Your next rental car from Avis could help you find the best BBQ in town
Rental car giant Avis wants to put a personalized, interactive travel guide in your pocket. The company will add a function to its app that helps users find places of interest in a given city. Avis will launch a pilot program in June in Kansas City, Missouri, and it's already looking at expanding to other cities.
We drove Bugatti’s 1,500-hp Chiron on the French backroads where it grew up
Bugatti sounds Italian, and its founder was born in Milan, but the brand has been based in France since its inception over a century ago. We traveled to Molsheim, a small Alsatian town the company calls home, to learn more about its heritage and drive the Chiron on some of the roads it came to life on.
Jeep wants you to share a semi-autonomous SUV that can pay for parking
Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles is making investments to play catch-up in the world of tech. It's developing semi-autonomous driving technology for its Jeep, Maserati, and Alfa Romeo brands. It also announced a car-sharing program and an in-vehicle purchase service owners can use through the car's touch screen.
Alfa Romeo and Maserati promise a salvo of high-performance EVs
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is going all-in on electrification, including high-performance electric cars from Alfa Romeo and Maserati, plus plans to offer a hybrid version of every Jeep on sale. It's also investing in standard hybrid tech, gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid, and electric turbochargers.
Get a big discount on a Bugatti by buying it from Lego and making it yourself
We have good news if, like us, you want a Bugatti Chiron but you can't afford its $3 million price tag. You can get a big discount on the car if you're willing to build it yourself -- and buy it from Lego. The Technic kit consists of 3,599 pieces including a moving W16 engine and an adjustable rear spoiler.
Volvo shows its athletic side with the S60 Polestar Engineered package
Tuner Polestar became a stand-alone sub-brand, but it will continue to lend its name and expertise to Volvo. The next-gen S60 will become the brand's first car to receive the Polestar Engineered package. It adds more power, bigger brakes, and upgraded suspension components borrowed from the Polestar 1.
California testing digital license plates that cost more than your first car
California recently became the first state to test digital license plates. They're not cheap, but the city of Sacramento nonetheless purchased 24 devices as part of a pilot program. It's preparing for real-world autonomous cars tests so it likes the idea of geo-fencing cars and keeping track of them.
Tesla crashes into parked police car in California; driver says Autopilot was on
On May 29, a Tesla Model S crashed into a parked police car in Laguna Beach, California. The driver -- who sustained minor injuries -- reported he was using Autopilot before the impact. The investigation into the crash remains ongoing so it's too early to blame it on a malfunction or driver distraction.
Hellcat-powered Toyota Prius hot rod is what happens when worlds collide
While the Toyota Prius isn't exactly sought-after by enthusiasts, American Racing Headers is here with a Hellcat engine to change that. The V8 engine has been tuned to make 1,000 horsepower and dropped on a custom-fabricated tubular frame. The PriuSRT8 runs the quarter mile in 9.3 seconds.
BMW balances (and sometimes blends) tech, performance, and electrification
BMW must keep its reputation for building the ultimate driving machine intact as it incorporates growing levels of connectivity, electrification, and autonomy into its cars. That's a tall order to fill. Ralph Mahler, the brand's director of product planning, talked to Digital Trends about his strategy.
Cutting-edge Lidar tech will help Volvo’s autonomous cars see better
Volvo's recently-inaugurated tech fund has made its first investment. It backed an American company named Luminar that specializes in hardware and software for autonomous cars. Its Lidar helps cars see faster, and its annotating platform lets them better understand the data processed by on-board sensors.
Has Tesla found a way to ensure Autopilot users stay focused on the road?
Tesla owners who use the semi-autonomous Autopilot system will need to spend more time with their hands on the steering wheel. The company has sharply reduced the amount of time owners can spend without touching the steering wheel in the wake of several crashes, including a fatal one in California.
Porsche dealerships using augmented reality to diagnose and repair cars
Porsche dealerships across the nation will soon use augmented reality to diagnose and repair their customers' cars. Called Tech Live Look, the technology uses internet-connected smartglasses to connect technicians with a team of in-house experts located close to Porsche's headquarters in Atlanta.
Performance option pushes Tesla’s mass market Model 3 into Model S territory
Posting on Twitter, Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk has announced two new variants of the Model 3. The first is the all-wheel drive variant, which gets a dual-motor drivetrain. The second is the Performance model, which Musk bills as a BMW M3-slapping sports sedan. Both offer up to 310 miles of range.
Uber faces obstacles as it seeks to resume autonomous car tests in Pennsylvania
Uber recently shut down its autonomous car testing program in the Phoenix area, but it wants to resume testing prototypes in Pennsylvania and California in the not-too-distant future. The mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, won't welcome the company with open arms. He wants Uber to observe stricter guidelines.
BMW calls the idea of a convertible SUV a ‘really interesting topic’
Like most of its competitors, BMW is making big investments in crossovers and SUVs to keep growing. The company told Digital Trends it finds the idea of a convertible SUV "a really interesting topic," and a separate report claims it will round out its lineup with an ultra-luxurious range-topping model named X8.
Police blame Tesla crash on distracted driving, not tech, though questions remain
The 28-year-old driver of a Tesla Model S survived hitting a parked fire truck at 60 mph. The accident happened on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, Utah, and the investigation is still on-going. Police officers are trying to determine whether the driver had engaged Autopilot at the time of the impact.
The Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR concept is a red-hot chili pepper on wheels
Volkswagen has introduced the hottest GTI to date. Called TCR, it ditches its 220-horsepower turbo four and receives 286 galloping horses, a figure which makes it the most powerful GTI to date. Though it's billed as just a concept, Volkswagen remains committed to making it a reality by the end of the year.
