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.
2018 Paris Motor Show
While more than a few brands skipped the bi-annual Paris Motor Show this year, there was still plenty of high fashion to steal the spotlight. Clearly the single most important car making its formal debut at the 2018 Paris Motor Show is the all-new BMW 3 Series. The seventh generation of the iconic sport sedan is more powerful, but likely without a manual… Read More
Rear View Cameras, Luxury EVs and Chevy App
For decades, car designers have shown concept cars where small cameras replaced side rearview mirrors...but now there’s a new way to take a look behind you... YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: The production version of the new Lexus ES will feature Digital Side-View Monitors instead of traditional side view mirrors, when it launches in Japan next month. The 5-inch display… Read More
Toyota-Uber Partnership
Toyota and Uber are teaming up to bring autonomous ride-sharing to the road on a much larger scale. The fleet will be based on Toyota’s Sienna minivan, and will use Uber’s Autonomous Driving System and the Toyota Guardian automated safety support system. The two companies expect a pilot program to begin in 2021. Yolanda Vazquez: We all know that SUV and… Read More
IIHS Autonomous Study and “Electrify America”
Yolanda Vazquez: As driver assistance technology becomes more advanced…researchers are looking at ways to evaluate its safety when you’re behind the wheel. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is conducting a preliminary round of tests to better analyze advanced driver assistance systems. They’re looking at how adaptive cruise control, emergency… Read More
Detroit Auto Show Date Change
The auto industry will be trading winter coats for sunscreen at future editions of the North American International Auto Show. Beginning in 2020, the show will be held in June instead of January. Detroit’s Cobo Center will remain the hub, but a warmer month allows for events to also be held at outdoor locations throughout the city. That creates more options… Read More
Volvo in the U.S.
Volvo has been selling cars in the U.S. for more than 60-years… and now they make them here… The Chinese owned Swedish car company recently opened its first U.S. plant near Charleston, South Carolina. It’s taken 3-years and 1-point-1 billion dollars to build the 2-point-3-million square foot facility. This is where they will make the new Volvo S60 premium… Read More
Passenger Protection
Part of the appeal of sport-utilities is the perception they’re safer because of their size and height. But it seems that level of protection varies depending on where you’re seated. Recently the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted crash tests on midsize SUVs. But this time, they focused on front passenger-side protection. In their small overlap… Read More
Turbo Silverado | Dropped Diesels
With sales rising, it’s clear that Americans love their pickup trucks. And these big haulers are “ground zero” in the tug of war between more power and more miles per gallon. Chevrolet has announced a new first-time engine for the redesigned 2019 Silverado 1500. It’s a 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-4-- paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Chevrolet… Read More
New Car Safety
It’s fair to say that most people would love to own a new car. And as it turns out, newer is also safer. The national highway traffic safety administration has released data showing newer vehicles are the safest on U.S. roads. They looked at fatal crashes involving cars, SUVs and pickup trucks between 2012 and 2016. It turns out that 55-percent of deaths… Read More
IIHS Crash Tests & EV Noise
In their latest round of crash tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety focused on how well small SUVs protect not only the driver---but the front passenger as well. Since the left and right sides of a vehicle are each unique in design, IIHS wanted to see if small SUVs, that rate “Acceptable” or “Good” in driver-side overlap front crash tests, are… Read More