News

Continental inaugurated, within ContiTech Timișoara, the new location for one of the largest testing laboratories in the entire network of ContiTech units in Europe. The new lab, designed from the ground up, includes testing spaces, new offices and employee amenities. Among the tests carried out here are: thermal tests, mechanical tests, computed tomography, precision metallographic microscopy and macroscopy, pressure impulse tests as well as vibration tests and technical verification of product cleanliness.

The Energy Department has awarded US$208m to Volvo Group to accelerate the production of heavy-duty electric trucks and related powertrain components. 

The upgrades will enable mixed-model assembly, providing scalability and flexibility in production. The improvements are expected to significantly boost the production capacity of battery-electric vehicles (BEV) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV).

Logistics software provider Alvys announced it has closed its Series A with $20.5 million in funding led by Titanium Ventures, with participation from Picus Capital and existing investors RTP and Bonfire. The company is looking to continue to develop its current offerings and support customer growth. Alvys has raised about $30 million to date.

The software provider currently offers load matching, quote generation, document management and other back-office workflows for dispatching and managing assets.

Kia is shaking up the compact sedan segment with the introduction of the all-new 2025 Kia K4. This sleek and sophisticated car promises to deliver more room, advanced technology features, and exciting performance options, all in a package that's sure to turn heads. The 2025 Kia K4 is expected to arrive in the second half of 2024. Pricing information has not yet been announced, but it is likely to be competitively priced within the compact sedan segment. 

Continental Mobile Robots, leveraging the power of Amazon Web Services (AWS), has developed new software solutions for Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR). The engagement focuses on managing the hybrid deployment of Continental’s scalable AMR navigation software stack, which powers multiple product lines such as Intralogistics and Agriculture. The work between Continental and AWS helps customers manage deployments more effectively at scale over the lifetime of the robot. 

Global sales of fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles rose by 13% in June versus the same month in 2023 driven by growth in China, while they dropped in Europe, market research firm Rho Motion said.

In Europe, monthly sales were down 7% to 0.30 million, with Finland, Ireland, and the Netherlands leading losses, while Italy recorded a 34% increase following the introduction of government incentives.

Porsche collaborates with Norwegian aluminum company Hydro in order to deliver carbon-reduced primary aluminum as well as secondary aluminum with a high proportion of recycled material. Within their technical collaboration, Porsche and Hydro are also testing where aluminum with an even higher proportion of recycled material can be used. The sports car manufacturer is working towards a net carbon neutral value chain of newly produced vehicles in 2030. Aluminum is an important part of this.

As per the report, the increasing demand for enhanced yield and sustainable farming practices will accelerate business growth over 2023–2032. The Agriculture Robots Market size was crossed USD 14.9 billion in 2022 and is estimated to reach USD 80 billion by 2032 due to the aging agricultural workforce in many countries.

Farmers and agricultural enterprises are embracing robotic solutions to optimize crop production while reducing environmental impact. 

As part of its centenary celebrations at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week, MG has taken the wraps off the next generation of its HS SUV. Unveiled in plug-in hybrid and petrol guises in the UK, it’s expected that MG will continue to focus on the PHEV, which has been significantly upgraded.

The new model pricing has remained typically competitive.

Samsung have launched three new smartwatches this year, but the most expected wearable - the Galaxy Ring was officially announced at yesterday’s Unpacked event.

The Galaxy Ring is an entirely new product for Samsung and marks its entrance into the smart ring market. Here are all the details on the Galaxy Ring: Price and design, Health and fitness tracking, Performance and battery, Other features and compatibility.

In the first weekend of July, Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot drew significant attention at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, despite being displayed in a glass case.

Optimus Gen 2 boasts improved motion and handling capabilities and can perform routine tasks such as folding laundry.

Displaying the latest version of the humanoid robot, Tesla stated in a post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo that attendees would "witness the re-evolution of humanoid robots."

Mercedes‑Benz opened the eCampus at the heart of its headquarters in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim. It is the competence centre for the development of cells and batteries for the future electric vehicles of the brand with the star. Mercedes-Benz is significantly strengthening its development activities in battery technology.

The aim is to develop innovative chemical compositions and optimised production processes for high-performance cells with “Mercedes-Benz DNA” and reduce battery costs by more than 30 percent in the coming years. 

Energy prices increased 1.1% in June, led by natural gas (+9.9%).

Raw materials changed little (+0.2%), while beverages climbed by 8.5%.

Precious metals dipped by 0.8%.

Valeo, a world leader in mobility technologies, and Dassault Systèmes announced their partnership. Valeo will rely on Dassault Systèmes’ “Global Modular Platform” and “Smart, Safe & Connected” industry solution experiences based on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to accelerate the digital transformation of the Group’s research and development activities.

Valeo will deploy Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform to optimize the development of new technologies for safer and more sustainable mobility.

HORSE, a global leader in innovative and low emissions powertrain systems, started the manufacturing and assembly of its highly efficient 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder gasoline engine (HR12) at its plant in Mioveni, Romania. The most efficient engine among the HORSE product portfolio and the most powerful produced at HORSE Romania, the HR12 is used in several vehicles, including hybrids. The beginning of production in Mioveni supplements HORSE’s global capacity for the HR12 engine, with engines produced in Romania to be installed in new Dacia Duster models.