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National Semi introduces AEC-Q100-compliant LVDS devices
National Semiconductor (www.national.com) has introduced an eight-member family of automotive-grade low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) devices, including three 2 x 2 crosspoint switches, a set of single and dual differential drivers and receivers, and a dual line driver and receiver pair. ...
iSuppli warns that U.S. is falling behind in eco-friendly car electronics
Amid rising fuel costs and higher emissions standards, automakers are developing eco-friendly driving solutions that range from an indicator on the instrument cluster that gives ecological driving advice to sophisticated real-time driving pattern comparisons via a car’s telematics system.
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Neumann succeeds Wennemer at Continental
Continental (www.conti-online.com) has appointed Karl-Thomas Neumann to succeed Manfred Wennemer as chief executive officer and named chief financial officer Alan Hippe to the new position of deputy CEO. ...
Mattingly, Forcier join Lear
Bill Mattingly, who had been vice president of Electrical/Electronics Engineering Core at Chrysler LLC (www.chrysler.com) has joined Lear Corporation (www.lear.com) as vice president – Engineering for Lear’s Global Electrical and Electronics Division. ...
Arima selects Telegent for free-to-air mobile TV
Arima Communications Corp. (www.arimacomm.com/tw) has selected Telegent Systems’ (www.telegent.com) single-chip mobile TV solution to drive a free-to-air TV feature in selected handset models. ...
HUGHES selects IBM and Oracle to power call center
After announcing a partnership with Intrado (www.intrado.com) for emergency calls (Auto E-lectronics July 17), HUGHES Telematics (www.HUGHEStelematics.com) has signed agreements with IBM (www.ibm.com) and Oracle (www.oracle.com) to build its non-emergency telematics operations center.
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SAIC selects TRW occupant safety system for Roewe 550
China SAIC Motor (www.saicmotor.com) has selected TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. (www.trw.com) to supply occupant safety products for the Roewe 550 mid-sized sedan. ...
Visteon partners with Boston Acoustics on 2010 Camaro audio
Visteon (www.visteon.com) and Boston Acoustics (www.bostonacoustics.com) have combined talents on an optional Boston Acoustics audio system for the redesigned 2010 Chevrolet Camaro (www.chevrolet.com/camero).
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USABC awards $8.2 million Li-ion contract to Johnson Controls-Saft
The United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), a division of the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC (www.uscar.com), together with the U.S. Department of Energy (www.doe.gov) has awarded an $8.2 million plug-in hybrid electric battery technology development contract to Johnson Controls-Saft (www.johnsoncontrols.com www.saftbatteries.com).
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Frost lauds Sense Technologies’ safety mirrors
Sense Technologies, Inc. (www.sensetech.com) received Frost & Sullivan’s (www.frost.com) 2008 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Industry Innovation and Advancement of the Year for Sense Technologies’ ScopeOut automotive safety solution.
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ABI sees Bluetooth and Wi-Fi markets evolving differently
Prices and market developments are pushing Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in new directions according to a new short-range wireless communications forecast from ABI Research (wwwabiresearch.com).
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Mercedes sees Valeo StARS
Valeo said that Mercedes Benz (www.mercedes-benz.com) will use Valeo’s StARS micro-hybrid system in Mercedes’ new A and B class vehicles. ...
Ford Europe adopts Garmin PND mount
Garmin (www.garmin.com) has developed a mounting solution designed for seamless integration of the Garmin nüvi 760 with vehicle electronics on Ford (www.ford.com) Europe vehicles including the Focus, C-Max, Kuga, new Fiesta, Transit, and Transit Connect.
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Fujitsu and Elektrobit partner for AUTOSAR-compatible MCU drivers
Fujitsu Microelectronics America (www.fma.fujitsu.com) and Elektrobit (www.elektrobit.com) have jointly developed two new drivers compatible with AUTOSAR (www.auitosar.org) release 2.1 for Fujitsu's MB91460 series of 32-bit microcontrollers. ...
Renesas SoC optimized for in-vehicle image recognition
Renesas Technology America (www.renesas.com) has introduced the SH77650, a 300MHz system-on-chip (SoC) that provides the same image-recognition processing functions as Renesas' 600MHz SH7774 SoC for car navigation systems.
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iSuppli acquires Telematics Research Group
iSuppli Corp. (www.isuppli.com) has acquired Telematics Research Group (www.telematicsresearch.com) for undisclosed terms. ...
Phillips replacing Thall at Microsoft Automotive Business Unit
Microsoft’s (www.microsoft.com) Automotive Business Unit (ABU) is “transitioning from incubation into a maturing business with volume growth and expansion,” and general manager Martin Thall is being replaced by Tom Phillips, who will also keep his current responsibilities as general manager and chief technology officer of the Specialized Devices and Applications Group’s (SDA)
Global Services Group. Thall “moves on to take on a new challenge,” according to a Microsoft statement, but the company is not ready to say what that challenge might be.
Microsoft also said it’s expanding the ABU’s charter to include services – such as Live Search for Devices – in addition to software. The Live Search service supports the development of local search applications. The company said it’s developing a platform to enhance its current in-vehicle products into an integrated automotive solution. The platform is expected to be available in 2009.
Microsoft is increasing its investment in the ABU by more than 30% this fiscal year. ...
Ford selects Cross Country for emergency roadside assistance
Ford (www.ford.com) has selected Cross Country Automotive Services (www.crosscountry-auto.com) to provide emergency roadside assistance for customers, beginning with model year 2007 Ford (www.ford.com), Lincoln (www.lincoln.com) and Mercury (www.mercury.com) vehicles. ...
STMicro introduces 250 A power MOSFET optimized for motor-drive efficiency
Targeting electric vehicles, among other applications, STMicroelectronics (www.st.com) has introduced a 250A surface-mount power MOSFET with low (1.5 milliohms typical) on-resistance to minimize energy conversion losses and enable higher performance. ...
Atmel launches LIN line
Atmel (www.atmel.com) has introduced a new family of 8-bit AVR microcontrollers for LIN automotive networking applications. ...
Renesas adds 36 R8C/Tiny 16-bit MCUs
Renesas Technology America (www.renesas.com) has added 36 16-bit microcontrollers to its R8C/Tiny product line, bringing to 72 the number of devices available for in-vehicle body-control applications.
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HUGHES Telematics partners with Intrado for emergency calls
By: By John Day
HUGHES Telematics (www.hughestelematics.com) has entered an exclusive partnership agreement with Intrado Inc. (www.intrado.com) in which Intrado will handle emergency calls from vehicles equipped with HUGHES Telematics systems. ...
