Infotainment

Owners can get already-purchased cars upgraded as well.

They're not perfect, but they are an improvement

Ford's smart jacket aims to solve a number of safety issues related to commuting on a bicycle.

Huzzah! You'll no longer need to watch your iPhone in the cupholder.

Like the weather, everyone talks about over-the-air (OTA) software updates for cars, but no one really does much about it, except for Tesla. Until now. Starting today, Here, the company known for its automotive mapping services, hopes to change this and help keep car electronics current with its new OTA Connect services.

Not Android Auto — Android Automotive, the OS starting with Audi, Volvo

From Bluetooth syncing to systems like CarPlay and Android Auto, the link between your smartphone and car grows closer every day. Today, Ford announced that its Sync 3 infotainment system will now have full Waze integration, meaning you can natively use the community-based traffic and navigation app in Ford vehicles. While we knew that has been in the works for months, the app can now be used with hands-free voice controls.

One of the greatest design challenges in the modern automotive industry is an infotainment system that provides loads of capabilities, but is also easy-to-use and not overly distracting. Touch screens have been leading the way as the favored option, but Acura is trying a new design that relies on a touch pad with some unique tweaks to separate it from similar systems, such as those seen in competing Lexus models. And we got to try it out in the first production application, the 2019 Acura RDX co

Volvo has announced new details in its partnership with Google, saying it's working with the Silicon Valley behemoth to embed Google Assistant, Google Play Store, Google Maps and other voice-controlled services into Volvo's next-generation Sensus infotainment system.

Here's a quick checklist of infotainment functions to test and questions to ask when new-car shopping.

Volvo and GM are the first automakers to pair their vehicles with a new service from Amazon that lets owners have their packages delivered inside their cars, without them having to be there.

Sprinter vans in the United States will be offered with these two diesel engines, along with a gasoline-powered 188-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. We'll have a choice of rear- and all-wheel drive, though the front-wheel-drive model available in other markets will be a no-show stateside.

Chevrolet will introduce a new technology feature that will allow drivers to pay for gas at the pump from inside their vehicles without having to swipe a credit card or use their smartphone.

One of the great things about technology is – with the exception of Apple products – consumers get more for their money every year. For example, the first 1GB USB drive I bought in 2005 cost me $30. Today you can get 10 for that price, delivered to your door thanks to Amazon. The same goes for car tech.

JVCKenwood was a tad premature in announcing head units with wireless Android Auto given that phones weren't officially ready for it, but that support is finally here... more or less. Google has enabled cord-free Android Auto in vehicles that have an Android Auto Wireless-compatible infotainment system (built-in or aftermarket), but only if you have a relatively recent Google phone running Oreo -- that means a Pixel, Pixel 2, Nexus 5X or Nexus 6P.

Infiniti is working on a fully overhauled infotainment system starting in 2021 that will feature bigger displays but retain the current dual-touchscreen setup. In the meantime, upgrades including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity will be added to existing systems starting next year.

When it was first introduced in 2007, there was nothing like the original Ford Sync system, since it allowed car owners to connect and use a portable device better than anything that came before it. It took competitors awhile to catch up. But now Ford is the one playing catchup.

The number of car companies that don't offer a smartphone mirroring infotainment system is shrinking. Toyota is finally beginning to offer Apple CarPlay on new cars, first on the Toyota Avalon. Mazda is finally going to offer Apple CarPlay, too, as well as Android Auto. The first car to get it will be the Mazda6.

Volkswagen has just revealed the latest version of its first modern SUV, the Touareg. It's bigger and is way more high-tech than its predecessors. And according to Volkswagen, it's not for us in the United States. Instead, it will just be launching in overseas markets such as China and Europe.