Car Tech
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For those who dream of tearing apart race cars, but may not ever have the chance, we have the video for you. YouTuber Driver61 published a video last week that shows the teardown process of a Formula 1 car's gearbox, and what's inside to make the race car tick. Specifically, this is a transmission from a 1997 F1 car. Undoing the differential casing reveals the transmission casing in all its glory. Right away, we see the main shaft gear that comes out of the top of the transmission. The main gear drives two additional gears in the diff casing, a diff gear, and then eventually propels the...
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What to expect in a Porsche 911 hybridThe idea of a hybrid seems anathema to the spirit of the Porsche 911 at first blush. A hybrid aimed at fuel economy betrays the 911’s sports car mission, and adding motors and batteries to increase power would increase weight, which is a sports car’s natural enemy. Then again, one of...
Kirk Bell -
Mercedes-Benz wants to sell optional features after a new vehicle purchaseThe buying process won't be over for Mercedes-Benz owners after they take their new car home. The luxury brand has introduced a new feature via its Mercedes Me application that allows owners to purchase optional features after the car has left the dealer. The brand announced last Tuesday that...
Sean Szymkowski -
Robots park cars at a London airport this summerLocals preparing for travel out of London's Gatwick airport may have robots park their cars for them this summer. Auto Express reported last Thursday that the airport will start a three-month trial that tasks robots with parking cars in a specific lot. The goal is to see whether the robots can...
Sean Szymkowski -
Mercedes-Benz says an uncrashable car is possibleMercedes-Benz believes it can build a car capable of avoiding crashes, and it plans to show its vision with a new concept vehicle this year. Australian website Motoring reported Sunday Mercedes-Benz global research and development head, Ola Kalennius, thinks an uncrashable car will come sooner than...
Sean Szymkowski -
If track day is important, Byton wants you to buy a different electric carTesla vehicles have earned a reputation, boosted by YouTube reaction videos, for their blistering, dragstrip-worthy, straight-line acceleration. Porsche is getting into the electric performance game with even more fervor. The German luxury marque aims for the pedigree of Nürburgring times and...
Bengt Halvorson -
Apple has let more than 200 employees go from its secretive Project Titan self-driving car operation. CNBC first reported on the move Thursday and an Apple spokesperson acknowledged the cuts in a statement to the news organization. The spokesperson said Apple will refocus on other projects and areas in 2019 and some groups were moved to other parts of the company. However, the company still believes "there is a huge opportunity with autonomous systems, that Apple has unique capabilities to contribute, and that this is the most ambitious machine learning project ever." Last year, we learned...
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Polestar 2's Android-based infotainment system teased, looks slickFollowing a round of teaser photos for the model itself, we now get a look at the Polestar 2's Android-based infotainment system. Polestar invited anyone to preview the infotainment system via a tweet on Wednesday. The tweet routes users to a smartphone application that previews what the...
Sean Szymkowski -
New tech lights up the path of self-driving carsA world where we share the road with cars driven by computers will take some getting used to. In response, companies working on self-driving cars are looking at ways of making the transition as smooth as possible, by helping to gain the trust of the public. One of the companies is Jaguar Land...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW and Daimler reportedly in talks over subcompact, self-driving car partnershipMercedes-Benz parent company Daimler is already partnered with BMW Group in the area of mobility, with the two German auto giants last month having received regulatory approval to merge their various mobility divisions into a single joint-venture company. Now the two are reportedly in talks over...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Brothers from Tremec mothers: 2020 Shelby GT500 and mid-engine Corvette reportedly have same transmissionThe 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 that made its debut on Monday at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and the forthcoming mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette may share one major component. Road & Track on Monday reported on a newsletter that appears to evidence the fact both...
Sean Szymkowski -
Entire Cadillac lineup to get Super Cruise by end of 2020In 2018, Cadillac launched the world's first hands-free driver-assist system, giving consumers a glimpse of a self-driving future. To date, the system has only been offered on the soon-to-be-dead CT6 full-size sedan. On Friday during its Capital Markets Day presentation, Cadillac announced Super...
