technology

According to the 2012 U.S. Automotive Industry Survey and Confidence Index by Booz & Co., alternative vehicle powertrains may take up as much as 10 percent of the total market by 2020, but only if the federal government continues to support development. Without a helping hand from Uncle Sam, ...

The Touchskin interface has beeen on display since last October; now it's at a stage where Magna is shopping it to automakers. Although Magna is the marquee name, the various components that comprise Touchskin are produced by nine companies: Plastic Electronics, Engel Mould Technologies, ...

Michael Arbaugh, chief designer of Ford interiors, describes center console space as "oceanfront property" – already fully populated, with more tenants trying to move in every year. Speaking to the Automotive Press Association in Detroit, Arbaugh said one tenant he'd like to evict is the CD ...

Even tires considered basic are the results of massive engineering and financial investments – a single tire can include up to 20 different kinds of rubber compounds and their constructions and build techniques are so mysterious that it's easier to get a tour of the White House than a tire ...

BMW has its i8, Audi has its R8 e-tron, Mercedes-Benz has its SLS AMG E-Cell. The electron-powered, gullwinged coupe will use batteries supplied by SK Innovations that power four synchronous electric motors into developing 525 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque. It is predicted to run from ...

Do the star-based safety ratings of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration work? We'd point out that automakers work hard to ensure the best ratings possible, and recent data shows that our roads are now safer. NHTSA has made the five-star rating more difficult to obtain, and now ...

Across the Audi stand from the new A3's interior and updated Audi Connect system was a prototype of the next-next-generation of heads-up display technology. The display comes in three parts: one in front of the driver, another in front of the passenger and yet another sitting between the two, ...

Reuters reports that General Motors and BMW are headed toward a partnership that may see the two automakers join forces on the creation of a fuel cell system. German business magazine Wirtschafts Woche has cited unnamed industry sources as saying talks between the companies are already quite ...

BMW has confirmed the German automaker will join forces with Toyota to create new green technologies. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding for mid-to-long-term collaboration on next-generation lithium-ion battery technology, with the option to expand the partnership into ...

For those of us testing dozens of in-car navigation and infotainment systems each year, J.D. Power's 2011 U.S. Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study comes as no surprise. According to owners surveyed in the study, simplicity and ease-of-use are lacking in the majority of systems on the market, ...