At Ford, they are interested in their customers! GPS data gathering, the consequence modern electronic auto

Hi folks -- what follows is from a recent article in the Detroit News. We are just coming to grips with the consequences of all the various electronic gear that is typically installed in a new or recently assembled car. The computers, chips, buses, OBD-II ports, have enabled others to watch us, study our habits, open our doors and effect of management systems, etc. A perfect scenario for a murder, perhaps?

Ford Motor Co. marketing chief Jim Farley on Thursday apologized for a remark he made Wednesday saying the Dearborn automaker tracks customers through in-car navigation devices.

Farley, the headliner at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, said Ford knows where and when customers drive their vehicles, but does not sell that information to third parties.

“We know everyone who breaks the law, we know when you’re doing it,” Farley said, according to a report in Business Insider. “We have GPS in your car, so we know what you’re doing. By the way, we don’t supply that data to anyone.”

Ford on Thursday denounced those comments.

“Ford is absolutely committed to protecting our customers’ privacy,” company spokesman Wes Sherwood said. “We do not track our customers. No data is transmitted from the vehicle without the customer’s express consent.”

Customers give consent when they use a navigation or voice-activated system.

Farley on Thursday apologized in an interview with CNBC. “We don’t monitor, aggregate data on how people drive. I’ve given people the wrong impression, I regret that,” he said.

His comments coincide with a warning from AAA, which this week urged companies to protect consumer data used in GPS systems.

“The data that today can be routinely collected by cars includes some of the most sensitive data that can be collected about a person, including information about their precise location and driving habits,” said Bob Darbelnet, president and CEO of AAA.

And a government report released Monday found that major automakers are keeping information about where drivers have been, via data collected from onboard navigation systems. The Government Accountability Office said the automakers have differing policies about how much data they collect and how long they keep it.

Automakers collect location data in order to provide drivers with real-time traffic information, help find the nearest gas station or restaurant, and provide emergency roadside assistance and stolen vehicle tracking. But, the report found, “If companies retained data, they did not allow consumers to request that their data be deleted, which is a recommended practice.”

The report reviewed practices of Detroit’s Big Three automakers, Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. It also looked at navigation system makers Garmin and TomTom and app developers Google Maps and Telenav. The report, which didn’t identify policies of individual companies, found automakers had taken steps to protect privacy and were not selling personal data of owners.

The agency said privacy advocates worry location data could be used to market to individuals and to “track where consumers are, which can in turn be used to steal their identity, stalk them or monitor them without their knowledge.”

khenkel@detroitnews.com
(313) 222-2504

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140109/AUTO0102/301090127#ixzz2qEEnspHJ

A Mixed Blessing? Fuyao Auto Glass Plant Comes to Dayton, Ohio

Perhaps I am living in the past, a time when the United States was the dominant force in the global economy. So yesterday I wasn't nearly as excited as many Daytonians  when a deal was signed with the Fuyao Glass Industries Group that will bring 600-800 jobs to a beleaguered local economy. True, a vacant plant will come to life again. And folks will get needed work, but with an average wage as stated in the Dayton Daily News at $32-35k. That is only a marginally living wage, a wage that can support a family of four. And while this may lead to more Chinese investment in Ohio, which is always good, are we increasingly inching towards a colonial economy? To be sure, investment profits in greater proportion will be going back to China. American collaborators with Chinese investment will do well in the short run. But what about future generations?

Well, maybe I need to deal with reality, 2014. To be sure, the global auto industry is in a new era. It is reinventing itself in numerous ways, from electronic technologies and production to distribution. China is rapidly becoming the number 1 market and producer, and it won't be long before we see Chinese cars in the U.S. Consider the pace of the transition -- 15 years ago our everyday Chinese products were Happy Meal toys!

Beginning in the early 1970s the American economy began its long slide downwards, and now Chinese manufacturing are in Moraine. Real per capita income in the U.S. continues to drop. Poverty is endemic. Government is largely ineffectual in arresting this trend, and in fact is in part responsible for it. You tell me what lies in the future!

Drift with New Bentley Continental GT -- a contribution from Emily Matthews!

2013 Bentley Continental GT Convertible

Drift with New Bentley Continental GT

Bentley from its earliest days has set new standards in the automobile with their great innovative design and excellence in engineering. These cars took the Guide Touring rulebook and rewrote it. Right from the legendary R-type Continental of the 1950’s to the Continental GT of the 21st century, Bentley cars have revolutionized the Grand Touring industry. The Continental GT V8 is again one of the masterpieces from Bentley. It is a stunning mix of the classic Bentley DNA with the contemporize design and modern technology. A perfect example of how a supercar meets the handcrafted luxury. In fact driving this Bentley is like driving a very powerful, yet luxurious piece of English Art. 