Joel Feder -
Blind spots remain a headache in nearly every new vehicle, but for those who tow, the problem becomes magnified. Enter the French company Valeo, which introduced a new camera-based system at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show this week. The trick system, called the XtraVue Trailer system, mounts several cameras on both the vehicle and trailer, at the rear of both. Each camera feed is then combined into a single image to show the driver a view behind the trailer. This is some James Bond, Q-division stuff. At the show, Valeo had the system running on an external monitor in a demo vehicle, but...
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BMW designs a camper concept with waterproof fabric that's breathableBMW unveiled a concept on Tuesday at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but it isn't a car. Instead it's a camper that BMW's California-based design house, Designworks, cooked up with American outdoor apparel brand The North Face. The camper, which is compact and light, and somewhat...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Audi reveals back seat virtual reality platform at 2019 Consumer Electronics ShowAudi wants to transform the ride experience for back seat passengers. The German luxury marque revealed a new virtual reality platform at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show on Monday aimed at doing just that. The VR platform was developed by Audi subsidiary Audi Electronics Venture. Both companies...
Sean Szymkowski -
Ford selects 5G networks to integrate V2X technology in 2022Numerous automakers have begun preparing for a connected-car future, but Ford is the latest to step into the arena. The automaker announced on Monday that it will use 5G networks to integrate vehicle-to-everything technology in all of its vehicles by 2022. Ford calls the technology C-V2X, or...
Sean Szymkowski -
Toyota's take on autonomy: Guardian "amplifies" human control, not replaces itIt's not every carmaker that leads off a press conference by re-enacting a spectacular three-car freeway crash. But at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show on Monday, Toyota had a point to make. Its Guardian active-safety system could have mitigated the effects of the crash, the company says. Perhaps...
John Voelcker -
Byton M-Byte will have a 48-inch screen running the length of the windscreenByton will use this week's 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to showcase the production-ready interior design of its upcoming M-Byte electric crossover SUV, and crucially the design maintains the ultra-wide digital screen first shown in concept form a year ago. The curved screen, referred...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
At next week's 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nissan will show off its Invisible-to-Visible (I2V) technology, which will help drivers anticipate what lies ahead. The technology uses sensors from inside and outside of the vehicle and works with data stored in the cloud, likely via vehicle-to-object (V2X) connectivity. I2V's claim is it can show drivers what lurks beyond an intersection and even through buildings. It's not a new concept in the slightest, though. Jaguar Land Rover announced similar technology in development this past April. Honda also detailed its prototype system...
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Eyes on you: Volvo to offer in-car cameras to monitor driversVolvo is prepared to install optional in-car cameras to track drivers come 2020. The brand told Car in a Monday report that the cameras will open up a host of new technology benefits, though it recognizes consumer fears over privacy. Atif Rafiq, Volvo’s chief digital officer, said Volvo will...
Sean Szymkowski -
Toyota prepares next-gen self-driving car prototype for 2019 CESToyota isn’t as vocal as some rivals in the self-driving space but the Japanese auto giant is making steady progress and at next week’s 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will unveil a fourth-generation prototype. Toyota used last year's CES to show off the third-gen design...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Hyundai and Kia latest to show automated valetHyundai and Kia on Thursday showcased a fully automated valet system that is currently under consideration for production. The system leverages technology being developed for self-driving cars and is operated via a smartphone. Upon reaching a parking facility, the driver receives the location of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Kia concept for 2019 CES previews a world with self-driving carsMuch of the focus on self-driving cars, naturally, has centered on the driving technology, however, the future user experience that a fully automated car can potentially deliver should also be looked at. Kia is aware of this and will preview just such a future with its READ (Real-time Emotion...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Go behind the scenes in the development of the Audi e-tronThe battle for electric car supremacy is starting to really heat up now that established automakers are joining the fray. The most recent salvo was launched by Audi in the form of the 2019 e-tron, a mid-size crossover SUV with a big 95-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and a reasonable $75,795...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran