engineering
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The concept of tires hasn't changed radically for decades: they're round, they roll, they hold up your car. Companies have managed to manufacture better quality compounds and produce tires that grip, stop, and handle superbly, but Goodyear has a totally different idea for the future of the tire. It's a tire that cleans the air as it goes and embraces self-sufficiency: the Oxygene concept tire. Not only does it clean as it goes, it does so with living organisms. Goodyear says the tire's unique structure would house living moss within the sidewall. The Oxygene tire's open structure and tread...
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Startup wants to 3D-print your car design
As kids, it was the dream of many auto enthusiasts to design a car just for ourselves. Well, there's a startup company for that. Called Hackrod, the new company wants its customers to do the designing while modern technology engineers it and 3D printers bring it to life. The company envisions...
Sean Szymkowski -
Why doesn't the Honda Civic Type R have (much) torque steer?
The Honda Civic Type R is an impressive little beastie. In fact, if you missed it, we named Honda's hot hatch the Motor Authority Best Car To Buy 2018. We lauded its handling capabilities, and a major part of the magic is how Honda managed to basically eliminate torque steer in a 306-horsepower...
Sean Szymkowski -
Porsche patents active rear diffuser
While the horsepower wars continue, automakers are searching elsewhere to see where precious time can be shaved off of a hot lap. Porsche, in particular, is looking to redefine the rear diffuser. New patents published on April 27, 2017, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office show a rear...
Sean Szymkowski -
Honda investing $124 million for new wind tunnel in Ohio
Things are about to be a bit breezier at the Transportation Research Center in Ohio. Honda has announced a $124 million investment for a multi-functional aeroacoustic wind tunnel facility for future product development. The new wind tunnel will aid Honda in the engineering of not only more fuel...
Sean Szymkowski -
Check out this jet-powered, homemade Ferrari Enzo-lookalike
An enterprising Canadian has decided that Ferrari V-12 power isn't sufficiently adequate. Instead, he has created a car powered by two jet engines that is styled to look like a Ferrari Enzo. Over the course of a dozen years, Ryan McQueen acquired two Rolls-Royce jet engines (by selling his own...
Andrew Ganz -
General Motors says that it has worked with NASA to bring the Nintendo Power Glove to life—well, a far more sophisticated version of the raddest part from "The Wizard." (And yes, that includes Fred Savage.) The RoboGlove is designed for both the health care and manufacturing industries. Its task is simple: To provide humans with additional strength and dexterity while reducing muscle fatigue. For GM, the glove could help assembly line workers or mechanics put cars together or repair them. Swedish medical technology firm Bioservo plans to make use of the glove for medical rehabilitation...
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Electric Power Steering: We Ask An Insider Where It’s Headed
Get into any new car—okay, well maybe not a Smart Fortwo—and you’ll find power steering. Power steering systems have, for the most part, become so good, so transparent in a way, that we tend to forget that they exist. Yet we should keep in mind that for the typical driver, to...
Bengt Halvorson -
2013 Cadillac ATS: Why It's Lighter Than The BMW 3-Series
With a curb weight of less than 3,400 pounds, the 2013 Cadillac ATS is the lightest sport sedan in this class, and it has a perfect 50/50 weight balance.
Bengt Halvorson -
2013 Mazda CX-5: The Challenge Of Designing A New Platform
Being a carmaker is, in theory, quite easy. You build cars, sell as many of them as possible and ensure your outgoings are as low as possible. One of those outgoings is research and development, which can cost hundreds of millions of dollars, so when a manufacturer develops a new platform, they had...
Antony Ingram -
Lexus Engineering Amazing Campaign Spawns New Episode: Video
Remember Lexus’ ‘The Hard Way’ campaign that showed off the lengths that the automaker would go to in order to achieve the high levels of refinement found in each of its cars? Well, Lexus soon followed it up with another boastful video campaign: Lexus Engineering Amazing. The...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Bloodhound Land Speed Car Gets First Record (In Scale Speed)
If you've been following the race for the Land Speed Record you'll be familiar with Bloodhound SSC. The U.K-based team headed by Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green hopes to smash the previous record, set by Green himself, by achieving over 1,000 miles per hour. A car with the Bloodhound name has...
