Foxconn may open US plants

Foxconn may be moving to America, if rumors that the controversial manufacturer is eying potential locations in Detroit or LA turn out to be true.

There must be some kind of joke about growing the American workforce and reclaiming jobs that have traditionally been outsourced abroad to accompany the somewhat surprising news that Foxconn Electronics, the controversial Taiwanese manufacturer that creates Apple products and has been at the center of numerous complaints and outrage about the conditions within its Chinese plants – is looking to open factories within the United States. Yes, soul-crushing minimum wage tedium that drives some to riot and others to suicide: It’s not just for the rest of the world anymore, apparently.

The news comes via Foxconn chairman Terry Guo, who reportedly announced at a public event that not only was the company planning a training program for US engineers in which they’d be educated in Foxconn processes for manufacturing and design via trips to existing plants in Taiwan and China, but that the company is “already in discussion” with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology over partnering on the program (Guo went on to add that the exchange program will also allow the American engineers “an environment to learn the Chinese language, first-hand experience in the manufacturing process, and a training that can be helpful after they return to the US,” according to a report on the DigiTimes website). Reportedly, both Detroit and Los Angeles are being looked at as potential host cities for Foxconn plants in America, with the aim of manufacturing Apple’s much-rumored iTV product, making it the first Apple product to be domestically constructed in some time.

Reasoning for the potential move to the US reportedly centers around the rising labor costs in the Asian market, although the move may give some reason for pause to boosters for the American manufacturing, considering the famously low wages and poor working conditions that Foxconn has been strongly criticized for in the past, perhaps most famously in a This American Life episode that was later revealed to be “partially fabricated” (Not entirely fabricated, sadly; the influence of Apple may be improving conditions at the plants, but there are still underage kids working there – Oh, and the boss still likened his workforce to animals, so there’s that.)

Foxconn is currently the world’s largest maker of components for electronic equipment, with products constructed from its work including not only Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod, but also Amazon’s Kindle family, Sony’s PlayStation devices, and Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Although most of the complaints about the way the company has treated its factory employees have centered around its thirteen Chinese factories, the company has locations across the world, including the Czech Republic – where it is the second-largest exporter in the country – Brazil, Mexico, Japan and India.

Officially, Foxconn would not comment about whether or not it plans to open any American factories at this time.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 gets all-new 6.2-liter V8

Chevrolet says this new engine, code named LT1, will make the 2014 Corvette the quickest and most fuel efficient 'Vette ever.

When it arrives in Detroit on January 13, 2013, the new 2014 Corvette will have a new heart. The seventh generation Vette, nicknamed C7, will be powered by a V8 code named LT1, the first of General Motors’ new Gen V family of small block V8s.

While some reports suggested displacement would drop to 5.5 liters, the LT1 will in fact displace 6.2 liters, just like the current Corvette C6’s engine. Chevy released a “preliminary” output figure of 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. That’s 20 more horses and 26 more torques than the C6.

Chevy says that power will make the C7 the quickest standard Corvette ever (Z06s and ZR1s are another matter), with a 0 to 60 mph time of under four seconds.

At the same time, the C7 is also expected to be the most fuel efficient Corvette ever, achieving a ballpark 26 mpg highway. However, the power, performance, and fuel economy numbers could change before the C7 goes on sale next year.

To achieve its new benchmarks, Chevy gave its small block V8, which has been in production in one form or another since 1955, an extensive redesign. The new LT1 small block brings several new technologies to the party.

The C7 will be the first Corvette to have direct injection, which sprays a precise amount of fuel directly into the combustion chamber for a more efficient burn.

Another Vette first is Active Fuel Management, GM’s name for cylinder deactivation, which shuts off four of the eight cylinders when less power is needed, to conserve fuel.

Rounding off the new technology list is continuously variable valve timing, which varies the rhythm of the valves at different speeds to make the engine more efficient. Advancing it creates more torque, while retarding it increases mpg.

All of these systems were fine-tuned with more than 10 million hours of computational analysis.

Why did GM wait so long to adopt technologies that can be found in cheaper Fords and Hondas? Unlike most new cars, the Corvette does not have overhead valves, so getting the hardware for direct injection and variable valve timing onto the LT1 required a bit of a rethink.

Also helping efficiency is a lighter aluminum block. Chevy says the LT1 is 40 pounds lighter than “a competitor’s twin-turbo 4.4-liter, DOHC V8 with similar output,” probably a reference to the engine BMW uses in the 5 Series, M5, and other models.

The lighter block should also give the C7 an ideal 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, and an improved power-to-weight ratio.

The 2014 LT1 is actually the third engine to bear that alphanumeric name; two previous versions were released in 1970 and 1992. The new LT1 will be built at GM’s Tonawanda, New York engine plant, while the rest of the Corvette will continue to be built in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The 2014 Corvette C7, and its new engine, will be unveiled on January 13, 2013 in Detroit.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Next Corvette will debut at the Detroit auto show on January 13

The Corvette gets its first redesign in nearly 10 years for the 2014 model year.

Chevrolet will unveil the next generation of its most iconic car, the Corvette, at the Detroit auto show on January 13, 2013. This new ‘Vette will be the seventh generation of the car, and enthusiasts are already referring to it as the C7.

The timing seems right. The current generation Corvette C6 has been in production for nearly 10 years and, while it’s still a great car, the competition is moving on. Camouflaged test mules have been spotted in recent months, and Chevy suspended public tours at its Bowling Green, Kentucky plant so it could retool for the C7.

Those who are in love with the current Corvette needn’t worry, because the C7 appears to be more evolution than revolution. Chevy is not revealing anything other than the car’s Crossed Flags logo (which was redesigned to go with the new car) until January, but spy photos indicate a car with the same basic proportions as the current Corvette.

The long hood, short rear deck, and fastback remain, so the C7 should be easy to recognize as a Corvette. Some of the C6’s curves may be blunted a bit to bring the car in line with Chevy’s current design language, and the C7 may ditch round taillights for square ones to match the Camaro and Malibu.

The biggest change will probably be under the hood. The C7 will be powered by a small block V8, as Corvettes have been since time immemorial, but it will be a brand new engine. Chevy is calling this redesigned V8 the Gen V; it reportedly displaces 5.5 liters (the C6 has a 6.2-liter engine) and features new-to-‘Vette technologies such as direct injection and variable valve timing.

All will be revealed when the C7 makes its debut on January 13. Before its official auto show unveiling, Chevy will have a small launch party for the ‘Vette in downtown Detroit. Ticket sales will benefit the National Corvette Museum.

Like most carmakers these days, Chevy will try to build suspension with teasers. One13thirteen.com has a countdown clock and a series of videos that will be released in the weeks leading up to January 13, 2013.

Production of the Corvette C6 is already winding down. The C7 will begin production in the third quarter of 2013 as a 2014 model.

There are dozens of new car launches every year, but some are more exciting than others. The Corvette doesn’t operate on the same four-year product cycle as other cars, so when Chevy sees fit to build a new one, automotive enthusiasts take notice.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com