Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne says working with Google convinced him that self-driving technology is closer than he thought and could be on the road in five years. “I don’t find it that unsettling,” Marchionne said Friday. “I see this as having tremendous use in real life.” FCA and Google announced a partnership earlier this […]
Tesla Motors Brushes Off 1Q Net Loss, Accelerates Plans
Electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. brushed off a big first-quarter loss and cheered investors with news that it plans to accelerate its production plans. Tesla’s loss rose 84 percent to $282 million in the first quarter as it struggled with parts delays for its new Model X SUV. The company’s stock-based compensation costs also more than doubled […]
Tesla Motors Brushes Off 1Q Net Loss, Accelerates Plans
Electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. brushed off a big first-quarter loss and cheered investors with news that it plans to accelerate its production plans. Tesla’s loss rose 84 percent to $282 million in the first quarter as it struggled with parts delays for its new Model X SUV. The company’s stock-based compensation costs also […]
AP Source: Fiat Chrysler, Google in Partnership Talks
Fiat Chrysler and Google’s self-driving car project are in advanced talks to form a technical partnership. The talks were confirmed Thursday by a person familiar with the discussions. The person asked not to be named because the discussions are private. The partnership would be the first to match an automaker with Google’s 7-year-old autonomous car […]
Fiat Chrysler Recalling More Than 1.1 Million Vehicles
Fiat Chrysler said Friday it’s recalling more than 1.1 million cars and midsize SUVs worldwide because drivers can’t tell if they’ve put the vehicles in park. The confusion can increase the risk of a rollaway accident. The recall covers the 2012-2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans and the 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV. FCA […]
Ford F-150 Gets Highest Rating in New Insurance Crash Tests
The 2016 Ford F-150 is the only full-size pickup truck to score the top rating in new front crash tests performed by the insurance industry. Rival pickups from Chevrolet, GMC, Ram and Toyota didn’t fare as well, according to results released Tuesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The institute evaluated 2016 models in a small […]
Affordable Model 3 Is Tesla’s Biggest Test Yet
Tesla Motors built its reputation making sporty, sexy and very expensive electric cars. It’s staking its future on something more affordable. Tesla plans to unveil its Model 3 electric car Thursday night at its Los Angeles design studio. At a starting price of $35,000 — before federal and state government incentives — the Model 3 […]
Tesla’s 4Q Net Loss Doubles But Shares Up On Outlook
Tesla Motors posted its 11th straight quarterly loss Wednesday, and its results badly missed Wall Street’s forecasts. But the electric car maker’s shares soared anyway on news that its lower-priced Model 3 sedan is on schedule to be released next year. Tesla said it will unveil the much-anticipated $35,000 car on March 31 and expects […]
Car Infotainment Systems Distract Even With Voice Commands
Car infotainment systems that use voice commands may let drivers keep their hands on the wheel, but they’re still highly distracting. It takes drivers up to 27 seconds to return to full attention after using voice commands to make a hands-free call, turn on the radio or perform other tasks, according to two studies released […]
Tesla’s Autopilot Lets Cars Drive, Change Lanes Themselves
Electric car maker Tesla Motors is leapfrogging competitors with a new autopilot system that lets cars change lanes by themselves. Like other semi-autonomous systems already available from Mercedes, Audi and Volvo, Tesla’s system automatically keeps the car within its lane and maintains a certain distance from the car in front, both at highway speeds and on city streets. It can find a parking spot and parallel park itself. It also uses cameras and sensors to […]