Important Innovations

  Venerable Brand Targets Return to Profitability with DBX                                             Source:  Aston Martin 007 James Bond's Car of Choice UK-based Aston Martin is an historic luxury car brand that epitomizes prestige, beauty, performance, speed and panache.  It was 007 James Bond's car of choice for his spy movie adventures.  Now to bring in new customers and sustain its future, Aston Martin has created what's being called a "super SUV" - the DBX.  The DBX is of the upmost importance to Aston Martin.  The company hopes it will return it to profitability and ensure its long-term survival.  Style and Price The DBX is huge, sleek, curvy and pricey at nearly $190,000.  The powertrain was developed with Aston Martin's partner Mercedes-AMG.  They upgraded a 4-liter turbocharged V8 to pump out more than 542 hp.  Mercedes also provided the infotainment system, the interior seating and a full suite of driving modes.  The vehicle is elegant, luxurious

  Japanese Automaker Investing $45 B in R&D                              Sources:  Honda. Space image NASA Focus:  Robots, Rockets & Flying Taxis Honda is expanding into new forms of mobility and significantly increasing its R&D spending on 3, highly innovative and disruptive business lines: robots, rockets and flying taxis or eVTOLS.  The Japanese based auto giant is investing $45 billion in R&D money over the next 6 years.  Interestingly, Honda as a mobility company sees the 3 areas as an extension of and synergistic with its primary business of making cars.  They say that the research and development efforts could lead to a greatly advanced electric vehicle platform, among other new technologies.  Honda's strategy is to create prototype robots, rockets and eVTOLs to determine if the products are viable for successful commercial market development.   Robotics Honda is a pioneer in robotics.  It created Asimo which was one of the world's first robots to walk. C

  Porsche Setting Up JV With Germany Battery Maker                                             Source:  Porsche EV's Faster, Less Expensive Batteries for More Affordable Electric Vehicles Porsche, which is VW's luxury sports car division, announced today that it is setting up a JV with German battery company Customcells, that specializes in lithium ion cells, to produce high performance, game changing batteries for electric vehicles.  The batteries will have higher energy density than the prototypes being used in Porsche's current lineup of electric cars.  The new battery will cut charging times and decrease the amount of raw materials needed to attain the same driving range. That will reduce battery production costs and make electric cars less expensive and more affordable for greater numbers of drivers. E-Dynamics European car makers are rolling out more electric vehicles to meet stricter emissions standards in Europe and globally.  Simultaneously they want to reduce thei

China is Top Exhibitor at Frankfurt Auto Show Source:  FAW's Hungqi S9 Trending Technology on Display China has a very high profile at the world's largest auto show, The 2019 Frankfurt International Auto Show, now underway in Germany. 79 Chinese automakers are exhibiting their latest concept cars and new vehicles, making them the top exhibitor at Frankfurt.  Some of their new technology is fascinating, leading edge and trending. The Hungqi S9 This concept vehicle has the wings of butterflies, converted into butterfly doors.  It's a super sports car with maximum speeds of 400 km/h and a V8T hybrid engine system with a maximum of 1400 horsepower. Hungqi is part of the FAW Group, China's leading automaker.  It also unveiled an electric SUV concept, the E115.  This is the first time in 60 years that Hungqi has participated in an international auto show. The Wey Forward with R&D Center In Germany Source:  Wey-S And, then there is