Technology


LA 2009: Toyota debuts its plug-in Prius for North America

Toyota rather unceremoniously parked their plug-in Prius hybrid prototype at its North American market debut during the LA Auto Show, while their new Sienna minivan got a royal welcome at its coming out party. At a show that saw the production-ish Chevrolet Volt appearing in public for the first time, it might have seemed likely that Toyota would have made a bigger deal of this model, but we just sort of stumbled upon it while checking out its big brother, the Lexus LFA. The company did issue a press release, which you can read in its ... Read more →

REPORT: Audi twists e-tron concept's 3319 lb-ft torque rating Michael Harley

When introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, Audi boasted its all-electric e-tron was fitted with four electric motors producing "230 kW (313 horsepower) and 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 ...

LA 2009: Hands-on with Hughes and Mercedes-Benz's new telematics apps Damon Lavrinc

Hughes Telematics recently announced its partnership with Mercedes-Benz on the automaker's new line of "mbrace" mobile telematics solutions. The system, which connects mbrace-equipped vehicles with ...

Ready, Set, Go! Clever stoplight concept counts down to green Chris Shunk

We've got the stoplights in our neighborhood timed pretty well, but it's pretty painful when you're at a foreign intersection and have absolutely no idea when the light will turn green. We shift our ...

LA 2009: Lexus LFA wireframe cutaway wows us Frank Filipponio

Wow. Lexus brought their new LFA supercar to the LA Auto Show this year. That might not seem particularly wow-worthy, but it definitely becomes more surprising when you hear that they actually ...

GM confirms Chevrolet Volt to be introduced in California before nationwide rollout 4 days ago on Autoblog

If environmentally-friendly transportation is your thing, there's no place like California. Not only is the state home base to Tesla – the first company to genuinely demonstrate that hugging a tree and hugging the road needn't be mutually exclusive – it was also chosen by General ...

Review: Google Maps turn-by-turn navigation on Android 2.0 5 days ago on Autoblog

It's no secret that we've been openly critical of the prices charged by automakers for built-in GPS navigation systems. Frankly, paying $2,000 or more for an in-dash system when you can buy stand-alone navigation units for as little as $100 is ridiculous. Even the newer, larger seven-inch screen ...

Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy 6 days ago on Autoblog

A RADICALLY NEW TYPE OF ENGINE When oil prices shot over $100 a barrel a year ago, I was inundated with press releases from inventors claiming they had an engine that would solve the energy crisis. In most cases, I simply deleted each release and went on with my work. You see, I've seen this all ...

Nav for All: Nissan offering inexpensive nav system on popular cars 6 days ago on Autoblog

When navigation systems started showing up in the center stacks of luxury vehicles, the new (at the time) tech typically would set owners back a couple grand or more (and still does). As we gear up for 2010, mapping tech is everywhere from the most expensive luxury sleds to economical hatchbacks, ...

LA Preview: 2011 Ford Mustang V6 makes 305 HP, gets 30 MPG 6 days ago on Autoblog

It would be reasonable to expect that Ford might pass over the Mustang and instead devote more attention to its other models since it's fresh off a comprehensive revamp for the 2010 model year. However, that's not what is shaping up in the House That Henry Built. For 2011, the Blue Oval is ...

Which iPhone navigation app should you buy? This'll help 9 days ago on Autoblog

The season of hitting the roads to places you don't really want to go, so that you can give gifts you didn't really want to buy and eat food you don't really like has begun. Naturally, a lot more people on the road means a lot more folks getting lost. Fear not, you invincible iPhone-equipped ...

Nissan's self-healing Scratch Shield paint to be applied to mobile phones 9 days ago on Autoblog

A while back, Nissan scientists helped to develop a paint clearcoat called Scratch Shield that can self-repair light scratches overnight or over the course of a week. Now the Japanese automaker is spreading the love, licensing the technology to Japan's largest wireless company, NTT DoCoMo. ...

VIDEO: Chevrolet Volt tests driver-controlled audio warning system with the blind 11 days ago on Autoblog

As the popularity of hybrids has grown over the last few years, advocates for the blind have been raising a red flag about noise, or -- more to the point -- the lack of it. Because electric-drive vehicles emit much lower levels of sound on the street, blind pedestrians who've relied on the noise ...

New Hyundai 2.4-liter GDI four-cylinder makes 200 hp in 2011 Sonata 13 days ago on Autoblog

When Hyundai's all new Sonata goes on sale early in 2010, it will arrive in U.S. showrooms with only one available engine, a thoroughly revamped version of the 2.4-liter Theta-II four cylinder. The new engine is Hyundai's first production powerplant with gasoline direct injection, but John ...

