General Motors’ autonomous vehicle subsidiary, Cruise, took another step in the rehabilitation of its image, making good on plans to hire a Chief Safety Officer. In the wake of last October’s incident with a pedestrian in San Francisco, the company said it would take steps to improve the safety of its vehicles. AV development veteran Steve Kenner is the new hire. Get details at Headlight.News.
Autonomous Vehicles
Chrysler Halcyon Concept Leans into “Fully Electric Tomorrow”
Chrysler — remember Chrysler? It’s a brand in desperate need of finding new product and purpose. With the debut of the Halcyon Concept the struggling automaker aims to give the world a sense of where it’s going. The all-electric show car offers an array of advanced technologies, from facial biometrics to fully driverless operation. It also turns to a potentially breakthrough battery technology that could be charged directly from the road, “allowing for unlimited range.” How much of that could wind up in production? More from Headlight.News.
Americans Don’t Have Much Faith in Self-Driving Vehicles
Recent headlines about self-driving vehicles being involved in crashes and a lack of knowledge about the technology suggest Americans aren’t in any hurry to let their car, truck or utility vehicle take the wheel. Headlight.News has details.
Latest Recall Adds to Tesla’s Very, Very, Very Bad Week
Tesla will recall 200,000 EVs to address a problem with their backup camera. The latest in a series of recalls comes as the automaker faces some serious challenges, including a slowdown in sales and earnings that led to a major sell-off of stock this week, wiping out $80 billion in shareholder value. Headlight.News has more.
Oy, Vay! German Startup Uses Remote Control for New Las Vegas Ride-Sharing Service
The crash of a Cruise ride-share vehicle in San Francisco last October has raised concerns about the readiness of robocab technology. But how will buyers take to an alternative approach that has launched in Las Vegas? German startup Vay’s small car-sharing fleet doesn’t have humans onboard. Instead, it relies on remote “teledrivers.” More from Headlight.News.
12 Questions for Raymond J. “RJ” Schreiner, Chief Test Pilot for Flying Taxi Startup Supernal
From Henry Ford to the Jetsons, the idea of flying cars has long caught the public imagination. And, finally, they may be coming to reality. Headlight.News talks to RJ Schreiner, a former Marine pilot who’s now chief test pilot for Supernal, the Hyundai subsidiary that debuted its S-A2 flying cab at CES 2024.
Afeela Evolved – Sony and Honda Reveal Their Updated EV
If, at first glance, you can’t tell the Afeela EV revealed by Sony Honda Mobility at CES 2024 apart from the prototype the start-up showed off last year, that’s no surprise. Nor after the second or third glance. You’ll have to check out what’s inside the concept...
Kia’s CES Concept Vehicle Offers “A Vision for Future Mobility”
Kia took the wraps of five concept vehicles at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Monday, the all-electric Platform Beyond Mobility lineup offering a variety of different ways to “revolutionize the mobility industry.” The Korean automaker said production versions will follow, targeting everything from cargo hauling to ride sharing — and will even let you swap out bodies for different purposes.
CES 2024 Ushers In Era of “Software-Defined Vehicles”
Today’s cars already function as computers on wheels, some equipped with over 100 onboard microprocessors. But tomorrow’s vehicles will go significantly further, offering the sort of software-based features and functions found on Apple and Android smartphones and making use of the latest AI technology. Tomorrow’s “software-defined vehicles” will transform what motorists can do while driving – while generating hundreds of billions of dollars in new revenue streams for automakers. We’ll get a look at what this means at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
GM Sues San Francisco for $121 Million Due to Inflated Tax Bill
General Motors filed suit last Friday against the city of San Francisco, claiming the city issued the auto company a tax bill that was too high. GM alleges incorrectly included Cruise self-driving car subsidiary to calculate its tax bill. Get the story at Headlight.News.
Tesla Sales Set New Record – But Automaker Faces Major Challenges Entering 2024
Tesla is wrapping up 2023 with another record under its belt. But while sales hit an all-time high they still fell short of CEO Elon Musk’s ambitious forecast. And the Texas-based automaker has a growing list of problems on its plate, including mounting pressure for another recall following the one it announced two weeks ago.
The Past Lane: A Famous Author, A Famous Book, A Famous Movie
It seems like just another innocuous children’s film. Titled Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, this 1968 British musical hit theatres this week in 1968 starring Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes. The film concerns a down-on-his-luck inventor who turns a broken-down Grand Prix...