Car Tech
-
If you've driven the McLaren MP4-12C, you know just how comfortable and easy-to-use it is--an unusual characteristic for a supercar. Soon, it may get even better. According to the McLaren-heads at McLarenLife, it appears the 12C and the P1 are ready to receive an upgraded infotainment system. A McLaren owner attended an event at Pebble Beach and was able to take a look at, and test, a brand new IRIS system that looks rather nice nestled in the center stack. It's reportedly backed by an Android operating system, which means it should be rather robust in terms of what it can deliver right from...
-
Honda Debuts Smartphone-Based Pedestrian And Motorcycle Detection System
Honda is the latest automaker to explore the safety benefits of vehicle-to-vehicle anti-collision technology, demonstrating two new products that could make cars much safer to be around. The new Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) and Vehicle-to-Motorcycle (V2M) technology expand upon the concept of Car 2...
Antony Ingram -
Never Stall Again Thanks To Bosch eClutch
Just five percent of new vehicles in the U.S. are sold with a manual transmission these days--a small band of enthusiasts or the penny-pinching keeping the increasingly archaic but undeniably fun stick-shift alive. Technology can still play a part in the humble manual though--and those embarrassing...
Antony Ingram -
Nissan Autonomous Tech Influenced By Animal Movement
No, the little robots you're seeing aren't prototypes for EVE, the futuristic plant-finding robot in the Pixar movie WALL-E. They're actually all little Nissans, designed to develop technology for the firm's future autonomous vehicles, and the behavior of each has been inspired by the way creatures...
Antony Ingram -
Google puts $258m into Uber; Internet Goes All "I, Robot" on news
A group of investors including Google is investing $258 million in car sharing service Uber, a surprise move that spawned rumors that the search engine giant will use Uber as a platform for developing autonomous car technology. A slyly written story on TechCrunch dated “July 25 2023”...
Stephen Edelstein -
Ford Previews New Styling And Technology With S-Max Concept
Ford is giving us a glimpse at its future styling and technology with a new MPV concept, which has been revealed today ahead of its official debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show next month. The vehicle carries the S-Max name and previews the next generation of the popular people mover of the same...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Nissan has made a bold and somewhat unprecedented promise to offer an autonomous car by the year 2020. The move is part of Nissan’s aim to reduce the rate of accidents involving its cars to almost zero, a target several other automakers including Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Volvo are also hoping to achieve through self-driving cars. Nissan doesn’t want to preclude the technology from anyone, so is planning to make it available across its model range within two vehicle generations. This suggests to us that Nissan doesn’t want to take control away from the driver completely...
-
VW Targets Accident-Free Driving With Autonomous Tech
The industry is racing ahead to develop autonomous cars that not only promise to alleviate the chore of mundane driving but also, potentially, reduce crashes to zero. Whether performance fans and classic car enthusiasts will be able to manually operate their vehicles on public roads, in amongst all...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW i Genius: Artificial Intelligence To Answer Your Questions
In the new, strange and intriguing world of electric cars, customers have plenty of questions to ask--and BMW is launching a tool to help answer those questions without having to contact your dealer. Called i Genius, it's actually an artificial intelligence service, combining a database of...
Antony Ingram -
Google May Build Its Own Self-Driving Car: Report
The future is going to be automatic. Automatic social updates pushed automatically to your mobile phone, synced automatically to your computer and to your car, which then drives you automatically to work where you automatically perform the tasks for which your employer automatically drops credits...
Nelson Ireson -
'The Crew' Next-Gen Racing Sim Previewed At Gamescon: Video
Games have professed to offer open-world layouts before, but short of flight simulators few games have offered the entirety of the United States to explore. That's exactly what Ubisoft's new racing title The Crew offers though, set to launch on next-generation games consoles and putting the cities...
Antony Ingram -
New Self-Driving Car Tech To Come From Continental, Google, IBM Alliance?
Self-driving cars are a divisive topic. Enthusiasts despise the idea of being cut out of the loop, and tinfoil hat conspiracists despise the idea of Big Brother looking over their shoulder; on the other hand, commuters would welcome the extra free time and even an enthusiast can appreciate being...
