IEN Radio

Many automakers have been shifting toward touchscreens embedded in their vehicles’ dashboards and away from dedicated physical buttons. While it may enable more potential features, it could also make driving less safe and possibly more annoying. But one company makes it sound like touchscreens are here to stay, at least until the industry moves onto the new thing. Wassym Bensaid, chief software of...

It’s not a common configuration, but sometimes you just need to push the envelope. That was the thought of Ferrari engineers when they dabbled with the idea of designing the new F80 with just one seat. In a recent interview with Ferrari marketing head Enrico Galliera, Top Gear unveiled the development behind the F80, a supercar Forbes describes as Ferrari's “fiercest ever.”

While Boeing's past in the space industry is undeniable, it's the company's present and future that's the problem. Most notably, the aerospace giant's cash issues have the company looking to raise $19 billion in a stock offering while still pursuing other sources of revenue. The company lost $6 billion in the third quarter and has already begun selling off assets , like th...

German eVTOL jet maker Lilium announced that it is ceasing operations for its two subsidiaries, citing a lack of funding and an inability to pay its existing debts. As a result, the company plans to file for insolvency and will apply for self-administration proceedings. The development comes seven years after Lilium’s first test flight and two years before it planned to begin deliveries. The compa...

Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing , a podcast where I interview young people about their journeys in manufacturing, how they intend to influence the industry and what they are looking for from an employer. For this episode, I welcome Jacob Sanchez, a 25-year-old employee for Industry Solutions and Community Development at igus Inc . Sanchez is an industry awareness and next gene...

Way back in September 2020, Tesla CEO Elon Musk planted the idea of a “compelling” $25,000 electric vehicle. The promise came as the company worked to reduce the cost and boost the range for its EV batteries. That attractive price point has been a lingering idea for Tesla in the years since Musk threw out the figure during a “Battery Day” event. But this week, during the company’s third quarter ea...

The shift from handcrafted to machine-made products is a recurring story, and a musical instrument with a 600-year history is no exception.  According to French international news agency AFP , mass-produced bagpipes have become the standard. However, one artisan maker in Edinburgh, Scotland, named Kilberry Bagpipes , continues to maintain the handcrafting tradition of bagpipes. 

The leadership team at Stellantis has faced an onslaught of scrutiny after the automaker’s lackluster performance so far this year – underscored most recently by a 20% Q3 drop in U.S. sales. And as one part of its strategy to cut costs and improve margins, Stellantis will reportedly sell off a facility in Yucca, Arizona. Getting the ax is the company’s Arizona Proving Grounds, a 4,000-acre site St...

Boeing hasn't made an annual profit since 2018 and has lost some $25 billion in the process. Last week, Boeing announced intentions to raise up to $25 billion in new stock and debt to rein in its balance sheet. The company plans to raise the cash over the next three years but isn't wasting any time.  According to Reuters , the plane maker has wrapped up a deal to sell Digital Receiver Te...

A French startup developer of hybrid-electric aircraft plans to build a 500,000-square-foot airplane factory along Florida’s Atlantic Coast — its first facility in the U.S. Aura Aero on Thursday announced its pick of Daytona Beach International Airport as its U.S. headquarters, including a new $172 million production and assembly plant that is expected to eventually create around 1,000 jobs.

Once again, General Motors has made history. The 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 recently became the fastest car ever built by a U.S. auto manufacturer—and the driver was none other than GM President Mark Reuss.  The GM team traveled to Germany's High-Speed Oval Track at ATP Automotive Testing facility in Papenburg and reached a two-way average speed of 233 mph—they clock you going both ways and take...

The limited-edition, a successor to the original Stroppe Baja Bronco from the 1960s and 1970s, is designed to pair the original's desert-racing spirit with modern off-road capabilities.

It’s been an ongoing trend to see the average price of a new vehicle edge upward. In 2023, that figure was around $47,000 for a light vehicle – about $10,000 above what we saw pre-pandemic. But recent data suggests that lower priced new vehicles are experiencing a bit of a renaissance. Or, perhaps more accurately, price conscious consumers are snapping them up before they’re gone forever.

