Car Tech

So you're planning a trip across some non-trivial fraction of the country, but you know you (or your passengers) will need or want to be connected to the Internet along the way. What to do? Sure, extending the web into the car basically ruins any chance at a Griswold family moment, but it can also...

No, this isn't a story of first contact, or of a benevolent alien civilization bestowing the miracles of eons of technological development. Rather, it's the story of how high-tech materials enable mundane cars to do extraordinary things, like spin a turbine at 190,000 rpm. That, surprisingly...

Some models of the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro range will sport a frameless mirror with electrochromic capabilities.

Coinciding with a similar program being run in Germany, the U.S. Department of Transportation is about to start a trial of technology relying on car-to-car and car-to-object communications. The hope is that cars, either through warnings made to their driver or through autonomous systems will be...

The thought of autonomous, self-driving cars brings doom and gloom to most gearheads. It's hard not to imagine a future where driving for fun is a thing of the past. We probably don't have to worry for quite some time, so in the meantime it's easier to appreciate the technology behind cars like...

Last year Rolls-Royce launched a new certified pre-owned vehicle program called Provenance that was aimed at helping to take the worry out for anyone considering spending the huge sums that even a used Rolls-Royce commands. Today the automaker has launched a new app that should make finding your...

A downloadable app for customizing your dream Mustang is now available for the 2013 model.

Over the years, experience has taught us one thing time and time again: when something sounds too good to be true, chances are good that it won’t deliver as promised. That’s why we’re somewhat skeptical about a new tire-coating process, described in The Detroit News, that promises...

As automakers look to meet ever more-restrictive emission standards and ever-increasing fuel economy goals, automatic start stop systems, which shut down an engine after a few seconds of idle and then instantly restart it, will become more and more commonplace. As with any new technology, start...

As we move closer and closer to a future that involves fully autonomous cars, it’s becoming clear that systems developed for the self driving cars of tomorrow are making cars of today safer. Recent studies prove that technologies like collision detection, lane departure warning, adaptive...

Yesterday we brought you the first details about a new initiative taking place in Germany where a number of firms, including major automakers, are working to develop a common standard for future car-to-car and car-to-object communication technology. Called “Safe Intelligent Mobility -...

Spies have captured the 2013 MINI Paceman, MINI's new compact Countryman-style coupe, testing at the Nordschleife. Ford is moving forward with its car-to-car communications systems, with a new test regimen underway in Germany. Audi's R8 e-tron set a Nürburgring lap record not long ago, and now...

In the future your car will be able to warn you of an impending crash, or perhaps even take action itself to avoid one, by ‘knowing’ well ahead that another car has suddenly stopped in a queue of traffic, is about to cross paths with you at a busy intersection, or is even approaching...

Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems combine adaptive cruise control with full automatic braking to avoid frontal collisions, even without driver input. Still in their infancy, such systems are currently available on just 20 percent of the cars sold in Europe. New regulations may be coming to...

The 2013 Cadillac ATS and XTS will get some advanced radar-based safety technology, but first, the company had to weed out bad data.

Toyota competed in its first 24 Hours of Le Mans race in more than a decade earlier this year, using its new TS030 hybrid prototype developed primarily by the automaker’s independently run racing division Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) based in Cologne, Germany. After such a long break from Le...

Another month, another selection of automotive wonderment just begging to be downloaded by Forza Motorsport 4 racing gamers. The August Playseat car pack arrives on August 7, containing the usual mix of classics, rally cars, modern coupes and race cars. You can watch the trailer above to see some...

When it comes to customers demanding the latest in high-tech infotainment systems, Buick probably has more leeway than many luxury automakers. While its demographic is changing, the average Buick shopper is still concerned more with ride comfort than with streaming music via Pandora. That’s...

We have fresh new spy shots of the 2013 Porsche Cayman, and it looks to be following in the footsteps of its handsome soft-top brother. The Lamborghini Aventador may be getting some new fuel-saving measures, including cylinder deactivation and stop-start technology. And the Hungarian GP was the...

There’s a clear trend towards simplification in automotive control design, even as telematics and infotainment systems get more complex. Cadillac’s CUE system, debuting in the ATS and XTS sedans, operates much like a tablet computer and is even capable of recognizing hand gestures...