A Lexus SL 600 Integrated Safety driverless research vehicle on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. Experts argue that the technology for driverless cars exists, but that the public doesn't quite trust the idea yet. (Julie Jacobson/AP/File)

Driverless cars: What's the holdup? Public trust.

By Richard Read, Guest blogger / 04.20.13

If you're itching to get your hands on a self-driving car, there's something you can do to speed up the process: talk to your neighbors.

That's one of the tips gleaned from a panel on "Driver Distraction Regulation and Autonomous Driving", which convened this week at the Society of Automotive Engineers' annual World Congress in Detroit. According to AutoNews, most of the experts on that panel -- including representatives from Honda, Nissan, and the University of Michigan -- agree that the technology to create self-driving vehicles already exists.

We would agree. Many of the systems crucial to autonomous vehicles -- systems like brake-assist, lane-assist, and adaptive cruise control -- can be found on many of today's cars. Vehicle-to-vehicle technology isn't available just yet, but it's evolving rapidly -- and Google's autonomous car has done just fine without it anyway. 

What's lacking is public trust, and frankly, that's unlikely to exist until everyday consumers (a) become aware of autonomous vehicles and (b) become convinced of their reliability.

It's the latter part of that equation that's tricky. Getting the public to believe that their lives aren't in danger when their car starts driving itself down the highway at 70 mph is going to take a little time. And the first time headlines hint of a technical malfunction in a deadly accident, the public backlash is likely to be severe. It may take a decade or more before the majority of consumers become comfortable with the technology. (Though offering benefits like special travel lanes for autonomous vehicles could speed up the process a bit.)

According to Detroit News, the panel at SAE sees autonomous vehicles arriving around 2025. That may seem like an eternity for early adopters, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is already making plans for the debut of self-driving cars. In fact, it's preparing a multi-year research project to draft rules and regulations for autonomous vehicles.

What no one has really addressed yet, it the question of liability in accidents. Because automakers, software engineers, insurance agencies, and lawyers around the globe are eager to know: when autonomous vehicles collide, who's at fault?

A sign is painted on a parking space for electric cars inside a car park in Hong Kong. Researchers say microbatteries finally bring batteries up to the level of the gadgets they power. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Could 'microbatteries' revolutionize the electric car?

By Antony Ingram, Guest blogger / 04.19.13

We've heard it all before--new battery technologies appear, set to revolutionize the way we use electric products.

The story is the same for new microbatteries developed at the University of Illinois, but the researchers there are making even bigger claims than most.

Imagine a battery so small it could feature in a credit card-sized cellphone, charge in mere seconds, with enough power to jump-start a car. Now imagine it scaled up for use in an electric vehicle.

All the above scenarios are a possibility with the new microbattery technology, and the researchers say it finally brings batteries up to the level of the gadgets they power.  ( Continue… )

A man walks by Toyota Motor Corp's successive models of Prius hybrid cars at the company's showroom in Tokyo April 17, 2013. Toyota Motor Corp has sold more than 5 million gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles as of the end of March since they first went on sale in 1997, the automaker said on Wednesday. (Issei Kato/Reuters/File)

Toyota hybrid sales pass 5 million; 2 million in the US

By John Voelcker, Guest blogger / 04.18.13

Say the word "hybrid" and then ask drivers, anywhere in the world, to name a car brand.

They'll likely say "Toyota," a testimony to that brand's launch of the first Prius in 1997 and its tenacious pursuit of improvement in hybrid-electric powertrain technology since then.

Today, Toyota announced it has delivered 5 million hybrids worldwide--and almost 2 million of them were sold in the United States.

To mark the occasion, the company issued not only a press release filled with the obligatory statements from executives and external analysts, but a truly unusual video.

In it, happy young hybrid owners sing, dance, and otherwise cavort around the complete model lineup of 2013 Toyota Prius hybrids: the traditional Prius liftback, the Prius V wagon, the Prius C subcompact hatchback, and the Prius Plug-in Hybrid.

We'll let you decide how to assess the video.

About all we can say is that ... well ... it's probably better than the infamous Volt Dance.

The Toyota Prius is now midway through its third generation, launched early in 2009 as a 2010 model.

Three of the four Prius models are rated at 50 mpg combined by the EPA, with the fourth--the bigger, heavier Prius V wagon--rated at 42 mpg combined.

That makes those Prius models the most fuel-efficient gasoline cars sold in the States; no other car gets higher gas mileage.

The basic technology has remained the same for more than a decade: a small four-cylinder gasoline engine is paired with a Hybrid Synergy Drive transmission containing two electric motor-generators.

The motors can power the car, alone under light loads or assisting the gasoline engine when maximum power is needed. They also recharge the car's nickel-metal hydride battery pack, either on engine overrun or through regenerative braking.

From that first Prius, Toyota has slowly spread its hybrid technology throughout its lineup, pledging that before the end of the decade, it will offer a hybrid variation of every high-volume car it sells.

The Toyota Prius remains by far the best-selling hybrid globally, and the most efficient vehicle in Toyota's entire lineup.

A new fourth-generation Prius is likely to arrive in 2015 for the 2016 model year.

