11-27-2016, Auto Connected Car News -- While the U.S. celebrated Thanksgiving and went shopping on Black Fridy, there were embedded chips and connected car news tips from Michigan, Clarion, Continental, Mercedes-Benz, Silicon Labs, Mentor Graphics, Silicon Mobility, Infiniti and TomTom.

Michigan Willow Runs for Self-Driving Cars

Gov. Rick Snyder joined state officials and automotive technology leaders to celebrate the official groundbreaking of the long-anticipated American Center for Mobility at Willow Run in Ypsilanti Township, which will serve as a state-of-the-art global center for testing, education and product development for connected and automated vehicles.

Located on the 335-acre Willow Run site, where B-24 bombers were made during World War II, the Center will be a purpose-built facility designed for research, education, testing, standards-convening, product development, validation and self-certification for connected and automated technologies as well as future mobility.

Clarion Adds BestParking & Glympse

Clarion Corporation of America, a leader in consumer and commercial mobile electronics, announced today the addition of BestParking, a service designed to help drivers find and compare rates for short- and long-term parking, and Glympse, a developer of innovative location sharing app, to its cloud-based Smart Access platform.

Drivers of new and current vehicles equipped with either a factory-installed or aftermarket system featuring Clarion’s Smart Access cloud-based infotainment platform will now be able to access BestParking and Glympse directly from the screen of their vehicle without having to touch their smartphones.

Silcon Labs Intros ERM8 Microcontrollers

Silicon Labs has introduced two families of automotive-grade EFM8 microcontrollers (MCUs) designed to handle a wide range of in-cabin touch interface and body electronics motor control applications. The new AEC-Q100-qualified, ultra-low-power EFM8SB1 Sleepy Bee family provides advanced on-chip capacitive touch technology enabling easy replacement of physical buttons with touch control. The EFM8BB1/BB2 Busy Bee family features high-performance analog and digital peripherals, making these devices a versatile choice for controlling motorized rear view mirrors, headlights and seats

All EFM8 MCUs deliver best-in-class 8-bit performance through a combination of advanced features and capabilities including a high-speed pipelined 8051 core, ultra-low power, precision analog and enhanced communication peripherals, on-chip oscillators, small-footprint packages, and a patented crossbar architecture that enables flexible digital and analog peripheral multiplexing to simplify PCB design and I/O pin routing.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

Computer World -- Two U.S. senators today filed a bill that would require the federal government to establish standards to ensure automakers secure a driver against vehicle cyber attacks.

The Security and Privacy in Your Car (SPY Car) Act, filed by Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), also establishes a rating system — or "cyber dashboard"— that informs consumers about how well the vehicle protects drivers' security and privacy beyond the proposed federal minimum standards.

"Drivers shouldn't have to choose between being connected and being protected," Sen. Markey said in a statement. "We need clear rules of the road that protect cars from hackers and American families from data trackers. This legislation will set minimum standards and transparency rules to protect the data, security and privacy of drivers in the modern age of increasingly connected vehicles."

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.computerworld.com/article/2950520/data-privacy/senators-propose-bill-to-tighten-vehicle-security-privacy-standards.html