Car News

Tata Motors, the Indian automaker which owns Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), says the British car maker will need to embrace technology partnerships in order to handle a future full of hybrid, electric and autonomous cars.

Honda has continued teasing its upcoming entry to the world of mass-produced electric vehicles, the E, with details about its widescreen infotainment system. The hatchback will get a five-screen, full-width digital dashboard powered by what Honda calls the 'AI powered Honda Personal Assistant'. There are feeds for the mirror-replacing cameras on each door at each end of the screen array, while the driver is faced with an 8.8-inch digital instrument binnacle.

Wheeling your car out of the showroom and only months later hearing about a new feature in the next model is a terrible thing to experience. You may also own a car decades old and love it, but want a few of the tricks you see in modern cars. This list below might inspire you to add a little bit more technology to your ride to keep you safer, add convenience, or bring back that new-car feeling.

Continental has updated its 48-volt hybrid technology, which can now support pure-electric driving up to 80km/h. The technology was previously in the realm of 'mild-hybrid' tech, capable of cutting fuel consumption by harvesting energy under braking and assisting the internal-combustion engine under heavy acceleration. It also opened the door for more sophisticated start/stop systems, and coasting with the engine turned off.

Apple has confirmed it has purchased Drive.ai, a startup focussed on developing autonomous vehicle technology. According to Associated Press, Drive.ai filed a submission to California's labour regulator indicating it intended to close its doors by the end of last week and fire its 90 staff members. It's not known if Apple's purchase means some or all of Drive.ai's staff will retain their jobs. The purchase price has also not been disclosed.