Infotainment

Are people starting to view replacing their cars as being no different than replacing their iPhone? Well, yeah, kinda.

Daimler boss Dietzer Zetsche doesn't think Google is serious about actually building cars and is just investigating how people use vehicles. He said he sees opportunities to work with the search giant in the future but thinks there is a possibly antagonistic relationship when it comes to data privacy.

Automakers are ill-equipped to handle the growing scope of cyber threats faced by cars on American roads, a critical new report charges.

60 Minutes has a segment showing how the Software Innovation Division of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency hacks into a Chevrolet Impala through the Onstar telematics system and gains control of the vehicle while reporter Leslie Stahl is driving.

You remember Rikk Wilde. The Chevrolet regional manager became an immediate sensation last fall when he stammered through his World Series presentation and invoked the now-famous "technology and stuff" catchphrase to describe the automaker's latest offerings. As it turns out, he's not the only car guy struggling to offer more specifics on the newest automotive technology.

Ford is getting serious about developing more sophisticated technology for its models, and to make things even better, the automaker is opening the new Research and Innovation Center Palo Alto in Silicon Valley. With a former Apple engineer as the center's technical head, the lab is focusing on five areas: connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, customer experience and big data.

We head to CES 2015 to check out the latest gadgets and transport tech, including drones, Volkswagen's new gesture controls and an electric skateboard.

As automakers jockey to showcase their latest infotainment technologies at CES, studies show that customers don't just want more tech in their cars - they're willing to pay for it, too.

Volkswagen is going all out at CES 2015 to show off the future of automotive technology. The company thinks in the future that electric cars might be able to find charging stations by themselves and that gesture controls might be the next step in operating a vehicle. Besides the Golf R Touch concept, VW is debuting its next-gen MIB II infotainment system that supports MirrorLink, Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto.

The automotive world is rapidly leaping into the next generation of infotainment systems. We already know that the CarPlay from Apple and Sync 3 from Ford based are on the way. Google showed off its future concept for Android Auto earlier this year and promised that it would be available by the end of 2014. That didn't happen, but the technology giant has put a tentative plan in place for its challenger in this crowded field.

Hyundai has announced that it's bringing a new, smartphone-enabled infotainment system to the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show. Set to arrive on the brand's lower-end 2016 models, it will eventually be offered across the entry level range, and is compatible with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Jaguar and Land Rover are known for making highly covetable luxury, performance and off-road vehicles, but the British automakers are on a bit of a technology bent lately. Keen to show that it can not only keep up but lead the way when it comes to safety and convenience features, JLR has come out with two more systems to show the way forward.

MyFord Touch has been among the most widely disdained automotive infotainment systems on the market, practically since its introduction in 2010. Consumer Reports was among the most vocal critics, all but advocating its lynching by an angry mob armed with torches and pitchforks. Not surprisingly, then, after such a critical walloping, Ford has finally decided to say goodbye to the unloved tech, declaring the end of MyFord Touch branding in favor of Sync 3 for its upcoming, all-new system.

"They've never been in autos before, and this is going to be an absolute point of differentiation for us." – Matt VanDyke

Cars fitted with the Apple CarPlay system should be in dealerships next year, available as a delayed option on the 2015 Hyundai Sonata and eventually expected to be available on Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari vehicles. Google isn't that far behind with its Android Auto, and after Hyundai showed it off at the LA Auto Show, Google Developers used their Dev.Bytes program give us a better look at it.

In October the Association of Global Automakers and the Alliance of Automobile Manfuacturers informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that they were working together on a set of privacy protection guidelines for drivers. The privacy concerns the data collected by modern automobiles, like vehicle location, biometrics or infotainment usage, that automakers use to "enable a better overall driving experience." Even though the information is anonymized, the fear is that – wit

Dodge dropped a 707-horsepower bomb on us this year, by way of the supercharged, 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 engine found under the hood of the 2015 Challenger coupe and Charger sedan. That's an absolute ton of power, and no matter how well-heeled a driver you may be, these Hellcat models demand respect in order to be tamed. But don't worry, Dodge has your back. Enter, the SRT Performance Pages.

The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray's Performance Data Recorder does exactly what it's name says it does: It allows drivers to record and analyze their performance behind the wheel.

JustDrive will allegedly deliver on the long-promised idea of natural communication between driver and car.

For 2015, the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray gained a novel piece of high-performance technology: The Performance Data Recorder. This trick system combines video from a front-mounted camera with in-car data and GPS information to help drivers record and study their lap times, complete with data overlays. While it's a clever tool for track days, it's also finding popularity as a built-in dash cam of sorts. To this point, the technology has been a Corvette exclusive, but General Motors' executive vic

Well, this certainly looks like a concept, doesn't it? From the wide, portal-esque door opeings to the boattail rear window design, there's just so much about the Infiniti Q80 Inspiration that looks like it would never actually reach production that we're impressed the automaker had the gumption to put the machine together and show it off at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.