Honda will introduce the world’s first predictive cruise control system known as Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (i-ACC), capable of foreseeing and automatically reacting to other vehicles ‘cutting-in’ to the equipped vehicle’s lane.
Traditional advanced cruise control systems only respond when a vehicle moves into the line of the radar sweep but the Honda system monitors movements all round the car outside the normal sweep range and anticipates being cut-up.
China will permit established businesses in its free-trade zone to bring in foreign cars and undercut established dealers and manufacturers.
The grey-imports will be sold by non-franchised dealers throughout China but will not have the usual makers’ warranties or service schemes.
In its MINI UK production network, the business is looking for 47 new apprentices to take up places in August 2015.
In addition, BMW and MINI retailers are looking to recruit around 150 young people across the UK, a third more than in 2014.
A recent wave of auto recalls may lead to even more flaws being discovered this year as drivers become alert to design faults, the top U.S. car safety official says.
Recalls of air bags and ignition switches last year contributed to an increase in the number of consumers with car safety concerns, said Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, adding, “I would expect that we will actually see an increase in recalls this year”.
