Chinese car firm Geely has a surprise for you in the trunk of its McCar vehicle: A tiny electric scooter that charges as you drive. It could be the perfect commuter vehicle.
After years of anticipation (and more than a few points when we thought the vehicle wouldn't make it into production), the extended-range electric Chevy Volt is finally hitting a car dealership near you.
In the run-up to the Detroit Auto Show, there have been a lot of new hoopties sneak-peeked by luxury car companies, but perhaps none as truly hooked up as the new Audi A8. The A8 is arguably this year's torch-bearer for slick-but-attainable luxury cars: It rolls on an eight-speed gearbox, streams Google Earth maps into its nav system and even does 3-D terrain mapping.
An iPhone app that lets you control your Mercedes Benz. An iPhone app that lets you control your Mercedes Benz. An iPhone app ... I mean, what more do you need to know? It's damn cool enough by itself isn't it?
My parents already treat the GPS on their car like it's a person: "Shh! She's talking!" Now researchers at the MIT Media Lab, in partnership with Audi, want to take that relationship one step further with AIDA, the "Affective Intelligent Driving Agent."
This morning Toyota President Akio Toyoda apologized profusely to the Japanese people for making vehicles that have not excited domestic buyers. He was also contrite over the company's projected loss of $5 billion for the year, and for a recent floor-mat recall prompted by the deaths of four people in San Diego. But Toyota, which overtook GM as the world's largest automaker last year, is still much better off than any American car company. Can our auto execs learn from Mr. Toyoda's regrets? (Below, the popular Toyota Prius.)
