In the News

Automotive component immunity testing for automotive industry

The automotive industry has been aware of the problem of electro-magnetic interference for many years now and all reputable manufacturers have taken steps to alleviate the situation. John Dearing reports.

The effect on modern electronic control systems of electro-magnetic interference has been of concern for many years. Nowhere is this more evident than in the automotive sector. Vehicles now have a range of electronic modules on board, some of which are non-critical such as in-car entertainment or heating controls, but others of which are directly related to the safe control of the vehicle, such as engine management or anti-lock braking, and even electrical power steering functions.

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Hyundai becomes world’s sixth largest automaker

According to the Detroit-based weekly Automotive News, Hyundai Automotive Group ranks as the world’s sixth largest automotive manufacturer in the world.

In Automotive News’ most recent survey of global automotive sales and production, Hyundai Motor Co. registered an 11.6 per cent jump in global sales in 2005. It was the largest percentage gain of any carmaker in the million-plus sales category. With it, Hyundai Automotive Group climbed one spot in the global rankings.

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AS GAS PRICES RISE, SALES OF MID-SIZE SUVS FALL, BUT FULL-SIZE SALES HOLD ON

As fuel prices soar, big sport-utility sales sink -- or so the story typically goes. But, some industry officials say, mid-size truck-based SUVs, vehicles such as Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee, are even more endangered.

Full-size SUVs have more space, cargo capacity and cachet. And most full-size SUV buyers care more about interior space and cargo capacity than fuel consumption, so the mid-size SUVs are not an option when gas prices shoot up, some analysts say.

Truck-based mid-size SUVs also have been hurt by ferocious competition from smaller, softer car-based SUVs -- vehicles such as the Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot. The main vehicles in the truck-based portion of the segment are the Durango, the Explorer, the GMC Envoy, Grand Cherokee and the TrailBlazer -- all of them domestics. Automotive News reported recently that GM would kill both the Envoy and the TrailBlazer after the 2009 model year."I think they will fall to a relatively small niche after next year,'' Hoffer said. ``They have no reason to exist.''

Despite all the talk about fuel consumption these days, there is little evidence that consumers are turning away from big SUVs and pickups strictly because of high gas prices, some industry observers say. There are few alternatives to those vehicles for drivers who need them, analysts say.

In the same period, car-based crossover utility vehicles have seen a 27 percent increase in sales, said George Pipas, sales analysis manager at Ford Motor. "Most of the shift is from demographics,'' Pipas said. ``Baby boomers are getting older. If I don't really need that vehicle, the older I get, the less interested I am in stretching to get up into a big SUV or truck. The second factor is gas prices.''

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