Car News

Lexus prototypes fitted with Australian-first connected technology have started testing on Melbourne roads, as part of a trial with Telstra and VicRoads. The RX450h test cars are part of a two-year, $3.5 million trial funded by a $9 million grant from the Traffic Accident Commission (TAC).

Volvo and Uber have whipped the covers off their production XC90 self-driving car, as the ride-sharing giant ramps up its efforts to remove human drivers from its fleet. The two companies have been working together since 2016, putting XC90 prototypes through their paces in Arizona and California. It was an Uber XC90 that struck and killed Elaine Herzberg in Tempe, Arizona during testing.

Mazda has revealed how much power its high-tech 2.0-litre Skyactiv-X petrol engine, which leans on diesel-style compression ignition, will make when it launches in the European Mazda 3. First up, the numbers. Peak power is 132kW (177hp) at 6000rpm and peak torque is 224Nm at 3000rpm, and the engine will return 53.5mpg (5.3L/100km) on the WLTP combined cycle with a six-speed manual transmission, or 44.4mpg (6.4L/100km) with a six-speed automatic.

BMW is preparing a new curved display for its 2021 iNext technology flagship, as it looks for new ways to create 'driver-oriented' interiors in the age of widescreen displays. The company says the "single-section display surface creates a particularly harmonious effect, lending additional visual emphasis to the ergonomically optimised controls". In real-world speak, that means it should be a slicker, cleaner way to deliver all the information currently shown across two (or more) displays.

Safety isn't really a sexy thing. But it's something we take for granted, despite the fact safety features have led to a progressive reduction in road fatalities over previous decades (although, some think it has more to do with speed cameras).