Return of Paperboy? Honda unveils Bicycle Simulator 13 days ago on Autoblog

You remember Nintendo's Paperboy, right? Back in Triassic era of videogames, you had to deliver the day's print to the right house while not getting run over by a car or taken out by a tire. Not exactly the most direct way to learn bicycle safety, but it was fun. A more efficient way to stay ...

Ricardo develops airplane taxi bot to reduce emissions, noise 15 days ago on Autoblog

It's certainly good to see some other wheeled vehicles doing their part for the environment, even if it is an airplane -- especially if it's an airplane. Actually this news isn't about the plane itself, but a "pilot-controlled towing vehicle" for an airplane called a "TaxiBot." Ricardo -- the ...

REPORT: Ferrari working on radical new door opening 16 days ago on Autoblog

As if scissor doors, gullwings, butterflies and those crazy Koenigsegg pivoters weren't enough to separate exotics from lesser cars, Ferrari is said to be working on another new door design that is both radical and practical. Go figure. Autocar came across a patent filing showing a few diagrams ...

VIDEO: Deconstructing the end-of-the-world limo ride in 2012 16 days ago on Autoblog

We're still early in the holiday movie season, but the clear early winner is the blockbuster world-ending thriller 2012. The pic cleared $65 million in its first weekend in the U.S. and a stunning $265 million around the globe. If you have already seen the movie or if you've just checked out the ...

Can You Hear Me Now? China reportedly developing 3G-based 'smart' car 17 days ago on Autoblog

Chana Auto, otherwise known as Changan (that's their Benni Sports pictured), has entered into an alliance with China Mobile "to develop a smart vehicle based on 3G wireless technologies." In actuality, however, it sounds like it's not the vehicle that will be smart, but what you can do with it. ...

VIDEO: Jay Leno does the electric Tango 18 days ago on Autoblog

Jay Leno likes him some electric Tango. No, not the new dance craze all the kids are talking texting about, but rather the oddly-narrow but very quick two-seater from Commuter Cars. Now, regular Autobloggreen readers have seen the Tango before, posing beside George Clooney or perhaps drag ...

Mercedes-Benz and Hughes release app-based "mbrace" telematics for iPhone, Blackberry 19 days ago on Autoblog

Mercedes-Benz has teamed up with Hughes Telematics to begin offering a new system that allows drivers to enable dozens of their vehicles features with their Apple iPhone or Blackberry. Dubbed "mbrace," the telematics setup covers everything from locking and unlocking doors to contacting roadside ...

REPORT: Nissan may offer optional higher-capacity batteries at premium 19 days ago on Autoblog

It looks like Tesla probably won't be alone in offering different-sized battery packs in its future electric vehicles. At a U.S. launch event for the Leaf electric car on Friday, Nissan product planner Mark Perry told Paul Eisenstein of the Detroit Bureau that the Japanese automaker is ...

VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG crash-test video shows off exploding door hinges 19 days ago on Autoblog

It's a sad fact that incredibly expensive, highly desirable cars have to be smashed to bits in the name of safety, but we have to admit we quietly enjoy watching the carnage. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG had to endure its time with the crash barrier, and the video proves that the $200,000 supercar ...

Hyundai launches first direct-inject four-cylinder engine, replaces V6 in new Sonata 19 days ago on Autoblog

When the swoopy new 2011 Sonata goes into production at Hyundai's plant in Alabama early next year, it won't offer a V6 engine anymore, but it will get the company's first ever direct-injected engine. This week in South Korea, Hyundai took the wraps off its 2.4-liter Theta II GDI four-cylinder. ...

Rumormill: EcoBoost V8 Ford Shelby Mustang in the pipeline? 22 days ago on Autoblog

Here's one we've been hearing rumors about for quite a while – an EcoBoosted V8 Mustang. Put another way, a twin-turbo, direct-injected, V8 Shelby GT500. The first rumor we heard was about a twin-turbo 50th Anniversary Edition 2014 1/2 Mustang, which would be the very definition of the ...

Platoon: GPS-based road trains set to test on European roads? 23 days ago on Autoblog

It goes by the name "Sartre," but it has nothing to do with existentialism and just a little bit to do with exits. The Safe Road Trains for the Environment program is a three-year European study centering on the creation of 'platoons' of drivers behind a lead vehicle on the highway. It involves ...