The Ford Motor Company logo is pictured on the rooftop of Austria's Ford head branch in Vienna. Ford has announced a plan to make the learning curve for new-car owners a little shallower, Read writes. (Heinz-Peter Bader/Reuters/File)

Ford Motor Company offers drivers 'video snacks'

By Richard Read, Guest blogger / 04.15.13

Perhaps more than any other automaker, Ford understands the challenges of explaining technology to customers. Its own MyFord Touch and SYNC systems have caused the company's initial quality rankings to plummet because owners don't understand how all the bells and whistles work.

Now, Ford has announced a plan to make the learning curve for new-car owners a little shallower -- and the entire process much more convenient.

To do that, Ford is using the same teaching tool that Americans have relied on since the invention of the VCR: instructional videos. Ford has created dozens and dozens of what it's (unfortunately) calling "video snacks", which offer very specific information about the details on new Fordvehicles.

For you, the shopper, the experience will work a bit like this:  ( Continue… )

The Ford Motor Company logo shines on the grille of a 2006 Ford Escape outside the showroom of a Ford dealership in the south Denver suburb of Littleton, Colo. Ford and GM are collaborating to develop new transmissions. (David Zalubowski/AP/File)

Ford Motor Company, GM to collaborate on new transmissions

By Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Guest blogger / 04.15.13

Ford and General Motors will jointly develop new nine- and ten-speed automatic transmissions, marking the third time this decade that the two auto giants have collaborated on such a project.

Previous developments included six- and eight-speed automatics used across dozens of vehicles from Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] and General Motors Company [NYSE:GM].

And as with these previous units, each automaker will manufacture its own version of the new transmission designs.

They will be developed for a wide variety of applications including cars, crossovers, SUVs and trucks, and versions for both front-wheel and rear-wheel drive configurations are planned.  ( Continue… )

A Suzuki SX4 compact sport crossover. Crossover vehicles are surging on popularity among American buyers. (American Suzuki Motor Corporation/PRNewsFoto/File)

Compact crossover cars surge in sales

By Antony Ingram, Guest blogger / 04.14.13

People love their SUVs. You can't move for the things these days, but the good news is they could be getting smaller.

An influx of compact SUVs and crossovers in recent years has struck a chord with buyers, and sales have grown at a faster rate than the rest of the industry in the first three months of 2013.

"It's a real sweet spot in the marketplace," said R.L. Polk & Co analyst Tom Libby in an interview with The Detroit News, "the right combination of functionality and size and gas mileage."

For SUV-loving consumers, a car offering the same chunky looks and raised seating position but with significantly lower running costs is an attractive proposition--and sales of around 450,000 small SUVs in the first quarter back this up.

According to Kelly Blue Book, small SUVs and crossovers now make up 12.1 percent of all new car sales, up from 11.2 percent over the same period last year and only 6.7 percent in 2007.

Leading the charge is Ford's new Escape, which sold 72,983 units in the first three months--an improvement of 24.5 percent on the same period in 2012.

In contrast, sales of Honda's CR-V are down by 12.4 percent, though the Japanese automaker still sold a healthy 65,374 CR-Vs from January to March.

Toyota RAV4 sales crept up by 3.9 percent over January to March 2012, for a total of 41,413. Other success stories include the Subaru Forester, up almost a quarter to 21,144, and the Mazda CX-5 with almost 18,000 in the first quarter.

While most automakers are also putting heavy incentives on the smaller SUVs--an average of $2,383 in Ford's case--Ford and Toyota are offering lower incentives now than they were in previous years.

With incentives like better gas mileage and better handling than traditional SUVs and high levels of technology and equipment, it's little surprise small crossovers and SUV sales are increasing.

A 2012 Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle is parked at the solar-powered electric charging station at the General Motors assembly plant in Hamtramck, Michigan.President Obama's proposed budget includes a boost in funding for the DOE to research more fuel efficient cars, and a boost to the tax credit for electric vehicles. (Rebecca Cook/Reuters/File)

Obama budget boosts funding, tax credit for electric cars

By Antony Ingram, Guest blogger / 04.14.13

President Barack Obama has said he wants to boost the Department of Energy's vehicle research budget 75 percent to help develop more efficient cars.

In his 2014 budget proposal to Congress on Wednesday, Obama proposes $575 million extra for research, and a further $2 billion trust fund to help research into getting off foreign oil in the next ten years.

According to The Detroit News, it's partly aimed at boosting the slow uptake of electric vehicles, and the budget speech included a call to hike the Federal income tax credit for electric vehicles to $10,000.

Back in 2008, Obama called for 1 million plug-in electric vehicles on the roads by 2015--a target that now looks a few years from reality.

While electric vehicle sales are steadily rising, they aren't increasing at quite enough of a rate to meet that target--and many automakers have scaled back their own predictions.

Currently, a maximum tax credit of $7,500 is available to eligible buyers, and some individual states also offer their own rebate programs for electric cars. An increased tax credit could help boost sales a little further, though it faces strict opposition from Republicans and the House.

