3 business articles

TiVo teams up with Cox

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-6109246.html

TiVo and Cox are joining together their DVR (digital video recorder) systems. TiVo will customize its software and download it onto existing Cox DVR boxes, allowing Cox to deliver the TiVo service in Cox subscriber homes without replacing the existing DVR boxes. This new service is expected to launch in select Cox markets in 2007.
Last year, DirecTV said that it would stop marketing and selling TiVo DVRs to its satelite TV subscribers in 2007. Comcast has yet to announce a TiVo-enabled DVR, but it's expected to reach the market by the end of 2006.

Toyota puts eyes in back of drivers' heads

http://money.guardian.co.uk/businessnews/article/0,,1858275,00.html

A hi-tech safety device developed by Toyota pioneered the first system in the world to warn drivers of possible collisions from behind. A radar fitted in the rear bumper detects approaching vehicles and if a crash looks like it's about to happen, it alerts the driver by setting off hazard lights. Toyota also created and presented a safety feature which detects pedestrians and other objects ahead with a stereo camera. This camera works during the night and during the day. If the camera spots a pedestrian the seatbelt tightens as a signal to the driver to brake. If the driver does not break, the car slows down automatically.

Former Ford boss in Jaguar talks

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9067-2328687,00.html

Ford is considering a sale of its Jaguar and Land Rover brands to a group led by Jacques Nasser, the former chief of Ford. Ford is considering the sale of parts of its Premier Automotive Group. This is the part of its business which was created by Nasser to house its luxury brands including Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, and Aston Martin. The talks with Nasser are thought to have included the possibility of creating a joining of the companies instead of a complete sale of the brands. The two groups are said to have concentrated on the Jaguar and Land Rover brands but not the Volvo, its third major European brand. Ford has had many problems in recent months and said it would cut North American car production by 21 percent in the fourth quarter.