Ask any experienced parent, and minivans still takes the cake as the best family vacation car, including the ease of automatic sliding doors, spacious seating and an interior design attuned to the needs of little passengers and frazzled parents.

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That fuel economy comes from sophisticated electronic fuel and spark controls, and computerized automatic transmissions teamed up with a very sophisticated engine that was designed using computer-automated design, machined using CNC milling, and assembled by robots.

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The FAA also required Boeing to demonstrate that its design had a way "to prevent overheating or overcharging of lithium ion batteries" even if the automatic-disconnect system malfunctioned or failed.

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Attractive design and advanced engineering are necessary but not sufficient: these days manufacturers need the image, the automatic consumer association with excitement, to lend an aura to their boxes on wheels.

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