The WardsAuto Engine & Technology Update

DECEMBER 19, 2016

Seven Turbos, Three Hybrids Share Wards 10 Best Engines Honors

For the first time in 23 years of testing, a V-8 fails to earn a spot on the Wards 10 Best Engines list, but many high-output turbocharged 6-cyl. engines are generating enough horsepower and torque to fill the void.

Wards 10 Best Engines Nominee Videos

Click here for the 10 Best Engines homepage, where five videos dig into some of the most competitive powertrain segments evaluated this year.

New 9-Speed Pushes Tech Limit, GM Says

The new 9-speed yielded GM 60 new patents and required 800 prototypes. The most unique element of the unit is an industry-first deployment of a selectable 1-way clutch.

Lincoln Continental: Not Your Brother-in-Law’s MKZ

Test Drive
Lincoln launches an all-new Continental, its first since 2002. The 10th generation of the luxury brand’s flagship, the Continental packs a 400-hp twin-turbo V-6, impeccable interior appointments and a road presence befitting its name.

Toyota Releases Photos, Some Details on New Powertrains

Toyota says the new engines and transmissions achieve about 10% more power and 20% better fuel economy.

Nissan Hopes Turbo Broadens Sentra's Appeal

The majority of U.S. compact cars, largely those from American and European brands, offer turbocharged mills as options or as the sole engine.

Upstart Nicola Motors Sees Commercial Trucks Leading Drive to Fuel-Cell Power

The plan, according to a story by Wired magazine, is to lease the Nicola One haulers now under development for about $5,000-$7,000 per month, including free fuel, beginning in 2020.

AI’s Task: Driver Training for Computer-Driven Cars

A developer can’t write enough rules for the car to react to all the situations a human must react to. So AImotive created a virtual small car with a laser system that allows it to drive, steer and brake, all the while receiving positive and negative feedback.

Toyota Research Aims for Longer-Range EV Battery

The automaker says its new battery-monitoring system can recover much of the energy lost during the charging and discharging process in the lithium-ion batteries used in all-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles.

Food Waste Raw Ingredient in Substitute Diesel Fuel

Independently verified as renewable and sustainable, the fuel is made from gas harvested through the processing of waste generated by food production, which then is injected directly into gas pipelines and compressed at CNG Fuels’ refueling stations.

U.S. Regulators Propose Spending Billions on V2V

There are some sticky issues to be ironed out, most notably whether the 5.9 GHz band set aside by Congress in 1999 for V2V transmissions still will have room.