A number of cars being sold today already have forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking as available optional safety features, but automakers and federal regulators have reached a deal that will make these features standard in almost every car sold in the U.S. by 2022. [More]
cars
Tesla To Start Pre-Orders For $35,000 Model 3 March 31
By 3.16.16
Let’s be honest, most of us don’t have $100,000-plus just sitting around to join the fairly exclusive Tesla owners’ club. But in about a week we’ll only need a fraction of that bundle of cash: Tesla reconfirmed its plans to introduce the more economically priced Model 3 on March 31. [More]
Here’s What It Looked Like When Google’s Self-Driving Car Hit A City Bus
By 3.9.16
If you’re the kind of person who likes watching high-speed car crashes and riveting action sequences with lots of big explosions, then watching a video of Google’s self-driving car hitting the side of a municipal bus last month is not for you. [More]
Google Shutters Comparison Shopping Website
By 2.23.16
Less than a year after Google jumped into the insurance business with the launch of comparison tool Google Compare, the company has decided to scrap the service. [More]
Used Cars Can Be Victims Of Identity Theft, Too
By 2.11.16
When shopping for a used car, buying from a private party in your real-life social network or who you found through an ad is cheaper than going through a dealership, but has some dangers that you may not think to look out for. There are small-time dealers who pretend to be individual sellers, and here’s another thing to keep in mind: cars can be victims of identity theft. [More]
Google Sending Its Self-Driving Cars To Washington State To Face The Rain
By 2.4.16
Tooling around in the California sunshine is one thing, but what will a self-driving car do when rolling on wet, slippery roads in the rain? Google is sending its test fleet of driverless cars up the coast to Washington to find out. [More]
See Ya, Scion: Toyota To Absorb Youth-Focused Brand After 13 Years
By 2.3.16
Starting later this year, Scion will join a long list of vehicle brands — think Mercury, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn — in the dustbin of history, as Toyota plans to end production of the brand after 13 years. [More]
Uber Driver Allegedly Pulls Gun On Passenger Who Said He Might Toss His Cookies In The Car
By 1.26.16
It is undoubtedly unpleasant — nay, down right nasty, when someone vomits in your car. But just because someone says vehicular vomiting is a possibility, that doesn’t mean you should pull out a gun and order them to get the heck out of your ride, which is what police say one Uber driver in Florida did recently. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Honda Refuses To Fix Vehicles With Soy-Coated Wiring That’s Irresistible To Hungry Critters
By 1.25.16
If a car’s insides are an appealing snack for mice, squirrels, and rabbits, should the company that made the vehicle pay to fix the soy-coated wiring when those critters throw themselves a feast? The plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against Honda think so, and say the carmaker is refusing to pick up the tab for repairs. [More]
Volvo Says It Will Have A Death-Proof Car By 2020
By 1.20.16
Proponents of self-driving vehicles claim the new technology will decrease the number of accidents occurring on the roadways. But it appears that Volvo wants to go a step further by pledging to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries in its cars in the next four years. [More]
Tesla Unveils Vegan-Friendly Car With Synthetic Leather Seats
By 1.14.16
Watch ads for luxury cars and you’ll inevitably hear about their “sumptuous” leather seats and interior trimmings. But what if you have gobs of money to spend on a car and don’t want it lined with leather (or boring old cloth)? That’s why Tesla now offers a new, vegan-friendly option for its pricey electric vehicles.
[More]
Report: Emails Show Takata Manipulated Data On Airbags
By 1.4.16
When a slew of automakers announced last fall that they would no longer use airbag inflators from Takata, at least one cited concerns that the company had “misrepresented or manipulated test data.” Recently unearthed emails from engineers and others within the Japanese auto parts maker suggest those alleged deceptions were blatant and widely known. [More]
Looking Ahead: 5 Big Issues To Follow For 2016
By 1.1.16
Now that 2015 is done and we finally learned that Luke Skywalker is actually Faye Dunaway’s daughter (and sister!), it’s time to take off the party hats, sweep up the confetti, and do the walk of shame forward into the uncharted territory of the year to come. [More]
GM Paid Out $594.5M For 399 Ignition Switch Death And Injury Claims
By 12.10.15
Four months after General Motors said it had approved 124 death claims – 10 times the number the carmaker originally acknowledged – related to the massive ignition switch defect it failed to address in more than 2.59 million vehicles, lawyers for the company have calculated a final bill for paid-out claims: $594.5 million. [More]
Ford Now Offering Siri Eyes-Free Software Update For 5 Million Older Cars
By 12.3.15
Though we’re living in an increasingly interconnected, digital age, perhaps you drive a car that’s a bit more… analog. For those Ford owners who have older vehicles but want to be linked up with new technology, the carmaker is offering a software update for five million cars that will allow owners to activate Apple’s Siri Eyes-Free feature. [More]
California Car Donation Charities Misrepresented Charitable Programs, Misdirected Donations
By 12.1.15
From time to time you may hear of a charity that accepts the donation of older, used vehicles that owners simply no longer have use for, promising to donate the profit of the future sale to a charitable program. While it might seem like a fairly straightforward operation, the state of California claims two such groups weren’t keeping their promises, instead using the funds to pay for their own expenses. [More]
Pack Your Car Emergency Kit For Holiday Travel
By 11.20.15
I didn’t really take the idea of car emergency kits seriously until I bought a neighbor’s old car, and discovered the wealth of supplies for various emergencies that he had left in the trunk and console. Gloves for changing the tire? Check. Can of Fix-A-Flat for Urgent tire emergencies? Check. Disposable camera in case of an accident? Check. (This was before camera phones were popular.) What else should emergency kits for the discerning and slightly paranoid motorist contain? [More]
