Technology

Rival German car makers Mercedes-Benz and BMW have paused their partnership to jointly-develop autonomous driving technology. The alliance – announced in 2019 – plotted to develop ‘next-generation’ autonomous driving (up to 'fully-autonomous' Level 4), with the first cars fitted with the technology slated for launch in 2024. However, citing exceeding costs and adverse economic conditions, the brands announced they would pause their partnership indefinitely.

The electrification revolution has made its way through hatchbacks to sedans and SUVs and now it has its sights set firmly on a new frontier: utes. As with most automotive industry showdowns, it was Tesla that kicked off this sparring match with its not-so-bulletproof Cybertruck, releasing a video showing the all-wheel-drive, all-electric pickup tugging a Ford F-150 up a hill.

As Australian sales of electric cars continue to rise and industry bodies urge the Federal Government to make charging infrastructure a national priority, it appears EVs (electric vehicles) have progressed beyond buzzword status to present-day reality.

Nissan has once again experimented with vehicle-to-energy-grid technology – a system that allows buildings to draw power from an electric car's battery pack – by powering 7-Eleven convenience stores in Japan, according to a report in Elektrek. While most Nissan electric vehicles are only capable of drawing energy from a power outlet into their battery, vehicle-to-grid technology allows a building to draw power from a vehicle.

The new Genesis GV80 will receive a brand new three-dimensional instrument cluster created by German auto parts manufacturer Continental – and it won't require 3D glasses to view. Continental says the incoming top-spec variant of the GV80, Genesis's first production SUV, will be the first production model to receive its new technology, which displays three-dimensional scales, pointers and objects (like a stop-sign warning) in the driver's line of sight.