Car Tech

For years, in-wheel electric motors were touted as the next big thing in vehicle electrification. Ignoring the increase in unsprung weight, the advantages of in-wheel power sources are obvious. With each unit sitting in the space inside a wheel, supplying power exactly where and when the driver...

While on most cars, paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel usually enable a driver to change a car’s gears, but as we’ve seen on some electrified vehicles, designers have used the handy paddles for a very different function. Take the new 2014 Cadillac ELR extended-range...

If you thought Audi's retina-burning headlights were just good for clearing slower traffic out your lane, then think again. According to the European Commision, they're also a bona fide fuel-saving technology, too. Official tests compared Audi vehicles fitted with the all-LED technology to more...

Groundbreaking engine technology appears fairly frequently, but few designs ever make it beyond the test bench and into production vehicles. EcoMotors International's opposed-piston engine on the other hand might well have a future, as the company has just announced a $200 million deal to build its...

A couple of months ago we brought you news that seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, who finally stepped down from the sport at the end of last season, would spend his days helping develop road cars for former employer Mercedes-Benz. While we were hoping that would mean...

As cars get ever more connected, sharing your already-strangled data account with the family--or just adding a new drain on it for yourself--can be troublesome. Having a separate data plan just for the car can be expensive. Audi is aiming to change that. With a new $15 per month plan via T-Mobile...

Mercedes-Benz has entered a deal that will see Garmin navigation systems fully integrated with the automaker’s infotainment systems over the next four years. The move will allow Mercedes infotainment systems to benefit from Garmin's expertise in navigation and interface design, which should...

From the company that brought us the legendary Forza Motorsport line of games, comes the new, go anywhere Forza Horizon. The game bases the action in simulated real-world environments that are so vast you need an in-game GPS to keep track of where you’re going. The company behind it is Turn...

One of the most successful online racing simulators for PC users, iRacing, has just got that much better, with the company behind the service announcing that the latest Chevrolet SS and Ford Fusion race cars from the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series are now available. For those serious about racing...

It's no secret that our cars are becoming increasingly technological. For many, it's a source of unease. For some, it's a cause of outright paranoia--or so it seems, with the launch of an Indiegogo project for the funding of a physical lockout device for your car's data access port. Designed to...

While racing generally helps to make production cars safer by advancing technology and components, sometimes the opposite is true. At this year’s 12 Hours of Sebring, race car fabricator Pratt & Miller rolled out a radar-based collision avoidance system that essentially comes from the...

Automakers are doing all they can to make cars lighter and more fuel efficient, as regulations for average fuel economy and permissible emissions grow ever tighter in Europe and the United States. While automakers have downsized engines in the name of fuel economy and have trimmed weight wherever...

About a year ago we first told you about a new technology Honda was developing aimed at reducing congestion, by first detecting the potential for a traffic jam and then determining the best course of action for drivers in order to prevent one from occurring. It is based on the principle that...

Airless tires, or non-pneumatic tires as they’re known in the industry, have been around for several years now. In fact, Michelin first showed off its ‘Tweel’ airless tire back in 2005 and Bridgestone rolled out (excuse the pun) its own version of the technology just over a year...

For decades, accident scene first responders had set protocols for removing victims trapped in the wreckage of an automobile. Whether the car was built by Kia or by Hummer, cutting off the roof was generally a matter of slicing through the A-pillars, followed by the B and C-pillars. We’re...

No automaker in the world has done as good a job of both innovating and marketing safety features as Volvo. The brand originally known for building safe and reliable cars has branched out to target roadside animals and pedestrians in its safety net, and now that list includes bicyclists, too. An...

When Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue joined Ferrari’s board of directors last year, it seemed that a collaboration between the two companies on infotainment systems was inevitable. Ferrari’s expertise is in making cars go faster, so partnering with a brand already proficient with...

A few weeks back, Pagani began to tease something new for its Huayra supercar. While the initial video tricked us into believing that the Italian manufacturer was about to launch an open-air version of the Huayra, it was really teasing a new partnership with high-end audio firm Sonus faber. If...

If you live in the city, chances are good you don’t use your high beams much for night driving, since you’re rarely in an environment where they can be employed without distracting other drivers. If you live in the country, on the other hand, high beams provide a welcome margin of...

If you drive to and from your place of employment, you’ve probably noticed that the roads are getting more and more crowded with each passing year, while drivers are getting less and less attentive to the task at hand. Blame it on a growing number of cars and drivers, ever-present...