GM is Burning

GM is Burning
by Roger C. Lanctot on 10-27-2019 at 11:00 am

What is it about General Motors? The once largest maker of cars in the world (now sixth or seventh) has been in an all-fronts retreat for years – while Wall Street analysts and top GM brass whistle past the graveyard touting gains in the company’s stock price and profitability.

GM has exited key markets including Europe, India and

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Let’s Pass the Hot Cars Act of 2019

Let’s Pass the Hot Cars Act of 2019
by Roger C. Lanctot on 10-27-2019 at 10:00 am

It’s happened again. The 42nd fatality of 2019 in the U.S. from a child being left behind in a hot car has occurred – this time, in New Mexico. While horrific and staggering, the total number of fatalities due to children being left in overheated cars for 2019 is still less than the 54 fatalities suffered in 2018.

According… Read More


Auto Architecture and the Need for Speed

Auto Architecture and the Need for Speed
by Roger C. Lanctot on 10-11-2019 at 10:00 am

Automotive makers and their suppliers are jacking up the processing power being introduced to cars along with higher speed wireless external connections. These high speed systems promise to collect, process, interpret and transmit sensor data for the purpose of enabling advanced collision avoidance and, ultimately, automated

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Fossil Fuels in the Crosshairs

Fossil Fuels in the Crosshairs
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-29-2019 at 11:00 am

In the heat of a presidential campaign, especially one with 19 competing candidates, the contenders may get carried away in the interest of getting attention and, presumably, attracting supporters. Beto O’Rourke might be accused of such rhetorical excess for his call, in the third Democratic Party debate, for a mandatory Federal

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Forget about 5G

Forget about 5G
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-20-2019 at 10:00 am

There is a vast amount of hubbub in the automotive industry regarding the onset of 5G technology. Industry excitement is manifest in the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) which is facilitating collaboration (among 120+ member) between the automotive industry and the wireless industry, possibly for the first time ever.

For … Read More


Radio: Relevant, Unifying, Intimate, Vulnerable

Radio: Relevant, Unifying, Intimate, Vulnerable
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-15-2019 at 10:00 am

It was hard to escape the notion while attending RadiodaysAsia2019  that the world is experiencing what can only be called “peak radio.” Radio has the widest audience reach of any content delivery medium anywhere in the world, with the possible exception of India, according to researchers such as Nielsen Media, Gfk, Rajar, Edison

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Ford Prioritizes Safety; Revolutionizes Connectivity

Ford Prioritizes Safety; Revolutionizes Connectivity
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-11-2019 at 10:00 am

Ford Motor Company’s debt may have been downgraded to junk this week, but the company’s savvy strategy for vehicle safety and connectivity has had an outsize influence on the broader automotive industry.  That is the takeaway message from this week’s ITS California gathering of transportation executives taking place in Los

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GM’s Dashboard Surrender

GM’s Dashboard Surrender
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-10-2019 at 10:00 am

There was a time when General Motors’ OnStar offering was readily and clearly understood by consumers for the fact that it did one thing incredibly well: summoning assistance in the event of a vehicle crash and airbag deployment. This now-23-year-old connected car solution still stands strong as a powerful brand-defining … Read More


Leave the Driving to Musk!

Leave the Driving to Musk!
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-03-2019 at 10:00 am

For years Tesla Motors’ CEO Elon Musk has been taunting the global insurance industry that he would offer insurance coverage directly from Tesla if he was dissatisfied with the industry’s own underwriting. That shoe dropped last week with a resounding thud as Tesla Insurance Services launched in California.

As part of the filing,… Read More


Tesla Stakes Insurance Claim!

Tesla Stakes Insurance Claim!
by Roger C. Lanctot on 08-25-2019 at 2:00 pm

In its most recent shareholders’ meeting Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk noted that the Tesla Model 3 is the highest revenue producing car in the U.S. and fourth best-selling by unit volume. He also noted Tesla’s vehicles’ industry-leading fuel efficiency and range.

Musk took the further step of emphasizing the lower cost of

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