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autonomous cars

ADAS Distractions

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Wheel Bearings
ADAS Distractions
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As Nicole and her spouse are riding the rails in Europe, Tanya Gazdik is back with the Land Rover Defender 130 and the Mercedes-AMG SL63. Sam has thoughts about Ineos Grenadier and Robbie has something he can’t discuss until next week. Tanya and Sam drove the Polestar 3 this week and share their first impressions. Elektrobit’s Dr. Mortiz Neukirchner has developed a taxonomy for software defined vehicles. More vehicles are getting in-cabin radar sensors to make sure no one is left behind. The IIHS says ADAS is leading to driver complacency. Maserati needs marketing help and Waymo may be turning to Hyundai for its next robotaxi. Links Software defined vehicle levelsIn-cabin radar for rear seat detectionIIHS study says drivers more distracted using ADASIIHS ADAS safety ratings Polestar 3 first driveMaserati Marketing, does it exist?Waymo and Hyundai may collaborate on robotaxis Wheel Bearings has launched a… Read More »ADAS Distractions

Touchscreen Vents Are Stupid

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Wheel Bearings
Touchscreen Vents Are Stupid
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This week, Nicole has been driving the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus hybrid and Sam has the Toyota Highlander XSE 2.4T. Lucid held a technology day this week where they announced that the Gravity SUV will go into production in the 4th quarter complete with a J3400 charging port and a $50,000 midsize model is coming by 2026. Nicole tells us all about Heels and Wheels. At the 2024 Mobility Experience, Bosch demoed is new ABS for e-bikes, proactive vehicle dynamics control, steer by wire and more. Nuro is pivoting away from automated delivery bots and Ford wants to listen in to what is happening in your car to serve you ads on the road. NHTSA is finally starting to move toward some pedestrian protection standards. Magna has a new inner door carrier made from sustainable plant based fibers and polymers and GM and Hyundai want to… Read More »Touchscreen Vents Are Stupid

Losing the Buzz

Wheel Bearings
Wheel Bearings
Losing the Buzz
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Robbie is back from Germany where he got to drive the updated Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo and he wants one. Nicole got to drive a pair of new Hyundai Santa Fes at home and at a family wedding. Meanwhile, Sam got surprisingly good efficiency from the latest edition of the VW ID4 but those window switches are still dumb. In the news, the US market version of the VW ID Buzz finally has a price and let’s just say affordability isn’t part of the formula. Ford has again pivoted on its electric vehicle plans and there won’t be anything fresh in showrooms for a few more years. GM is bringing some plug-in hybrid powertrains to its US lineup, but the new Equinox won’t be home to this system. Ford has updated the Bronco Sport for 2025 with some cool new lifestyle features. Tesla has been… Read More »Losing the Buzz

Basically A Fast Economy Car

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Wheel Bearings
Basically A Fast Economy Car
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This week, Nicole is driving the refreshed Genesis GV80, Robbie had the Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan and BMW XM and Sam got to play with the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally. In the news, Sam spotted Hyundai and Kia testing NACS/J3400 charging ports on an Ioniq 5 and EV6 at a Supercharger. Cadillac is putting a 55-inch screen in the gas Escalade. Honda is working on a new generation Passport that might be more off-road capable. Ford is using its Oakville, Ont. assembly plant to build Super Duty trucks that will get electrified and Nicole and Sam drive the refreshed Explorer. Nicole went to Germany to see the new Audi A5 and Lexus is offering a fancier version of the GR Corolla Morizo, but in Japan only. Wheel Bearings listeners get an extra 3 months for free when they sign up for ExpressVPN at https://www.expressvpn.com/wheelbearings Links Hyundai/Kia testing… Read More »Basically A Fast Economy Car

A Little Digital Kiss

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Wheel Bearings
A Little Digital Kiss
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Robbie is back from Japan and driving the BMW i5 M60. Nicole jumps from last week’s Suburban into the Nissan Altima and Sam had the Cadillac Lyriq with new better door handles and fully functional software. In the news, will Rivian partner with Apple on something? Infotainment, ADAS? Will the US impose 100% tarrifs on Chinese made EVs? Ford is scaling back orders for EV batteries, but how much are they really losing per electric vehicle? On the combustion side, nearly 1/4 of F-150s are now hybrids. The aftermath of Tesla gutting its charging team is still playing out as other companies scramble to pick up the pieces. Cadillac has a new documentary about its Le Mans racing program and Hyundai steps in to save Motional and its automated driving efforts. Finally ZF had a technology demo day and Sam got to try out some… Read More »A Little Digital Kiss

