It’s a tough time to operate any business, let alone one that’s still establishing its place in the automotive industry. However, less than three years after opening, and in spite of the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic, the American Center for Mobility (ACM) says 2020 was one of its strongest years yet.

At the helm of the 200ha (500-acre) proving ground with a focus on connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) is Reuben Sarkar. With experience in the corporate, government and engineering worlds – including on the original Chevy Volt – Sarkar took the job in April this year, just before the facility at Willow Run near Ann Arbor, Michigan, reopened following a two-month shutdown.

Continue reading Interview: Reuben Sarkar, CEO American Center for Mobility at ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International.

Karma, the Southern California-based mobility incubator and luxury EV maker, has appointed Stefan Gudmundsson as its new chief innovation officer.

Gudmundsson has extensive international experience in the connected car, infotainment and telematics sectors. He joins Karma from a senior automotive role at u-blox, a creator of wireless semiconductors and modules. Prior to that, the Swede served as director, technology and operations, at Hyundai AutoEver Telematics America; worked in project management at Volvo’s WirelessCar; and was Technology VP at DRI Corporation.

“Innovation is among the most important building blocks of Karma’s technology-focused business strategy because it helps grow our brand value and paves a strong path forward,” said Karma CEO Dr Lance Zhou.

Continue reading Karma Automotive hires Stefan Gudmundsson to drive strategic direction at ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International.

Volkswagen Group of America and IoT technology company Aeris are forming Ventic, a joint venture that is the result of a long-term commitment between the two partners in the development and operations of connected vehicle platform technologies.

The JV’s ownership split is 51% to Volkswagen and 49% to Aeris. The company will focus on Volkswagen brand vehicles in North America, starting with the launch of the next generation Car-Net in most 2020MY vehicles.

Ventic promises a highly customizable approach to Volkswagen’s specific requirements. It will give VW the ability to manage the connected car program on a single platform, while preserving the ability to deploy solutions that differ based on region or vehicle model.

Continue reading Volkswagen and Aeris announce formation of Ventic JV at ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International.

An enhanced version of the Super Cruise driver assistance feature will be introduced on the 2021 Cadillac CT5 and CT4, and on the all-new 2021 Cadillac Escalade.

All three vehicles will become available in the second half of 2020. Among the enhancements will be automated lane change functionality, which will allow the hands-free system to change lanes on compatible highways when requested by the driver and certain conditions are met.

“This is the most extensive update we’ve made to Super Cruise since its debut,” said Mario Maiorana, Super Cruise chief engineer. “We have made a number of improvements to make Super Cruise more intuitive, better performing and more accessible for our customers.

Continue reading Enhanced Super Cruise debuts on Cadillac CT5 and CT4 sedans at ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International.

Data released jointly by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center’s Institute of Information Technology and the Intellectual Property Branch of the Society of Automotive Engineers of China shows that Xpeng Motors ranked top among Chinese auto makers in smart and connected car technology patents in 2019.

The company, which makes models like the G3 (pictured) and forthcoming P7, also ranked among the top 20 applicants in China’s auto sector with 742 patent applications published in 2019. Xpeng’s invention patent applications accounted for 76% of its published patent applications, the highest percentage among Chinese auto makers, according to the same data release.

Continue reading Xpeng Motors tops Chinese OEMs for smart car tech patents at ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International.

Lucid Motors has appointed Dr Eugene Lee as senior director of ADAS and Autonomous Driving. He will be responsible for the implementation of ADAS and the development of autonomous driving (AD) technology for the Lucid Air – which will be revealed in New York in April – and other future Lucid models.

Lee brings over 20 years of experience in automotive systems development to the company. Lucid says that for the past 13 years, he played a leading role in developing autonomous driving strategies and technologies at GM and Hyundai. As Hyundai’s VP and head of the Autonomous Vehicle Development Center, he established the auto maker’s 10-year roadmaps for ADAS and AD and oversaw the launch of more than 70 ADAS products.

Continue reading Dr Eugene Lee to head Lucid’s ADAS and autonomous driving at ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International.

Tier 1 supplier Aisin Seiki and 4D imaging sensor technology company Vayyar Imaging are collaborating to provide high resolution short-range radar (SRR) for exterior vehicle sensing.

The partnership will combine Aisin’s in-vehicle system expertise with Vayyar’s 4D high-resolution SRR to develop exterior sensing capabilities for vehicles, such as blind spot detection for low-speed driving support. By providing a single-chip radar sensor, the Israeli company will contribute to Aisin’s goal of safer functionality and advanced control.

“Our MIMO 4D SRR offers a high-resolution point cloud with wide field-of-view (FOV), resilience to harsh weather conditions and the ability to cope with semi-transparent materials – all at a very affordable price,” said Ian Podkamien, director of automotive business development at Vayyar.

Continue reading Aisin and Vayyar Imaging sign exterior sensing partnership at ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International.

Continental revealed a range of new products and innovations in the AV space at CES 2020. Among them is a holistic solution for human-machine interaction that Conti is developing specifically for autonomous vehicles.

The company believes that safety, accessibility, comfort and an immersive onboard experience will drive acceptance for autonomous shuttle buses or robotaxis, ultimately leading to their large-scale adoption. Continental’s holistic human-machine solution is designed to lay the foundation for this by providing an end-to-end experience for users, not only limited to booking a ride and transporting passengers to their destination.

The concept also helps them to plan the next course of their journey and provide relevant information about social events.

Continue reading Continental showcases AV and connected innovations at CES 2020 at ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International.

Lidar sensor and perception software company Quanergy Systems, Inc. has announced a number of corporate changes to underpin the company’s next phase of growth.

Quanergy expanded its executive team in 2019, adding Gary Saunders and Enzo Signore as its CRO and CMO respectively, to expand its worldwide go-to-market and product strategy. In April 2019, Quanergy named Dr Kevin J Kennedy to its board of directors to assist in identifying new business development opportunities and provide strategic direction for the company. Kennedy was elected Quanergy’s chairman in October 2019.

Now, in order to prepare for the company’s next stage of growth, Dr Louay Eldada has stepped down from his positions as Quanergy CEO and board member.

Continue reading Leadership changes at Quanergy to drive company growth at ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International.

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation are investing US$110m in a new partnership with Arrival, a UK-based electric vehicle startup.

Through the partnership, Hyundai and Kia plan to introduce competitively priced, small and medium-size electric vans and other products for logistics and on-demand ride-hailing and shuttle service companies. Arrival’s scalable electric platform can be adapted for multiple vehicle categories and types, which Arrival, Hyundai and Kia will explore for development of a range of purpose-built vehicles (PBVs).

According to Hyundai and Kia, the partnership with Arrival will help meet rapidly growing demand in Europe for eco-friendly commercial vehicles and accelerate the brands’ transformation from car makers to clean-mobility providers.

Continue reading Hyundai and Kia invest in Arrival to co-develop electric CVs at ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle International.