Motor News
MotorWeek tracks auto industry news, focusing on crash tests, safety ratings, new advances in technology and the latest from auto shows around the world.
SEMA Episode 3914
These days carmakers are going beyond traditional auto shows to taut their latest wares, like the 2019 Specialty Equipment Market Association... better known as SEMA. The crowd in Las Vegas couldn’t miss the Ram 1500 Rebel OTG Concept. The “Off The Grid” is fitted with Mopar parts for go anywhere capability. But it was the collapsible rooftop tent and kitchen… Read More
Tokyo Motor Show Episode 3912
The 46th Tokyo Motor Show is on the scene and once again electrification is a recurring theme. But besides two electric motors, Nissan's dynamic Ariya crossover concept reveals a sleek new design direction for the brand. Lexus showed this LF-30 Electrified Concept. Four electric motors… one in each wheel… will drive this futuristic vehicle with autonomous… Read More
Electrify America Episode 3910
We know electric cars will be more common in the future. Two of the big hurdles have been range anxiety and charging. But, automakers continue to make progress on both fronts. Electrify America is teaming up with a variety of partners to make charging EVs easier and more convienent. They’ve recently signed a deal with EVgo allowing drivers to charge their… Read More
Solar Prius Episode 3908
The quest to harness power from the sun has taken many forms over the years… and now there’s a new effort to drive only on sunshine. Toyota is working with electronic giant Sharp and others to develop a car the runs on solar power. They’re using a Prius test car in Japan with flexible solar panels on the roof, hood and rear hatch. We’ve seen other experiments… Read More
2019 Frankfurt Motor Show
Electric cars have quickly gone from a distant future idea to dominating today’s headlines. As seen at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. With its first public showing, the all-electric Porsche Taycan sedan took a starring role at Frankfurt. It an EV rocket with up to 750-horsepower. Porsche held on to the spotlight with the 911 Carrera 4 Coupe and 911 Carrera 4… Read More
Side Cameras/Lane Keeping
With more and more cameras watching how we drive… there soon could be another set of electronic eyes helping us drive smarter. The idea has popped up on auto show concepts cars for decades. Replacing traditional outside side rear-view mirrors with video cameras. Already allowed in some countries, but not the U.S., the images would be displayed on monitors… Read More
Wireless Charging
The future of mobility may be heading towards a high-tech combination of electric power and autonomous driving. But, consumers are not yet ready to plug in and relinquish control. A survey by J.D. Power and SurveyMonkey reveals there’s a lack of confidence about the future of self-driving vehicles, with a neutral feeling about EV’s. They found 39% are not… Read More
Future Cars/Bye-Bye Beetle
Automakers working together to save money is nothing new… but the push for electric vehicles and autonomous driving… is stepping up the pace of these partnerships. Ford and Volkswagen are accelerating their plan to co-develop future vehicles. The two companies announced they are now investing in autonomous vehicle platform company Argo AI. Both Ford and VW… Read More
Autonomous Myths
As vehicles are becoming more automated, there appears to be a lot of confusion about what they can and cannot do. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety looked at how drivers perceive current semi-autonomous driving aids. IIHS found the system “names” easily mislead drivers into thinking they no longer have to pay attention to the road. Today,… Read More
Airless Tires
The costly path towards a wide range of electric vehicles is causing more and more rivals to link up to share the load. Toyota and Subaru are the latest. They plan to jointly develop a single, versatile electric vehicle platform. Initially they will use it to share a new small electric SUV, which will be sold under each company's own brand. This new platform… Read More