GM buys Cruise Automation to speed self-driving car strategy

General Motors Co (GM.N) announced Friday it is buying Cruise Automation, a San Francisco self-driving vehicle startup, the latest move by the auto company as it competes with Silicon Valley to develop self-driving cars that could be used in ride-sharing fleets.

GM and Cruise did not disclose the value of the deal. Technology website Re/Code cited sources as saying GM paid $1 billion. A GM spokesman declined to comment on that figure.

GM intends to use Cruise’s technology and people to accelerate its effort to develop vehicles that can operate without a human driver, potentially as part of ride-sharing fleets “as soon as possible,” GM President Dan Ammann said in an interview.

“We will be committing considerable resources to recruit and grow the capability of the team,” Ammann said.

Cruise has been working to develop hardware and software that could be installed in a vehicle to enable the car to pilot itself on a highway, without the driver steering or braking.

GM initially planned an investment in the company but moved within five weeks to buy Cruise outright, said venture partner Nabeel Hyatt of Spark Capital, an investor in Cruise.

"They moved faster than most Silicon Valley companies would move," he said.

Cruise, which has 40 employees, was launched in 2013 and has raised $20 million in venture capital, founder Kyle Vogt said in an interview.

Vogt impressed Silicon Valley venture capital fund Signia Venture Partners by demonstrating an Audi A4 that could be controlled by a game console, said Signia principal Sunny Dhillon.

More recently, Cruise was working on a system that could make a car "fully driverless," Vogt said.

A flurry of investments by traditional auto companies reflects a fear among industry executives that the century-old business of building and selling cars that people drive themselves is at risk, even though global vehicle demand is strong.

In January, GM said it would invest $500 million in ride-hailing company Lyft Inc and followed that by forming a new car-sharing operation called Maven. The company has also established a separate unit for self-driving vehicle development.

Other automakers are moving into ride sharing and self-driving vehicles, as are some traditional auto suppliers.

Germany’s Continental AG (CONG.DE) and Delphi Automotive Plc (DLPH.N) among others are seeking technology companies to buy for intellectual property and programming talent.

Source: http://www.reuters.com

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Mazda readies CX-4 crossover for Beijing Motor Show debut

Mazda's family of crossovers will grow when the Japanese automaker debuts the new CX-4 next month at the Beijing Motor Show. Based on the Koeru concept that was shown last fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the CX-4 should look sleeker and ride lower to the ground for a sportier handling characteristics compared to Mazda's current crop of crossovers that includes the CX-3, CX-5 and CX-9.

In Frankfurt, the Koeru looked fleshed out and nearly production ready with its blacked-out A-pillars creating a floating roof illusion to give it a svelter appearance. The Koeru also wore the latest iteration of Mazda's "Kodo: Soul of Motion" design language with a Mazda6-like front end that features a large, heptagonal grille, and light fixtures that resemble that of the CX-3 and CX-5.

Official powertrain details for the CX-4 still aren't available, but it's safe to expect Mazda's latest fuel-efficient SkyActiv equipment to be present under the hood. We'll surely know more about the mechanicals next month.

If the prospect of a lower-slung Mazda crossover sounds interesting, you're in for a bit of disappointment, as Automotive News is reporting that the CX-4 will be produced and sold only in China when it launches. However, the company is said to be mulling the possibility of bringing it to other markets later on.

When reached for comment, Mazda North American spokesman Jeremy Barnes couldn't elaborate on the prospects of the CX-4 landing in the States. "While we are always evaluating new segments in which Mazda does not currently compete in the US market, we do not comment on future products, so can neither confirm nor deny whether the Mazda CX-4 is slated to come to the US," he said. Given how hot the crossover market is here, I wouldn't be surprised to eventually see the CX-4 in showrooms here some time down the road.

Source:http://www.cnet.com

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Driverless cars to be tested on UK motorways in 2017

The government's latest budget will include new measures and incentives to support the growth of autonomous car technology in the UK.

Unveiling the budget on Wednesday, chancellor George Osborne will announce that driverless cars will be tested on UK motorways as soon as next year.

According to The Guardian, which has been briefed on the budget, the chancellor will claim that the technology could represent "the most fundamental change to transport since the invention of the internal combustion engine."

