Sean Szymkowski, Contributor
Articles
-
Ford will soon become the first company to begin testing self-driving cars in Washington, D.C. The automaker announced on Monday it plans to expand its self-driving teams to D.C. after setting up...
-
NHTSA shuts down "unlawful" self-driving school bus in FloridaAfter the NHTSA called its self-driving school bus operating in Florida "unlawful," French transport company Transdev will halt its autonomous vehicle. The NHTSA originally gave Transdev the approval to temporarily import the EZ Generation II bus for testing and demonstration purposes, but not to...
Sean Szymkowski -
Waymo publishes first responders guide in case of self-driving car crashWith 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...
Sean Szymkowski -
Fiat Chrysler sells Magneti Marelli for $7.1BFiat-Chrysler Automobiles officially has a buyer for its Magneti Marelli supplier division in Japan's Calsonic Kansei, itself owned by U.S.-based private equity firm KKR. FCA will unload the parts division for a reported $7.1 billion, according to a Sunday Reuters report. With KKR acquiring the...
Sean Szymkowski -
2019 Nissan Maxima revealed with minor nip-tuckWe're still over a month out from the 2018 Los Angeles auto show, but on Monday, Nissan pulled the wraps off of the 2019 Maxima ahead of time. The 2019 Nissan Maxima features a minor front end refresh, but the company didn't include many details in the announcement. We can see a new pair of what...
Sean Szymkowski -
Boring Company tunnel under LA opens Dec. 10, free 155 mph ridesThe Boring Company's first tunnel finally has its date with destiny set: Dec. 10. Chief executive officer Elon Musk named the December date as the grand opening and plans for a ceremony in Los Angeles. The first tunnel has been under construction for months, but Musk announced in May it would open...
Sean Szymkowski -
The Chevrolet Camaro could be in for hybrid power. How do we know? The brand has been caught testing the waters for future hybrid powertrains with Camaro owners.
In August, screenshots of a customer...
-
Listen to the Jaguar I-Pace's audible vehicle alertWe'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...
Sean Szymkowski -
Ford to use new "miracle" material to make cars quieterThe pursuit of reducing unwanted noises from the engine compartment has reached a new level at Ford. The automaker announced last Tuesday it will begin incorporating the two-dimensional nanomaterial graphene under its hoods—a first for the automotive industry. Graphene has been called a...
Sean Szymkowski -
Cutaway sketch of Acura NSX shows inner workingsShin Yoshikawa is one of the best-known car artists of our time, and he's used his skills to tackle the 2019 Acura NSX. Honda's luxury brand released the artist's sketch of the hybrid sports car on Oct. 12, and it features Yoshikawa's signature cutaway art. The cutaway reveals the inner workings of...
Sean Szymkowski -
Styling of BMW electric cars will be toned down as tech maturesFuture BMW electric cars won't exactly follow in the footsteps of the wildly futuristic i8 or bionic egg-shaped i3. Instead, the brand plans to tone things down as battery technology becomes more commonplace. BMW chief designer Adrian van Hooydonk told Autocar in report published last Tuesday that...
Sean Szymkowski -
Lynk & Co. ready to go racing with 03 TCRLynk & Co. will take its recently revealed 03 sedan to the starting grid in the new FIA-sanctioned World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) with an 03-based race car built to TCR specifications. The brand announced Friday that it has signed a joint venture with Cyan Racing to develop the racer. Cyan Racing...
Sean Szymkowski -
The Volkswagen Group has started construction of the first plant that will solely build cars based on the new modular EV platform known as the MEB, the German auto giant announced Friday.
Settled...
-
Cadillac XT4 V-Sport rendering spotted hiding on automaker's websiteCadillac has placed a rendering for the all-but-confirmed V-Sport version of its new XT4 compact crossover SUV in plain sight. Visiting the brand's website and clicking over to the "Making Of" portion for the brand's first compact crossover will lead visitors directly to the rendering. GM Authority...
Sean Szymkowski -
VW previews lighting elements that can communicateIn 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...
Sean Szymkowski -
Aston Martin names carbon fiber supplier for Valkyrie hypercarAston Martin has a carbon fiber supplier in TenCate Advanced Composites. The automaker said Wednesday it is forming a partnership with the materials manufacturer in order to source carbon fiber for the upcoming Valkyrie hypercar. Aston Martin said it has already worked closely with TenCate to...
Sean Szymkowski -
Cost of WEC's new hypercar class could be lower than previously thoughtTeams preparing to run in the World Endurance Championship's planned hypercar class will be happy to learn the cost of entry could be lower than previously thought. The new budget reportedly sits at $23 million for a two-car entry, down from from a previous estimate of between $28.7 million and...
Sean Szymkowski -
World's fastest wheel-driven car cracks 503 mphMeet the world's fastest wheel-driven car: the Team Vesco Turbinator II. Unlike other cars built only with the goal to go fast in a straight line, the wheels drove this car to a record, not thrust from a jet engine or rockets. Driver Dave Spangler piloted the Turbinator II on October 1 to a record...
Sean Szymkowski -
Audi Sport has stuffed its latest R8 derivative with the best of its performance parts bin. The 2018 R8 V10 Plus Coupe Competition Package is now the most performance-oriented model Audi's go-fast...
-
Tesla buys site for Chinese GigafactoryAs Tesla moves forward with plans to build electric cars in China, the automaker has secured land in the country for one of its so-called Gigafactories. Reuters reported Wednesday that Tesla has signed an agreement with the Shanghai government for an 860,000-square meter plot of land for the new...
Sean Szymkowski -
1,000-hp Yenko/SC package adds $66,995 to 2019 Chevy Camaro SS 1LESpecialty Vehicle Engineering has a 2019 Yenko Chevrolet Camaro package with 1,000 horsepower and updated looks to enhance the refreshed pony car. SVE installed an LT1-based 6.8-liter V-8 engine and married the stroked engine to a supercharger to achieve the staggering 1,000-hp figure. Each 2019...
Sean Szymkowski -
The GT-R and Z remain on Nissan's radar, electrification possibleNissan's Z and GT-R sports cars are apparently alive and well inside the Japanese automaker, despite rumors of the former's demise. Top Gear magazine reported Tuesday that both cars appear to have a bright and possibly electrifying future. The latest report puts Jean-Pierre Diernaz, vice president...
Sean Szymkowski -
2019 Chevrolet Camaro gains new Shock yellow color optionThe 2019 Chevrolet Camaro color palette is in for a bright new addition. On Tuesday, the brand introduced the Shock yellow exterior color for the pony car, as part of a new Camaro concept heading to the 2018 SEMA show. If the hue looks familiar, that's because it will also be available with the...
Sean Szymkowski -
Terrafugia starts taking orders for first flying carTerrafugia, the flying car startup company with backing from China's Geely, has begun taking orders for its first flying car. Automotive News Europe (subscription required) reported Tuesday that deliveries of the flying car are expected to begin in 2019. The vehicle, called the Transition, will...
Sean Szymkowski