Just 15 vehicles qualify for the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award from IIHS after the requirements were strengthened to include good-rated headlights and good or acceptable passenger-side protection in small overlap front crashes.
Another 47 vehicles earn the TOP SAFETY PICK award, which now requires acceptable or good headlights. In contrast, headlights weren’t factored in for 2017 TOP SAFETY PICK, and an acceptable headlight rating was enough to bump a 2017 award winner into "plus" territory.
The inclusion of a passenger-side crash test is a first for any IIHS award. The Institute developed the passenger-side small overlap front crash test after it became clear that some manufacturers weren't paying sufficient attention to the passenger side as they made improvements to achieve better performance in the driver-side small overlap front test.
Suning Commerce Group, a Fortune Global 500 company owned by Suning Holdings Group (“Suning” or “the Group”), has put its Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) warehouse into service in Fengxian District, Shanghai, boosting its capabilities in the field of smart logistics.
Equipped with 200 robots that carry selected items and move smoothly through stocking shelves, Suning’s AGV warehouse in Shanghai has been first used to meet the substantially increasing needs of logistics during the 11/11 Shopping Festival. The warehouse performs the task more efficiently by providing a “goods-to-people” solution instead of the traditional "people-to-goods" model. The facility is expected to be the largest automated warehousing system in China when put to full-scale operation with total 1,000 robots in 2018.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8232151-suning-automated-guided-vehicle-warehouse/
Today, Subaru of America, Inc. debuted its all-new, three-row, 2019 Ascent SUV in a way that only Subaru could. At a press event prior to the Los Angeles Auto Show, Subaru surprised attendees with the new vehicle in a special way – with The Barkleys – a family of eight Labrador and Golden Retrievers featured in Subaru advertising campaigns, seemingly driving the all-new Ascent and ending, safe and sound, on-stage. The dogs exited the vehicle to greet Tom Doll, president and COO of Subaru of America and pose for photos with the surprised crowd.
Dogs are a major pillar for the automaker as more than half of Subaru drivers are pet owners, with over 48% of them owning at least one dog. For years, Subaru has supported various pet-focused organizations that help to improve the lives of our four-legged friends and features dogs throughout their advertising. The all-new U.S. built Subaru Ascent is the automaker’s largest vehicle ever built boasting three full rows, fitting up to eight passengers, second row captain’s chairs as an option on some trim levels, its legendary Subaru Symmetrical all-wheel drive and an impressive all-new 2.4-liter turbo engine.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7673254-subaru-2019-ascent-suv-los-angeles-auto-show/
Thirteen out of 16 new booster seats for 2017 earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's highest rating of BEST BET, bringing the total number of boosters on the market with that designation to 118.
The BEST BET rating means a booster provides good safety belt fit for typical 4 to 8 year-olds in almost any car, minivan or SUV. Boosters that are rated GOOD BETs provide acceptable belt fit in almost any vehicle, while those rated Check Fit could work for some children in some vehicles. Seats designated "Not Recommended" don’t provide good belt fit and should be avoided.
NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) is encapsulated inside the fairing (nose cone) of a United Launch Alliance Delta II launch vehicle ready for lift off from Space Launch Complex-2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on November 14, 2017 at 1:47 a.m., PST. JPSS-1 is a collaborative effort between NOAA and NASA.
