‘Woman Of The Year’ Goes To Ford’s Europe VP

Ford Europe’s vice-president, Birgit Behrendt, was proclaimed as Europe’s “Woman of the Year”. Oh yeah, it’s totally girl power! The recognition was announced by the magazine Automotive News Europe.

At 48, Birgit Behrendt is in charge for management purchasing for the Ford brand across the European regions. According to the Auto Channel, Behrendt was chosen for this arrangement almost four years ago in February. The 2008 Women of the Year recipient is also accountable for the second major financial credit within Ford purchasing following the Americas. Her team consists of 500 people and thirty-five percent of which are women.

“Every year we identify outstanding women in the European auto industry. We selected Birgit for her contribution to the growing success of Ford of Europe’s operations as well as her work in the supplier OEM relations arena,” says Arien Bongard, the editior-in-chief and head of Automotive News Europe judges.

“Suppliers are becoming more and more important to automakers. If you see how much of the car cost comes from suppliers and how much of the innovation in the car comes from suppliers, it is crucial that an OEM like Ford works well with suppliers. The other reason we are honoring Birgit with this award is that she played a key role in helping the company grow. And of course that’s always a team effort, but Birgit is the only woman on the Board of Ford of Europe and is actually the only woman on the Board of any automaker in Europe,” Bongard concluded.

Cars: The Heart Of Modern Electronics

The heart – throbbing, beating, giving life. Without it, you won’t be around to read this post. That’s how important the heart is to humans. But in the realm of modern electronics, the heart can be equated with cars. Yes, cars.

You need not look far and wide to search for the thing that best functions as the heart of electronics. Cars are entertaining cutting-edge metamorphosis to pave the way for the most sophisticated ‘infotainment’ tools. Wireless Internet networking, television, video games, music, mobile phone connectivity – name it, all of them can be had inside the plushest cars on the roads.

The goal? Well, it’s all about making the drivers informed and the car occupants entertained. “The car is a lifestyle product,” said Sterling Pratz, Autonet Mobile’s CEO. “It’s not just a car anymore.”

But do you think having them inside the car is more of a blessing than a curse? As for me, the consequences vary. For responsible drivers and occupants, this fact could be taken on a positive note. But that won’t be the case with easily disturbed drivers.

When we are driving, distraction is a big no-no. And if modern auto technologies serve as such, it is better not to have them at all.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, automobiles have had technological accouterments ever since the advent of the car radio. In-vehicle technologies were an $11 billion market in 2007. And the figure is expected to jump to $12.8 billion this year.

Factory-installed technologies are getting more and more influential. Take Ford’s Sync, which was produced in partnership with Microsoft. The Sync is an in-car voice-activated communication and entertainment system that is etching milestone sales at present. General Motors’ OnStar feature is also doing well.

One reason for automakers’ increasing comfort is that powerful computers now found in cars can get software updates fired in by wireless networks, letting vendors fix bugs and keep features up to date, said Erik Goldman, the president of Hughes Telematics Inc. Goldman’s company will be working hand in hand with Chrysler and Mercedes to produce navigation, entertainment and diagnostics auto service in 2009.

Hughes Telematics system will include a personal Web portal that lets people remotely lock and unlock their car doors, plan routes, check their auto’s emissions and engine status, select music playlists and even monitor their vehicle’s location, reported Associated Press. Car technology might be catching up to the state of gadgetry today, but it’s not quite yet at the vanguard, it added.

The electronics industry “is still developing technology faster than the automaker can adapt,” noted Chris Cook, a vice president with Mitek Corp., a maker of car audio equipment.

True, revolution is constant. What isn’t constant anyway?

Big 3 Plans For 2008

 

There are so many things to look forward to this year. In the auto industry, all eyes are set on the Big 3. So what are the things to expect from the auto giants?

Freep.com gives us the hints of what are expected to arrive in the industry:

Ford
Ford is launching Sync, the wireless auto technology developed with Microsoft Corp., in California with a two-month marketing campaign in 3 of the largest cities. Eight vehicles will be badged Street Sync vehicles, including the 2008 Ford Focus, Ford Edge and Lincoln MKZ, as they visit 24 high-profile locations.

“The goal is to rejuvenate interest in the Ford brand among California consumers, who have traditionally been tough on domestic manufacturers,” according to a Ford article.

Coming Up: On Monday, Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, Ford chief economist, will participate in the UBS Auto Outlook 2008 — Economist Luncheon.

Chrysler
The NHTSA awarded 7 Chrysler vehicles the government’s highest ratings for front and side-impact crash protection, the automaker announced last week.

The 2008 model vehicles are: Jeep Liberty, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Nitro, Dodge Caliber, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Chrysler Pacifica and Chrysler Town & Country.

Coming Up: Chrysler is making its videoconferencing equipment in Auburn Hills available for families to communicate with troops stationed in Iraq at Camp Taji, Al Asad Airbase, Camp Fallujah and Camp Victory.

General Motors
GM set prices for the 2009 Pontiac Vibe last week. It will start at $15,895 when it goes on sale in February. The all-wheel-drive model will start at $19,495, and the performance GT model will be start at $19,895. Prices include the destination charge.

The Vibe is powered by a 1.8-liter engine and five-speed manual transmission that can be upgraded to a 2.4-liter engine. All-wheel-drive and GT models come standard with the 158-horsepower 2.4-liter engine.

The Detroit automaker said its new models, aimed at young, urban drivers, get better gas mileage and have more horsepower than the previous models.

Coming Up: GM looks to see if Chevy Malibu, Cadillac CTS and Buick Enclave are among finalists Wednesday for North American Car and Truck of the Year.

[credit: Detroit Free Press]

Toyota’s New Pick Up Truck

The leader in hybrid car making is planning to do another hybrid vehicle. And this time it will be a hybrid pickup truck. The new vehicle is called the A-BAT concept vehicle which claims to have that 100% fuel economy with lower gas emissions. The company said that the vehicle, which can carry four passengers, will have the gas-electric hybrid powertrain technology Hybrid Synergy Drive. It will also have the trapezoidal profile of the Prius which is another hybrid Toyota vehicle.

The president of Calty design research at Toyota’s North America-based research and design center Kevin Hunter said: “This concept is the next evolution of the compact truck. This compact truck is as comfortable for long commutes as it is for road trips. It can accommodate outdoor toys and home improvement supplies.”