Video: BMW takes its autonomous 5 Series onto the autobahn

Filed under: Safety , Technology , BMW Last May we went for a high-speed run around Laguna Seca in BMW’s Track Trainer , a modified 3 Series that can click of two-minute laps without the driver touching the controls. Now, BMW has packed a 5 Series with the next iteration of the technology and taken it on to the open road. This latest ConnectedDrive experiment uses much of the same tech, but beyond the radar and camera systems on the 3er, it includes new ultrasonic scanners and lasers to re-read the road surface, lines and surrounding vehicles. We say “re-read” because like the system we sampled at Laguna, this version needs to have the road data downloaded into the car before it can drive sans human intervention

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Video: BMW takes its autonomous 5 Series onto the autobahn

Video: First it was Vette on Vette violence, now it’s Z on Z carnage

Filed under: Coupe , Safety , Videos , Nissan Back on Thanksgiving Day of 2011, we saw what happens when a C5 Chevrolet Corvette goes head-to-head on public roads against a C6 Vette – the older Vette spears into the passenger-side door of the newer Vette. The video was our most popular post of 2011 , so we know that well over a million viewers saw the ill-advised drag race. We think that video illustrated that racing on public roads was a bad idea, but sometimes, accidents happen even without a race. Hit the jump to see what happens when a pair of tuned-out Nissan 350Z models do their best impression of the Thanksgiving Day Melee

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Video: First it was Vette on Vette violence, now it’s Z on Z carnage

Report: GM CEO stands up for Chevy Volt in D.C. hearing; Issa tells NHTSA: "I don’t believe you"

Filed under: Hybrid , Government/Legal , Safety , Hatchback , Chevrolet , Electric What a surprise. Today’s Congressional hearing over the Chevrolet Volt fire and the resulting investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration turned out to be contentious. The hearing took place in the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending. Just from the title of the event – “Volt Vehicle Fire: What did NHTSA Know and When Did They Know It?” – it was plain to see that chairman Darrell Issa was not looking to mess around

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Report: GM CEO stands up for Chevy Volt in D.C. hearing; Issa tells NHTSA: "I don’t believe you"

Video: SARTRE autonomous road-train enters final phase with trio of Volvos [w/video]

Filed under: Safety , Technology , Volvo This time last year, the Safe Road Trains for the Environment ( SARTRE ) program hit a milestone. Using a specially equipped Volvo S60 with a big-rig taking the lead, the EU-funded researchers managed to create the world’s first fully-functional road train , allowing the driver in the sedan to sit back and enjoy the ride without touching the controls. Today, Volvo – the program’s only automotive partner – has announced that the SARTRE program is in its final phase of testing, and that includes adding a few more vehicles to the rolling procession of autonomous cars.

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Video: SARTRE autonomous road-train enters final phase with trio of Volvos [w/video]

Video: PSA: Leaving your Rolls-Royce Drophead open in the rain could be a $100k mistake

Filed under: Convertible , Performance , Videos , Rolls-Royce , Luxury Convertibles have long been the chariot of choice for the devil-may-care crowd, and for good reason. Peeling the roof off of a vehicle has all sorts of negative ramifications, from safety concerns to handling woes and increased chances of skin cancer for those inside. