TPT July 2015

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74 July 2015
Global Marketplace
imports of the steel. The tariffs, of between 21.6 per cent and
35.9 per cent, are a response to the complaint lodged in June
2014 by the European steel producers association Eurofer.
The five countries whose products would be penalised are
Japan, Russia, China, the US and Korea. The duties, put in
place following the European Commission presentation of its
proposal to EU member states in late April, are provisional
through November. If confirmed, they would remain in effect
for five years. Steel analyst Seth Rosenfeld, of the global
investment banking firm Jefferies, told Reuters (28 April) that
GOES imports represented only about 1.5 per cent of all EU
steel imports in 2014. He noted, however, that on the back of its
announcement in March of new stainless anti-dumping duties,
“further protectionist policies by the European Commission
may begin to portray a more proactive policy response than
seen historically.”
Automotive
A heads-up for Detroit:
prospective buyers of cars
prioritise collision avoidance over
infotainment touch screens
“People want their cars to be cars.” The comment by Brian
Radloff, the director of automotive accounts for Nuance,
framag BILLET SAWING
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framag Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
Neukirchner Straße 9
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Tel.: +43(0)7683/5040
Fax: +43(0)7683/5040-86
E-Mail:
Juli_Tube&Pipe_125x180_4c.indd 1 27.04.2015 09:37:25
a company that creates voice-recognition software, was
prompted by the somewhat surprising results of a JD Power
survey of US drivers conducted between January and March.
The auto marketing information firm’s 2015 Tech Choice
Study reached 5,300 consumers who either bought or leased
a new vehicle over the previous five years.
As summarised by Greg Gardner of the Detroit Free Press
(22 April), the technologies most preferred by the Power
respondents were:
• Blind-spot detection (preferred by 40 per cent)
• Night vision (33 per cent)
• Enhanced collision mitigation (30 per cent)
• Rear-view cameras (30 per cent)
• Self-healing paint (25 per cent)
The least favourite technologies were:
• Systems that monitor health and wellness (only 9 per cent
considered these a priority)
• Hand-gesture controls (8 per cent)
• Biometric driver sensors (8 per cent)
• Touch screens that provide tactile feedback (8 per cent)
Mr Gardner pointed out the study’s other notable finding: that
young consumers – whether or not they can afford the extra
expense – expressed themselves willing to spend more on
in-vehicle technology than older drivers.
Millennials (born circa 1982) queried by Power are receptive
to spending an average $3,703 on optional technology in