China is the world's largest automobile maker, but its models are unique to its market, prompting the #1 commercial vehicle maker in China, Foton Motor, to team with Freescale to soup up its mills with silicon. Look for Chinese automobiles to pioneer green automotive innovations, with the help of Freescale, over the rest of the decade and beyond. RColinJohnson @NextGenLog
Foton manufactured over 600,000 commercial vehicles like this tractor-trailor rig for the Chinese market last year.
Here is what EETimes says about Foton + Freescale: Engineers from Beiqi Foton Motor Co. Ltd. and Freescale Semiconductor Inc. will work together at the newly anointed Foton/Freescale Automotive Joint Lab in Beijing to integrate Freescale microcontrollers and sensors into automotive control systems for the powertrain, chassis, safety and "green" aspirations of the Chinese automakers. Foton Motor claims to be the biggest commercial vehicle maker in China, manufacturing 600,000 commercial vehicles in 2009—making it the fourth largest automotive maker worldwide. Following the model already established by Freescale in its work with other automotive power-houses in the U.S. and Europe—from Delphi to Robert Bosch—Foton and Freescale will jointly develop microcontroller and sensor technologies that meet the unique needs of Foton's target market—namely Chinese vehicles....
Full Text: http://bit.ly/NextGenLog-9vE6