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.
Georgia Power announced today the latest addition to its industry-leading electric transportation program –electric vehicle (EV) charger rebates for residential customers and new home builders. Introduced as part of the company’s Get Current. Drive Electric.™ initiative, the new rebate program offers qualifying residential customers a $250 rebate for installing a Level 2 charger (208/240-volt) and qualifying new construction builders a $100 rebate for each dedicated 240-volt plug-in ready circuit installed in new homes.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7408051-georgia-power-ev-charger-rebate/
When temperatures start to fall and days become shorter it is time to take your car to the workshop to prepare it for the winter. Changing to winter tires and testing lights are a matter of course for drivers. However, the car battery is often neglected, although it is under even more stress during the cold season. For example, continuous use of the windshield heater or the air conditioning system takes a large amount of power and makes heavy demands on the battery. Especially in winter, the only way to avoid unpleasant surprises is to have the battery checked regularly by the workshop. The latest ADAC statistics show that 39% of all breakdowns are due to the battery.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8226551-johnson-controls-winter-battery-tests/
Union Pacific Railroad this week launched a new campaign exclusively on social media, urging drivers and pedestrians to think about their personal safety first and wait at grade crossings. New videos depict different scenarios in which a jogger, young couple and father and son are stopped, waiting for a train to pass. When the arms lift, each proceeds safely toward a spectacular future.
“Our message is straightforward – Your Life is Worth the Wait,” said Scott Moore, Union Pacific senior vice president – Corporate Relations. “Union Pacific trains operate in more than 7,300 communities; too often our employees see drivers or pedestrians sneak around the gates. Even after applying the emergency brakes, it can take a mile for a train to stop; the risk is never worth it.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7508251-union-pacific-your-life-is-worth-the-wait/
New midsize SUV ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show that headlights are improving when it comes to visibility, but many still need to do a better job of lighting the road ahead while limiting bothersome glare.
The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe and the 2017 Volvo XC60 are the only models available with good-rated headlights among the 19 midsize SUVs and 18 midsize luxury SUVs evaluated in this new round of tests. Twelve SUVs are available with headlights rated acceptable, while 23 aren’t available with anything other than marginal- or poor-rated headlights.
When temperatures start to fall and days become shorter it is time to take your car to the workshop to prepare it for the winter. Changing to winter tires and testing lights are a matter of course for drivers. However, the car battery is often neglected, although it is under even more stress during the cold season. For example, continuous use of the windshield heater or the air conditioning system takes a large amount of power and makes heavy demands on the battery. Especially in winter, the only way to avoid unpleasant surprises is to have the battery checked regularly by the workshop. The latest ADAC statistics show that 39% of all breakdowns are due to the battery.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8226551-johnson-controls-winter-battery-tests/
Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry, today announces the winners of the 2017 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards, honoring the top new model-year vehicle choices available in the U.S. market. The 2017 Honda Civic is named Kelley Blue Book’s Overall Best Buy of 2017, alongside Best Buy Award winners in 12 major vehicle categories.
The Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards are designed to provide a significant service to new-car buyers by identifying the cream of the crop of all available 2017 model-year vehicles. The awards are the culmination of a year-long regimen of expert vehicle evaluation and testing of nearly every new vehicle available in America, along with analysis of a broad swath of vehicle-related data, including vehicle pricing/transaction prices, 5-Year Cost to Own data (which includes depreciation, insurance, maintenance, financing, fuel, fees and taxes for new cars), consumer reviews and ratings, and vehicle sales/retail sales information. Of more than 300 new-car models available for 2017, Kelley Blue Book’s expert editors initially narrowed the field to a few dozen Best Buy Award contenders in 12 major vehicle categories and then spent several weeks testing and evaluating all of the finalists head-to-head to ultimately determine the winners.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7952451-kelley-blue-book-2017-best-buy-awards/
Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, will work together with Microsoft, the leading platform and productivity company, to jointly develop next generation automotive technologies.
The two companies today revealed how Microsoft HoloLens, the world’s first fully untethered holographic computer, might be used in future to redefine how customers first encounter and explore a car, as well as how cars might be bought and sold in future.
Areas of future collaboration between the two companies could include autonomous driving technologies and the utilisation of data generated from connected cars to create new services.
Today’s HoloLens demonstration was conducted at Microsoft’s global headquarters in Redmond, USA, and showed how mixed reality might be used by customers to configure cars in three dimensions. With HoloLens, a powerful, wearable computer, holograms are mixed into the physical world.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7668751-volvo-the-virtual-showroom/
A volunteer team from GAC Motor’s wetland ambassador program (“the Program”) has successfully concluded the July tour to Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve (SNNR), where they travelled to the Donggi Conag Lake to conduct biodiversity survey with ecologists from World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
In the three-day field survey, the team joined by media representatives documented the distribution and number of plateau wildlife species such as goa, bharal and yellow-billed teal and observed the plantation, hydrography, atmosphere and sunlight. The data will be used to evaluate habitat conditions and threat levels to help make future conservation plans.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8150351-gac-motor-sanjiangyuan-conservation/
Johnson Controls, a global multi-industrial company, is constantly focusing on improving the future of car seating. Thinking ahead, Johnson Controls will present its seating demonstrator vehicle SD15 to customers and media at the 66th Frankfurt Autoshow. The SD15 features a simulated vehicle environment with a focus on first- and second-row seating while addressing the three automotive megatrends from a seating perspective: autonomous driving, lightweight, and increasing customer demands towards individualization and style for future urban mobility.
“The SD15 is based on extensive proprietary research conducted by Johnson Controls that explored what consumers expect as car seating in 2020 and beyond,” said Beda Bolzenius, president of Johnson Controls Automotive Experience. “The driver side demonstrates superior comfort and the passenger side showcases features that maximize cargo capacity and interior flexibility.”
To view the multimedia release visit:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7592351-johnson-controls-new-SD15-seating-vehicle/
