Car Safety
-
Muscle cars have long been enthusiast favorites, but the results of a new series of crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reveal that they may not be the safest cars on the road. The IIHS, which is funded by the insurance industry, took 2016 examples of the Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro and measured their crash-worthiness in a number of tests. None of the three American muscle cars were able to muster a strong enough result to qualify for the agency's Top Safety Pick award. CHECK OUT: New Chevrolet Camaro Z/28...
-
Tesla's HEPA air filter "hundreds of times" more effective than standard units
Electric car brand Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] says it is developed a HEPA air filtration system designed to clear up the outside world before it enters a vehicle's cabin. The filtering system is so clean that Tesla claims you could "survive a military grade bio attack" using it. HEPA, an acronym for...
Andrew Ganz -
IIHS says most cars need better headlights
When seeing at night becomes difficult, many people blame their own eyes. But car headlights may really be the problem, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which just released its first-ever headlight ratings. Headlights are getting more advanced, with LEDs and other new...
Stephen Edelstein -
Red Bull Racing presents alternative F1 cockpit protection solution
The 2016 Formula One World Championship started off this past weekend with one of the most frightening crashes the sport has seen in years. The crash saw McLaren driver Fernando Alonso fly through the air when his car came into contact with the car of Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez. Fortunately...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Automatic braking could be standard by 2022
The inevitable march toward the driverless car continues. It's still off in the distance, a speck on the horizon, but that speck is getting larger with each flip of your calendar's pages. There are some aspects of the autonomous driving realm that are already a part of the automotive landscape. One...
Jeff Glucker -
Ford police cars offer protection against armor-piercing bullets
Stopping perpetrators and protecting police officers just became even bigger business at Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F]. The automaker announced today that its Police Interceptor sedan and utility models will both be available with ballistic panels capable of protecting the vehicle's occupants from...
Andrew Ganz -
Official testing for the 2016 Formula One World Championship is still underway in Barcelona, Spain, and today Ferrari [NYSE:RACE] decided to shake things up a little by trialing a new cockpit protection system dubbed the Halo. Pictured above is Kimi Räikkönen in Ferrari’s 2016-spec car, the SF16-H, fitted with the system. The Halo is one of the solutions organizers are considering to improve the safety of F1 and could be introduced as early as next season. It consists of a tubular carbon structure mounted over the cockpit that can protect the driver from any potential debris...
-
Faster cars, cockpit protection coming to F1 in 2017
Following a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland this week, organizers of the Formula One World Championship have agreed upon a number of key proposals that will see some significant changes introduced to the sport as early as the 2017 season. Crucially, the changes are designed to deliver faster, more...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW M2 transformed into safety car for 2016 MotoGP season
Following in the footsteps of the M6 and M4 coupes, BMW’s new M2 will serve as official safety car for the 2016 MotoGP season. But before it could be supplied to Dorna Sports, the organizer of MotoGP, the M2 needed a few modifications. The modifications were handled at the BMW M factory and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
DOT Unveils 10-Year, $4-Billion Plan for Development Of Autonomous Vehicles
New car announcements weren't the only news made at the Detroit Auto Show. In a press conference at the show, the United States Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx revealed part of President Obama's plan to invest in 21st century transportation systems. Specifically, Foxx announced a nearly $4...
Kirk Bell -
Dodge Viper Production Ending Due To Airbag Regulations?
If you didn’t already know, production of the Dodge Viper is scheduled to end in 2017 and there are no plans at present for a successor—although that may change at some point, according to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles [NYSE:FCAU] CEO Sergio Marchionne. FCA hasn’t come out and stated...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
McLaren P1 Hit With NHTSA Recall, Dozens Of People Affected!
The McLaren P1 is a marvel of modern engineering. Still, not everything out there is perfect and the P1 is proof of this. A batch of the cars were just hit with a recall notice. The reason? A secondary hood latch could fail, which could lead to the inadvertent opening of the hood if the primary...
