TOKYO—Mazda Motor Corp.’s new CEO minces no words about his top priority for the future. “In terms of profit and brand, the U.S. is the highest priority,” Akira Marumoto, 60, said at a press conference last week after being named the company’s next leader, effective June 26.

In the future, vehicles may travel down roads covered by overhead catenary wires and on highways paved with solar panels. Several experimental projects already exist in China, France and Southern California.

When most people think of leak testing, one childhood event probably comes to mind: Submerging a filled bicycle inner tube in a sink full of water, hoping to find the exact leak location by following a trail of air bubbles.

Safety head gear is a requirement for everyone who participates in numerous sports (football, baseball, hockey), professions (law enforcement, military, construction) and activities, such as motorcycle riding.

ORION TOWNSHIP, MI—A General Motors Co. manufacturing plant in Metro Detroit that was idled during the Detroit automaker’s federally induced bankruptcy is now one of the keys to GM’s future, reports The Detroit News. Orion Assembly is one of two plants where GM is investing $100 million in total to retool for Cruise AV production. The other is the Brownstown battery assembly plant, where roof modules for the Cruise AV are built.

Building a car generates massive amounts of data throughout the value chain. The BMW Group uses its Smart Data Analytics digitalization cluster to analyze this data selectively and enhance its production system. Results from intelligent data analysis make an effective contribution towards improving quality in all areas of production and logistics.

At the recent Geneva Motor Show, vehicle electrification was a leading topic of conversation. While automakers aren’t giving up on the good-old internal combustion engine just yet, they’re investing billions of dollars to develop fully electric systems that are reliable, safe and cost-effective to assemble.

DEARBORN, MI--The Associated Press reported last week that Ford Motor Co. will shed most of its North American car lineup as part of broad plan to save money and make the company more competitive in a fast-changing marketplace. The changes include getting rid of all cars in the region during the next four years except for the Mustang sports car and a compact Focus crossover vehicle, CEO Jim Hackett said as the company released first-quarter earnings.