Questions & Answers

The investment casting automotive parts market is a growing segment within the broader automotive industry. Investment casting, also known as precision casting or lost-wax casting, is a manufacturing process that produces highly accurate and complex metal parts. This method involves creating a wax pattern of the part, coating it with ceramic, and then heating the mold to remove the wax and form a detailed mold for molten metal casting. Investment casting is highly valued in the automotive industry for producing intricate parts with superior finish and strength, making it a suitable method for producing a range of automotive components.

Market Overview

Investment casting has gained popularity in the automotive industry due to its ability to produce lightweight, high-strength parts. These characteristics are particularly crucial in the current automotive market, where there is a strong emphasis on reducing vehicle weight to improve fuel efficiency and meet strict emissions standards. Components produced using investment…

Software-defined vehicles (SDVs) represent the next frontier in the evolution of the automotive industry. Unlike traditional vehicles that rely on fixed-function hardware systems, SDVs are designed with a software-centric architecture that allows for continuous upgrades, enhanced connectivity, and increased customization. By decoupling hardware from software, automakers can deliver new features, enhance safety, and improve vehicle performance over the air—much like smartphones and computers. This shift is redefining the role of vehicles from static machines to dynamic, evolving platforms.

How Software-Defined Vehicles Work?

At the core of an SDV is a centralized computing architecture, often powered by high-performance processors and operating systems that can manage multiple domains such as infotainment, powertrain, safety, and connectivity. Traditional vehicles use dozens of electronic control units (ECUs) spread across various components, while SDVs consolidate these functions into fewer, more powerful control units—reducing complexity and increasing flexibility.

The key enabler of SDVs is over-the-air (OTA) updates,…

In the United States, racial inequality refers to the social inequality and advantages and disparities that affect different races. These can also be seen as a result of historic oppression, inequality of inheritance, or racism and prejudice, especially against minority groups.

A 2021 survey of 1,422 members of the American Economic Association found that 78 percent of professional economists generally agreed with the statement: "Differences in economic outcomes between whites and blacks in the US are in large part due to the persistence of discriminatory norms and institutions."[1]

There are vast differences in wealth across racial groups in the United States. The wealth gap between Caucasian and African American families substantially increased from $85,000 in 1984 to $236,500 in 2009. Many causes relate to racial inequality such as: Years of home ownership, household income, unemployment, education, lack of upward mobility, and inheritance.[2] In 1863, two years prior to emancipation, Black…