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Suppliers love Toyota and Honda: Why that matters to you

You might think that a survey of automotive suppliers and their relationship with OEMs is the automotive equivalent of nerd prom. In some ways that's what the North American Automotive OEM-Supplier Working Relations Index (WRI) is. The study, the 17th annual conducted by Planning Perspectives Inc., is based on input from 652 salespeople from 108 Tier One suppliers, or, PPI points out, 40 of the top 50 automotive suppliers in North America. Suppliers to General Motors, Ford, FCA, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. But the results have consequences in terms of tens of millions of dollars for OEMs - and in the quality, technology, and cost of the next vehicle you buy. There are a couple of ways to look at the results of the WRI. One is, "So what else is new?" And the other is, "Damn! How did that happen?" The study looks at five relationship areas — OEM Supplier Relationship; OEM Communication; OEM Help; OEM Hindrance; Supplier Profit Opportunity — within six purchasing areas — Body-in-White; Chassis; Electrical/Electronics; Exterior; Interior; Powertrain. In the overall rankings, Toyota is on top for the 15 th time in 17 years, with a score of 328. Honda, the only company to best Toyota (in 2009 and 2010), comes in second, at 319. Those two companies, explains John Henke, president of PPI, have collaborative working arrangements with colleagues and suppliers alike built into the very fabric of their cultures. This, however, is not a situation where one can readily conclude it is about "Japanese companies," because the third company with headquarters on the island of Honshu, Nissan, came in dead last. This is the "How did that happen?" portion. The Nissan score of 203 puts it 125 points behind Toyota. There hasn't been a number that low since the then-Chrysler Corp. scored 187 in 2010, when the company was clawing its way out of the recession. Clearly, the suppliers don't feel particularly engaged by the buyers at Nissan. Henke explains that whether a company does well or not on the WRI is rather simple. All people do things based on what they're measured on. "If you're measured on taking 10% out of your annual buy, you immediately know how to do it. But if you're also measured on improving relations, suddenly there is a new dynamic as to what you can do to achieve both.

Honda Recalling 900,000 Odyssey Minivans

DETROIT (AP) - Honda Motor Co. is recalling 886,815 Odyssey minivans in the U.S. because a fuel pump cover can deteriorate and cause a fuel leak. Odysseys from 2005 through 2010 model years are involved. The recalled minivans were made between June 23, 2004, and September 4, 2010. According to documents posted Saturday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the cover on the fuel pump strainer can wear down from exposure to high temperatures and acidic chemicals, like those found in fertilizers. Fuel leaks can cause a vehicle fire. Honda says no fires or injuries have been reported. Honda dealers will repair the vehicles for free, but the company says replacement parts may not be available until this summer. It will notify owners of the recall next month. Related Gallery The Ugliest Minivans Of All Time Recalls Honda Minivan/Van

Honda patents show technology that could give you X-ray vision

A pair of patent applications from Honda appear to show technology that will bring us one step closer to augmented-reality driving. The patents involve head-up displays (HUDs) and technology that can show people and vehicles that would otherwise be obscured. It'd be like being Superman behind the wheel. The first of the patents is for pedestrian detection. Many vehicles have a version of pedestrian detection that will alert a driver of a possible collision and automatically brake. This system from Honda would go a step further. Rather than just intervening when someone steps in front of the car, the proposed system would be able to detect multiple pedestrians and display their locations on an augmented reality HUD. It would also be able to locate pedestrians that are out of the driver's field of view, whether obscured by blind spots or something else. With this system, drivers would have information that would allow them to actively avoid a situation before the car has to intervene. The second patent adds vehicle-to-vehicle communications for keeping track of cars in traffic. In the patent, Honda explains how the system would work with a line of three cars. Provided the cars were connected with a V2V system, the lead car would communicate with the middle car to calculate the distance between them. Then, the middle car would relay that information to the last car, which would display an icon representing the lead vehicle with its position and status on the augmented reality HUD. This would allow the driver to effectively see through the middle car to know where the lead car is and what it's doing. The system would also be able to keep track of when the lead car starts braking, giving the driver advance notice and more time to react to a sudden slowdown or stop. This isn't the first time Honda has looked into advanced pedestrian technology or short-range communications. A few years ago, the company experimented with a system that would allow a car to communicate with pedestrians' cell phones to see their position, even when the sensors couldn't. The detection technology described in the first patent appears to rely only on sensors. Honda also experimented with V2V communication on motorcycles, so it's possible that project laid some groundwork for the augmented reality system in the second patent.