Volvo said today it will introduce a 112-mph (180-kph) speed limiter on all its new vehicles as the Swedish automaker seeks to burnish its safety credentials and meet a pledge to eliminate passenger fatalities in its models by 2020.
While Volvo, whose XC90 flagship SUV currently has a top speed of 132 mph, has made progress on its so-called “Vision 2020” target of zero deaths or serious injuries, chief executive Håkan Samuelsson said it is unlikely to meet the goal without additional measures to address driver behavior. “We’ve realized that to close the gap we have to focus more on the human factors,” Samuelsson told Reuters. Volvo did not elaborate on the data but said its passenger fatalities were already well below the industry average before the goal was announced in 2007.
In addition to the speed cap, Volvo plans to deploy technology using cameras that monitor the driver’s state and attentiveness to prevent people [...]
Staff photographer Robin Trajano and I have agreed to swap long-term cars. From here on out, Robin will drive the BMW X3 M40i and I will oversee the BMW X2. Robin wanted more size, power and aggressive noise, and I wanted a smaller footprint, quieter exhaust and better fuel economy.
Horse-trading sorted, my first order of business is to try to better comprehend what sort of vehicle the X2 really is, and more so, does it serve its purpose of intended function. I’ve been behind the wheel for a few weeks, and still continue contemplating if this is simply BMW’s direct response to the Mercedes GLA or something more? Maybe it’s BMW’s interpretation of Volkswagen’s much-loved GTI? Or perhaps it is a remixed version of BMW’s own rear-drive 1 Series, a hatch that is still in [...]
WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said they are sending teams to investigate a fatal crash in Florida on Friday involving a Tesla Inc car and a semi-trailer.
The two agencies are investigating several crashes involving the use of Tesla’s driver assistance system Autopilot including a fatal crash in California in March 2018. NHTSA, the auto safety regulator, can demand a recall if it believes a defect poses an unreasonable risk, while the NTSB makes safety recommendations.
A spokesman for the U.S. Transportation Department that oversees NHTSA said late on Friday that “NHTSA’s Crash Investigation Division assigned a Special Crash Investigation team to investigate the crash,” while the NTSB said it is sending a team of three “to conduct a safety investigation.”
A report on Friday’s crash released by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department [...]
If you’ve been waiting 10 years to buy an Audi R8 V10, the all-new Decennium edition was made for you. Decennium is Latin for “decade,” which is how long the R8 V10 has been around, and Audi is rolling out a special run of 222 cars to coincide with the European sales launch of the refreshed 2019 R8.
The Decennium coupes offer an exclusive Daytona Gray matte paint with 20-inch wheels, and also feature an engine cover in matte bronze. Its front spoiler, side sills, and diffuser are gloss black, as are the Audi rings and other badges. If that sounds too drab for your tastes, the special edition R8 can also be ordered in the metallic shades of Suzuka Gray, Floret Silver, Mythos Black, Ascari Blue, and Kemora Gray.
Positioned behind the driver, the naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V-10 engine hooks to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and provides [...]
The ES is Lexus’ best-selling car, and it’s a best-seller in the shrinking “near lux” sedan segment it helped define. The segment’s original formula was to take a squillion-selling midsize sedan (Toyota Camry, in Lexus’ case), tinsel it up, and slap a swanky badge on it. Infiniti’s I30 was a dolled-up Nissan Maxima; Acura’s Vigor was an extensively revised Honda Accord; Lincoln’s MKZ (née Zephyr) was a costumed Ford Fusion. The world has moved on.
Today Lexus bases the ES on larger Avalon underpinnings and is extending the model’s appeal with both a performance-oriented F Sport variant and a new Ultra Lux package. The Infiniti Q50 has no mainstream Nissan counterpart on our shores. The Acura TLX/Honda Accord relationship remains fairly distant, and the Lincoln MKZ no longer shares any major sheetmetal with the Fusion. We’re also throwing the Buick LaCrosse in for consideration. It primarily targets Toyota’s Avalon, but in its swankiest new Avenir [...]
