J.D. Power: Demand strong for used vehicles

J.D. Power: Demand strong for used vehicles | How to add value to the customer experience | Lexus releases AR app to showcase latest sports sedan

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June 23, 2020

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J.D. Power: Demand strong for used vehicles

The outlook for used vehicles is showing strong signs as sales were 5% under pre-pandemic forecast in May compared with a 20% drop in sales of new vehicles. "Less-compelling incentives on new vehicles will further bolster demand for used vehicles, and a significant number of households who would have purchased a new vehicle are switching to the used market due to affordability concerns," says Tyson Jominy, vice president of data and analytics at J.D. Power.

Full Story: WardsAuto (6/17)

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Customer Experience

How to add value to the customer experience

(General Motors)

Michael Roppo, president and director of dealer fixed-ops consulting and training at Automotive Domain Results, offers ways to improve the customer experience at car dealerships. "Today, customers really do appreciate you if you provide them with the value-added service that they're expecting," Roppo says.

Full Story: CBT Automotive Network (6/19)

Lexus releases AR app to showcase latest sports sedan

Lexus is showcasing its 2021 IS with an augmented reality app, Lexus AR Play. Users can virtually explore or even drive the vehicle, and customize its interior for shareable photos.

Full Story: MediaPost Communications (6/17)

Manufacturing

Supply chain revs up for auto manufacturers

The supply chain for automotive manufacturers is back in business after shutdowns due to the coronavirus, with new safety guidelines in place. "We expect that inventory will be replenished by November or December, and then the customer demand will dictate whether we have a slowdown," says Pat Greene, president of Cascade Die Casting Group.

Full Story: MiBiz (Michigan) (6/21)

Commentary: Agile principles can help manufacturers

Steve Denning, author of "The Age of Agile," says auto manufacturers are slow to embrace 3D printing despite its advantages. "The problem is a management problem: the unwillingness to do anything about the sunk cost in that $100 million door mold machine, and all the other hard-to-change manufacturing equipment and processes," he writes.

Full Story: Forbes (6/21)

3D printing helped GM respond to COVID-19
Manufacturing Global (6/22)

Data & Analytics

Voluntary AV data sharing isn't enough, some say

The Department of Transportation's voluntary data-sharing system has gotten buy-in from many companies and states, but many more companies are testing autonomous vehicles than have joined the system. The voluntary nature of the program has created concern, with one highway safety advocate saying the gap is inconsistent with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's goal of ensuring safety in self-driving technology design and testing.

Full Story: Car and Driver online (6/16)

Research with "ghost" cars reveals real live energy savings

Clemson University professor Ardalan Vahidi's research has yielded algorithms that help autonomous vehicles anticipate driver behavior to reduce braking, thereby seeing energy conservation of up to 23%. The team used nonexistent, or "ghost," vehicles in testing on a closed track with a real car, and the fact that the ghost vehicle couldn't hurt the real vehicle enabled the researchers to test more dangerous scenarios.

Full Story: GSA Business (Greenville, S.C.) (6/17)

Smart Mobility

Hands-free driving coming to Ford vehicles

(Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)

Ford plans to incorporate Active Drive Assist, which will allow hands-free highway driving, into several vehicle models over the coming year. Among them is the all-electric 2021 Mustang Mach-E, which can be ordered this fall with the necessary hardware for the feature, though the underlying software won't be available until late next year.

Full Story: CNET (6/18), Reuters (6/18)

Pandemic adds a new twist to AV deployment challenges

(Pixabay)

Safety measures have always been a primary element of the autonomous vehicle industry, but until recently, vehicle interior cleanliness was not a major focus. Waymo and others are considering how to address this new concern, "given how the pandemic has affected us and also our anxieties around germs," said Patrick Cadariu, Waymo's head of supply chain operations.

Full Story: The Associated Press (6/17)