But Obama also proposes to change the tax-credit rules slightly so that dealers can claim the credit. That would allow them to apply it directly to the price of the car, making it effectively a rebate at the time of purchase--rather than requiring buyers to wait up to 15 months, when they file their taxes, to realize the reduction.

Electric-car advocates have long urged that the credit be made a rebate to increase its attractiveness.

Potential tax credits for fuel-cell powered medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to be even higher--up to $40,000, as a way of incentivising the currently-expensive technology.

Despite political opposition, the carmakers themselves are keen on any move that helps increase sales.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, representing Detroit's Big Three, the Toyota Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG and others, said "We generally support incentives that can help move our models from dealer lots to people's driveways, but we defer to policymakers in setting the precise dollar amount needed to increase sales."

Money from the research budget would be used to speed up the development of battery technology and improved manufacturing processes, as well as the development of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels.

The steering wheel of a Toyota car containing an airbag in Vienna April 11, 2013. Four Japanese automakers including Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are recalling 3.4 million vehicles worldwide due to defective airbags supplied by Takata Corp. (Heinz-Peter Bader)

Toyota, Honda, Nissan recall 3.4 million vehicles for faulty airbags

By Schuyler Velasco, Staff writer / 04.11.13

Four Japanese auto brands – Nissan, Toyota, Honda, and Mazda – have issued a recall of 3.4 million vehicles due to an airbag glitch. The faulty airbags all come from the same supplier, the Japanese safety gear manufacturer Takata. 

Some non-Japanese automakers also use the recalled airbags, but Takata hasn’t named them. It’s the largest product recall ever for the company, and the first major recall since 1995.

The recall affects passenger-side airbags manufactured at the company’s Mexico plant between 2000 and 2002. All of the vehicles involved thus far were manufactured between 2000 and 2004.

“The involved vehicles are equipped with front passenger airbag inflators which could have been assembled with improperly manufactured propellant wafers,” Toyota USA said in a statement on the recalls section of the automaker’s website. “Improperly manufactured propellant wafers could cause the inflator to rupture and the front passenger airbag to deploy abnormally in the event of a crash.”

The airbags could deploy with too much force, starting fires or sending debris flying toward passengers.

Below are the specifics for each automaker:

Toyota:

Toyota is recalling 1.73 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles worldwide and 170,000 vehicles in the United States, including Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sequoia, and Tundra, and Lexus SC 430 models manufactured between 2001 and 2003. Per the Toyota press release, the automaker may have to investigate 510,000 additional vehicles for faulty inflators.

“Owners of vehicles subject to this safety recall will receive an owner notification letter by first class mail,” Toyota's statement reads.  “The recall remedy will involve inspection of the front passenger air bag, and, if it is equipped with an affected inflator, the inflator will be replaced with a newly manufactured one at no charge to the owner.”

The company is also recalling 490,000 cars in Europe and 320,000 in Japan.

For more information, visit www.toyota.com/recall, or call the Toyota customer line at 1 800 331-4331.

Honda:

Honda will recall 1.14 vehicles worldwide and 561,000 in the United States, including 43,000 CR-Vs manufactured between 2002 and 2003, 426,000 Civics manufactured between 2001 and 2003, and 92,000 2002 Odyssey minivans. Honda will notify affected customers via email in late May. Honda owners can determine if their cars need a repair before then by visiting www.recalls.honda.com, or by calling (800) 999-1009 and selecting option 4.

Nissan

Nissan is recalling 480,000 vehicles worldwide for the problem, including 137,000 vehicles in Japan. No specifics have been provided yet on the remaining 343,000 vehicles, sold overseas in North America and Europe. Affected models include Cube, X-Trail, Maxima and Teana, manufactured between August 2000 and January 2004.

Mazda

Mazda’s share of the recall is much smaller, involving 45,000 RX-8 and Mazda 6 vehicles and 4,000 cars in Japan. Recalls will soon be announced in North America, Europe, and China, according to AP.

The Ford Motor Company logo shines on the grille of a 2006 Ford Escape outside the showroom of a Ford dealership in the south Denver suburb of Littleton, Colo. Ford has announced a "Personalized Fuel Efficiency App Challenge." (David Zalubowski/AP/File)

Ford Motor Company launches competition for fuel-efficiency app

By Richard Read, Guest blogger / 04.10.13

Ford marketing honcho Jim Farley recently gave the keynote address at the 2013 New York AutoShow. While speaking about changes in the auto industry caused by shifts in demographics (e.g. Millennials) and mindsets (e.g. connectivity), he also announced a new app contest.

That contest -- dubbed the Personalized Fuel Efficiency App Challenge -- offers a cash prize to the software developer who creates the best new app for fuel efficiency. The winning app might live on smartphones, or it might exist solely on Ford infotainment systems. According to the official contest website:

Ford Motor Company is challenging software developers to create the best mobile or web-based apps that will help customers easily access their personal fuel-economy performance data. With this data, using on-road personalized experiences, customers can share, compare and learn how to optimize their fuel usage. Developers must use data via the OpenXC platform. Winners will receive $50,000.

Farley explained the rationale for the contest in his keynote speech:  ( Continue… )