Jeff Glucker -
After issuing a recall on the 2016 California T, Ferrari [NYSE:F] has ordered a stop-sale on the 2016 488 GTB due to a potential fire risk. A recall wasn't necessary because none of the cars have been sold in the United States yet. ALSO SEE: 2016 Ferrari California T Recalled Over Fire Risk A manufacturing flaw in a fuel-system component could lead to an engine-compartment fire. Specifically, a low-pressure fuel line, supplied by Dytech, may not be properly connected to the fuel pump’s feed line due to an "improper coating treatment" where the metallic portion of the fuel pipe connects...
-
2016 Ferrari California T Recalled Over Fire Risk
Ferrari [NYSE:F] is recalling the 2016 California T because a manufacturing flaw in a fuel-system component could lead to an engine-compartment fire—and, potentially, one very unhappy Ferrari owner. The recall affects all 2016 Ferrari California T models made from September 8, 2015 to...
Bengt Halvorson -
California Looks To Tighten Rules For Autonomous Cars
California has become one of the top states for autonomous car research, primarily due to the number of tech firms based there including Google which is already testing self-driving cars on the state’s roads. However, state regulators are now making moves to tighten the rules for autonomous...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coming With Automatic Lane Changing
Mercedes-Benz continues to drop more information about its next-generation E-Class ahead of the car’s world debut at next month’s 2016 Detroit Auto Show. Yesterday, we got our first official look at the car’s interior, which for most trim levels will come with an all-digital...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Tune It! Safe! Chevy Corvette Impresses At Essen Motor Show
No, German police aren’t about to enlist a Chevrolet Corvette among their fleet of patrol cars. Rather, this particular Corvette, dressed in police livery, has been built to help promote safe and legal vehicle modification. CHECK OUT: 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo Packs More Power, New Infotainment...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Don’t Be This Idiot: Tesla Model S Owner Tests Autopilot System From Back Seat
In the same week Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] CEO Elon Musk announced the company will be implementing some constraints on its Autopilot autonomous system to prevent some of the more stupid users from incorrectly using the system, typically by removing their hands from the steering wheel or using it on...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
As an auto enthusiast, it’s easy to be tempted by deals for OEM-style wheels that cost a fraction what the dealer or authorized reseller may be asking. But there are often good reasons why you should consider paying the premium for genuine wheels, as highlighted in this video from Mercedes-Benz. ALSO SEE: 2017 Acura NSX Coming With 573 HP, 0-60 MPH Time Of 3.0 Seconds The automaker’s Australian division together with General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] subsidiary Holden recently took part in a test comparing the performance of the fake wheels, often labeled as replica or reproduction...
-
New Video Shows What It Will Be Like Owning A Volvo Autonomous Car
Continuing its reputation for stellar safety, Swedish automaker Volvo is committed to developing cars that that are crash-proof in an attempt to completely eliminate vehicle-related deaths and injuries for its customers. Volvo has set a target date of 2020 for reaching this momentous goal and to...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Automotive Safety Giant Autoliv To Help Develop Autonomous Systems With Volvo
Automotive safety systems giant Autoliv has joined Volvo in the Swedish automaker’s Drive Me autonomous car research project. The two companies will share their findings in order to accelerate efforts to get the active safety systems fundamental to autonomous driving into production. ALSO...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Automatic Emergency Braking To Become Standard?
There's no question about it; modern cars are incredibly safe, and there's new technology being released that has them becoming safer still. Since it was mandated that we all wear our seatbelts to the introduction of airbags, the number of people dying on our roadways has been going down and...
Jeff Glucker -
Jaguar Land Rover SVO Division Cooks Up Range Rover Sentinel Armored SUV: Video
Already responsible for developing more luxurious and higher performing vehicles from Jaguar Land Rover, the Special Vehicles Operations division has now been tasked with building armored cars for the British automaker. And the first off the list is an armored Land Rover Range Rover which dons the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
FIA Will Test Closed Cockpits
In the wake of Justin Wilson's tragic death last week, the conversation about closed cockpits in open-wheel racing has been renewed. Formula One's governing body, the FIA, will begin evaluating potential closed cockpit designs for single-seat racecars. It's a surprisingly controversial topic that...
Jeff Glucker