Rolls-Royce Dawn dons Aero Cowling for the Geneva Motor Show

The cowling is a roadster-style deck for the Dawn's rear seats.

U.S. security panel deals major blow to Broadcom's bid for Qualcomm

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews deals for potential national security concerns, rarely reviews mergers before companies have clinched an agreement. CFIUS asked Qualcomm to postpone its shareholder meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, by 30 days.

Dow jumps almost 350 points despite Trump saying he won't back down on tariffs

The Dow Jones industrial average gained nearly 350 points Monday, to close up 1.37% at 24,875, despite President Donald Trump saying that "we're not backing down" on his proposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Trump, in an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, said he wouldn't back down on his proposals. "No, we're not backing down," Trump said.

Daimler Makes Collision Mitigation, Air Disc Brakes Standard on Cascadia

Daimler Trucks North America has announced that the Detroit Assurance 4.0 collision mitigation system and Meritor EX+L air disc brakes are standard on all new Freightliner Cascadia truck models.

Now standard on the Cascadia, the Detroit Assurance 4.0 suite of safety systems includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Active Brake Assist 4.0. Images via Daimler Trucks North America

“The safety of all drivers on the road – whether behind the wheel of a truck or in a passenger vehicle – has always been one of our key priorities. We have made significant enhancements to our trucks that are designed to reduce or mitigate collisions,” said Kelly Gedert, director of product marketing for Freightliner and Detroit Components. “We are committed to continuing to test and develop technologies that can improve the safety of commercial vehicles.”

The Detroit Assurance 4.0 suite of safety systems includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Active Brake Assist 4.0. ACC helps drivers maintain a safe, continuous following distance and can be adjusted to following distances between 2.4 and 3.6 seconds. The Detroit Assurance 4.0 collision mitigation system is radar-based and always on. Its bumper-mounted radar tracks the distance from the front of the truck to other vehicles in its path.

When a truck gets too close to another vehicle, the driver first receives an audible alarm with visual warning, followed by partial braking, and finally full active braking, where the system slows the truck using the transmission, engine brake and service brakes. In addition to the standard collision mitigation system, the new Cascadia can be spec'd with other optional safety features, such as Lane Departure Warning and Side Object Detection systems.

Meritor Air Disc Brakes

<img src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/news/m-meritor-ex-air-disc-brakes-1.jpg" border="0" alt="

The EX+L has been weight-optimized and was designed to be the industry's lightest truck air disc brake, according to DTNA.

Additionally, Meritor EX+L air ...Read the rest of this story

Cooper Tires Names Ball Senior VP of North American Operations

Cooper Tire & Rubber has named Christopher Ball senior vice president of North America Tire Operations, effective March 19.

Christopher Ball

He will report to Brad Hughes, president and chief executive officer. Ball assumes this role following the promotion of Phil Kortokrax to the position of senior vice president, global operations and procurement.

North America is Cooper's largest market. In his new role, Ball will be responsible for formulating and driving execution of strategic plans to grow Cooper's business within the dealer-distributor network as well as in new sales channels. He will closely partner with the company's operations and technical teams in the U.S., which focus on the design and manufacture of quality tires in safe and sustainable facilities, including four manufacturing plants, as well as supply chain operations.

Ball joins Cooper following a 15-year career with Whirlpool Corporation. Most recently, he served as global vice president for the company's KitchenAid small appliance business. Prior to that, Ball held leadership positions within Whirlpool's Laundry business.

“We are pleased to welcome Chris to our executive leadership team,” said Hughes. “He is a talented global executive with significant commercial experience, and the energy and demonstrated leadership capabilities to help us achieve our strategic growth objectives.”

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February Truck Orders Exceed Expectations

Class 8 truck orders have surpassed expectations in February, at 40,200 units for the month, according to preliminary reports from FTR and ACT Research.

“The Class 8 market remains red-hot,” said Don Ake, vice president of commercial vehicles for FTR. “The capacity crunch is transforming into a capacity crisis and many fleets of all sizes, in all markets, across the country are scrambling to add trucks as fast as they can.”

It was the second consecutive month with Class 8 orders exceeding the 40,000-unit mark – something that hasn't happened since the November-December time frame in 2014. Compared to January orders, February orders were down 15%, but were up 65% compared to Feb. 2017.

“We believe the strong orders should be viewed favorably, though they will also add support to the argument that 2018 will represent a cyclical production peak,” stated trucking industry analysts at Stifel in a report. “We, on the other hand, continue to believe 2019 demand will be fairly stable at high levels.”

Truck orders have been at exceptionally high levels in recent months, as fleets are trying to add hauling capacity to meet strong freight growth, according to FTR. Medium duty Class 5-7 truck orders were also strong February.

“In February, Classes 5-7 orders fell 15% from January to a still-strong 26,700 units – the second best month since July 2006 and the third best month on record,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT's president and senior analyst.

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US stocks power higher in latest lightning shift for markets

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks shook off morning losses on Monday and surged in afternoon trading, putting the Standard & Poor's 500 index on pace for its best day in a week. It's the latest turn for a market suddenly prone to quick shifts not only day to day but also hour to hour. The volatility comes as investors question whether a global trade war is really on the way and how quickly interest rates will rise.