Car Tech

Valve Timing Electronic Control, better known to enthusiasts as VTEC. We hear a lot about the system, but what is it exactly and how does it work? Jason Fenske, engineering mastermind behind YouTube's Engineering Explained, has tackled the system in one of his latest episodes. As usual, he breaks...

In the future, Jaguar-Land Rover vehicles could help motorists avoid pesky red lights. The automaker announced Wednesday that it's begun to trial its Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory (GLOSA) system. GLOSA communicates with connected traffic lights via vehicle-to-everything technology (V2X). Audi...

Performance wheel maker HRE says 3-D printers can manufacture a strong, lightweight wheel for supercars. HRE worked with GE Additives in a new partnership to explore the possibilities of a titanium wheel produced with EBM technology (a type of 3-D printing). The prototype wheel, known as HRE3D+...

Ford has begun various trial delivery services with its self-driving car prototypes across the United States, but now it has announced its most ambitious program yet. The automaker said on Wednesday it has partnered with Walmart and Postmates for a self-driving delivery service. The program will...

Volkswagen owners can now tell Apple's Siri to execute a host of commands controlling their cars, including unlock and lock them. The brand announced Monday its Car-Net smartphone integration app has been updated to include Siri functions for Apple users. Users must run iOS 12 to use the handy new...

Following a debut in Japan last month, the updated 2019 Mazda CX-5 has made its local debut, with the covers coming off Friday at the 2018 Seattle auto show. The big news is the addition of a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 as the range-topping powertrain. The punchy unit is already found in the...

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the Chinese automaker that controls the Volvo and Lotus brands, on Tuesday announced plans to develop a hyperloop-like train capable of supersonic speeds. That means in excess of 767 mph. The train will use magnetic levitation to eliminate ground friction and vacuum...

VW sees a future in which quantum computers help create efficient traffic-management systems, and it's ready to test such systems today. The German automaker said on Monday that its engineers and data scientists have successfully used a quantum computer algorithm to replace today's basic forecasted...

There has been a flurry of announcements concerning the Apollo self-driving car program of Chinese tech giant Baidu in the past week. The latest comes from Volkswagen Group which on Friday said it would join the Apollo program. The automaker also said it would gain a seat on the program's board of...

After Audi introduced a new technique to embed symbols within paint, the German automaker announced Monday it will put partial matte paint surfaces into production. Full matte paint jobs have been available for years, but this is the first time an automaker is putting partial matte painted surfaces...

Future Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles will help passengers avoid motion sickness as the brands announced on Wednesday that new research has helped engineers understand how to keep nausea at bay while traveling. The brands' motion-sickness research has helped create an algorithm to gauge the...

It's a dramatic move to completely change the color of a car. Do it with paint and you're stuck with your final decision once everything dries. If you go with a vinyl wrap, however, you could always just peel the sticky stuff and put the car back the way it once was. That doesn't mean applying a...

Apple produces some intriguing patents. Their latest is for a system they call "Peloton" that could platoon self-driving electric cars for better long-range efficiency and energy sharing. The technology company's filing Tuesday with United States Patent and Trademark Office explains a wild way to...

Volvo hit the accelerator Thursday on the further integration of the automotive and tech industries by announcing plans to jointly develop a self-driving car with Chinese internet services giant Baidu. The plan is to mass produce the cars in China for sale to fleets as well as individuals. Timing...

The Volkswagen Group is the latest firm to announce plans for a commercial ride-hailing service involving self-driving cars. The German auto giant will join Intel's recently acquired self-driving car business Mobileye to develop the service whose development will commence in early 2019 and roll out...

Cars are safer than ever. There are whole hosts of systems onboard with the goal of keeping drivers and passengers safe. This tech is great at keeping you out of harms way, but it might come back and bite you should any of it need repairing. According to AAA, all of the safety tech in our newest...

With the advent of self-driving cars, emergency services will need to rethink how to approach wrecks and other crashes. To help them out, Waymo has published a guide for first responders in case of an emergency involving one of its self-driving cars. Crashes involving self-driving cars have been...

We've taken the internal-combustion engine for granted for a long time. As electric cars become more common, governments and automakers need to deal with a new problem: electric cars are virtually silent in operation, and that can make them dangerous for pedestrians who are blind or simply not...

French automaker Peugeot on Friday announced plans to launch a new range of high-performance plug-in hybrid vehicles starting from 2020. The cars form a key part of Peugeot's overall strategy to transition to an electrified lineup, and will be developed with the Peugeot Sport motorsport department...

In the future, self-driving cars will need to communicate with pedestrians and drivers of traditional automobiles. Volkswagen wants to embrace this concept and previewed a few ways self-driving cars could communicate with other motorists and pedestrians on Wednesday. The announcement showed off a...