Carbon fiber, a material found in airplanes, rockets and sports cars may find its way into more mass-market cars thanks to a new production process developed by Nissan.

According to Nissan, the new process speeds up the development of car parts made from carbon fiber reinforced plastics, or CFRP. Lightweight yet extremely strong, the material can be used to make cars that are safer and more fuel-efficient. It can also lower a car’s center of gravity when applied to upper body parts, making it more agile and exciting to drive.

Nissan aims to use the new process to mass-produce CFRP parts and introduce them in more cars for customers. The innovation can cut the lead time to develop such components by as much as half, and cycle time for molding by about 80 percent, compared with conventional methods.
While the benefits of carbon fiber have long been known, it’s expensive compared with other materials such as steel. Along with the difficulty in shaping CFRP parts, this has hampered the mass production of automotive components made from the material.
Nissan claims to have found a new approach to the existing production method known as compression resin transfer molding. The existing method involves forming carbon fiber into the right shape and setting it in a die with a slight gap between the upper die and the carbon fibers. Resin is then injected into the fiber and left to harden.

Nissan’s engineers developed techniques to accurately simulate the permeability of the resin in carbon fiber, while visualizing resin flow behavior in a die using an in-die temperature sensor and a transparent die. The result of the successful simulation was a high-quality component with a shorter development time.
This news of the new production process seems like a more promising approach for Nissan Motor Corporation after spy shots of the 2021 Nissan Qashqai were recently spotted in some sections of the media.
 

German tier 1 supplier Continental has announced its latest solution for the automotive industry, the Ac2ated Sound display, a first-of-its-kind in the industry that uses a display surface to bring high-quality audio output.

The technology will not only enable space saving but also could enable significant weight reduction and allow for more innovative solutions to be integrated.

The Ac2ated system uses actuators installed behind the display surface and induce audible vibrations in the glass. The company stated that humans have an intuitive ability to identify the origin of a detected sound in a three-dimensional space, which is referred to ‘sound localisation’. In simple terms, humans, when hearing any sound, have a natural tendency to try and identify the source of the sound. In the automotive industry, the Ac2ated Sound display can create a more immersive experience as the display itself could be used like a sound box.

Given the smaller footprint of the actuators, the solution can be implemented in various flat components of the vehicle interiors.

Continental claims that Ac2ated Sound system requires up to 90 percent less space and can offer up to 40 kilograms of weight saving compared to conventional speaker systems.

Pavel Prouza, Head of User Experience (UX) Business Area, Continental, said, “By integrating actuators into the display, we have succeeded in using the entire display surface as a sound chamber to resonate sound within the vehicle – all in exceptional quality. Not only does this save valuable space in the vehicle interior, but it also reduces weight compared with traditional speakers. The system leverages our full expertise as a system integrator for the benefit of our customers – combining visual and audio output in a single package without compromising on quality.”

TVS Supply Chain Solutions, a global supply chain solutions provider, has announced changes to its leadership structure with the appointment of R Vaidhyanathan as its new Global Chief Financial Officer (CFO) effective 1 April 2025. He succeeds Raviprakash Bhagavathula, who will transition to the new role of Head of Strategic Initiatives and move to Singapore.

At present, Vaidhyanathan serves as Deputy Global CFO and has held various positions in Finance within the organisation. He had joined the company in January 2019 and has worked across various leadership financial roles the position, and is credited to play a key role in significant enhancements to the productivity of the finance function.

Ravi Viswanathan, Managing Director, TVS Supply Chain Solutions, said, “We are delighted to appoint R Vaidhyanathan as our new Global CFO. His strong track record in driving financial performance, optimising cash flow, and fostering a culture of operational excellence has been instrumental in our growth journey. I am confident that his deep understanding of our business and his strategic vision will help us continue to innovate and scale as we move into the next phase of growth journey. We also express our sincere gratitude to Raviprakash Bhagavathula for his invaluable contributions since 2018 as CFO, especially for leading TVS SCS to a successful public listing. We look forward to his leadership in driving our strategic initiatives.”

Both Vaidhyanathan and Bhagavathula will report to Ravi Viswanathan, MD, TVS Supply Chain Solutions.  

British premium luxury car brand Aston Martin has joined hands with Curv Racing Simulators to introduce limited edition AMR-CO1-R simulator with prices starting GBP 58,750 (INR 5.98 million) plus tax. The deliveries are set to begin in April 2025.

Limited to just 50 units, the AMR-CO1-R builds up on the AMR-CO1 and now features precision ergonomics, cutting-edge hardware and even more immersive racing experience.

The partnership sees Aston Martin join forces with three-time Le Mans winner and simulator specialist Darren Turner, who currently leads Curv Racing Simulators. The AMR-C01-R continues to use the all-carbon fibre monocoque and signature Aston Martin Racing grille. The seating position has been revised and inspired by Aston Martin Valkyrie. The new model can now be further adjusted for more comfort and accessibility, especially for taller drivers.

The simulator uses a 49-inch G95C monitor with a 1000R curvature with 240Hz refresh rate (previously 120Hz) and 1ms response time (previously 4ms), which delivers seamless and razor-sharp visuals. Furthermore, the addition of HDR10+ Gaming brings to life more vivid colours and deeper contrast. Thanks to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, Intel 14th-generation processor, 32GB DDR5 memory (up from 16GB), and 2TB M.2 SSD storage enable real-immersive gaming performance and ample space for an extensive racing library.

Marek Reichman, Chief Creative Officer, Aston Martin, said, “Curv’s latest simulator is an exciting continuation of the AMR-C01, which was launched in 2020. With improved performance, and a seating position inspired by Valkyrie, this is as close to driving an Aston Martin on-track that a racer will experience. The design itself, like any Aston Martin, will fit into a residence as a sculptural work of art, not just a traditional racing simulator.”

Darren Turner, Founder, Curv Racing Simulators, added, “The AMR-C01 was a game-changer when it launched in 2020, and the AMR-C01-R takes it to the next level. We’ve refined the ergonomics and performance, to make it even more immersive, intuitive, and future-proof. For those who demand the very best, this is the ultimate racing simulator."

In what comes as an unexpected announcement, the Union Home Minister of India Amit Shah has said that the government is set to roll out a platform on a co-operative basis that will compete against ride-hailing platforms such as Uber, Ola and Rapido in the country.

What’s more, unlike existing app platforms, wherein the ride-hailing vehicles have to pay a commission on every ride or a fixed fee, the upcoming government app will have to pay zero fees.

The platform will allow shared two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers to be registered.

While there is hardly any clarity or fine details in the public domain, it would be really interesting to see how the pricing and market dynamics come into play.