The 2013 Bentley GT V8 is the entry level Bentley that offers less of everything less weight, less power, lesser horsepower and also lesser price. It looks like Bentley wants to spread their range of cars to a lower audience. This 2013 Bentley shares the same iconic design like it precedes. It’s absolutely perfect and certainly promises to be your status symbol. The few key differences between V8 and W12 being V8 has its black grille with its chrome frame and vertical center bar. If you pass by a Continental GT V8, you’ll also notice its unique exhaust outlet’s which is different. Another difference that you can notice is the beautiful melody of the new exhaust of V8, which certainly is much more engaging than the sound of W12. 

Engine wise the Bentley has a new twin-turbo 4.0 liter V8 engine, which is co-developed with Audi. It’s deeper, richer, and altogether more athletic than the more powerful and heavier W12. Specification wise also V8 is very impressive, the V8 engine produces a daunting 500 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 487 pound feet of torque. With this surprisingly powerful engine it has a ZF sourced eight-speed automatic transmission. This powerful engine is also very fast, its only 0.2 seconds slower that the W12 which is almost 2.0 liter bigger than this, it can get 0-60 miles per hour at 4.6 seconds. Mileage wise, this beauty is very good giving out 15 miles per gallon in city while 24 miles per gallon on highway. The test drive of this car on a totally iced lake itself tells the kind of engine this muscular beauty possess. 

The Interiors are well crafted giving the car’s cabin a very stylish and luxurious look. They have given special attention to make the cabin sound proof. The instrument panel and dashboard have the legendary flying wings of the Bentley motif. Modern technology like touch screen panel which is specially developed for Bentley, also the graphical interface of the touch screen custom made by Bentley to make sure that its visuals enhances the styling quotient of the car. The new entertainment unit brings out the ultimate audio sound system. It also has the chrome bezelled knobs and a very innovative removable storage space are housed within dynamic cool pit. 

With all such dynamic functions, this Bentley is certainly a cherry on icing. Bentley has attracted many passionate car lovers from decades, and this new low priced Continental GT might open new chapters for the car makers. Go ahead and buy this elegant machine, but do remember to have a valid photo on driving licence. 

Emily can be reached at: emily.ukblogger@gmail.com

Automobile Design: It starts with a Sketch

Add caption


Freidrich Geiger's sketch of the Mercedes Pagoda

The Mustang

1995 Audi Concept  TT

Mercedes at the Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada. Exclusively for visitors to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES, January 7 – 10, 2014) Mercedes-Benz is taking an unconventional approach to showing the new C-Class. An augmented reality app brings the car to life on the show stand, providing visitors with a digital preview of the vehicle prior to its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show.

The CES is the world’s most renowned and foremost show for entertainment electronics. Starting tomorrow in the North Hall, Mercedes-Benz will provide the fascinated industry audience with a comprehensive insight into current development projects and innovative technologies.

“Everyone is talking about autonomous driving functions - we already have them in series production. Many people want to use the latest communications capabilities in their car – for us, this has long been reality with ‘digital drive style’, be it with COMAND Online or via the Digital DriveStyle app,” says Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber, Management Board Member of Daimler AG responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. “Mercedes-Benz vehicles offer the highest possible levels of safety with maximum comfort. They are intelligently connected and well on the way to becoming digital, automotive companions.”

C-E-S@CES: The Mercedes-Benz Show Stand in Las Vegas

Alongside the virtual C-Class, Mercedes-Benz is also presenting the E and the S-Class in real life at the CES. Thanks to the high rate of innovation at Mercedes-Benz, all three vehicles are bristling with driver assistance systems right through to partly autonomous driving functions like DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot. Mercedes-Benz calls this innovative combination of comfort and safety systems “Intelligent Drive”. With the aid of a comprehensive package of technologies, including stereo camera and multi-stage radar sensors, partly autonomous driving is today already a reality for Mercedes customers.

On the first day of the show, Mercedes-Benz is showcasing another vehicle highlight on the stand - the Concept S-Class Coupé. Its particularly impressive interior comes with a fully digital instrument panel and innovative operating concept. For instance, driver and passengers in the Concept S-Class Coupé no longer have to waste time searching through their digital music libraries. MoodGrid software, integrated into the vehicle in cooperation with Gracenote, compiles a selection from around 18 million songs in the cloud. This selection is designed specifically to suit the chosen mood and the individual taste of those listening.

Today, Tomorrow and the Day After – Insights into Telematics and Infotainment at Mercedes-Benz

Alongside real and virtual vehicles, the Mercedes-Benz show stand also offers insights into the world of telematics and infotainment. Visitors can enjoy an overview of current Mercedes-Benz apps and test the Digital DriveStyle app complete with car-to-x technology. Mercedes-Benz development engineers are also demonstrating how “wearable devices” like Google Glass or intelligent watches like the Pebble smart watch can be integrated into the vehicle telematics system to provide the customer with added value. Mercedes-Benz is also demonstrating how, in future, relevant vehicle data could be accessed conveniently from home via Vehicle Home.

With the “Predictive User Experience” prototype, Mercedes-Benz offers a look ahead to the revolutionary telematics and infotainment system of the future. Starting tomorrow on the Mercedes-Benz stand at the CES in Las Vegas, you can find out all about the innovations that will turn the vehicle of the future into an intelligent, automotive companion, how it will be able to recognize the desires, moods and preferences of driver and passengers and proactively predict and simplify the next operating steps. For more information go to:http://ces.mercedes-pressevents.com

Three World Premieres at the CES Show a High Pace of Innovation

Mercedes-Benz recently announced partnerships with Pepple Technology and Nest Labs. These alliances give Mercedes-Benz developers access to the latest hardware and application programming interfaces (APIs) from the two Silicon Valley based start-ups to create unique automotive experiences.

Mercedes-Benz will demonstrate information sharing and interactive communication between vehicle and Pebble smart watch. Thanks to the flow of information between vehicle and the smart watch, consumers who are away from their vehicles, will be able to glance at Pebble smart watch to review vehicle information. When hopping into their vehicle, Pebble smart watch will vibrate when vehicle needs to communicate to consumers certain alerts. These features will be released in spring of 2014 as part of Digital DriveStyle app.

Another world premiere is a partnership with Nest Labs to demonstrate a concept of connecting Mercedes-Benz vehicles to the Nest Learning Thermostat using Nest's web APIs. Mercedes-Benz and Nest are demonstrating how this solution makes life easier and more convenient. The vehicle will interact with the Nest Thermostat so that your home will be at a comfortable temperature upon your arrival. With such intelligent links between the consumer’s home and vehicle, Mercedes-Benz is creating a new interactive experience to increase convenience for its drivers with the planned release in spring of 2014 as part of Digital DriveStyle app.

At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, Mercedes-Benz and Google announced a partnership to bring Google services to Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The next phase of this partnership will be previewed at CES 2014 with the introduction of Google+ support in the award winning Digital DriveStyle app. Google+ support will be available in all vehicles fitted with the Drive Kit Plus hardware module, and will allow drivers to share updates to Google+, and review their Google+ streams both on screen and via text-to-speech.   Mercedes-Benz is the world’s first automotive manufacturer to bring Google+  to their vehicles, with market availability expected on iOS in spring 2014.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class is “Best-Connected Vehicle of 2013”

Readers of German publications AUTO BILD and COMPUTER BILD have spoken: The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the “Best-Connected Vehicle of 2013” according to the results of the reader poll conducted jointly by both magazines for the “Connected Car Award”. Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive took first place in the “Best Driver Assistance System Safety” category. The “Connected Car Awards” will be presented today at the CES to Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber, who will accept the awards on the Mercedes-Benz show stand.

Mercedes-Benz Honored as “Global Technology Innovator 2013”

Mercedes-Benz is also being honored with the Plus X Award “Global Technology Innovator 2013”. The recipient is chosen by a jury of experts and prominent figures from across 25 industries. Mercedes-Benz is receiving the Plus X Award for the Bertha Benz drive it undertook in summer of last year. The jury praised the first autonomous city and cross-country road trip with a Mercedes-Benz S-Class equipped with close-to-production technology as a “milestone that showed the future of mobility, thus making it tangible.”

The Suburu Brat -- one way to get around the chicken tax (or more correctly, tariff)

An Acronym for?

1978-1985
Add two seats in the pickup bed and you avoid the 25% tariff on trucks onto the U.S.

See link for a listing of the BRAT in film!

http://www.imcdb.org/vehicles_make-Subaru_model-BRAT&sortBy=4.html

Goodbye VW Type 2 Microbus, Transporter, Camper!

Memories from the past! A transporter owned by a Davidson College fraternity brother that burned up in 1969 as he was about to leave to join the Peace Corps. Two New Orleans friends, Donald Keintz and Dawson Nesbitt, who owned them. Poor Donald struggled mightily to keep his alive. A fire in one in Baltimore in the 1990s, where I stuck my head in the burning vehicle to save someone's books!

Sad to say, but production ended in Brazil of the Type 2 December 31, 2013. Precautions concerning safety trumped practical transportation and tradition.

How many of you know how a controversy ( The Chicken War") over the Type 2 in 1964 led to import duties so high that it all but guaranteed the dominance of the Detroit 3 in the light truck industry? Seems that the EEC wanted to keep out American chicken out of France and West Germany and increased duties. President Lyndon Johnson retaliated by among other things slapping a 25% import duty on light trucks. The duty has never gone away, but it discouraged truck imports, first from Germany, then Japan. The advantage fell to the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado, and the only way for foreign makes to compete was to built plants in the U.S., like Toyota did in San Antonio.

1950

1953

1959

1972