News


Talking not Typing: Continental and Google Cloud Equip Cars with Generative Artificial Intelligence

September 20, 2023

Continental announced a partnership with Google Cloud for equipping cars with generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). With this, drivers can interact with their car in a natural dialogue. No matter if drivers for example need help finding the right tire pressure when the car is fully loaded or want to know more about local places of interest on their destination or along their route when they are on vacation, the generative AI can compile the required information and answer the drivers’ questions. The two companies each bring their respective expertise to the partnership, namely in automotive, software, artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Repsol unveils certified circular EVA copolymers

September 19, 2023

Repsol has revealed its range of ISCC PLUS certified circular EVA copolymers – reportedly the first of their kind on the market – and aims to help establish a circular economy for polyolefins, alongside lowering its own virgin raw material consumption.

Marketed under the Repsol Reciclex brand, the range claims to feature the first EVA copolymers to incorporate 100% circular AV from chemical recycling. It is certified under the ISCC Plus mass balance approach and is set to complement Repsol’s conventional EVA range, Repsol Primeva.

DIEHL CONTROLS is expanding with a new location in Romania

September 18, 2023

Diehl Controls is expanding in Europe: In November 2022, the company signed the contracts for a new plant in Braşov, Romania. The construction works have started and the plant will be inaugurated in 2024. With an additional production facility in central Romania, Diehl Controls is continuing to expand its position in the European market. After many months of research and intensive analysis of potential locations in Eastern Europe, Braşov got the nod. This city, with 250,000 inhabitants, is already home to several international companies, including a number of Diehl Controls’ customers. 

New commercial vehicle registrations in the first half of 2023: vans +11.2%, trucks +20%, buses +15%

September 15, 2023

In the first half of 2023, new EU van sales increased by 11.2% to 730,969 units as supply chain issues eased.

Spain and Germany substantially contributed to this increase as van sales rose by 26.6% and 15.5%, respectively. Sales in France also modestly increased by 3.6%, totalling 189,948 units.

 

Apple debuts iPhone 15 lineup, announcing USB-C charger and titanium case for Pro models

September 14, 2023

Every year, Apple introduces a new iPhone line and its introduction is the most important event in the Apple calendar. iPhone sales are at the heart of the company’s portfolio and serve as the driver for accessories like Apple Watch and AirPods.

At its ‘Wonderlust’ launch event on Tuesday, Apple announced the launch of four new iPhone handsets: the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Eldrive Romania installs charging stations for electric cars in Supernova retail centers

September 13, 2023

Eldrive Romania has started installing charging stations for electric cars in the parking lots of shopping centers owned by the Austrian real estate group Supernova. The partnership started with charging stations located in Pitesti, Bucharest (Pantelimon, Alexandriei, Lujerului), Bacau, Constanta and Drobeta-Turnu Severin. By 8th of September 2023, 8 charging stations were already put into use in Supernova Pitesti shopping complex, which can simultaneously serve up to 10 electric cars, respectively 6 stations in Bucharest (Cora Pantelimon parking lot), which can simultaneously charge 8 electric vehicles.

NEW PEUGEOT E-3008 has just been revealed

September 12, 2023

PEUGEOT reveals next-level all-electric e-3008 fastback SUV: with the new E-3008, PEUGEOT has taken the creativity of its design, the driving pleasure and electric performance on offer to a new level.

The new E-3008 will replace the best-selling PEUGEOT 3008, a car that has impressed more than 1,320,000 customers in 130 countries for seven years. By 2025, PEUGEOT will offer a complete battery electric line-up, and by 2030, 100% of the brand’s sales in Europe will be electric.

CEVA Logistics offers now a complete Ground & Rail regionally powered portfolio

September 12, 2023

CEVA Logistics is a world leader in third-party logistics providing and operating transportation and supply-chain solutions for large or medium size national and multinational companies and part of CMA CGM Group. On completing the acquisition of GEFCO, world expert in supply chain solutions and European leader in automotive logistics, in July 2022, CEVA Logistics became leading global provider of automotive logistics and the largest France-based logistics company aiming to be top 5 global logistics player. CEVA Logistics’ offers a complete ground & rail regionally powered portfolio.

First year of consistent monthly growth for European car market since the pandemic

September 08, 2023

 

  • Overall European car market grew by 17% in July – with the highest results since the pandemic
  • Volkswagen Group consolidated its place as market leader, widening the gap between Stellantis
  • The share of Chinese car brands has doubled since July 2022

Latest commodity prices: September 2023

September 07, 2023

Energy prices increased 7.8% in August, led by natural gas Europe (+17.3%) and coal Australia (+8.5%).

Non-energy prices decreased by 1.2%. Food prices declined 2.2%.

Fertilizer prices jumped by 8.2%.

Faulhaber - New building with diverse production possibilities

September 06, 2023

FAULHABER Motors Romania S.R.L with around 170 employees and a production area of 2,850 square meters has been active in Jimbolia in Timis County, Romania, since 2005. The production site is a key element of the manufacturing network of the FAULHABER Group. Important skilled manual activities such as gearhead assembly or balancing processes are performed there. Windings for FAULHABER bell-type armature motors are manufactured at the site too. Furthermore, the range of services also includes the manufacture of modules as well as the assembly of customer-specific complete drive systems.

Oppo A38 debuts with a 50 MP camera and 33W fast charging

September 05, 2023

The Oppo A38 appeared last week and yesterday, the device silently debuted on the company website. Just like the leak predicted, the phone comes with a 50 MP main camera and a basic LTE-only chipset. 

The Oppo A38 has a 6.56” LCD with HD+ resolution, up to 90 Hz refresh rate, and a 90 Hz touch sampling rate as well. 

Hyundai takes a stake in Tenstorrent firm to drive future mobility development

September 04, 2023

Hyundai Motor Group Takes a Stake in AI Semiconductor Firm Tenstorrent to Drive Future Mobility Development

Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) announced a strategic investment in Tenstorrent, an artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor company based in Toronto, Canada, which will allow the Group to integrate AI into future Hyundai, Kia and Genesis vehicles, and other future mobilities, including robotics and advanced air mobility (AAM).

Continental and Amazon Web Services accelerate Automotive-Software Development

September 04, 2023

Continental has expanded its tool box for automotive software development: With the future virtual ECU Creator software (vECU Creator), developers at vehicle manufacturers, suppliers and third parties will be able to configure and run virtual cloud-based electronic control units in their specific development environments to help develop code for micro-controller and processor hardware that does not yet exist. The virtual ECU Creator is part of the Continental Automotive Edge (CAEdge) framework, which runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS). 

Latest commodity prices: August 2023

August 03, 2023

Energy prices jumped nearly 6% in July, led by natural gas U.S. (17%) and oil (7.8%). Non-energy prices rose by 0.7%.

Metal prices gained 0.4%, led by tin (5.6%). Precious metals increased 0.9%.