The announcement is one of a number of measures that Osborne says will put Britain in a position to "lead the world in new technologies and infrastructure."

Funding for driverless car trials will come from the government's Intelligent Mobility Fund, announced earlier this year, which has £100 million budget to invest in a range of new innovations in transport.

Currently, £20 million of the fund has been allocated to eight autonomous vehicle projects, ranging from driverless shuttles for disabled people to the development of autonomous vehicle testing centres.

The first fully autonomous vehicles are due to come to London in July. The electric pods, developed by the GATEway group, will be located at Greenwich Peninsula, where they'll service local residential areas and the O2 Arena. The system has been used at Heathrow Terminal 5 for the last five years, where they run on tracks. Each pod can carry six passengers, although one will be a steward who can send out an alert in case of emergency.

In Milton Keynes, two-seater electric LUTZ Pathfinder pods are being trialled in pedestrian areas. They have a maximum speed of 15mph, although they're designed to go more slowly if they detect congestion. Following piloted trials to help the puds understand the layout of the urban environment, an extended program will see 40 fully autonomous pods used in both Milton Keynes and Coventry.

The Venturer Consortium is carrying out similar work in Bristol, involving full-sized road vehicles. Meanwhile, in February's Pathway to Driverless Cars report, the Department for Transport praised the Oxford Mobile Robotics Group’s autonomous Nissan Leaf, while Nissan has announced that its first driverless car, the Qashqai crossover, will be built in Sunderland.

Source: http://www.wired.co.uk

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Meet the 707-HP, Hellcat-powered Jeep Trailcat

If a Jeep was ever to get a Hellcat engine transplant, the obvious recipient would be the performance-minded Grand Cherokee SRT (it's happening next year, by the way). With 475 horsepower on tap and four drive wheels, the SUV is plenty quick.

In the interim, Jeep has taken its supercharged 707 horsepower monster from the high-end Challenger / Charger and dropped it in a Wrangler because why the hell not?



Surprisingly enough, the 6.2-liter Hemi V8 looks right at home under the hood of the new Jeep Trailcat. Of course, Jeep had to lengthen the vehicle by a full foot to get it to fit but whatever. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission that powers massive 39.5-inch BF Goodrich Krawler T/A tires on 17-inch beadlock wheels.

Other goodies include Fox shocks, a two-inch lift kit, Dana 60 axles front and rear, a lowered windshield, seats from a Dodge Viper and a custom vented hood, just to name a few.


As you may have guessed, the Jeep Trailcat is a concept (for now) – one of several Jeep unveiled for the 50th annual Easter Jeep Safari taking place later this month in Moab, Utah. That means the Trailcat will likely never make it into production.

Personally, I'd like to see it line up against this V8 LSX-powered Jeep Willys.





Source: http://www.techspot.com

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BMW celebrates 100th birthday with the Vision Next 100 Vehicle, a forward-looking concept

BMW is celebrating 100 years of manfuacturing this year. In fact, today is the company's 100th birthday but rather than reflect on its past, the German automaker is looking far into the future with a new concept car known as the Vision Next 100 Vehicle.

Unveiled earlier today at the Munich Olympic Hall, the Vision Next 100 Vehicle is – as you'd expect – loaded with autonomous features.

The car offers two drive modes. In "Boost" mode, a human pilots the vehicle much like we drive cars today. Switching to "Ease" mode lets the driver kick back while the car takes over driving duties. In this latter mode, the steering wheel retracts and the front seats move a bit to make it easier to carry on conversation with passengers. Even the car's interior lighting changes to reflect the driving mode.



As CNET points out, the vehicle's entire front windshield doubles as an augmented reality display where all gauges and other driving aides are displayed. In Boost mode, the display will even draw out a proper driving line when taking turns. When in Ease mode, the display transforms into something like a tour guide, highlighting local attractions and so forth.

BMW's Vision Next 100 Vehicle is also outfitted with something called The Companion. It's a gemstone-shaped object that serves as a visual representation of the car's artificial intelligence system. The Companion functions differently based on the drive mode and can even signal to pedestrians that it's safe to cross the street.



