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Autonomous vehicle market projected to grow by 40 percent a year

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The global autonomous vehicle market is expected to be valued at $54.23 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $556.67 billion by 2026, registering annual growth of 39.47 percent from 2019 to 2026.

This is according to a recent report published by Allied Market Research, titled, Global Autonomous Vehicle Market by Level of Automation, Component, and Application: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast.

The predicted elimination of accidents caused due to manual errors and reduced carbon dioxide emission from autonomous vehicles are expected to fuel the growth of the market.  [Read more…] about Autonomous vehicle market projected to grow by 40 percent a year

Iridium and Rolls-Royce to target ‘all the world’s waterways’ with autonomous vessels

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Iridium Communications and Rolls-Royce Marine are to expand the reach and capabilities of autonomous vessels.

The companies say “all the world’s waterways” are an option for autonomous vessels, with the Iridium satellite network providing “pole-to-pole connectivity”.

Iridium has signed an agreement with smart shipping pioneer Rolls-Royce Marine, in support of their autonomous vessel development program.  [Read more…] about Iridium and Rolls-Royce to target ‘all the world’s waterways’ with autonomous vessels

Nidec records ‘highest-ever profit’ as it expands industrial motor division

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Nidec is already one of the world’s largest suppliers of components for industrial robots and machinery, and it’s expanding rapidly.

The company says it has just recorded its “highest-ever quarterly operating profit” for its appliance, commercial and industrial product segment.

And the company says it is planning to “further strengthen” these segments and its industrial motor division.  [Read more…] about Nidec records ‘highest-ever profit’ as it expands industrial motor division

ArcelorMittal restarts $330m investment programme at Vega unit in Brazil

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ArcelorMittal Brazil is to resume the expansion project at ArcelorMittal Vega, the flat steel cold rolling, pickling, and galvanising unit located in São Francisco do Sul (state of Santa Catarina), Brazil.

The investment will include the construction of a new continuous annealing line and a third galvanisation line for the production of cold rolled and galvanised products. The capacity of the unit is set to increase by 700,000 tonnes to a total of 2.1 million tonnes per year. Production is expected to begin in 2021.

The project will increase production for the automotive, construction and home appliances sectors at the Vega unit. This investment is expected to sustain ArcelorMittal’s growth strategy in Brazil and Latin America.

[Read more…] about ArcelorMittal restarts $330m investment programme at Vega unit in Brazil

Toyota to invest $500 million in Uber

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Toyota Motor Corporation and Uber Technologies, Inc. have agreed to expand their collaboration with the aim of advancing and bringing to market autonomous ride-sharing as a mobility service at scale.

To accomplish this, technology from each company will be integrated into purpose-built Toyota vehicles to be deployed on Uber’s ride-sharing network. Separately, Toyota is investing $500 million in Uber.

“Combining efforts with Uber, one of the predominant global ride-sharing and automated driving R&D companies, could further advance future mobility,” said Shigeki Tomoyama, executive vice president, TMC, and president, Toyota Connected Company.

[Read more…] about Toyota to invest $500 million in Uber

Nissan invests $170m in US assembly plants to build Altima

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Nissan North America has announced a $170 million investment in its Smyrna, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi assembly plants to support production of the 2019 Altima.

The announcement came as the company celebrated the start of production of the sixth-generation sedan at its Smyrna facility. With this investment, Nissan has invested nearly $12 billion across its U.S. manufacturing footprint.

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Hyundai makes South Korea’s first autonomous truck journey

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Hyundai Motor Company has completed South Korea’s first domestic highway journey with an autonomously navigated semi-trailer truck.

Hyundai’s Xcient truck drove approximately 40km on the highway between Uiwang and Incheon, carrying a large semi-trailer simulating cargo transportation, showcasing Hyundai’s innovative technological advancement in future mobility.

“This successful demonstration proves that innovative autonomous driving technology can be used to transform the trade logistics industry.” Said Maik Ziegler, Ph.D., Director of Commercial Vehicle R&D Strategy Group at Hyundai Motor Company.

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Dongfeng Nissan begins production of Sylphy Zero Emission electric car

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The Nissan Sylphy Zero Emission, the first Nissan electric car made for China, has begun rolling off the production line.

As Nissan’s first all-electric vehicle built in China specifically for Chinese consumers, the Nissan Sylphy Zero Emission promises to usher in a new era of electrification in the world’s largest automotive market.

The model was developed based on the platform of the world’s best-selling electric vehicle, the Nissan LEAF, and the best-selling Nissan sedan in China, the Sylphy. It’s being built at Dongfeng Nissan’s Huadu plant.

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Denso invests $270 million in OLED display developer

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Automotive systems supplier Denso has invested $270 million in JOLED, a developer of printed organic light-emitting diode displays.

The investment accelerates JOLED’s development and mass production of in-vehicle OLED displays, which are used for human-machine interfaces in car cockpits to deliver key driving information to the driver quickly and accurately.

Compared to conventional HMIs, which use thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays, JOLED’s OLED displays are claimed to offer higher-definition images, more vivid colors, and are designed to be thinner, lighter, and bendable– making them easier to install and produce more optimized light output for improved HMI functionality.  [Read more…] about Denso invests $270 million in OLED display developer

Mercedes-Benz tests autonomous driving on five continents

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A Mercedes-Benz test vehicle based on the current S‑Class has completed a challenging study trip on five continents in order to “learn” in automated test drives in real traffic.

From zebra crossings on Chinese motorways, turning right from the left-hand lane in Melbourne, Australia, pedestrian traffic on all kinds of roads in South Africa or a temporary driving ban in the immediate vicinity of stopping school buses in the USA – on every continent the S‑Class faced challenges which will have an influence on the driving characteristics of future autonomous vehicles.

Automated and autonomous vehicles have to know about these country-specific particularities and understand them in their respective context in order to be able to make the correct driving decisions.

[Read more…] about Mercedes-Benz tests autonomous driving on five continents