Antony Ingram -
A highly-refined, all-purpose city-centric electric vehicle is a concept familiar to popular culture, but to date, nothing in the real world has proven up to the task. To see what such a vehicle would look like, industry magazine Automotive Engineer commissioned Lotus Design to come up with a concept vehicle. The result is the attractive - if somewhat familiar in profile - vehicle shown here and in the video below. Designed to a core set of specifications in just two weeks, the car shows what could be done with a premium city-car format EV in the near future. Unfortunately for Americans...
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Video: BMW cuts ribbon on new high-tech Aerodynamic Test Center
BMW is celebrating its Technology Day today, and as the central feature of the event, the carmaker is launching a new Aerodynamic Test Center (ATC), where future cars will be made both more efficient and more sporting. The high-tech facility presents a striking appearance from outside, leaving...
Nelson Ireson -
GM CEO Henderson says Corvette is safe despite restructuring
When General Motors disbanded its High Performance Vehicles unit in February, a ripple of fear shot through the automotive press over the future of the Corvette. GM was quick to quell the concerns, however, and today GM's CEO Fritz Henderson has again spoken directly on Corvette's secure future...
Nelson Ireson -
BMW reveals U.S. pricing for X5 M and X6 M performance SUVs
We bet there are still thousands of BMW M fans out there reeling from the fact that the performance division is launching its first ever SUV model, and a turbocharged one at that. Those fans better get used to it fast as BMW has just revealed pricing for the new X5 M and X6 M SUVs, which will start...
James Martinez -
Student designers tapped for Audi 'Intelligent Emotion' project
The future of automotive mobility is a question that has always captivated the mind of the carmaker and the driver alike. Today Audi takes its turn to give us a glimpse into what they think the future may hold, seen through the eyes of design students at the Munich University of Applied Sciences...
Alex Kaufmann -
Ferrari founds Mille Chili design lab at University of Modena
Ferrari's work in pushing the world of motoring to new heights can hardly be underestimated. From the Formula 1 World Championship to the street, the Prancing Horse has been innovating as long as it's been in the business. The Mille Chili design study, based loosely around the incomparable Enzo...
Alex Kaufmann -
Currently sitting atop BMW’s X5 range is the 4.8is but recent news from the boss of BMW’s M division, Ludwig Willisch, has confirmed that performance variants of both the X5 and X6 SUVs are in development. A performance SUV doesn’t really fit in with the M philosophy of increased performance through reduced weight but the allure of the two-ton sports market was most likely too strong even for BMW and its famed M division to resist. These latest spy photos reveal the car even more clearly than previous shots, showing an aggressive but restrained design and classic X5 styling...
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Video: Behind the scenes of BMW's X6 M development
Last week BMW gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the development and testing of the 2010 Z4 roadster, and this week we get a look at what's going on in the X6 M high-performance SUV's development. The latest video shows BMW's engineers and development team as they mold the coupe-like SUV into a...
Nelson Ireson -
Race car inspired Gallardo GT3 Strada by Reiter Engineering
German racing and engineering firm Reiter Engineering has unveiled a road-going variant of its Lamborghini Gallardo racing car called the GT3 Strada. Reiter Engineering is the factory-backed entry for the Lamborghini team in the FIA GT Championships, and is well known for its development of...
Alex Kaufmann -
Reiter Engineering unveils road-going Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT
German racing and engineering firm Reiter Engineering has unveiled a road-going variant of its Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT racing car. Reiter Engineering is the factory-backed entry for the Lamborghini team in the FIA GT Championships, and is well known for its development of lightweight racing...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volt development costing GM $750 million
As set out in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, basic survival must first be established before one can move on to worry about the esoteric concerns of philosophy, morality or ethics. In an odd twist of logic, however, America's car companies have been forced to premise their immediate survival on their...
Nelson Ireson -
Ford plans new model onslaught to fight sales slump
General Motors announced last week that it would be delaying development work on several new models to help cut costs in the near term, but Ford has a different idea for future success. Rather than cutting back, Ford is betting its future on its ability to design a new generation of must-buy...
Ralph Hanson