UP.FIT, a division of exterior and interior upgrader Unplugged Performance, announced that it deployed a Tesla Cybertruck upfitted for law enforcement in California. The project was completed in collaboration with the Irvine Police Department and Tesla and will be used as part of the department’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program.  The Cybertruck joins the DARE program’s list of uniqu...

Boat crashes can happen for any number of reasons. Sometimes it’s a missed rock on the charts. Other times a failed propeller blade is to blame. Sometimes the whole ship sinks because of an autopilot mishap . Or it could be as simple as falling asleep at the wheel. According to new findings released by the National Transportation Safety Board, sleepiness was indeed the culprit in a 2023 towing ves...

It’s no secret that retail workers are under a significant amount of stress.  Contending with everything from understaffed stores and long hours on their feet to rude customer behavior, and it's no wonder that some companies are finding it necessary to focus on new methods for employee retention. In an effort “to stay connected to the core of [its] business,” Home Depot will begin requiring i...

Electric vehicle sales in the U.S. have slowed down. In August, J.D. Power said EVs would account for 9% of U.S. automotive sales this year, a fairly major adjustment to its previous forecast of 12%. It’s a market reality that’s forcing large automakers like Ford and Toyota to adjust their plans. It’s also forcing smaller EV makers like Lordstown and Fisker to throw in the towel all together. And...

Last Thursday, UAW members at the automaker's Los Angeles Parts Distribution Center voted to request strike authorization if the company and union can’t come to terms. While several UAW locals have filed grievances against the company since August, L.A. is the first to take it to the next level. The union says Stellantis has violated product and investment commitments ad threatened more strik...

Toyota has delayed its plans to build a three-row electric SUV in the U.S. According to a Nikkei report, the automaker had originally intended to begin building the vehicles in 2025 at its plant in Kentucky, where it invested another $1.3 billion earlier this year. But now it looks like that won’t happen until 2026, a development that could be blamed on slowing U.S. demand. Toyota confirmed the de...

Dockworkers at east and Gulf coast ports from Maine to Texas began walking picket lines on October 1, and reports suggest that the strike could cause price increases and shortages for large and small retailers.  The height of the COVID-19 pandemic may have been four years ago, but people apparently still remember the toilet paper shortage that befell U.S. consumers.  According to multiple news out...

Sinton Dairy, a company that was established in Colorado Springs in 1880, revealed plans to close its 9-acre manufacturing facility at the end of the year. As a result, 64 workers, including manufacturing supervisors and hourly workers and front-office staff, will lose their jobs.  According to Colorado Springs Gazette , Sinton’s owner, LALA U.S., announced that the plant is set to close on Decemb...

Once a highly regarded executive credited with a successful run at the helm of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, Ghosn was arrested in Japan in 2018 and accused of misappropriating company funds and violating securities laws. After posting bail and being put under house arrest, he famously escaped Japan in a wooden box, fleeing to the relative safety of Lebanon, where he is a citizen and unlikely to be...

Hailiang (Hai-lee-ahng) Copper Texas is a subsidiary of China Hailiang Group, one of the largest manufacturers of copper and copper alloy products in the world. According to the Labor Department, the company has more than 20,000 workers across 80 subsidiaries, including one location in Sealy, Texas.  In March, an employee in Sealy suffered severe arm injuries while trying to clear debris. The work...

General Motors yesterday recognized the 100-year anniversary of the oldest test site in the automotive industry, the Milford Proving Ground.  After a century in operation, the proving ground, strategically placed between GM's hubs in Flint, Detroit, Lansing and Pontiac, Michigan, still plays a crucial role in GM's testing and R&D operations.  GM bought the 1,125-acre site in 1923 for...

Researchers from the University of Washington want to improve the pipe. Specifically, they are developing a flexible pipe with an interior helical structure that makes fluid flow one way and not the other. In the latest example of nature-inspired biomimicry, the team turned to shark intestines and their new prototypes stand to make a significant impact on everything from medicine to engineering. ...