BMW said the vehicle is emissions-free but failed to delve any deeper into its powertrain. As is customary with concept vehicles, it's probably safe to assume that most of these forward-looking features won't make it into a production vehicle anytime soon. Even still, it's refreshing to see that BWM envisions a future in which drivers are still part of the equation (if they so choose to be).







Source: http://www.techspot.com

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Singapore's first Tesla Model S owner hit with $11,000 fine for excessive emissions

Tesla owners in the US are eligible for various incentives for purchasing an electric vehicle. It's quite the opposite situation in Singapore, however, as one local recently found out.

Joe Nguyen has spent the past several months trying to import the Tesla Model S he purchased in Hong Kong to his home country. Nguyen anticipating receiving a rebate of S$15,000 (~$11,000) as the car has no exhaust pipe and thus, no emissions. Instead, he was hit with a fine of S$15,000 courtesy of the nation's Carbon Emissions Vehicle Scheme (CEVS).

A spokesperson for the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) told Channel NewsAsia that the Model S in question was tested under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) R101 standards. That test determined that the Tesla vehicle used 444 watt-hours per kilometer driven.

The LTA spokesperson provided the publication with the following explanation.

"As for all electric vehicles, a grid emission factor of 0.5 g CO2/Wh was also applied to the electric energy consumption. This is to account for CO2 emissions during the electricity generation process, even if there are no tail-pipe emissions. The equivalent CO2 emission of Mr Nguyen’s car was 222g/km, which is in the CEVS surcharge band."

Or in other words, they're factoring upstream emissions – the environmental impact of producing the electricity to power the car – into the equation. Autoblog also points out that the top-of-the-line Tesla Model S P90D is rated to consume around 210 watt-hours per kilometer driven.

Update: Tesla has reached out and provided us with the following statement on the matter.

The Model S that our customer imported into Singapore left our factory in 2014 with energy consumption rated at 181 Wh/km. As the Land Transport Authority has confirmed, this qualifies as the cleanest possible category of car in Singapore and entitles the owner to an incentive rather than a fine.

Model S achieves this result because CO2 emissions in gas-powered cars are far higher than in electric cars. In Singapore, electricity generation releases roughly 0.5kgCO2/kWh. Based on energy consumption in Model S of 181 Wh/km, this results in 90 g CO2/km. Driving an equivalent gas-powered car like the Mercedes S-Class S 500 results in emissions of approximately 200 gCO2/km. And because of oil extraction, distribution, and refining, approximately 25% more has to be added on top of that to calculate the real carbon footprint of gas-powered cars. That means an electric car like the Model S has almost three times lower CO2 per km than an equivalent gas-powered car. Moreover, as Singapore increases the percentage of grid power from solar and wind, the CO2 from electricity drops with each passing year.

We are having cooperative discussions with the LTA to ensure a proper understanding of these issues and to make sure that they are correctly testing our customer’s Model S. Based on the positive nature of those discussions, we are confident that this situation will be resolved soon.

Source: http://www.techspot.com

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GM acquires autonomous vehicle startup Cruise Automation

General Motors said on Friday that it will acquire Silicon Valley startup Cruise Automation Inc., a company that specializes in autonomous vehicle technology. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed although Fortune claims GM is paying more than $1 billion in cash and stock.

Cruise was founded in 2013 and is one of a handful of companies that have a permit to test autonomous vehicles on public roadways in California. The startup will operate as an independent unit within GM's recently formed Autonomous Vehicle Development Team, the automaker said in a statement.

GM President Dan Ammann said fully autonomous vehicles can bring its customers enormous benefits in terms of greater convenience, lower cost and improved safety for their daily mobility needs.

To date, Cruise has raised roughly $20 million in venture capital according to The Wall Street Journal.

For GM, it's yet another investment in new age automotive-related endeavors. Earlier this year, it invested $500 million in Lyft – the private transportation company best known for its signature pink mustache. GM also purchased some assets from Sidecar, the ride-sharing and business-to-business delivery service that went under late last year.

In related news, rival Ford said on Friday that it has established a new subsidiary – Ford Smart Mobility LLC – that will focus on new mobility services, connectivity, autonomous vehicles and more. Jim Hackett, former Steelcase vice chairman and CEO, is leaving his position on Ford's board of directors to serve as the new subsidiary's chairman.

Source: http://www.techspot.com

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