test

  • Department of Transportation vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) program

    Over the last few months the race to develop connected vehicles that "talk" to each other as they're driven along has picked up the pace, with several technology companies and carmakers developing systems to make our roads safer. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is starting its own real-world trials of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology, beginning August 2012. The trial, known as The Safety Pilot, will gather data from 3,000 cars in Ann Arbor, Michigan over one year. The NHTSA will collect the data to determine what aspects of the information sent between...

  • Mercedes-Benz wind tunnel climate testing
    Mercedes-Benz' Wind Tunnel Provides Weather On Demand

    One minute it's freezing cold, the next you're battling with a hurricane, and then finally the sun comes out for tropical temperatures. No, it's not some futuristic vision of a world in the grips of rapid climate change, it's actually the conditions available in the new wind tunnels used by...

  • 2011 Ford Fiesta interior
    Toxic Tests Ensure Your Car Can't Give You Cancer, Allergies

    Safety isn't a glamorous subject but it's nice to know that when you put yourself and your family into a car you'll all be safe. Not just on the road, but sitting there and breathing normally, too. That's why manufacturers such as Ford are making the effort to put their cars through the rigorous...

  • Honda Proving Grounds, Bakersfield, California, aerial photo
    Got Some Holiday Cash? Buy Your Very Own Test Track Facility!

    We all dream about having bigger, better garages. But now you can dream a little larger: How would you like your very own test track and vehicle development facility? Courtesy of the car-fantasy specialists at Bring A Trailer, we learn that Honda is peddling its entire Proving Center outside...

  • red bull racing rb5 001
    Video: Red Bull Racing shows off F1 prototyping, construction techniques

    It's not every day that you see a complete, three-dimensional F1 prototype part emerging from a milky polymer soup on its way to the wind tunnel, but today is one of those days. In addition to the prototyping process, a new video released by Red Bull Racing shows off how the testing and...

  • bmw atc 031
    Video: BMW cuts ribbon on new high-tech Aerodynamic Test Center

    BMW is celebrating its Technology Day today, and as the central feature of the event, the carmaker is launching a new Aerodynamic Test Center (ATC), where future cars will be made both more efficient and more sporting. The high-tech facility presents a striking appearance from outside, leaving...

  • Renault's Megane

    In an odd and somewhat comical reversal of the usual state of things, China has today announced the halt of import of four Renault models on the back of 'serious safety risks' and non-compliance with regulations. The models affected include the Laguna, Scenic, Megane and Megane Coupe-Cabriolet - in short, some of Renault's most successful models. The decision was made by the laboriously-named General Administration of Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), reports Automotive News. "[W]e have repeatedly found batches of passenger vehicles made by the French Renault ... do not...

  • 2010 BMW X6 M
    BMW reveals U.S. pricing for X5 M and X6 M performance SUVs

    We bet there are still thousands of BMW M fans out there reeling from the fact that the performance division is launching its first ever SUV model, and a turbocharged one at that. Those fans better get used to it fast as BMW has just revealed pricing for the new X5 M and X6 M SUVs, which will start...

  • Honda's Accord
    Imports dominate <i>Consumer Reports'</i> choices for 2009

    America's resurgence in quality, reliability and performance can't be denied - the cars built today are light-years better than the cars built even just 5 years ago - but foreign carmakers are rising to the challenge. The latest results from Consumer Reports bear that out, with many import...

  • 2010 BMW X5 M spy shots
    Spy shots: BMW X5 M performance SUV

    Currently sitting atop BMW’s X5 range is the 4.8is but recent news from the boss of BMW’s M division, Ludwig Willisch, has confirmed that performance variants of both the X5 and X6 SUVs are in development. A performance SUV doesn’t really fit in with the M philosophy of increased...

  • ford balloon crash test 002
    Ford builds $10,000 balloon car to test safety systems

    Smashing cars into one another is a great thing for testing safety systems, but it's expensive. Since frugality is the new theme in Detroit, cutting out excess crash testing has opened the door to more creative solutions. Enter the balloon car, Ford's $10,000 answer to continued crash testing...

  • BMW X6 M preview rendering
    Video: Behind the scenes of BMW's X6 M development

    Last week BMW gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the development and testing of the 2010 Z4 roadster, and this week we get a look at what's going on in the X6 M high-performance SUV's development. The latest video shows BMW's engineers and development team as they mold the coupe-like SUV into a...

  • NHTSA Logo

    Increasing the burden on the car industry through government regulation is the last thing anyone wants right now, as it would undo the work being done in Detroit and Washington to realign current operations with future market conditions. That's why the NHTSA has decided to delay its introduction of a new crash safety testing regimen for a year, moving the date to 2011. The new rules would revise the way the government determines its star-ratings for crash test safety in side, front and rollover crashes. Previous plans would have put the new rules into effect in 2010, but to give carmakers...

  • behind the wheel of a behavior-mapping Volvo
    Volvo launches research project to map driver behavior

    As advanced as cars are becoming in terms of safety aids, nothing can make up for a skillful, attentive driver behind the wheel - yet, at least. Volvo has launched a research program to study how normal drivers react to tough traffic situations in the hopes of improving their cars' safety. The data...

  • BMW Car-2-Car communications
    BMW announces Car-2-Car communications development

    Earlier we reported on Volkswagen's new Car-2-Car communications system, which is being developed by a consortium of various European manufacturers, including BMW, Daimler, Renault, Fiat and Audi. BMW has now revealed that it could use the technology in its future vehicles, however stressed that...

  • 2009 volkswagen golf rabbit gti mark vi 009
    Volkswagen's Car-2-Car system begins testing

    Volkswagen is claiming to have reached an automotive milestone today as tests begin on its Car-2-Car communications system. The system aims to increase the levels of communications between cars of all makes and models eventually, and to hopefully improve road safety. The enlistment of a number of...

Follow Us on Instagram @motorauthority

News First Drives Auto Shows Photos Videos Spy Shots