Connectivity

Ford's cloud service is now keeping an eye on fleet location and performance, and even whether the drivers are wearing their seatbelts.

A new device will allow millions of older-model Ford vehicles to be upgraded to include the same connectivity perks found in newer vehicles. The FordPass SmartLink device will enable features like a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot, smartphone integration of key fob features like remote engine start, lock and unlock, vehicle health and security alerts, and vehicle location tracking.

Avis will link 5,000 rental cars wirelessly to the internet and each other in Kansas City

Rethinking the state of connectivity.

The system is based on Automotive Grade Linux.

Toyota, Ford, Suzuki, and Mazda are all partners with AGL.

The focus will be vehicle connectivity and autonomous driving.

Companies are using balloons, planes and other high-tech apparatuses to provide WiFi in underserved areas. In Australia, they're using Land Cruisers.

Ford Smart Mobility will be responsible for technology based mobility solutions beyond the scope of cars.

In yet another signal that cars and consumer electronics have become one in the same, General Motors CEO Mary Barra said Thursday she will deliver a keynote address during the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Porsche is putting a greater focus on developing connectivity technology in its vehicles for the future, and the company might be working with Apple and Google on solutions. Also, expect to see more hybrids from the sports car brand in the future, maybe even a full EV.

Many consumers don't know about or trust car connectivity, according to a new study.

When Don Butler made the decision to leave his post as Cadillac's VP of global strategic development, it was a surprise. Citing a desire to "recalibrate, reassess my priorities" in that August announcement, it wasn't entirely clear where Butler – a virtual General Motors lifer after spending nea

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is rapidly becoming a major stage on which automakers show off their latest and greatest goodies designed to make the lives of drivers easier and more colorful. For Chevrolet, that means it is unveiling a bunch of new smartphone-like technologies for its cars.

Let's just say the smart money's on smart transportation. A recent study by MarketsAndMarkets found that global spending on so-called smart-transportation initiatives will quadruple to more than $102 billion in 2018 from almost $27 billion this year. Spending on communication systems that do everything from conveying local traffic levels to providing parking and traffic-ticketing information, all of which will be designed to make the roads safer and more efficient, will jump by about 24 percent

Organizers for the Tokyo Motor Show have a problem on their hands. Ever since the financial crisis, the biannual auto show has been enduring a downturn. Though 2011's attendance of 842,600 visitors was an improvement of 37 percent over 2009, the overall trend is downward from 1.43 million visitors in 2007. The height of attendance for the show was in 1991 when the 15-day exhibition ushered in 2.02 million patrons. The show later shrunk to

Do you love your car? Like, really love your car? How about your iPhone? According to Forbes, a group called New Media Metrics has a way to quantify just how much you adore your devices, and how that emotional connection determines your purchasing behavior.

Nearly the entire auto industry has finally caught up with the world of consumer electronics, offering a way to connect the iPod/iPhone – be it via USB, Bluetooth or official Apple connector – in most new cars. The 30-pin Apple connector was first incorporated in a car by BMW in 2004 and was significant because it meant inclusion of a connector that only works for a single br

BMW claims to have been the first carmaker to offer an in-dash navigation system all the way back in 1994 on its 7 Series. It was also arguably the first automaker to experience the backlash that comes with poor user interface design when it introduced the iDrive system in 2001. Nav systems today have trickled down to cars costing a fraction of the 7

We can't see any way for Mr. LaHood and his crusaders against distracted driving to win; consumers want access to their connected lives even while behind the wheel and they're going to find a way to get it. Even if it means not being able to actually use a cellphone, manufacturers are right now working on ways to further integrate the app-sphere into their infotainment systems, and a Michigan company called Livio would like to help them.