Autoblog

Honda subsidiary Yutaka Technologies began construction on a transmission component factory in Cullman, Alabama in January. The plant will employ about 200 people and is part of a larger strategy to build several component-supplier factories to feed Honda's US manufacturing plants. There's new facilities going up in Georgia and Ohio in addition to the Alabama plant. The Cullman plant will start supplying torque converters and exhaust components to Honda's Lincoln, Alabama assembly plant in November. The Lincoln plant builds the Odyssey minivan and Pilot SUV, and Honda is shifting more Pilot production to the Alabama plant from its Ontario facility.

While many think of Honda as a foreign brand, their cars are often no more foreign than the domestics. Building US-market cars in this country has been a winning proposition for Honda and the other foreign marques that have opened facilities here. Keeping US workers employed takes some of the teeth out of the "Buy American" argument. Also, astronomical shipping costs (we wouldn't want to get the bill to insure one of those shipments, let alone the actual freight cost) and import tariffs are also dodged by building cars here with parts sourced domestically. Honda has been building automobiles in the US for 25 years and the company employs over 30,000 people at their 12 manufacturing US facilities, which build everything from cars to ATVs and watercraft.

[Source: Honda]

Beyond sensual sheetmetal and generous performance envelopes, traditionally one of the best things about exotic supercars has been their melliflous engine rumblings and sonorous exhaust notes. For many a gearhead, the piercing shriek of a fine Italian V-12 is auditory mechanized sex.

But the importance of the sounds that a vehicle makes - be it an engine's song, tire thrum, or wind noise has become increasingly critical as manufacturers look to further distinguish their vehicles from competitors.

MSNBC's Roland Jones examines the growing importance of 'sound engineering' in the modern automobile, and how automakers are going to great lengths to create compelling sonic experiences.

What do you think... how important is the way a vehicle sounds in determining how you feel about it?  Make a bit of noise yourself by leaving a note in the 'Comments.'

[Sources: MSNBC; Autodrome-Cannes.com]

New Scientist magazine reports that researchers at the University of Tennessee and Batelle Institute have applied for patents on a system that detects the speed of a passing vehicle based on its exhaust note.

The system uses microphones to capture the sound of a passing car, and then filters out all but the sound made by the engine. By measuring the doppler shift of the engine sound as it moves past the speed trap, the system can calculate the vehicle's speed.

While the sound detector is unobtrusive and completely passive (therefore undetectable by a conventional radar/laser detector), identifying speeders will require something a little less stealthy, like a traffic camera. Of course, other early detection systems are possible, like the subtle warning in the accompanying picture.

Hmmm. Sounds like better muffler technology is in order.

[Source: New Scientist]