Testing Tires

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Wheel Bearings
Testing Tires
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Robbie is back from Colorado where he attended the Bridgestone winter driving school and spent time with the Toyota Rav4 and 4Runner in the snow. He also rented a Ford Transit van to move ping-pong tables and drove a Kia Carnival. Nicole has been spending time in the psuedo off-road Honda Passport Trailsport and Sam had the Audi Q8 e-Tron Sportback Launch edition. In the news, GM is expanding the driving domain of Super Cruise and has priced the Chevy Equinox EV which might eventually go on sale when the software issues are fixed. As more vehicles start to use Tesla Superchargers, Kyle Connor is finding there are interoperability issues. The multi-automaker DC fast charging network is now operational and called Ionna. Being made of stainless steel doesn’t make Cybertrucks corrosion proof and Stellantis won’t be buying any more EV credits from Tesla. Shell has… Read More »Testing Tires

Killing Unused Features

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Wheel Bearings
Killing Unused Features
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Robbie is off visiting some family this week, but even with just Nicole and Sam it’s a long episode. Sam has been burning up the gas in a Ford F-250 XL 4×4 while Nicole has a much more reasonably sized Subaru Outback. Nicole and Sam were both in Chicago this week and talk about the future of auto shows. While in Chicago we saw a bunch of stuff including mid-cycle updates for the Kia K5 sedan and Carnival minivan (sorry, I meant MPV). Parking large or heavy vehicles in Paris will soon be much more expensive. A majority of workers at VW’s Chatanooga factory have signed up to join the UAW and an official vote may be coming soon. Americans are loosing trust in automated vehicles and companies like Cruise and Tesla have only themselves to blame. We saw the Cybertruck and Sam has some… Read More »Killing Unused Features

Dealers be Dealering

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Wheel Bearings
Dealers be Dealering
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This week, Nicole has the Mazda CX-50 in a disappointing color, Robbie has the Range Rover Velar in one of the 8 available non-colors and Sam is driving the Chevrolet Trailblazer in Cacti Green. In the news, Jeep teases the upcoming Wagoneer S EV with too much power. Stellantis also launches the Ram Promaster EV and confirms the STLA Large EV platform will also support hybrid powertrains. JerryRigEverything tries towing with the Cybertruck and comes up short. For some reason, BMW has decided to put some humanoid robots into the Spartanburg assembly plant, what could go wrong? Mazda has launched a development program for a new rotary sports car, will it ever be built? Ford and Lincoln are launching an all-new infotainment system based on Android with a 48-inch full-width screen. Sam also spoke with friend of the show, Andrey Smirnov for an episode of… Read More »Dealers be Dealering

Tell Me A Dinosaur Story

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Wheel Bearings
Tell Me A Dinosaur Story
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Sam and Robbie survived another year of CES and have lots to discuss. Sam has been driving the Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid since returning. Nicole has had the Hyundai Tucson and Robbie got to ride the Honda Motocompacto at CES. At CES, large language models have been integrated into cars with VW using ChatGPT, BMW using one from Amazon and Mercedes-Benz working with Nvidia. Fisker joins Vinfast in ditching direct sales as it signs up dealers and Sam chats with Henrik Fisker about it. Honda’s new concepts preview its upcoming Series 0 EVs coming in 2026. There was lidar news from Hesai, Robosense, Aeva and Luminar. Intel is jumping back into the automotive chip business. Eaton has developed an EV charger that fits in your circuit breaker panel. Supernal and Xpeng are still trying to make personal aviation a thing. Android Auto is getting battery… Read More »Tell Me A Dinosaur Story

We Can’t Have Nice Things

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Wheel Bearings
We Can't Have Nice Things
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This week, Sam has been driving the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce and Nicole shares her experience renting a Volvo XC60 diesel in Switzerland. Daihatsu which only briefly sold its small cars in the US in late 1980s and early 1990s reveals that for more than 30 years it has been faking safety certification documents for its vehicles along with those it has built for Toyota, Subaru and Mazda. Volvo is rolling out more EVs as it moves towards being an all-electric brand by the end of the decade with the ES90 sedan no in early pre-production. It’s not unusual for car rental companies to have age limits for renters, but you might think 3-time F1 champion might get an exception, but you’d be wrong. Vinfast which launched with direct consumer sales has signed up its first franchised dealer. Apparently California law doesn’t allow police to… Read More »We Can’t Have Nice Things