Featured Threads Archive

This is exactly why I have been driving a Toyota. They are the only company who can make a halfway-decent driving-automation system with necessary safeguards at the moment.

TSS 3.0 (tested as Lexus teammate with advanced drive) got an acceptable rating.

GM and Nissan got a marginal rating.

All others, including Tesla's autopilot and full self-driving, failed with a poor rating.

Partial automation safeguard ratings—Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)

So, Consumer Reports was right on this one—Tesla's driving automation lacks safeguards. In fact, IIHS rated it far worse.

Rivian Introduces R2, R3, and R3X Built on New Midsize Platform (rivian.com)

...

The 2024 Toyota Crown May Just Be the World's Greatest Luxury Car

FYI there are swear words in there if you're sensitive to them.

Detroit News article about the all-electric Charger

I like renting the gas Chargers. They're a great size and shape, very easy to drive. Lots of interior space and a roomy trunk too. I'd love one as a family car except....

They drink fuel.

Even the "rental stripper" slow cheap V6 powered model barely gets 22mpg. To be fair, I don't think they have ever attempted to package an economy edition of that car- the Charger has been aimed at performance & luxury since 1966.

Now there's an EV version of the car being introduced. Of note, it will eventually be made with American-made batteries.

Congrats, I wish them luck!

TMC Strengthens Battery Production Capabilities | Corporate | Global Newsroom | Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website
Primearth EV Energy Co., Ltd. (PEVE) is scheduled to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota to boost mass production competitiveness. This company produces hybrid batteries along with Panasonic, which owns 19.5% of PEVE (down from an initial ownership of 60% when the co-company was created). With the acquisition expected to be finalized by the end of March, PEVE will expand its portfolio to include batteries for PHEVs and BEVs.

The other Panasonic co-owned company (49%) with Toyota is Prime Planet Energy & Solutions (PPES) and is a main supplier of Toyota's PHEV and BEV batteries.

I believe this may signal a way for the company to switch their main PHEV and BEV battery production for currently mass produced BEVs and PHEVs, from PPES to free up lines for future improved battery...

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/eu-set-allow-possible-retroactive-tariffs-chinese-evs-2024-03-05/

Good News: Cars Will Need Buttons to Get Perfect Safety Ratings in Europe

Apparently Euro NCAP will require physical inputs for key functions for all new cars for their safety ratings. Key functions do not include HVAC system or basic media functions, but mostly for safety critical functions. Car manufacturers "will need to use buttons, dials, or stalks for hazard warning lights, indicators, windscreen wipers, SOS calls, and the horn." Euro NCAP is also not compulsory but I'm sure automakers like VW would love touting their score above the Tesla interior. The author also indicates it probably isn't a stretch that this will make it to the NA market before long.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/the-greenest-car-in-america-isn-t-an-ev/ar-BB1j2nwl

If you try to imagine a “green” car, an electric vehicle is probably the first thing that comes to mind. A silent motor with tons of torque; no fumes, gasoline smells, or air pollution belching from an exhaust pipe. Last year, U.S. consumers had over 50 EV models to choose from, up from about 30 the year before.

But a new report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy suggests that the “greenest” car in America may not be fully electric. The nonprofit group, which has rated the pollution from vehicles for decades, says the winning car this year is the Toyota Prius Prime SE, a...

We were driving home the other day - stayed out watching a local big band playing 40s era music & dusting off the mediocre East Coast Swing Dance skills .... heading home early to feed the dogs - hypervigilant looking to the left & right ... the local 5 minute oil change place had drafted a new phrase for their Marquee. ANY time i happen to catch the word, FREE - it catches my eye. "There must be a catch" ....

Had to whip a quick U-ie for posterity.



(sigh) ... that's all the news for now

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Source: US ambassador Caroline Kennedy prepares for Shitbox Rally across outback Australia | Australia news | The Guardian


Love it!

Bob Wilson

• Prius/Prius Prime awarded as Best Overall Car
  
• Prius Prime awarded as Best Overall Green Car
• Best Minivan for the Toyota Sienna
• Best Hybrid Vehicle for the Toyota Prius
• Best Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle for the Toyota Prius Prime

Toyota Canada receives multiple 2024 AutoTrader Awards

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a46868011/2024-toyota-land-cruiser-price/

Interesting video about the "solar" car that seems not to be a scam

23049PCD8G ?

Biden administration is said to slow early stage of shift to electric cars—The New York Times
The change to planned rules was an election-year concession to labor unions and auto executives, according to people familiar with the plan.

Hmm, if Trump wins, he will entirely scrap these regulations anyway.

Excerpt:

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In a concession to automakers and labor unions, the Biden administration intends to relax elements of one of its most ambitious strategies to combat climate change, limits on tailpipe emissions that are designed to get Americans to switch from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles, according to three people familiar with the plan.

Instead of essentially requiring automakers to rapidly ramp up sales of electric vehicles over the next few...

The multibillion-dollar Project Titan—Apple's biggest project ever—will bear fruit in only four years from now in 2028.

Originally envisioned as SAE Level 4 or Level 5 autonomous driving, it is now downgraded to SAE Level 2+.

The Apple car apparently still exists, could debut in 2028 with reduced autonomy

The secret Apple Car project is at a ‘make-or-break’ moment: Report

Apple Car launch date reportedly pushed back to 2028—What we know about the electric-vehicle project...

Other car makers have been unable to catch up with Tesla on software integration with automatic updates.

I was also shocked to learn that GM has ditched Android Auto and Apple Car Play.

Tesla sparked a car-software war. It’s not going so hot. | Inside EVs

Now you know where the dollars you are paying over MSRP for a new Prius are going to.

Toyota offering $40,000 off Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEVs)—CarsDirect

Genesis' Strategic Shift: Launching Hybrid Model As Soon As 2025 - Korean Car Blog