“The JPSS-1 bus is based on our Ball Configurable Platform 2000, a proven, agile spacecraft, which has 50 years of on-orbit operations and is designed for cost-effective, remote sensing applications,” said Alex Chernushin, JPSS-1 Program Manager, Ball Aerospace. “JPSS-1 is the twelfth spacecraft built on this core architecture, including the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) spacecraft launched in 2011.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7987651-ball-aerospace-joint-polar-satellite-system-jpss-1-launch/
Sometimes, a reliable set of wheels is all that stands between a veteran and their dreams. This month, more than 100 veterans and their families will be getting keys to newly-refurbished vehicles as part of Progressive’s fifth annual Keys to Progress® event. This year, Progressive will donate its 500th vehicle. The vehicle giveaways will occur on November 9 at 68 locations across the country, including Progressive Service Centers, one-stop facilities where Progressive handles claims and coordinates repairs for customers.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8204351-progressive-keys-to-progress/
Kia Motors America (KMA) transforms dreams into reality at the 2017 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show with custom vehicle builds and opportunities to experience the all-new Stinger GT. Attendees will have the opportunity to ride alongside professional Formula Drift drivers who will provide thrilling drifting demonstrations as well as experience the vehicle’s athletic performance first hand from behind the wheel on a challenging autocross course2. In advance of the Stinger going on sale this December,3 KMA invited West Coast Customs to modify and feature two highly customized works of art, one based on the Stinger GT and the other on the current Cadenza premium sedan. KMA also revealed a uniquely modified Stinger equipped with a host of parts and accessories from leading aftermarket suppliers.
“We are so thrilled to show off what Kia has become at SEMA because 2017 is a momentous year for our Kia brand,” said Justin Sohn, President and CEO of Kia Motors America. “We ranked #1 in quality for the second year in a row in JD Power’s Initial Quality Study, we are top three in Consumer Reports reliability and we are now introducing the all-new 2018 four-door Stinger Sports Fastback, Kia’s fastest ever and our first performance vehicle.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8016956-kia-motors-2017-sema-show/
Today, Goody’s® Powder partnered with Dale Earnhardt Jr. to surprise a local Charlotte fan with some “Fast Relief.” Kim Homme, a retired 25-year captain of the Charlotte Fire Department and longtime Dale Jr. fan, was treated to a special Goody’s® Fast pit stop experience along with a new set of Goodyear tires for her vehicle.
“Kim has done so much for her community and it’s great to return the favor by providing her with some Goody’s® Fast Relief,” said Earnhardt Jr. “This year’s Appreci88ion Tour has focused on giving back to the fans and thanks to Goody’s®, we were able to take it a step further today.”
Homme had no idea that Dale and the Goody’s® crew were stationed inside the Fire Department. Members of the Charlotte Douglas Airport Fire Station, where she currently works for the Air National Guard as an airport firefighter, were on hand to help celebrate the moment and watch the crew perform the Goody’s® Fast pit stop.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8202551-goodys-dale-earnhardt-jr-fast-pit-stop-charlotte/
Flooded vehicles have finally stopped arriving at the Royal Purple Raceway east of Houston. Some 23,000 now await processing and retitling to be auctioned off for parts or to be scrapped. That is just one of several insurance industry salvage locations where more than 422,000 insured vehicles damaged by Harvey have been taken for processing. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), these totals surpass the number of claims that resulted from Hurricane Katrina (approx. 300,000) and from Superstorm Sandy (250,500).
In addition, more than 215,000 claims have been filed following damage to vehicles from Hurricane Irma in Florida.
These insured vehicles will be processed and rebranded with a salvage title and sold at online auctions to dismantlers who will save usable parts or have the vehicle crushed and sold for scrap.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/76652512-nicb-reports-record-number-of-hurricane-flooded-vehicles/
A new crash test program from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety aims to ensure that manufacturers pay attention to the safety of front passengers as well as drivers.
The test was developed after it became clear that some manufacturers were giving short shrift to the right side of the vehicle when it comes to small overlap front crash protection. A good or acceptable passenger-side rating will be required to qualify for the Institute’s 2018 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award.
The first test group in the passenger-side small overlap front test program did better overall than vehicles IIHS previously evaluated for research. Ten out of 13 midsize cars tested earn a good rating, while one is acceptable and two earn a marginal rating.
In contrast with a group of 2014-16 model small SUVs tested for research, none of the 2017-18 midsize cars had a poor or marginal structural rating. Instead, the biggest problem in the new group was inconsistent airbag protection in five cars, which would put passengers’ heads at risk.