Nelson Ireson -
Electronics giant Sony has announced a range of new products designed to make connecting smartphones and navigation systems to your car, easier than ever. The new XAV-602BT smartphone connected in-dash AV receiver allows you to use Android or iOS smartphone applications through a receiver, rather than through the phone itself. This means a simplified interface optimized for in-car use, and on Android devices, the extra option of voice control for hands-free app operation. Another new module, the XA-NV300T, brings real-time TomTom travel information and mapping to your car--with no network...
-
Volvo Reveals Next-Generation ‘Drive-E’ Engine Tech
Volvo first announced in September 2011 it would fit its entire lineup with engines consisting of no more than four cylinders. From the smallest hatch to its seven-seat XC90 SUV, a four-cylinder engine would eventually be fitted to each model, albeit with power-boosting technologies in order to...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Audi Shows Sequential Turn Signal Of 2015 A8
Audi will be introducing facelifted versions of its A8 and S8 sedans next month at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show, and in the lead up to their arrival the brand with the four rings has been dropping details about some of the new technology that will feature on the cars. Audi has already confirmed...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2014 Range Rover Evoque: Driving The New Nine-Speed Automatic
Not so long ago, a five-speed automatic transmission was pretty advanced--but we're in a new age now. Six speeds is the norm now even in smaller cars--when they're not fitted with continuously variable transmissions (CVTs), anyhow--and even the eight-speed automatic pioneered by Lexus a decade ago...
John Voelcker -
A Close Look At The 2014 Corvette Stingray’s Digital Gauge Cluster: Video
The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is almost ready for its showroom debut but before that happens there’s still plenty to learn about the latest generation of one of America’s most iconic sports cars. Today we’re taking a close look at the digital gauge cluster that will be...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Elon Musk Reveals Details On 800-MPH Hyperloop
After first dropping hints a year ago on a revolutionary form of transportation dubbed the Hyperloop, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has now revealed the details behind the concept. Musk, one of few men in history to have ever established two completely unrelated billion dollar firms, could be on his way...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
We live in a connected world. Our phones and other mobile devices make sure we're eternally attached to the Internet, and most folks want it to stay that way. It makes sense then that we'd also like some of that connectivity to carry over into our automobiles. A few automakers now offer 3G connections that turn their vehicles into mobile hotspots. Cisco and Continental have teamed up to create a concept car that takes the idea of a connected car even further. It's called the... well, it's just called the Continental and Cisco Connected Car Expo. We would've gone with Web Crawler 9000 Turbo S...
-
Mercedes-Benz To Add Head-Up Display As Optional Extra
The tech is currently making inroads in the world of commercial helmets and portable devices. It's also been available on a few other models for some time now. Mercedes-Benz, however, has finally decided to jump into the world of Head-Up Displays and will offer it as an optional extra on the...
Jeff Glucker -
Ford Turns To Silicon Valley To Crowd-Source Next-Gen In-Car Tech
If you go back just ten years, you'd find a lot of the in-car tech that you've come to rely on is missing. The race to be at the forefront of this arena is a never-ending fight. Staying one step ahead means you have to look towards new sources of innovation, and that's exactly what Ford is doing by...
Jeff Glucker -
Apple Could Be The Key To Getting Cozy In Your Car
Apple has become a major part of the everyday life of many a person across the entire planet. The iPhone, iPad, iPod, and a slew of other computing devices are found in pockets, backpacks, and across the tables of nearly every coffee shop you can find. From answering emails to crushing candy and...
Jeff Glucker -
Porsche Looks To Electricity With E-Mobility
Porsche is a smart company. They build cars that cater to both their most hardcore fans as well as the folks that buy the cars which allow Porsche to build the cars for the purists. Porsche is also keeping an eye on the future, and that future includes vehicles aided by the use of electric...
Jeff Glucker -
VW Launches OnStar-Like Car-Net Connectivity Service: Video
Volkswagen will begin rolling out a new connectivity system across its range that will provide drivers with a number of convenience functions as well as important emergency services. Called Car-Net, the feature is similar to rival systems like General Motors’ OnStar or Ford’s SYNC with...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran