A recent IHS Automotive analysis of user interfaces in future automotive infotainment systems finds increased global commonality and complexity. Technologies and features developed by automakers and suppliers have heavily focused on designing interfaces that users can understand quickly and operate efficiently. The Multi-Modal Interface Concept is a major growth driver in building new and innovative human-machine interface (HMI) platforms, according to the analysis by IHS Automotive.

UTi Worldwide Inc., a global provider of supply-chain services, has entered into a strategic partnership with Beijing Changjiu Logistics Co., Ltd., to serve the logistics requirements of original equipment manufacturers and suppliers in China's automotive market.

A Carson, Calif.-based company is trying to position itself at the perfect intersection of online DIY and the nation's aging fleet of personal vehicles. U.S. Auto Parts Network Inc. caters to do-it-yourselfers. It sells to people whose idea of the perfect weekend morning is getting some grease under the fingernails while working on their cars, trucks and SUVs.

The proportion of vehicles sold worldwide with some degree of autonomous capability is expected to reach 75 percent by 2035, according to a recent report from Navigant Research.

OEMs' insistence on more and more cost reductions has caused painful friction in the relationship, according to the annual Global OEM-Supplier Relations Study conducted by IHS Automotive. The survey allows automotive suppliers to rate car makers on a variety of matters, including technology sourcing, profit-impacting factors, quality management and intellectual property protection matters.

Analysis of the automotive market in China suggests significant growth opportunity continues in many of the country's provinces, though some will start to see growth rates change significantly, according to a detailed province-level forecast available from IHS Automotive.

A mere four years after overtaking the U.S. as the world's largest car market, China's automotive industry has arrived at an important inflection point. The days of growth rates above 20 percent are over, and rates may dip as low as 6 percent by the end of the decade. Several factors are driving this shift.

BMW has confirmed the much anticipated news that it plans to invest approximately $1bn in a full production plant in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí.