Many latest technoologies impressed visitors at the just-concluded auto show in Japan, named "Human and Automotive Technology Exhibition 2024 Yokohama".
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan launched a strategic plan on digitalizing the automobile industry. According to the plan, Japanese car companies will jointly develop relevant technologies and transform the industrial structure to adapt to the needs of digital transformation.
Focusing on three main themes of environment protection, safety and self-driving, many Japanese comapnies brought their newest researching results in environmental-friendly materials and self-driving technologies.
A car designed for the era of self-driving attracted much attention as the exhibition.
Its upper body is made of Plexiglas, which makes it lighter than traditional cars and will reduce its power consumption. New environmentally friendly paints are also used on the body and interior of the car.
"I think that with the development of self-driving technology, the interior space of cars will undergo huge changes, and it will also impose new requirements on car design and functionality," said Shintaro Oike, person in charge of the automotive industry sector of Asahi Kasei Corporation in Japan.
An auditory helmet also attracted a large number of visitors at the show. Seven speakers are installed at different positions in the helmet. As the distance from the vehicle behind changes, the helmet will continuously give sound prompts to the driver to avoid potential dangers from the rear and blind spots.
"The technology can also be applied to four-wheel vehicles, and it can also meet travel needs of both pedestrians and wheelchair users," said Takashi Suegami, person in charge of the researching department of a Japanese engine company.
Latest technologies impress visitors at auto exhibition in Yokohama
China's investment in fixed assets maintained steady growth in the first five months of 2024, accompanied by ongoing optimization of the investment structure, an official from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) told a press conference in Beijing on Monday.
Driven by the advancements in high-end, smart, and green manufacturing, investment in the manufacturing sector has posted strong growth momentum since the beginning of the year, according to the NBS,.
From January to May, investment in the manufacturing sector grew by 9.6 percent year on year, 5.6 percentage points faster than that of the total investment and contributing 57.3 percent to the growth of the total investment.
Notably, investment in high-tech industries has continued to expand, while investment in equipment upgrading and technological transformation has experienced accelerated growth.
"With the robust support of policies for large-scale upgrading of equipment, investment in the purchase of machinery and equipment showed a good growth momentum. In the January-May period, such investment increased by 17.5 percent year on year, outpacing the growth in the January-April period by 0.3 percentage points. Besides, there has been an accelerated pace of transformation and upgrading of traditional industries. During the same period, investment in technology transformation in the manufacturing sector grew by 10 percent year on year, marking a 1.5-percentage-point acceleration," said NBS spokeswoman Liu Aihua.
In addition, investment in major projects played a crucial role during the first five months, with completed investments in projects each with a planned total investment of 100 million yuan or more recording a year-on-year growth of 8.5 percent, driving a 4.6-percentage-point rise in the nation's total investment.
Looking ahead, China has broad space to increase effective investment and has huge investment potential in aspects such as innovation-driven development, transformation and upgrading, green transition, and people's livelihood, said the official.
China's investment in fixed assets grows steadily in Jan-May period
