Motoring
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2017
Ford shifts to higher gear
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ETROIT–Ford’s expansion to an auto and mobility company gains momentum today, as the company unveils the new F-150 pickup, announces the return of the Ranger pickup in North America and Bronco globally, and presents its vision for the“City of Tomorrow.” Ford’s news at the North American International Auto Show – including expansion of its Chariot ride-sharing service to eight cities –underscores the company’s drive to strengthen its core automotive business while aggressively expanding in growing mobility services. “This year, the expansion of our business as an auto and mobility company moves into even higher gear,” said Mark Fields, president and CEO. “We’re introducing even more new vehicles and technologies to make life better for millions of people in the near term, plus we’re presentinga vision and partnering with cities to move more people even more efficiently in the future.” Today’s news followsother an-
nouncements about Ford’s business expansion:� Adding 13 new electrified vehiclesand investing $4.5 billion in the next five years, including a hybrid versions of the F-150 and Mustang, two pursuitrated hybrid police vehicles, a Transit Custom plug-in hybrid, a fully electric small SUV with an estimated range of at least 300 miles anda high-volume, fully autonomous SAE level 4-capable vehicle– with no steering wheel, gas or brake pedal – in commercial operation in 2021 in a ridehailing or ride-sharing service.� The debut of its next-generation Fusion Hybrid autonomous development vehicle, the next step in Ford’s plan to deliver a fully autonomous vehicle in 2021.� The
creation of a City Solutions team to work with major global cities to help solve congestion issues and help people move more easily, today and in the future. Ford is bringing back the Ranger midsize pickup truck to its North American vehicle lineup in 2019 and Bronco midsize SUV to its global vehicle portfolio in 2020. Both vehicles will be manufactured at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan.“We’ve heard our customers loud and clear. They want a new generation of vehicles that are incredibly capable yet fun to drive,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of The Americas. “Ranger is for truck buyers who want an affordable, functional, rugged and maneuverable pickup that’s Built Ford Tough. Bronco will be a no-compromise midsize 4x4 utility for thrill seekers who want to venture way beyond the city.”City of TomorrowBeyond vehicles, Ford is working with cities around the world to help address growing mobility challenges in urban environments, including gridlock and air pollution.
Ford’s City Solutions team – the only one of its kind in the auto industry– is working with cities around the world to propose, pilot and develop mobility solutions. The team also is beginning to collaborate with Bloomberg Philanthropies and itsglobal coalition of mayors.“This is an issue that goes far beyond congestion. It is one that represents a massive challenge to mankind, one that affects our well-being and access to health care, clean drinking water, food, a safe place to live and even the ability to find work,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. “By solving the mobility challenge, we have the chance to create a better world for future generations. It’s both an exciting opportunity and a big responsibility.”Ford today presented its vision for the “City of Tomorrow.”Ford’s City of Tomorrow looks at hownear-term mobility advancements – including autonomous and electric vehicles, ride-sharing and ride-hailing and connected vehicles – interact with urban infrastructure and create a transportation ecosystem.For ex-
ample, Ford is imagining a world in which reconfigurable roads fluidly respond to commuter needs and traffic flow. Bikes and drones provide last-mile solutions for both people and goods. The Future: Near TermWithin the next five years, Ford expectsautonomous vehicles will be introduced in cities around the world. This includes Ford’s first fully autonomousvehicles in 2021. At the same time, the company expects continued growth in electrified vehicles – with global EVindustry offerings eventually outnumbering gasoline-powered offering in the next 15 years.Shared modes of transportation will continue to gain popularity, such as the Ford’s Chariotapp-based, crowdsourced ride sharing service, which is expanding globally. Chariot, which currently operates in San Francisco and Austin, Texas, is growingits operations to eight cities this year, including at least one city outside of the U.S. In Ford’s vision of the near-term future, connected communications between vehicles and infrastructure also will grow:
Getting to know you: Car and driver interact THE car of the future doesn’t just want to drive you. It wants to know you. The automotive technology showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show over the past week was in part about self-driving vehicles, but also about personalizing the driving experience. Artificial intelligence and facial recognition will allow vehicles to let you in (if it’s your car), and adjust the seating, lighting, music or other elements of the environment for you, automatically. “The idea is to be more than a machine, to be a partner, make you happy,” said Toyota’s Amanda McCoy, who explained some of the innovations of the Japanese automaker’s Concept-i vehicle at the Las Vegas tech show. The manufacturers want the car to hold a conversation, help you make a shopping list and determine where and how you want to travel. In a demonstration, the Toyota vehicle started a conversation and suggested potential destinations for the driver. Its camera detected that the driver was in an upbeat mood and thus suggested “the happier route.” The concept car will also keep a driver alert to potential perils on the road, with sound and light signals. Moving to autonomous mode, it allows the seats to recline. Swiss-based group Rinspeed
