TODAY’S DRIVER-ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS ARE BUILDING BLOCKS TOWARD FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES Recently, it seems that the mainstream media has become infatuated with the prospect of autonomous cars — vehicles that can drive themselves. That infatuation is due in large part to …
EUROPEAN “COLD WAR” HAS THROWN THE TRANSITION TO A NEW REFRIGERANT INTO DISARRAY If you were in the auto business in the 1990s, you probably remember the near chaos that surrounded a change in vehicle air-conditioning refrigerant at that time. …
STUDIES SHOW DISTRACTED DRIVING ISSUE COULD LEAD TO MORE REGULATION With the continual proliferation of mobile communication devices, both handheld and vehicle-based, distracted driving is becoming a major safety issue. There’s little argument on that point. But just how much …
BUT AUTOMAKERS WILL GET SOME HELP IN THE FORM OF MORE STRINGENT GASOLINE STANDARDS A constant the auto industry has needed to deal with since the 1970s is ever-more-stringent emissions-control regulations. With all the emphasis on fuel economy over the …
MAINTAINING 24/7 CONNECTIVITY IS NOW AN EXPECTED FUNCTION OF AN AUTOMOBILE. With auto sales rebounding strongly last year and holding up well in 2013, we might be forgiven for thinking it’s back to business as usual, now that we’ve weathered …
Some may be ready to buy a vehicle that’ll actually make them unhappy Qualifying potential buyers is a standard part of the sales process. Now, however, there’s an added dimension to it. With all the media and government focus on …
WHY ITS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE NUMBERS DON’T NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE REAL WORLD Fuel consumption is a major factor in the purchase decision for many new-vehicle buyers — a fact supported by both consumer surveys and anecdotal experience. As …
First generation models haven’t been as popular as we might have expected According to a recent study conducted by Prime Research International, a global automotive research firm, worldwide interest in electric vehicles (EVs) is already on the wane. “Reporting on …
What will that new standard mean for cars, dealers and buyers in Canada? We’ve all known it was coming. It’s been a topic of discussion for the past couple of years. But it was always tentative. Now it’s official. The …
SURVEY SHOWS SAFETY TECHNOLOGY MIGHT PROVIDE FALSE CONFIDENCE Canadian drivers consider safety a high priority when making new-vehicle purchase decisions, according to a recent study by Canada’s Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF). Those polled — a total of 2,506 Canadian …
Which fuel-efficient technology is best depends on the customer With gas prices hovering in the upper echelons of their traditional price range, and enough volatility in the market to make consumers nervous about future price spikes, fuel-efficiency is top-of-mind for …
The technical direction it has pioneered is the way of the future General Motors’ hopes that the Chevrolet Volt would trigger a renaissance for the company as a technology leader seem to be evaporating along with sales of the revolutionary …
