EuroWire July 2017

Transatlantic cable

According to 46 per cent of the manufacturers, identifying opportunities for implementing the IoT remains the biggest challenge. Another concern is ensuring the availability of IoT data to everyone within the company who needs it. Only 34 per cent of the MPI respondents expressed con dence that all their pertinent people have this ready access. Even so, noted Mr Brandt, his company’s research from two years ago showed that a signi cant percentage of manufacturers had not even heard of the Internet of Things. Now, he said, “It’s become a crucial weapon in their arsenals.” In brief . . . † T-Mobile Netherlands in mid-May claimed that it would be the rst Dutch operator to provide nationwide coverage for its Internet of Things network. Activation of NB-IoT was scheduled within weeks of the announcement. T-Mobile Netherlands also said that it is looking to invest in business partnerships to explore opportunities in IoT applications. In other words, wrote Mr Scales of TelecomTV , “[They’ve] got the tech if you’ve got the brilliant idea.”

decision to pause its USA diesel plans dealt a further blow to the technology’s small and dwindling share of auto sales in the country. Mercedes says that fewer than one out of every 100 cars sold in the USA is a diesel. On 9 th May, Daimler AG’s luxury car brand halted e orts to obtain certi cation to sell 2017 model year diesel versions of its C-Class sedan, GLE SUV and other cars in the USA. The reason cited was the tiny share of the market commanded by diesels and the ‘increased e ort’ needed to obtain approvals from USA environmental regulators. To Ryan Beene of Bloomberg News , the explanation highlights the struggle of auto makers trying to sell diesels in the USA. Their prospects are worsening as costs rise to meet toughening pollution rules and as scrutiny from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) keeps models o dealers’ lots. (“America’s Diesel Car Market Gets Even Smaller,” 10 th May). Dave Sullivan, an industry analyst with car consultancy AutoPaci c (Tustin, California), gave Bloomberg a dismal reckoning of the situation: “Diesel’s future has been relegated back to what it was about 20 years ago – an engine choice for pickup trucks.” Much of the decline in sales derives, of course, from the scandal at Volkswagen AG, which pulled 12 diesel models sold by its Audi, Porsche and namesake VW brand out of the US market after acknowledging in 2015 that it had been cheating to pass federal emissions tests. The eeting 2017 model year Mr Beene summed up what ensued. After VW admitted cheating, the EPA began subjecting all diesel passenger cars to a new battery of tests designed to ensure there was no other wrongdoing elsewhere in the industry.

Automotive

USA diesel sales are fading fast as post-Volkswagen regulator scrutiny keeps some models o the market While Mercedes-Benz said its exit from the American passenger diesel market may not be permanent, the German car maker’s

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July 2017