Chinese auto giant Changan Automobile on Monday launched the E07, an electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) that can be transformed into a pickup truck, in an attempt to meet a wider range of customer needs.
Debuting at the fourth Changan Tech Ecosystem Conference, the model features another selling point -- Changan's self-developed advanced intelligent driver assistance system.
"Through tech innovations, we have made breakthroughs in using foundation models to achieve end-to-end intelligent driving, as well as enhancing vehicle perception in complex scenarios. In the future, we will gradually introduce multimodal large language models (LLMs) and vision models to provide better interactive experience between drivers and vehicles," said Wang Jun, president of Chongqing Changan Automobile.
To cater to the personalized and diversified demands of customers, the automaker has built an intelligent plant with digital technologies, allowing consumers to participate in the manufacturing process.
"Once customers determine the specifications for the vehicle they want to buy on their cellphones, they can directly modify the parameters of our Bill of Materials (BOM) on the digital chassis. Then we will send material requirements to and place orders with our suppliers so as to efficiently match the personalized needs of our customers," said Wang.
Changan Automobile debuts transformable electric SUV to meet customers' personalized needs
The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday decided to maintain its target range for the federal funds rate at 3.5-3.75 percent, in line with market expectations.
"Available indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a solid pace. Job gains have remained low, and the unemployment rate has been little changed in recent months. Inflation remains somewhat elevated," said the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in a statement.
Nevertheless, "uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated. The implications of developments in the Middle East for the U.S. economy are uncertain. The Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate," the statement said.
"In support of its goals, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 percent," the statement said. "In considering the extent and timing of additional adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will carefully assess incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks."
In the statement, the FOMC reiterated its strong commitment to supporting maximum employment and returning inflation to its 2 percent objective.
Of the 12 FOMC members, 11 voted for keeping the rate unchanged. Stephen Miran voted against the action. He preferred to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points at the meeting.
U.S. Fed keeps interest rate unchanged at 3.5-3.75 pct