How Mercedes-AMG’s Project One will influence car design
Mercedes-AMG is slowly adopting electrification. Going hybrid isn't as straight-forward as it sounds because it presents a unique set of challenges, but AMG boss Tobias Moers believes his team is ready to face them. AMG will launch electric turbocharging and a plug-in hybrid powertrain with V12-like power.
Peek under the sheet metal of Audi’s upcoming e-tron EV
Audi gave us an early look at what powers the e-tron quattro, its first volume-produced electric car. The 95-kWh battery pack provides about 250 miles of range in every day driving conditions. The company is going to great lengths to make driving and charging an electric car convenient and stress-free.
An unusually combative Musk talks Tesla profits, gives Model Y launch window
Musk shed insight into Tesla's future during a call. It's not profitable yet -- it's burning an immense amount of cash -- but it will be this year. It will also build a new factory to assemble the Model Y, its next crossover. Musk refused to answer "boring, bonehead" questions by top Wall Street analysts.
It’s all in the trident. Meet the man who makes Maseratis look like Maseratis
Alfa Romeo and Maserati are both over 100 years old, yet they've remained faithful to their heritage through periods of ups and downs. We sat down with Klaus Busse, the head of the Centro Stile responsible for drawing both brands' cars, to learn what it takes to balance tradition while breaking new ground.
AMG still believes in coupe and convertible sports cars (for the most part)
Mercedes-AMG sells more cars than ever in its history, but the company's boss isn't concerned about getting too big as long as it doesn't dilute the brand. He still believes in the coupe and convertible segments, and he told us the next SL will go back to its roots, but the SLC's future is up in the air.
2019 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid is powerful, yet easy on gas
Porsche will expand the third-generation Cayenne lineup with a gasoline-electric variant named E-Hybrid. Its 3.0-liter V6 works with an electric motor to deliver 455 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Porsche's smartphone app lets owners start, monitor, and stop the charging process remotely.
From SUVs to sedans, every electric Volkswagen starts with the same guts
Volkswagen -- a name that literally means people's car -- wants to bring electric cars to the masses. The brand is designing a modular platform named MEB to underpin a wide variety of electric cars, ranging from a Golf-sized hatchback to an A8-like sedan. The platform will be ready for autonomous driving.
Elon Musk is sick of Tesla’s bad press, so he’s going to do something about it
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is tired of reading stories that question Autopilot's safety. The company will begin releasing quarterly reports that outline the system's performance, though Musk stopped short of revealing what they'll contain. Tesla still plans to launch a fleet of fully autonomous cars by late next year.
Volkswagen builds a Batmobile-like electric race car to settle an old score
Volkswagen will return to the Pikes Peak hill climb in Colorado after a 31-year hiatus. The last time it competed, it turned a humble Golf into a monstrous prototype with an engine on each end. This time, it made a high-tech electric car that eclipses a Formula 1 racer in terms of performance.
The e-tron quattro SUV will open Audi’s electric car floodgates
Audi will introduce the e-tron quattro, its first volume-produced electric car, before the end of the year. It will be the first of 10 battery-powered models positioned between the compact and full-size segments. Some will ride on a brand-new modular platform developed with Porsche, Digital Trends can reveal.
Ford gave up on them, but Volkswagen still believes in sedans. Here’s why
Ford is giving up on the passenger car in America, but VW won't follow its rival's lead. The company still sees sedans (like the Jetta) as an important part of its lineup. The head of Volkswagen's American division told Digital Trends that the sedan segment might pick up again with electrification.
Could Bosch’s groundbreaking pollution control system save the diesel engine?
The diesel engine has gotten a bad name since news of the Dieselgate scandal made headlines in 2015. Many predict it will die, but Bosch might have found a way to save it. It uses readily-available, off-the-shelf components it has improved to reign in NOx emission to levels well below the legal requirements.
Lamborghini’s new Urus SUV is a connectivity benchmark for its future cars
Lamborghini makes fast, design-led machines built for the track. That doesn't mean its cars can't be high-tech. We spoke with some of the company's top officials and learned customers are demanding more in-car technology, including state-of-the-art connectivity options. Lamborghini is ready to deliver.
Is this Lamborghini Huracan the fastest camera car in the world?
The 610-hp Lamborghini Huracan isn't what normally comes to mind when you think of a camera car, yet a California-based film-making company has created just that. The V10-powered supercar receives a gimbal and a Red Epic 8K camera to keep up with even the fastest shots. The project took months of work.
Audi considers subscription service, plans over-the-air updating system
Audi's foray into electric car territory will give it access to technology that will trickle down to its gasoline-powered models. The company will launch an over-the-air software updating system when it introduces the e-tron quattro, and it's considering testing a Netflix-like subscription service.
Why Volkswagen is returning to rear-engined cars after a long hiatus
All of Volkswagen's early models were rear-engined, including the Beetle and the Bus. The original Golf from 1974 inaugurated the front-engined, front-wheel drive era, but Volkswagen is about to go back to the Beetle's layout. All of its two-wheel drive electric cars will be rear-engined. Here's why.
VW leans toward SUVs, but it stresses the next Passat will be worth the wait
It's difficult to make a business case for a sedan in a market obsessed with SUVs and crossovers, but that's what Volkswagen has done. As it beefs up its line of high-riding models, it's planning a re-imagined Passat that will help it grow on the North American market. The model will make its debut next year.
VW says battery-swapping stations are a pipe dream, not an imminent reality
Years ago, several companies promised to bring battery-swapping stations to the market. Robots took out an EV's depleted battery, replaced it with a fully charged one, and sent it on its way in a few minutes. It's promising on paper, but Volkswagen says it's not going to happen anytime soon.