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Hyundai is developing a 10-speed automatic transmission for its Gensis and Equus models. The project is expected to be completed by 2014. Earlier this year, Hyundai had already introduced their new, in-house developed, 8-speed transmission. Mated to the 2012 Hyundai Genesis sedan

Can trust him? From CNA: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1141194/1/.html Govt affirms aim to involve more S'poreans in developing ideas & policies By Evelyn Choo | Posted: 16 July 2011 0011 hrs SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has affirmed the government's aim to involve more Singaporeans in developing ideas and policies that affect them. He hopes Singaporeans will respond in the same spirit. Mr Lee was speaking at the official opening of the School of the Arts (SOTA) on Friday. Mr Lee cited the example of an ongoing strategic review of the arts sector. The Arts and Culture Strategic Review involves the public, private and people sectors, with the goal of mapping out Singapore's cultural landscape by 2025. The aim is to get four in five Singaporeans to attend at least one arts and cultural event each year by 2025. Mr Lee called on members of the arts community, including SOTA's students, to contribute to the thought process. He said: "The review and the committee will consult students widely. We will conduct focus group sessions, we will launch an online consultation portal. "We would like to have your ideas of what you would like to do, how you would like us to go about building this arts scene for the future, strategically, patiently, starting now." Congratulating SOTA on its official opening, Mr Lee said the school is an example of how the country is opening up multiple paths to different talents. SOTA is Singapore's first national pre-tertiary arts school. It offers a six-year curriculum that integrates arts and academia for youths aged 13 to 18 years. - CNA/ir

According to a recent report, Mercedes is developing a nine-speed automatic transmission. Dubbed 9G-Tronic, the gearbox will offer improved fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions compared to the seven-speed 7G-Tronic. It will be used on large displacement engines and possibly debut on the redesigned 2012 S-Class. Going forward, Mercedes apparently believes nine gears is the maximum number of ratios that are technically possible. More importantly, the company thinks consumers won't accept a ten-speed unit. As you may recall, the 7G-Tronic was the first seven-speed automatic transmission when it was introduced in 2003. In recent years, it has been outclassed by the new 8-speed ZF transmission used by Audi and BMW. Source: autocar.co.uk

When Jaguar first introduced the XF here in the States, no one batted an eye when the car only came in V8 flavors. After all, a luxury sedan demands eight cylinders, right? Sort of. Skip across the Atlantic, and buyers have less interest in a fuel-swilling eight pot. Instead, the luxo-barges of the old country typically run smaller, more efficient diesel mills. Except in Jaguar's case, the company only offers a V6 oilburner in the XF line. Word has it that the big cat is out to fix the issue. Starting this fall, Europeans are likely to start seeing a twin-turbo 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel engine crop up on the option sheet. The powerplant is being refitted from Land Rover Freelander (LR2) duty, but will feature quite a bit more power and a new start/stop system to help keep fuel consumption low. Will they bring it to the States? Sure, right after Michael Jackson rises from the grave to run as Sarah Palin's VP candidate for 2012.

Cars might be techno-marvels, but the way cars get from the factory to your driveway, in large part, isn't. Plain old ink and paper, with carbon copies for good measure, still factors into the process

STB developing new blueprint to boost tourist growth By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 12 October 2009 2050 hrs SINGAPORE: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is developing a new road map for 2020. It is also looking for ideas from the public. Singapore's tourism industry has taken a hit with the economic downturn. Latest figures showed tourist arrivals from January to August fell 9.2 per cent over the same period last year to 6.23 million. There was one silver lining though - the rate of decline has slowed since June. The STB had previously set as its 2015 target 17 million visitor arrivals and S$30 billion in tourism receipts. But it now said that would be a challenge. Looking forward to 2020, the STB has put together a steering committee to chart strategic directions for the future of an industry that contributed 5.8 per cent to GDP last year. Five taskforces have been set up to look into specific areas - Business, Enrichment, Lifestyle, Marketing plus Travel and Hospitality. Industry leaders heading these taskforces know they face an uphill task. Dennis Foo, co-chair of Lifestyle Taskforce and CEO of St James Power Station, said: "... very exciting years ahead, with the two IRs (integrated resorts). But the big challenge is really to have the right software - essentially, it's the people. Hospitality is about people." Loh Lik Peng, co-chair of Business Taskforce and director of KMC Holdings, said: "A lot of it is looking ahead and seeing the growth opportunities in markets like China, India, Indonesia. "If you look at the wealth creation in those countries, the size of the middle class and the people who will travel for work and will want to come for events in Singapore or hold a conference here will increase exponentially. "We want to position ourselves so that we get a fair share of that market. We don't want to be marginalised by their own capital cities." About 70 per cent of Singapore's visitor arrivals are from Asia. For its new road map, the STB wants to tap on ideas from the public through this website. The public can submit their ideas over the next four months. STB's chief executive, Aw Kah Peng, said: "Everyone who has a good idea, who can contribute, we want to hear them. If we can take even a small number of these ideas and turn them into something that works for us, that will be tremendously powerful." The new road map and targets are expected to be ready by March next year. - CNA/ir It's funny to see this comment. Hospitality is about people. Sometimes ppl forget to see themselves in the mirror. imo, st james got the worst service standard among all clubs. Lol. sulky and impatient wait staff, long wait, bouncer who thinks they own the world, hard selling promoters etc. how can someone who cant even manage a club's service standard be managing a stb project to attract more tourist? it just make my day. lol

TOKYO - A Japanese labor bureau has ruled that one of Toyota's top car engineers died from working too many hours, the latest in a string of such findings in a nation where extraordinarily long hours for some employees has long been the norm. The man who died was aged 45 and had been under severe pressure as the lead engineer in developing a hybrid version of Toyota's blockbuster Camry line, said Mikio Mizuno, the lawyer representing his wife. The man's identity is being withheld at the request of his family, who continue to live in Toyota City where the company is based. In the two months up to his death, the man averaged more than 80 hours of overtime per month, according to Mizuno. He regularly worked nights and weekends, was frequently sent abroad and was grappling with shipping a model for the pivotal North American International Auto Show in Detroit when he died of ischemic heart disease in January 2006. The man's daughter found his body at their home the day before he was to leave for the United States. The ruling was handed down June 30 and will allow his family to collect benefits from his work insurance, Mizuno said. An officer at the Aichi Labor Bureau on Wednesday confirmed the ruling, but declined to comment on the record. In a statement, Toyota Motor Corp. offered its condolences and said it would work to improve monitoring of the health of its workers. There is an effort in Japan to cut down on deaths from overwork, known as "karoshi." Such deaths have steadily increased since the Health Ministry first recognized the phenomenon in 1987. Last year, a court in central Japan ordered the government to pay compensation to Hiroko Uchino, the wife of a Toyota employee who collapsed at work and died at age 30 in 2002. She took the case to court after her application to the local labor bureau for compensation was rejected. In the company I am working now, it's a norm to work over 100hrs of OT per month....

from Carbuyer: Mixed results for this week