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The article reports on the application of carbon-fiber-reinforced composites in automobiles to reduce weight and increase vehicle range in the U.S. It mentions that composites can substantially reduce the mass of an automobile in its seven major areas including the hood, battery module and rear trunk compartment. It also notes that General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., and Chrysler Corp. formed the Automotive Composites Consortium (ACC) to produce automotive structural parts.

The article reports on the alternative strategies adopted by General Motors (GM) Corp. that could reduce materials cost in the U.S. GM develop materials option prior to the designing process so that it can easily look for another materials in case of price imbalance. Sports cars are replaced with plastic parts because they prefer lower weight and offer more design flexibility. Furthermore, several tips that reduce to high price exposure are also presented.

The article reports on the launching of a system for parts inventory management by General Motors Corp. to its dealership in North America. The centralized web-based system is designed to monitor the automobile parts used daily from a dealer's inventory and compile data through an automated polling network.

Focuses on the strategy used by General Motors Corp. in designing its automobiles in North America. Use of the Epsilon 2 automobile body structure in its next-generation Vectra model; Opportunities to easily share parts used in its European- and Asian-brand cars; Aim of the company to reuse 40 to 60 percent of parts across its brands.

Discusses automakers installing black boxes in vehicles. Discussion that the box is similar to the electronic flight-data recorders found in airplanes; How General Motors equip vehicles with what they are calling Event Data Recorders; Data being recorded by the boxes including speed, seat belt use and brake usage; Discussion of a black box, marketed by a company called Road Safety International, that parents can install in their childrens' cars; How the devices can used to prevent dangerous driving behavior.

Announces the separate plans of Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. to build Internet marketplaces for purchasing automobile parts and supplies. Advantage of the marketplaces for both companies; Predicted revenue of the Ford marketplace.

Announces the business agreement signed by General Motors (GM) of United States to sell auto parts to the GM Shanghai Company. Worth of the auto parts; Other business transactions between the two companies.

The article reports on the automation of parts supply chain of General Motors Corp. in the U.S to improve its distribution of automobile parts to dealers. General Motors projected to have 8,000 U.S. and Canadian dealers using the Retail Inventory Management system by the end of 2007. RIM system depends on the nation-wide part sales data for the recommendation of restocking policies and dealerships. A key aspect of this system is that it helps in recommending what parts to stock. From the time RIM was launched in August 2005, about 1,000 GM dealers have engaged in the new system.

Reports on automobile manufacturers and members of the U.S. Council for Automotive Research that signed cooperative research agreements with the Department of Energy to support continued research and development in the areas of lightweight materials and advanced battery technologies for vehicles in 2005. Ford Motor Co.; General Motors Corp.; DaimlerChrysler Corp.

The article reports that General Motors (GM) is set to increase its procurement spending in China by 25% per year in the period 2005-2010. The announcement, relayed to Reuters by GM senior executives, came at a time when manufacturers are split on the notion of sourcing overseas. According to Bo Anderson, head of global purchasing and supplier chain at GM, China's local industry is increasinlgy producing higher value-added parts that GM procures elsewhere. By 2007, 90% of parts in a locally manufactured GM car are sourced from some 190 Chinese suppliers.

The article focuses on the materials and engineering technologies from GE Plastics used for General Motors' (GM) gas-electric concept car, the Chevrolet Volt. The Volt was unveiled just days before reports emerged saying that General Electric (GE) is looking for a buyer for its plastics unit. To achieve fuel efficiency, GE Plastics provided composites and coatings to reduce the weight of the car's parts.

Focuses on the benefits of software engineering to the material optimization process of General Motors (GM) Corp. Technological innovations of the company; Description of the body and chassis design of GM automobiles; Information on quick plastic forming of aluminum technology by the company.

Features low-density sheet molding compound (SMC) materials developed by the Materials and Processes Laboratory of General Motor Corp. Ability of the material to withstand the heat of an engine compartment; Potential applications of SMC; Automobile models whose steel front-end supports have been replaced by SMC.

Describes how General Motors Corp. uses dunnages made from BFGoodrich Co.'s Telene 1100 RIM polymer to transports automobile parts. Properties of the polymer.

Features the vibration-resistant Optiride Seat for cars of General Motors Research Laboratories.

Focuses on the advertising campaign of automobile manufacturers, General Motors Corp. and Volvo Cars of North America, for the automobile-safety features of the their products. Description of their campaign concept; Competition posed by the campaign of Chrysler automobile firm; Discussion on the marketing of automobile safety equipment.