Tag: industry?

Report: Bangle urges auto design shakeup, says industry not innovating

Filed under: BMW, Design/Style

LA AUTO SHOW

Controversial designer Chris Bangle, the man behind the notorious E65 BMW 7-Series “Bangle Butt,” has some rather sharp criticism for the current crop of automotive designers in an upcoming full-length interview with Automotive News Europe. The preview, posted on Automotive News, details parts of the interview, with the always vocal Bangle lamenting the state of modern automotive design.

“Even concept cars today simply anticipate the next production model coming down the line. Is this innovation? No. And at the end of the day this is what’s preventing car design from moving into a new era.” Controversial as Bangle’s design philosophy may be, we can’t help but think he has a point. His so-called “flame surfacing” at BMW and other stylistic elements had a huge influence on modern automotive design, although as the years have passed, there hasn’t been much innovation on the same scale.

Interestingly, Bangle also mentions that he’s been courted by a few manufacturers that wanted to install the American as the head of their design teams. He’s flatly rejected them, telling ANE, “It’s not something you can do part time, you have to do it with all your heart and soul or you’re going to get it wrong.”

The full interview with Chris Bangle will go live at on Automotive News Europe’s website on Monday, September 2.

Bangle urges auto design shakeup, says industry not innovating originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Aug 2013 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Auto business loves spam more than any other industry

Filed under: Etc., Technology

spam graph

Symantec spam graph – Click above to view press release after the jump

Getting spammed daily from all sides has become a fact of life. If you have an email address and use the internet, you will get spammed. Most likely numerous times throughout the day. In a recent study by Symantec, researchers found that the automotive business is the most-spammed industry out there.

According to the study, fully 84.3 percent of emails sent relating to the industry are considered spam. That’s more than the global spam rate of 81.3 percent, and higher than the rate generated by any other industry.

Not only is the auto industry’s rate the highest, it’s growing. In January of this year, the level for the automotive industry was 82.8 percent. That might not seem like a huge spike, but when you consider how many billion emails spammers send, the number looks a little more impressive.

Other industries are almost as badly off, with spam accounting for more than 80 percent of emails in the financial, chemical and pharmaceutical, education, manufacturing, marketing, public sector, IT and retail industries.

[Source: Symantec]

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Study: Auto business loves spam more than any other industry originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Auto industry second most-trusted behind Tech

Filed under: Etc.

Edelman 2011 Trust Barometer

According to The Car Connection, a new study has found that the automotive industry is the second most trusted business in the world just behind technology. The research was conducted as part of the Edelman 2011 Trust Barometer and included results from 5,075 people in 23 countries. Each of the respondents were between 25 and 64 years old, held a college degree and were also in the top 25 percent of household income for their age group. Each participant was asked a series of questions concerning businesses, government and the media, especially concerning whether or not individuals trusted those entities to “do what’s right.”

Around 81 percent of those surveyed said that they trusted the technology sector to do the right thing (whatever that may be), compared to the automotive industry’s 69 percent. In fact, carmakers beat out 14 other industries including food and beverage, energy, pharmaceuticals, media and biotech. Why? The Car Connection seems to think the findings are coupled to the automotive industry’s underdog presence thanks to bankruptcies and massive recalls around the globe, while the greater push for green technologies and a rampant social media presence likely play a part as well.

[Source: The Car Connection]

Study: Auto industry second most-trusted behind Tech originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peter De Lorenzo takes on auto industry in 140 characters or less

Filed under: Etc., Humor

De Lorenzo's Twitter-length rant

The Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, has done his best for “the minions, the gamers, the coddled and the entitled” who want an update on the auto industry but don’t want to bother actually reading about it. You know the folks – the ones who write “summarize plz” or “Cliffs Notes?” in a comment thread because they can’t be bothered taking the time to figure out what happened.

Done something like Abrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary but in the space of a tweet – that being no more than 140 characters, and 32 tweets in total – De Lorenzo covers just about every major carmaker and a few other subjects to boot. General Motors’ marketing, but not the company itself, gets two tweets, and electric cars also get a double-dip. Not one for restraint, tweets include “Electric Cars: A niche wrapped in an enigma in search of decent batteries and a sustainable infrastructure. Other than that, it’s all good.” Click the link for more… Hat tip to Chris

[Source: Autoextremist]

Peter De Lorenzo takes on auto industry in 140 characters or less originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Car and Driver grades industry’s car designers [w/poll]

Filed under: Design/Style

Ferrari 458 Italia

Ferrari 458 Italia – Click above to vote in our design poll after the jump

How does one grade automakers on their design skills? Our friends at Car and Driver gave it a shot using the not-so-scientific “eyeball test,” with grades getting bumped up or down based on the use of proven design talent.

C/D graded 20 automakers in all, giving out four As, 11 Bs, two Cs, a D and two grades of incomplete. Ferrari got a top score thanks to the intensely hot-looking 458 Italia. Jaguar/Land Rover also came up big for hits like the new XJ, while more mainstream General Motors and Kia each managed an A thanks to their leaps in design quality.

Volvo and Mazda were each given an incomplete thanks to some very recent changes at the top of their respective design management teams. Toyota/Lexus came up short, receiving the only D of the group, prompting author Phil Patton to ask if there were recalls for dullness. Ouch. Head over to Car and Driver for all the design grades, and follow the jump for a poll on the best designs for a mainline manufacturer.

[Source: Car and Driver]

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Car and Driver grades industry’s car designers [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 16 Oct 2010 09:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nanotechnology standards coming for auto industry?

Filed under: Technology

According to recent reports, nanotechology – controlling matter at an atomic and molecular level (thanks, Wikipedia!) – is about to hit the automobile world full-force. And the results could be both good and bad.

First, a few examples of the good: First we have a German chemicals company called Lanxess that’s used nanotechnology to create tires that perform better than traditional rubber in both overall performance and wear. Secondly, under the hood of BMW’s diesel models is a particulate filter coated with tiny carbon nanotubes, enabling it to remove 99 percent of all particulate matter. And finally, Mercedes-Benz has partnered with PPG to create a nanotech paint with a glass-like outer coating that’s three-times less likely to scratch.

According to Wards Auto, though, nano particles “can behave in unexpected ways, passing through human skin into the blood or even brain.” While we’re not experts, the idea of nano particles on the brain doesn’t sound very enticing. It’s also not fully understood how these tiny materials can damage the environment and nature. In deference to these facts, the European Union is reportedly considering how best to define nano particles so it can regulate the technology.

The United States is also looking into nanotechnology regulations. Sally Tinkle, senior science advisor to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, said, “The technology is new enough that we are not yet looking at tires or car bumpers that have nano elements and which have reached the end of their lives… But we understand the immediacy of these questions and the need to protect public health and the environment.”

[Source: Wards Auto]

Nanotechnology standards coming for auto industry? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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