By Greg Neuman, CEI Senior Manager of Quality Control

Thanks to digital technology, cars and trucks are safer and more fuel efficient than ever, but the growing number of computers installed on them has also made them more difficult, time-consuming and expensive to repair.

What’s more, with all the customer demands for more safety, navigation and information features, the problem is only going to get worse for as long as anyone can see.

Consider this: there’s more computing power on the typical new car or truck than was on board the Apollo 11 spaceship that went to the moon.

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The Detroit News

There’s an old saying, “There are two kinds of people in the world — those who divide everyone into two kinds of people, and those who don’t.”

Today I’m saying the division is between those who embrace the connected technology that is leading us toward driverless cars and increased use of entertainment and smartphones, and those who don’t.

Carmakers are struggling to develop a way to blend all the advanced functions of smartphones into a seamless and safely operable system in cars, keeping drivers connected and productive while driving.

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By Mike Cieri, MSIR, Vice President of Mardac Consultants

Providing customers with the service they need and want can be deeply gratifying.

No doubt you have experienced the good feeling that comes from helping a customer in just the right way; the customer expresses appreciation by smiling, by complimenting or thanking you.

However, we all know that customers can be “difficult,” too. A customer whom you perceive as difficult is angry, frustrated, or confused because of an unmet need and expresses that need in an emotional way.

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Manheim

Cox Automotive Chief Economist Tom Webb published Manheim’s Used Vehicle Value Index results for July.

Highlights:

Automotive News

On a hot Sunday in July, a father in Mississippi tried to coax his 3-year-old daughter into learning how to release the buckle on her car seat.

The preschooler couldn’t figure it out. So he tried to get her to learn how to open the back door on her own. That didn’t work either.

“She just couldn’t do it, which is terrifying to me,” said Lawrence Patihis, a memory researcher at the University of Southern Mississippi. Patihis had become concerned about his daughter after hearing news of the spike in heat-stroke deaths in children left behind or trapped in cars.

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Slate.com

Tesla insists its controversial autopilot software is saving lives. Can it convince the rest of us?

On a balmy Tuesday afternoon in late July, 37-year-old attorney Joshua Neally left work early. He climbed into his new Tesla Model X to drive the 45 minutes from law office in Springfield, Missouri, to his house in Branson, Missouri.

He was going home to celebrate his daughter’s fourth birthday.

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NJ.com

Put down the coffee, bagel or hairbrush and drive! Or else!

A bill winding its way through Trenton would impose stiff fines and even a possible license suspension for drivers who eat, drink, groom, read or use electronic devices behind the wheel.

Violators could face a $200 to $400 fine for the first offense and a $400 to $600 fine for a second offense. A third or subsequent offense could mean a fine of $600 to $800 and up to a 90 day license suspension, as well as motor vehicle points.

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By Ed Pierce, Fleet Industry Marketer

By leveraging the power of your critical constituencies – customers, employees, strategic partners, a company can exponentially expand the number of voices delivering a message.

As most marketers know, it’s exciting to launch a new social media effort. Building followers, likes and connections from ground zero is rewarding. However, what happens when the novelty wears off and your vast network of contacts tires of posts, blogs and tweets?

Having a community of advocates who are just as excited about your company and vision as you are provides a full spectrum of transmission frequencies instead of just one, helping spread the word about what you’re doing to many more people than you could reach on your own.

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The Detroit Bureau

Police in Houston have two suspects in custody and believe they used laptop computers to steal and then export more than 100 vehicles.

The arrests were a major break in a case that had stymied authorities, leaving few clues other than a video taken by a security camera set up by the owner of a Jeep that was among the vehicles stolen.

Investigators believe the two exploited a weakness in Jeep and Dodge products that allowed them to hack into the vehicles’ electronic ignition systems.

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24/7 Wall Street

Americans 65 years of age and older are 21% more likely to be killed in a traffic accident than the population as a whole.

While people of this age group account for 14.5% of the total population, they represent 17.5% of all traffic fatalities.

The difference between the likelihood of traffic fatalities among older Americans and the entire population varies between states.

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