Ford has detailed new technologies for the upcoming Focus range, including a fighter-jet inspired head-up display (HUD) and an adaptive suspension system that can sense potholes...
The Volvo XC90 is set to get some serious autonomous driving technology early next decade, according to a new report out of the US. Speaking with The Car Connection, Volvo's senior vice president, Henrik Green, said the next-generation XC90 will be able to transport "sleeping passengers" to their destination on "limited roadways" – likely referring to highways and freeways...
Volvo wants 25 per cent of the plastics in its new cars to be recycled by 2025, revealing a unique XC60 to demonstrate what that might look like. The XC60 has a centre tunnel made of renewable fibres and plastics made of discarded fishing nets and sailing ropes. Its carpet is made of fibres developed from PET plastic bottles, working with a recycled cotton mix from clothing manufacturer offcuts...
Tracking devices will soon be fitted to cars registered in China in an effort to tackle the country's notorious congestion and pollution problem. According to The Wall Street Journal, from July the country will begin fitting cars with radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags at registration time...
Ride-sharing giant Uber could be bringing its high-flying uberAIR service to Sydney and Melbourne, as the company looks for 'launch cities' to trial its latest program. Using electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs), uberAIR shuttles have space for up to four passengers along with "their personal bags and backpacks"...
Ford has teamed up with Postmates to test a self-driving food truck in Miami, in an attempt to better understand how people interact with unmanned delivery vehicles. When we say unmanned, we mean vehicles that appear unmanned. Ford is already running a number of trials with autonomous cars, but this is aimed at better understanding how people actually deal with the car once it's arrived with their food...
Opel has revealed its upcoming model and development plans at its TechDay, hosted at the company's Rüsselsheim engineering centre in Germany. Freshly acquired by France's PSA Group, parent to brands like Citroen and Peugeot, Opel confirmed it will develop the group's next-generation of four-cylinder petrol engines and light commercial vehicles, along with teasing a new concept bound for reveal later this year...
A report from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has revealed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) is included as standard in 10 times more vehicles than 2015. There are a few interesting takeaways from the research, but the most significant is this: just six of the top 100 models lines on Australia's sales charts had AEB as standard across the range (from the cheapest to most expensive variant) in 2015, representing just 3...
Elon Musk has taken to Twitter promising some 'full self-driving features' will be rolled out as part of an August update for Tesla's Autopilot driver assist system. At the moment, Autopilot is limited to Level 2 automation. Although stories about Tesla 'drivers' sleeping and sitting in the passenger seat – and, unfortunately, crashing while reliant on the system – abound, Autopilot is only meant to operate under constant driver supervision...
Volvo has laid out “operational ambitions" for electrification, self-driving and subscription services, which it hopes to achieve by 2025. As previously announced, the Chinese-owned automaker hopes to generate half its annual sales from pure-electric vehicles (EV) by 2025. If this comes to pass, it’ll be quite an achievement given it's yet to announce a mass-market pure-electric vehicle...
Opel has announced a new infotainment system for the Insignia, complete with a wider range of connected services for the in-built satellite navigation. Two tiers will be offered: Multimedia and Multimedia Navi Pro, both of which rely on the same 8.0-inch touchscreen offered in the current Commodore/Insignia...
With the launch of iOS 12, the operating system behind the iPhone later this year, Apple users will soon be able to use Google Maps and other third-party navigation apps via the infotainment system of compatible cars. The announcement was made as part of today's keynote speech at Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in San Diego, California...
Ford has opened its new Weather Factory, designed to make it easier to torture its cars in extreme weather conditions without ever leaving the factory. The new facility, which cost more than €70 million ($108.21m) to develop, and each weather testing centre takes up around a 'soccer field' of space. It'll be used to test everything from the tiny Ka to the not-so-tiny Transit...
UPDATE (4/6/18): Ford Australia has confirmed that the Waze function is available Down Under. See bottom of article for details. Ford North America has announced a new function of its Sync 3 infotainment system – it can now project the Waze navigation app from an iPhone...
Land Rover has announced the commencement of Cortex, its project involving the development of off-road capable autonomous vehicles. The company says the development of Level 4 and Level 5 off-road autonomous technologies ensures future vehicles "are fully capable in any weather condition: dirt, rain, ice, snow or fog"...
BMW has become the first manufacturer to offer factory-backed wireless charging for one of its electrified vehicles, launching an inductive charge pad for the 530e iPerformance. The system involves a pad, placed on the ground in your garage (or outside, thanks to waterproofing) and plugged into an outlet, and a coil underneath the car. It's a 3...
Drivers in California can now opt to have digital number plates fitted to their vehicles, but take up is expected to be low. According to the Sacramento Bee, the new digital plates will cost a pretty penny: the initial purchase price is US$699 ($925) excluding fitting, and there's also a US$7 ($9.30) per month fee...
Audi says that whilst sports cars can be made with the current-generation of lithium-ion batteries, the need for lighter, smaller and higher capacity units in the form of solid-state battery technology will likely be the answer to proper lightweight electric sports cars...
Two groups, The Center for Auto Safety and Consumer Watchdog, have called on the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the Tesla Autopilot system. The two organisations claim Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have deliberately misled and deceived "consumers into believing that Autopilot is safer and more capable than it is known to be", and have "made it reasonable for Tesla owners to believe, and act on that belief, that a Tesla with Autopilot is an autonomous vehicle capable of 'self-driving'"...
Nissan has revealed the Pitch-R at the UEFA Champion's League final in Kiev this week, which uses self-driving technology to draw soccer fields "wherever there is space". Using four cameras, GPS location tracking and collision avoidance systems, the Pitch-R can draw white lines on grass, tarmac, or gravel with its "eco-friendly dissolvable paint"...
