In mid February, FIAT Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) released a statement that they had paid $77m in penalties for 2016 model vehicles that did not meet the CAFE requirements for that year. Apparently they were not the only manufacturer to pay a penalty, however they took up the biggest portion of the penalties incurred in the US. Despite agreeing to the gradual increase in fuel … [Read more...]
FCA Revamps Factories
There has been a lot of speculation in the automotive industry about what the major groups are going to do with respect to production plans. We have seen both Ford and General Motors pull back from assembling passenger cars in the US in favour of higher profit margins on trucks and SUVs. There have also been reports about Toyota doing a similar thing where they have started to … [Read more...]
Variable Valve Timing
Engineers and designers have spent decades trying to figure out ways to get more power out of an engine. One question that all engineers have is what the motor will be used for - will it be for an economical commuting car, will it go into a supercar or will it be used in a wagon where torque is more important than raw power. Subsequently, the design of the motor will differ … [Read more...]
Technology Security
One of the big “new” problems surrounding cars is the ability for hackers or nefarious people to access and use the data collected. I say new because the issue has been growing for a while thanks to electronics. With the rise of consumer style technology and the ability to apply a sensor to many components in a vehicle, the volumes of data collected per journey is increasing … [Read more...]
Itala
Itala is one of the pioneers of the motor sport industry notably the 1907 Peking to Paris race that an Itala won. Starting life as Itala Fabbrica Automobili, then simply Itala, it ended life as Itala Societa Anonima Costruzioni Automobilistiche after several re-incarnations. Itala was founded in 1903 by Matteo Ceirano and several partners including Guido Bigio an engineer. … [Read more...]
