Car Tech

Back in 2008, Volvo made the bold promise of zero injuries or deaths in its vehicles by 2020. Now, just five years on, the automaker is predicting that it will be able to eliminate crashes altogether for anyone driving one of its cars by the same 2020 deadline. To achieve its ambitious and somewhat...

Recent reports have suggested that Audi’s new autonomous driving system, dubbed “Piloted Driving” by the German luxury automaker, will debut on its A8 flagship sedan around the year 2016. Audi recently showcased its Piloted Driving autonomous system at the 2013 Consumer...

General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] is overhauling the structure of its powertrain division, including investing up to $200 million in the construction of a new testing facility and consolidating several other facilities with its Global Powertrain Engineering Headquarters in Pontiac, Michigan. The...

If you own a newer Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch running iOS 6, you probably already know how helpful Siri can be. Though far from flawless, Siri is like a virtual assistant standing by to answer (almost) any question. Apple has been developing a Siri feature called Eyes Free that takes the...

Major automotive supplier Bosch has given an update on the development of its autonomous car technology, which it says will first start appearing on new cars by as early as 2014. The development of autonomous car technology is a gradual one but it’s already in its deeper stages. That's...

Audi has been a pioneer in the world of autonomous cars, having tested a self-driving TT sports car for several years and more recently becoming the first automaker to attain Nevada’s license for the use of autonomous cars on its roads. At the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show earlier this...

From the same company that brought us the world’s first diesel-electric hybrid, comes a new concept that does away with the electric component of hybrid cars and replaces it with compressed air instead. That company is French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroen, which at its recent Innovation Day...

While it may seem like an unlikely occurrence, cars traveling in the wrong direction of traffic is becoming more and more prevalent. Just last year for example, even we reported on two such occurrences, one taking place in Mississippi and the other in Washington. Back in 2009 Nissan developed a...

In Greek mythology, Atlas was burdened with carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. In the Ford product line, that task goes to its F-150 pickup, which sells in higher volumes (and likely at higher margins) than any other vehicle in its catalog. It’s fitting, then, that Ford would...

A modern global auto plant has no discernible nationality. Aside from language and perhaps the ethnicities of its workers, the inside of the latest engine plant on one continent is identical to the same location in a similar plant on another continent. That was clear at the opening of...

Autonomous cars, and the technologies that drive them, are the rage at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Aside from the gnawing fear and insecurity such cars instill in the pit of your stomach, they're pretty cool--as this Audi Piloted Driving demo proves. Here, you'll see a car drive...

Volvo used this week’s 2013 Consumer Electronics Show to unveil a new retrofit touch-screen interface for its S60 sedan and XC60 crossover, as well as the V60 wagon sold overseas. The new unit has been developed together with tech companies Ericsson and Parrot, and will be offered through...

If you live, work or play in an urban environment, we’ll bet that “finding parking” is one of the more unpleasant tasks you face on a daily basis. While some larger lots are now providing real-time updates, searching for this info on a smartphone or tablet as you drive isn’t...

When it debuts at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show next week, the all-new 2014 Lexus IS sedan will become the first model in the U.S. to offer subscription-free traffic and weather updates. The announcement was made this week at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The...

Audi has given a preview of its upcoming technologies at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week. Though aimed at the general electronics industry, the annual show, known to most as CES, has grown to become a key event for automakers announcing their latest...

If you're anything like us (and we think you are), it's pretty easy to lose a few hours in any given day down a web-searching rabbit hole like the production, use, and benefits of a material like carbon fiber--particularly as it applies to supercars and race cars. Here, we see exactly such a rabbit...

Automotive technology supplier Harman recently partnered with BMW to develop a new connectivity and infotainment system for the German automaker’s cars, which for the first time is being announced for customers in the U.S. Forming the core of BMW’s own ConnectedDrive technology mantel...

Subaru is the latest automaker to announce a new vehicle connectivity and infotainment system, joining the likes of BMW, Ford, General Motors and Mercedes-Benz, which have been offering such systems for years. Subaru’s new system is called Starlink and it made its official debut this week at...

Safety tech might not be as sexy as big horsepower figures, track-ready traction control, or even the latest in infotainment capabilities, but the level of technology that's already integrated into the upper echelon of today's luxury cars--and what's on the horizon--is mind-boggling when you get...

Whether they’re in print or digital form, few of us have the time these days to actually read newspapers or magazines. Instead, we get our information (in the form of easily-digested sound bites, generally) online, in-between sips of coffee on our way out the door. Ford thinks it has a better...