Market trends and business perspectives
Daimler AG has acquired a minority equity stake in U.S. battery material specialist Sila Nanotechnologies Inc. (Sila Nano) as part of its research and development activities.
Founded in 2011, Sila Nano is a leading developer of new battery materials, which outperform existing lithium-ion technologies.
Along with the acquisition of the equity stake Daimler will get a seat in the Board of Directors of Sila Nano.
[Read more…] about Daimler acquires stake in Lithium-ion battery materials firmAt Auto Shanghai 2019, Audi is introducing its mobility concept for the megacities of the future.
The showcar, known as the Audi AI:ME, offers compact dimensions, a spacious, futuristic interior, and the ability to drive autonomously at level 4.
This allows the occupants to do what they like with their time on board. The Audi AI:ME offers a broad range of high-tech features for communication, entertainment, or simply relaxation.
[Read more…] about Audi shows autonomous concept car at Auto ShanghaiDaimler Trucks, a division in the Daimler Group, and Torc Robotics, a pioneer in autonomous driving solutions, are joining forces in a one-of-a-kind combination to commercialise highly automated trucks (SAE Level 4) on U.S. roads.
The companies have signed an agreement whereby Daimler Trucks and Buses Holding Inc. will acquire a majority stake in Torc Robotics for an undisclosed sum. Closing of the acquisition is subject to approval from U.S. authorities.
“Bringing Torc Robotics within the Daimler Trucks family creates a unique and powerful team of innovators to put highly automated trucks on the road,” said Martin Daum, Member of the Board of Management Daimler AG, responsible for Trucks and Buses.
[Read more…] about Daimler Trucks set to acquire majority stake in Torc RoboticsToyota unveiled its C-HR and IZOA battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on the opening day of Auto Shanghai 2019.
The C-HR and IZOA will be the first BEVs to launch in China under the Toyota brand. Sales of the new models are expected to start from 2020.
Toyota also displayed other electrified vehicles, such as hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) variants for the RAV4 and the Alphard/Vellfire in China, as well as the Corolla and Levin plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) series, launched in March 2019.
[Read more…] about Toyota premieres own-brand battery electric vehiclesThe term “advanced driver assistance systems”, or ADAS, refers to a collection of automotive electronics technologies which are designed to enable vehicles to operate autonomously in certain situations.
The market for ADAS is forecast to be worth around $70 billion by 2025, according to Grand View Research. And although it’s already a huge market, a lot of the activity now is with the future in mind, a future in which many believe autonomous and electric cars will dominate.
A longer list of ADAS functions can be found elsewhere on this website, but examples include cruise control, lane-keeping, self-parking, and collision avoidance.
[Read more…] about ADAS: Top 40 advanced driver assistance systems companiesTaxi-sharing app maker Uber has been promised $1 billion in investment from companies including Toyota, Denso, and SoftBank Vision Fund.
The new funds will help accelerate the development and commercialization of its ridesharing services, says Uber in a statement.
Under the terms, Toyota and Denso will together invest $667 million and SVF will invest $333 million, valuing the new “Uber Advanced Technologies Group” entity at $7.25 billion on a post-money basis. [Read more…] about Toyota, Denso, and SoftBank pledge another $1 billion investment for Uber
NTT DoCoMo and Itochu Logistics are planning to trial an internet-of-things solution for delivery fleet management in the US.
The system uses devices compatible with low-power, wide-area LTE-M technology to enable delivery businesses to visualize the status of outsourced trucks in their fleets.
The trial will begin in the United States on May 1, 2019. [Read more…] about DoCoMo and Itochu to trial IoT solution for delivery fleet management in the US
Denso is to invest approximately 180 billion yen (US$1.6 billion) over three years – from FY2018 to late FY2020 – to support development and production of electrified automotive products, systems and technologies.
To accelerate business execution around electrification, Denso is establishing the Electrification Innovation Center at its plant in Anjo, Aichi, Japan, in May 2020.
The centre will conduct advanced R&D, develop and test prototypes, and launch mass produce newly developed automotive electrification products, systems and technologies.
[Read more…] about Denso to Invest $1.6 bn in automotive electrification
Industrial components giant Nidec has agreed to acquire Omron’s automotive business, formally called “Omron Automotive Electronics”.
The two companies do not appear to have released the financial details of the agreement, but Nikkei is reporting that Nidec will pay $890 million for the company.
The share transfer will be executed after obtaining necessary approval and satisfying other conditions. It is projected to occur by the end of October. [Read more…] about Nidec to buy Omron’s automotive business for $890 million
DXC Technology has reached an agreement to support BMW’s autonomous vehicle development through the automaker’s “High Performance D3” platform.
DXC provides services that help to provide and simplify data analysis and train the necessary algorithms to reduce the time and cost of developing autonomous vehicles.
The BMW Group High Performance D3 platform supports the company’s own autonomous vehicle development program and gathers enormous amounts of road driving data from the global BMW research and development fleet. [Read more…] about BMW and DXC partner to accelerate development of autonomous driving
