Car Tech

  • A 1,700-horsepower Nissan GT-R hiding a trick for staging while drag racing

    Staging a car at a drag strip is an art form. You line up so you have your car exactly where you want it to try and extract tenths of a second as you blast off down the strip. Some like staging deep while others run shallow. However, for some, staging is now moving beyond the art form and into the highly technical. Such is the case on this massively modified 1,700-horsepower Nissan GT-R. For an all-wheel-drive car like the GT-R, staging means working quickly to get your boost pressure built up before the yellow lights start their dance toward the green. Some vehicles employ a bit of tech...

  • Audi Q8 Sport concept equipped with Android infotainment system
    Audi latest to announce Android infotainment system

    Audi is going Android. The German brand announced its next generation infotainment system will be powered by Google's Android operating system and run seamlessly through most in-car functions. Audi will showcase the infotainment system with the Q8 Sport concept, which it will bring to the Google...

  • Waymo self-driving car prototype
    Lyft and Waymo join forces to develop self-driving taxis, challenge Uber

    A newborn partnership has emerged within the fluid and ever competitive self-driving car field. Waymo and Lyft have confirmed a partnership for future self-driving technology. Waymo is the self-driving car business of Google's parent company, Alphabet, while Lyft is a ride-sharing firm that's seen...

  • Renault logo
    Renault, Nissan plants back online following cyber attack

    Following the widespread cyber attack, dubbed "WannaCry," this past Friday, Renault and Nissan resumed nearly all manufacturing operations. Renault and Nissan, which are joined in an alliance, were both affected in the attack that spread to 150 countries. Automotive News (subscription required)...

  • Google previews Android-based infotainment system
    Volvo first to commit to Android-powered infotainment system

    Volvo has confirmed plans to introduce an infotainment system powered by Google’s Android operating system within the next two years. The system will feature graphics and menus unique to Volvo, but behind the scenes it will be powered by Android. Volvo will also have its own apps running on...

  • The Boring Company prototype
    The Boring Company demonstrates prototype for 125-MPH sled

    It was only a couple of weeks ago that Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed just what was in store for his newest startup, The Boring Company. The company hopes to establish a network of tunnels in congested cities, through which cars would travel between fixed points on high-speed, electrically-powered...

  • 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor

    The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor's off-road prowess isn't contested often and with good reason. Chevrolet thinks it has found a sweet spot with the 2017 Colorado ZR2—offering a shorter, lighter rock-crawling experience—but the Raptor remains king of the high-power off-road scene. Just ask Ken Block. Ford poured extensive development into the 2017 Raptor to ensure its off-road credentials were unmatched in various areas. To deliver the expected on- and off-road performance, Ford effectively merged all-wheel drive with four-wheel drive. The Raptor's driving modes selector, known as the...

  • Ford patent drawings for steering wheel with gear change buttons
    Ford patents odd design for steering wheel-mounted gearshift

    Sometimes, it's better to let proven concepts remain. Case in point: a car's gear selector. New patent findings from the United States Patent and Trademark Office show Ford wants to reinvent the wheel (pun totally intended) with a peculiar steering wheel-mounted gearshift unit. A patent drawing...

  • 2018 BMW 530e iPerformance wireless charging
    BMW 530e iPerformance to offer wireless charging option

    BMW’s new plug-in hybrid 5-Series, the 530e iPerformance, will eventually get wireless charging capability. It will mean no longer have to bother with plugging the car in for charging. Instead, you simply position the car over a inductive charging plate plugged into a wall outlet. BMW says...

  • Tesla Solar Roof
    Tesla reveals pricing for solar roof as order books open

    Tesla on Thursday started taking orders for its newest energy product, glass roof tiles incorporating solar panels. Tesla has four different designs for the roof tiles, which the company calls Solar Roof tiles, though only two are available for order at present. Tesla is taking a $1,000 deposit and...

  • Engineering Explained Lamborghini active aero
    How the active aerodynamic system works on the Lamborghini Huracán Performante

    The Lamborghini Huracán Performante is the king of the Nürburgring. It currently holds the track's quickest lap time of 6:52.01, and it ousted the Porsche 918 Spyder in the process from the top spot. How did it get there? We're glad you asked. So is Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained...

