JUNE 18, 2018

Autonomous-Tech Suppliers Want Regulation, Clearer Marketing

Rules and standards are needed for making safer autonomous vehicles, while marketing can be a hindrance to their safe operation, say panelists.

Nissan Hopeful Price, Safety Good for Kicks

Nissan’s new small CUV undercuts most competitors on price and offers safety equipment most often part of an option package on the segment’s models.

BMW North Assembly Hall in Spartanburg, SC

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BMW is investing another $600 million to expand and improve its Spartanburg, SC, assembly plant by 2021, which will add 1,000 jobs and grow headcount to 11,000 employees. The North assembly hall, now dedicated to manufacturing X3 and X4, is being renovated to accommodate additional capacity for X5.

Acura RDX Shines Against the Competition

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The new RDX improves upon its predecessor and bests the Germans on power and handling, while its standard technology stands out.

Misfits and Missteps – 2018 Wards 10 Best Interiors Nominees

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In decreasing order of severity, we call out vehicles with problematic fit-and-finish, materials, ergonomics, stitching, unfortunate design choices or cubby doors that just don't work. Each of these items resulted in points deducted as WardsAuto editors selected the 2018 Wards 10 Best Interiors.

Mitsubishi Enhances All-Wheel-Drive Technology

The Super All-Wheel-Control system expands traditional all-wheel-drive functionality from traction control to include vehicle stability and predictive handling.

Purdue, U.K. University Team Up to Build Supercar

The Viperia Berus cars assembled at Purdue will be sold in the U.S. and Asia and are expected to be available in November. Keating Supercars plans to ramp up production to about 100 units models a year over the next 12 to 18 months.

EV Pioneer Mitsubishi Swept Up in Currents of Change

“Battery price has since fallen to one-fourth of that (2009) level and will go down further,” Mitsubishi CEO Osamu Masuko predicts. “So we really can’t evaluate the marketplace with existing technology, because the technology is going to change in the next five to 10 years.”

BMW’s Fourth-Gen X5 SUV Aims for Top of Class

Set to go on sale in North America before the end of the year following a September public debut at the Paris auto show, the premium-brand SUV has been comprehensively re-engineered for what will be the X5’s 20th year of production in 2019.

Thailand Sees Bright Future for Electric Vehicles

Office of Industrial Economics Director-General Siriruj Chulakaratana says electric vehicles are poised to drive the local automotive industry because retail EV pricing and technology costs are expected to decline.

Kia’s California-Flavored Niro EV Debuts in Korea

The new CUV, boasting a range of 236 miles in its high-capacity version and 149 miles in a lower-capacity model, offers a high level of safety features and in-car technologies.

Audi Ireland Customers Sample Augmented Reality

Instead of peering into a virtual world through a VR headset, customers experience the technology’s augmented reality projected on to their real-world surroundings within the Audi showroom.

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