Ford EcoBoost Engines see high take rate, customers see higher transaction prices 23 days ago on Autoblog

Ford has been pushing its EcoBoost engines hard since they came out of the gate, with almost as many commercials touting its twin-turbo technology as we've seen all other Blue Oval spots combined. And all that marketing mojo appears to be paying off, as the Ford Motor Company has told The ...

Ford gets CES innovation awards for Sync and Work Solutions 23 days ago on Autoblog

For years, Microsoft founder and former CEO Bill Gates was the keynoter at the Consumer Electronics Show. When Microsoft first announced its intention to create software for cars nearly a decade ago, most people that had suffered through the indignities of the blue screen of death recoiled in ...

Why a boat-tail semi isn't as silly as it might sound 23 days ago on Autoblog

Sure, a six-foot protrusion sticking off the rear end of any vehicle is kinda funny looking. Unless we're talking about a Porsche 917/30 or a Plymouth Superbird. Those cars have some very fine rear extensions. Okay, fine – a six-foot protrusion looks a little bit weird when growing out of a ...

GoPro introduces HD line of Hero cameras 23 days ago on Autoblog

GoPro has unveiled its line of HD cameras specially adapted for motorsports, helmets, surfing, and R/C – although a bendy arm and a suction cup mean you could use them to record your performance vacuum cleaning as well, should you wish. The cameras offer the option of five different ...

VIDEO: The coolest CG car vid you'll see today 24 days ago on Autoblog

We've seen plenty of car-related videos of our time, and we've posted on quite a few of them on Autoblog. The clips are usually informative, offer a sneak peak of a future product, or they're just plain funny, but one thing we've never done is showcase a reader's demo reel, until today. Why? ...

Ferrari reportedly hard at work to combat turbo lag 24 days ago on Autoblog

Try explaining turbocharging to someone who doesn't know cars, and if you do a good job, you're likely to get a reaction something along the lines of, "then why don't they put turbochargers on all cars"? Well, that's a perfectly fair question, and the answer of course is turbo lag. It's one ...

REPORT: BMW plans to offer four-cylinder diesels in the U.S. 25 days ago on Autoblog

To mechanics of the Seventies, the phrase "Oldmobile 350 Diesel" is enough to cause heart palpitations. For many Americans, that particular engine was their first – and most definitely last – exposure to diesel. Doomed from the start by both a lack of a water-separator (you ever try ...

Audi drops more photos and info on "Shelley", the autonomous TT-S 28 days ago on Autoblog

We first heard about the latest autonomous driving project from Stanford University and the Volkswagen Group a couple of weeks ago. Audi has released some more information on the car, a TT-S coupe that, like its predecessors, Stanley and Junior, has a name: Shelley. Shelley's being developed to ...

Gordon Murray working on EV version of city car? 29 days ago on Autoblog

Gordon Murray's T25 city car looks pretty impressive on paper. It boasts higher cargo capacity and more seats (three) than a Smart Fortwo – and it promises to be built for maximum efficiency. According to Autocar, Gordon Murray says the T25 will be motivated by both naturally-aspirated and ...

Quieter Spirit: Rolls reportedly planning hybrid Ghost for 15% better economy 1 month ago on Autoblog

If you've been pondering getting on the list for a Rolls-Royce Ghost but you're hesitant because of the negative environmental impact (and social standing) of the big, beautiful boat's V12 engine, we've got good news for you. British site Autocar is reporting that a hybrid version of the Ghost is ...

Next Page →






Autoblog Podcast #155: 'Twas the night before LA...

Chris, Dan, and Editor Paukert go over some LA Preview action and quietly whoop it up on the podcast.

 
 

Featured Galleries

  • Spy Shots: Baby Buick caught in Germany
  • 2011 Aston Martin Rapide
  • LA 2009: Allard J2X MkII
  • LA 2009: 2010 Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder
  • Cornell's SAE Baja buggy tour and test drive
  • 2010 Range Rover Sport Autobiography
  • 2010 Hyundai Tucson
  • LA 2009: 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition
  • LA 2009: 2011 Ford Mustang V6
  • LA 2009: 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder
  • LA 2009: Scion xB Release Series 7.0
  • LA 2009: 2011 Ford Fiesta
AOL Autos

Find Your Next Car

Resources

10 Most Searched Cars on AOL Autos

Autoblog Video

Autoblog Green

Daily Finance

Download Squad

Engadget

Joystiq

Autoblog Spanish

Switched.com

FanHouse

Asylum