SOUTHFIELD – A new survey shows that the tooling industry experienced a strong third quarter, with die shops in particular experiencing an 88 percent spike in capacity utilization and mod shops reaching 81 percent capacity. Shops with revenue ranges of $10-million to $20-million are experiencing peak capacity utilization rates of 87 percent. The results come
DETROIT — A new set of awards recognizing advances in autonomous and connected vehicle technologies will be launched at next year’s North American International Auto Show. The awards will be sponsored by PlanetM, a consortium of industry, government, and higher education, intended to advance autonomous and connected vehicle technologies launched by the Michigan Economic Development
ANN ARBOR - Supported Intelligence announced it is partnering with a team of University of Michigan engineering students to research and prototype an innovative application for use with connected vehicles. Supported Intelligence developed the revolutionary Rapid Recursive decision software. Supported Intelligence has created a prototype applying the Rapid Recursive method to connected vehicle traffic management,
ROYAL OAK - There’s a new co-working space in downtown Detroit and this one is focused on connecting mobility- and auto-focused startups. PlanetM Landing Zone officially opened October 5. And we’ve got all the details on this M2 TechCast podcast. PlanetM is backed by the Detroit Regional Chamber, Michigan Economic Development Corp. and WeWork, a
ROYAL OAK - The danger of hackable cars is only accelerating, auto guru David Cole explains in this segment of M2 TechCast. The auto industry as taken a more proactive approach by hiring former black hat hackers to test its autonomous vehicle cyber security vulnerabilities, and many were found. Measure and countermeasure. The hacking game
ANN ARBOR - University of Michigan's Mcity testing track was the site for U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao to announce new policy changes related to autonomous vehicles. State and university officials, along with automotive and manufacturing officials, gathered at UM's Mcity, 2901 Baxter Road, Sept. 12, to hear Chao talk about the updated policies. After being
ANN ARBOR — In areas where Uber, Lyft and other on-demand ride services operate, consumers may buy fewer cars and even take fewer trips, according to a new study. The findings are among the first to quantify how the uptick in transportation networking companies might be affecting consumer behavior. Researchers at the University of Michigan
ANN ARBOR - With light truck sales declining, fuel economy of new vehicles sold in the U.S. last month reached its highest level since August 2014, say researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. The average fuel economy (window-sticker value) in July was 25.4 mpg—up 0.3 mpg from June and just 0.1 mpg
ROYAL OAK - What is the powertrain of the future? Will it be all electric? Hybrids? The answer is we don’t know the answer, Auto industry expert David Cole, chairman of Auto Harvest, explains in this edition of M2 TechCast. The battery remains the Achilles Heel for auto electrification, he said. A solid state battery
SANTA MONICA - Consumer Watchdog warned that a bill approved Thursday by the House Commerce Committee that would pre-empt state autonomous vehicle safety regulations would leave a regulatory void without meaningful safety protections. “Pre-empting the states’ ability to fill the gap left by federal inaction on safety standards leaves us at the mercy of manufacturers