  • Ford logo
    Future Fords may be equipped with biometric sensors

    Wearable technology—think Fitbit, Apple Watch, and the like—has become a staple for many of us. The technology allows users to keep tabs on their overall health and encourage more active lifestyles. However, Ford thinks the same kind of technology used in wearables can be implemented in...

  • Waze icons

    No one particularly likes being told what to do by others, so Waze now has the ultimate solution for that problem: have yourself tell you what to do. Waze now lets users record their own turn-by-turn directions for audio, offering an alternative to many preset options, according to Lifehacker. The "Waze Voice Recorder" is included in the latest update for the GPS application for Android smartphones (sorry, iPhone users). It prompts the Waze user to record the various directions used by its system in their own voice. Directions such as "turn left" and "exit right" are among the basic phrases...

  • Are winter tires good in summer Engineering Explained
    What happens when you run winter tires in the summer?

    By this point, as we enter the middle of May, most drivers who use soft-compound winter tires have likely switched them out for a set of all-season rubber, or even some higher-performance summer-only tires. However, what happens if you keep those winter tires on your car and run them in warm...

  • Volkswagen DSG dual-clutch transmission
    VW confirms its 10-Speed dual-clutch transmission is dead

    A number of automakers are offering 9- and 10-speed transmissions. Some are even looking at 11-speed units. The Volkswagen Group had planned to join the fray with its own 10-speed dual-clutch transmission, though the project has been axed. The information was confirmed to Automotive News...

  • BMW Vision Next 100 Concept
    BMW picks plant for iNext self-driving EV due in 2021

    BMW CEO Harald Krüger in a press conference on Thursday outlining the company’s financial results revealed more details about the planned iNext. iNext is the code name for BMW’s next model from its i sub-brand for electrified and self-driving cars. Production is due to start in...

  • 2018 Porsche 911 GT3
    Porsche planting roots in Silicon Valley

    Porsche is embracing the digital, interconnected age we live in by setting up shop in Silicon Valley. The German sportscar/crossover maker announced plans to open a digital technology center to complement ongoing work at its Ludwigsburg-based digital division. According to Reuters, Porsche's intent...

  • BMW and Intel launch first self-driving test cars
    BMW, Intel kick off self-driving car pilot program

    As part of a self-driving car trial, 40 BMW 7-Series luxo-barges will soon hit the road—without the need for drivers, thanks to Intel's advanced computing technology capable of grabbing 4 terabytes of data every 90 minutes. BMW and Intel yesterday kicked off their self-driving vehicle trial...

  • How to fix a speedometer engineering explained

    It's a problem many may not know they're experiencing until flashing lights in the rearview mirror tell them otherwise. How do you know if your vehicle is reading an accurate speed? And if it isn't accurate, how do you go about fixing the problem? Have no fear, because Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained is here to show us, and it's a fairly simple diagnosis and fix. Jason uses his personal Honda S2000 as a test mule, but the process in the video can be applied to nearly any car. If you're curious, his speedometer is off due to Jason adjusting the final drive ratio, but different wheel...

  • nuTonomy self-driving prototype based on the Peugeot 3008
    nuTonomy to use Peugeot 3008 for self-driving car fleet

    Last summer, an American startup by the name of nuTonomy made headlines following the launch of the world’s first taxi service implementing a fleet of self-driving cars. Albeit a trial only, the service, which covered a few streets in Singapore, provided an early look at a likely future where...

  • Samsung logo
    Samsung joins race to develop self-driving car tech just as Apple prototypes are spotted

    Samsung has joined the long list of automakers and tech firms racing to develop self-driving cars and the software that controls them. The Korean conglomerate, along with roughly 20 other firms, was recently granted permission to test self-driving cars on public roads in South Korea. Samsung has...

  • Elon Musk
    Fully self-driving cars will be ready in 2019, says Elon Musk

    It's no secret Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a pretty ambitious guy who likes to look to the future, and his latest prediction keeps pace with those of the past. In only two years, Musk believes, fully self-driving cars will be on the road. Musk made the prediction during a recent TED talk where he also...

  • Porsche active rear aero diffuser
    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...

  • How do disconnecting sway bars work?
    How disconnecting sway bars work

    You off-roaders out there know all about disconnecting your own sway bars. You crave articulation, and you'll disconnect parts of your vehicle to get it. For those who don't seek out tough trails and mud-covered body panels, the idea of a disconnecting sway bar might be an odd concept. It's less...

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