driving could come as soon as 2025, Eckert says. That’s when vehicles could be programmed to follow specific routes, such a daily commute, and would be capable of handling all conditions and situations that arise on the trip. In the early stages of this phase, a driver might still be required to sit behind the wheel, but would not need to monitor the vehicle or road conditions.

Ingredients for Self-Driving Vehicles
It will take highly complex software to control automated vehicles, and lots of people to develop it. Continental alone has upward of 10,000 people working on various types of control and connectivity software, according to the company. Some big changes also will be needed in the way we assign insurance and legal liability for system breakdowns that could lead to accidents or driving rule infractions such as speeding or illegal passing.

But most of the automated-car hardware is available now. So is much of the control logic. It can be found in the systems now used for enhanced driving safety and driver assistance, such as lane-keeping assist, active cruise control, electronic stability controls and rear-end collision avoidance systems. Indeed, engineers developing automated driving systems say the many available safety technologies are the core of autonomous vehicles.

On the mechanical side, Continental’s highly automated prototype uses a variety of mono and stereo cameras, long- and short-range radar units, wireless communications systems, motion and position sensors, computers and complex software programs. All except the proprietary control logic software is commercially available today.

The trick is linking it all together.

Car Connectivity
The connected car isn’t a requirement for automated driving, but it sure can help make things work smoothly. In addition, safety specialists very much want cars that not only wirelessly receive information and entertainment programming but also send data to other cars and to various traffic monitoring systems. The ability to do so, they say, will help speed the day when traffic jams and accidents are rarities rather than regular occurrences. Such systems could start appearing in high-end vehicles as early as 2016, says Ralf Lenninger, head of strategy and development in Continental’s vehicle interiors division.

Continental engineers point out that most new cars already have a live data network installed and that it’s a relatively easy technical task to extend connections to the cloud and use speedy LTE networks to transmit data.

The ultimate goal is to have vehicles that alert other vehicles to their presence, speed and direction of travel. They will also be able to report trouble that could affect other vehicles sharing the same roads, such as obstacles on the road or looming bad weather.

Additionally, vehicles could transmit that data to traffic-control centers, which could amalgamate it and make decisions regarding signal timing and speed limits, based on what all of the cars and trucks on the road are up to at any given time. The traffic-control centers could ease traffic jams by the proper staging of signals and speed limits and by sending rerouting instructions to cars about to enter crowded roadways.

In Continental’s view, a fully connected car also will have other amenities. It would send diagnostic information to the dealership, and even receive software-based fixes remotely to avoid the need for a service call. The company has developed a heated, cooled and adjustable seat that can be controlled by on-seat buttons or via a tablet that will store the user’s preferences for transfer and use with wireless-control equipped seats in other vehicles.

Electrification for Fuel Economy
In addition to cars that communicate and more or less drive themselves, Continental also sees a future in which almost every vehicle on the road uses some degree of electric assist, from simple 12-volt stop-start systems to fully electric drive systems. The key, says Jose Avila, head of Continental’s powertrain division, is that no one is sure yet just what the right blend of technologies will be, so improvements to all must be pursued.

That means the internal-combustion engine isn’t going away, but it also means that Continental is betting on growing acceptance of conventional hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery and fuel-cell electric vehicles.

The goal is not to force everyone into one type of electric vehicle but to provide a variety of vehicles with “electrification that’s tailored to fit” a variety of needs, says Avila.

Continental sees fully electric cars remaining a relatively small niche but anticipates substantial growth between 2020 and 2025 in plug-in hybrids capable of up to 40 miles of all-electric driving before they revert to conventional gas-electric hybrid driving mode.

Electrification not only helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions, Avila says. It makes it easier to integrate the driver assistance systems such as active cruise control and rear-end collision mitigation that are essential to automated driving.

Long Live the Internal-Combustion Engine
Still, the predominant powertrain for decades to come will be cleaner, more efficient internal-combustion engines, Avila says. These often will be augmented with 12-volt electric stop-start systems or even 48-volt micro hybrid systems that provide small bursts of electric assist for slow-speed creeping or when a short boost in power is needed.

Also key to improved efficiency and performance are direct injection, turbocharging, engine downsizing and continual improvements in combustion and exhaust systems. Drivers also can expect improved power transfer through electronically controlled, multispeed transmissions.

All these technologies will help the internal-combustion engine keep its place at the top of the powertrain pyramid, Avila says. They’ll also get an important assist from other essential technologies such as vehicle weight reduction through increased use of high-strength alloys and plastics, improved electronic engine and fuel system controls, and low-rolling-resistance tires.

Bottom Line
What does it cost to create these future cars? Plenty. Continental, for example, is investing 100 million euros (about $134 million) in research and development this year. It all goes toward helping resolve what Eckert calls the “central challenges of future individual mobility.”

If the major players in the auto industry achieve their goals, he says, “the streets will become safer, the flow of traffic will improve, fuel consumption will be lower and, above all, the driver will have more freedom and can better use the time in the car.”

That’s an automotive future to look forward to.

For some first-person impressions of what’s coming, join us as Edmunds takes a ride in Continental’s self-driving car.

Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.

Americans love new car technology. Those who purchase domestic vehicles cite new car technology as a reason for their decision more often than those who purchase foreign-made vehicles. About 38 percent of shoppers buying domestic vehicles said new car technology was important to them, compared with 33 percent of import vehicle buyers, reports J.D. Power in a 2014 study. Additionally, domestic vehicle buyers who previously owned an import model are even more likely to purchase a domestic model due to its new car technology and features (40 percent). “Domestic brands in general are carving out a niche for themselves by offering vehicles with the latest technological features, and it appears to be getting the attention of consumers,” said Jon Osborn, research director at J.D. Power. “It’s important for automakers to understand what motivates new-vehicle buyers to shop and purchase a particular model and focus on promoting those top purchase influencers to differentiate themselves and gain market share.” And that appears to be good news for the U.S. auto industry. “Detroit seems to be earning a reputation for innovation, which will serve it well as infotainment, navigation, advanced safety systems and automation become increasingly important to shoppers,” Richard Reed at The Car Connection recently reported. The study surveyed about 29,000 new-car owners between July and September of 2013 and seeks to understand what draws shoppers to some brands and what makes them steer clear of others. Besides the new car technology difference between buyers of domestic and foreign-made models, the study detailed the differences in the reasons luxury-car purchasers and mass-market shoppers. Although three reasons were common to the two groups, they were ranked differently, J.D. Power reported. Luxury buyers said their choices were affected, in order, by performance (power, handling, etc.), quality of workmanship (materials, fit and finish), exterior styling (design), the image the vehicle portrays, and reliability (freedom from breakdowns), according to the study. Mass market shoppers cited, in order, gas mileage (fuel economy), reliability, the deal (interest rates and rebates), exterior styling and performance as the reasons affecting their purchases. Among other key findings of the Power study: – Fuel economy is the most important factor to most shoppers, and apart from price, it’s the second-most common reason that shoppers reject particular models. – Exterior styling remains the most influential reason for new-vehicle buyers to avoid shopping other models in the segment in which they purchased (33 percent). – Slightly more than eight in 10 new-vehicle buyers (81 percent) who use the Internet for automotive shopping cite accessing online ratings and reviews prior to purchasing their vehicle. Fifteen percent of new-vehicle buyers cite online ratings and reviews as a reason they avoided a specific vehicle.

How to achieve the perfect torque in five easy steps, plus the five most common mistakes to avoid

by Mike Manges –

The importance of following proper torquing procedures cannot be overstated, especially when working with expensive — and sometimes delicate — custom wheels.

“Custom wheels pose their own unique set of challenges,” says Sam Ortolani, national sales manager for Norbar Torque Tools and a recognized torque expert.

“One, they’re big, which makes them heavy. They’re aftermarket, which makes them much different than the wheels that came on your car.

“Original equipment wheels are designed to fit that car’s hub; aftermarket wheels are designed to fit a wide range of hubs. Because of that, they require hardware to make sure they seat properly on the center of the hub. And they may or may not need spacers.”

Knowing and practicing correct custom wheel torquing techniques will ensure proper performance, cosmetic satisfaction and most importantly, safe operation.

“The liability involved with a wheel-off is staggering,” says Ortolani. “Million-dollar claims are not unheard of.”

Here’s a look at how to achieve perfect torque in five easy steps.

1. Inspect everything before starting. The first step in the process is making sure the aftermarket wheel is structurally whole and functional. “You need to inspect the wheel thoroughly.

“You also need to make sure that all of the correct adapting hardware is in place and functional.” This applies to dust covers, which while pleasing to the eye, can be impractical. “Anytime you put something between the mating surface of the wheel and the hub, you increase your risk of a wheel coming loose.”

Check that the aftermarket lug nuts you’ll be installing actually fit the lugs and “that they go deep enough to secure the tire to the hub. It all has to be lined up before you do any work.”

Do not, under any circumstance, drill extra holes into the wheel. Anytime you physically modify a wheel “its structural integrity has changed.”

2. Clean mating surfaces properly. This means “no dust, no debris and no rust,” according to Ortolani. “You also have to make sure nothing’s hanging there that has the potential of affecting the clamp or vibrating itself loose over time.”

Norbar recommends using a wire brush to clean all areas that physically mate. “The whole wheel surface doesn’t touch the hub, but those parts of the wheel that do touch the hub need to be cleaned.”

Use an approved cleaning fluid if you want, but avoid anything that contains a lubricant.“When you lubricate a stud, you change the properties of that stud. It no longer torques the way it was intended.”

Another tip: Make sure your hands are clean. “If you have grease and oil on your hands from the brake job you just did, that oil will transfer from your hands to that surface.”

3. Mount the wheel and pre-torque it. At the pre-torque stage, Ortolani recommends using a limited torque gun. “Fifty or 60 foot-pounds is probably a good range. You just want to get the wheel on there snugly.”

Don’t forget to follow the traditional star pattern. And make sure your equipment is always under control. “You can pre-torque by hand up to a point, but we recommend that you use a tool, which will be consistent from point to point.”

He explains you will know when you have a good, snug fit “when all of the hardware looks even and there’s no looseness or wobble in the wheel. At this point, you have to brace the wheel” to prepare it for final torque.

“We don’t recommend that you completely lower the car and put all of its weight on the wheel. You can lower it down to a point where the wheel is now locked in place” using wheel chocks. The idea is to prevent the wheel from rotating during final torque.

4. Apply final torque. First, set the torque wrench to the recommended specifications provided by the wheel and vehicle manufacturers. “An F-150 wheel is torqued to a different level than the wheel of a Chevy Cobalt. You will always be safe if you use the manufacturer’s recommendation.”

Again, follow the star pattern when torquing. Resist the temptation to torque more tightly than necessary. Ortolani suggests having a “specific pattern and procedure you follow as you go around the car so that all of the wheels are done exactly the same.”

5. Customer follow-up. At this stage, many dealers take payment and return the vehicle to the customer. Smart dealers will use this opportunity to suggest the customer bring his or her vehicle back for re-torquing after 100 miles. “Those lug nuts will seat.”

This also gives you an opportunity to build your reputation as a torque expert. “A lot of tire shops say, ‘We’re going to get you in and out of here before you have a chance to finish your cup of coffee.’” You don’t want to be known as the fastest shop on the block, according to Ortolani. It’s better to be known as the safest and most thorough.

Mistakes to avoid

Due to the wide range of aftermarket wheels available, there are more opportunities to make critical — and extremely costly — mistakes during the torquing process. This also applies to the torque equipment you’re using. Here are five common mistakes to avoid:

1. Over-torquing, which is “a huge problem,” according to Ortolani. “All bolts have a yield level. Torque is a precision, controlled stretch beneath that yield. Once a bolt stretches past its yield, it no longer relaxes. Think of a rubber band. When you over-torque, you stretch a bolt beyond its yield.”

Bolts that are over-stretched don’t give a warning before they fail: they just snap. The best way to avoid over-torquing is to use precision calibrated tools, he says.

2. Pushing it just a little too far. Many techs, after following all of the proper procedures, succumb to the temptation of giving the wrench just one more click at the end of the process. “That’s very common; you see it very frequently… that little extra push. You’ve just defeated the purpose of your wrench.”

Have faith in your equipment, says Ortolani. “When it clicks for the final time, trust it.”

3. Improper torque wrench storage. Before you store your wrench at the end of the day, dial its setting down to the lowest level. This keeps the strain and stress off the hardware inside the wrench’s body. Leaving the wrench at its working limit will shorten its lifespan.

Hang your wrench on the wall instead of laying it on a bench or shelf. Make sure the room is climate-controlled.

The next morning, “exercise” the wrench before you use it by clicking on it 15 or 20 times.

“At night when your wrench is hanging on the wall, the grease (inside of it) settles to the bottom, just like your car when the oil settles into the pan.

“When you start up your car, you have that initial moment where it’s metal on metal until the oil starts to circulate. It’s the same concept with your torque wrench.”

4. Under-equipping your shop. Buy torque wrenches that match the volume of your shop, says Ortolani. “If you have four bays and one wrench, that wrench is working its tail off. Maybe the right answer is one wrench per bay and maybe one or two back-up wrenches?”

If you have more wrenches than bays, rotate those wrenches so you’re not using the same ones every day. “This will keep the wear on your wrenches fairly balanced.”

5. User inconsistencies. Make sure your employees are properly trained and receive additional training as products evolve. “Procedure is always driven from top down. Everybody in your shop needs to know, ‘This is what we do when we mount a wheel.’ You have to be consistent.”

And don’t forget to use the correct terminology, says Ortolani. While this may seem like a minor point, referring to torque wrenches as torque wrenches — not impact wrenches or impact guns — will ensure a more professional environment and prevent damage to wheels.

“An impact wrench hammers the hardware. They’re great for breaking stuff loose, but they’re not the right tools for precision tightening.”