showed a prototype electric car called Oasis with a miniature garden inside. The vehicle with an “intelligent rolling chassis” can also operate in autonomous mode, converting its windshield into a screen for videoconferencing. “The interior of the car in the future will be redefined entirely, to meet different needs,” said Rinspeed chief executive Frank Rinderknecht. Rinderknecht said the company has no plans to produce an entire vehicle but use elements of the company’s technology, which could be available in a few years. Other technologies shown in Las Vegas could turn the car into a payments platform. Honda, for example, said it was working with Visa to allow motorists to pay directly from the vehicle for parking or refueling, for example. Several automakers at CES unveiled plans to move forward on autonomous driving technology. But they also showcased ways to incorporate virtual and augmented reality, use voice systems and other technology to personalize the experience. - Digital assistant on board One part of that experience is the “digital assistant” which is making inroads in connected homes. Ford announced it would incorporate voice-controlled Amazon’s Alexa onboard while
Hello, I’m Smith. Pleased to meet you.
Renault-Nissan and BMW announced plans to use Microsoft Cortana. Hyundai is installing sensors in its seating which evaluate posture and in seatbelts to monitor respiration. This could allow an intelligent car to know if a driver is having a heart attack or falling asleep at the wheel.
The South Korean giant is experimenting with a number of ways to deal with different scenarios: it may use blue lights or cold air to wake up a groggy driver, or change the enviroment to calm a stressful one. “If we can see the mood (of the driver), we can probably do something with this information
and modify the environment,” said Hyundai’s David Mitropoulos-Rundus. Even if a car is autonomous, Mitropoulos-Rundus said there will be times when a driver will need to assume control, and the automaker want a system to “reengage him in emergency situation.” AFP
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Driver error: Prober rules on SUA cases A THIRD party investigating body tapped by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has released the results of its investigation on the alleged sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) of Mitsubishi Montero Sport 2010-2015 models. HORIBA MIRA Ltd, an automotive engineering company based in the United Kingdom, has found no technical cause that explains SUA incidents involving sudden unintended acceleration together with perceived inability to stop the vehicle. MMC, on its own, took the initiative to contract HORIBA MIRA to remove doubts on the road worthiness of Mitsubishi Montero Sport 2010-2015 models. HORIBA MIRA started its investigation in June 2016 and released its formal findings in September 2016, which states: “The investigation has found only one plausible root cause for sudden unintended acceleration, and inability to stop the Mitsubishi Montero Sport vehicle. Our hypothesis is that these incidents were caused by the driver mistakenly applying the accelerator, believing that they were pressing the brake pedal. “Other root cause hypotheses have been excluded because they would require simultaneous, but temporary, malfunction of both the engine control and the vehicle braking system without fault conditions being logged by any vehicle systems and DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Code) being recorded. Since these are independent systems, the possibility of simultaneous failure is extremely low. “There are other potential causes for undemanded acceleration that have not been ruled out by the investigation, but none of these would affect the braking system. If such a failure occurred, the driver would still have the opportunity to control the vehicle using the brakes or by disengaging the transmission. A suite of EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) screening tests were performed on a vehicle that had previously been involved in a SUA claim. The results showed that the vehicle is extremely resilient at very high test levels of EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). … No adverse behaviour was observed during testing with levels corresponding to EU regulations and ISO standards.” With the third party investigation now complete, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) once again assures the public that the previous generation Montero Sport model (20102015) is neither defective nor unsafe to use. MMPC President and CEO Yoshiaki Kato commented: “We are very much pleased on the outcome of the results of HORIBA MIRA investigation. The methodical evaluation conducted by HORIBA MIRA, which found no irregularities in the function and design of vehicle, is an affirmation of our earlier statement that there is nothing wrong with the Montero Sport causing SUA. We hope that the results of the investigation, will finally put an end to the SUA issue on the Montero Sport.’’ MMPC turned over the complete results of HORIBA MIRA evaluation report to DTI for study and reference. The public may also access the full report of HORIBA MIRA here http://mmpc.ph/ wp-content/uploads/2017/01/ horiba-mira-report-monterosua-concern-investigation.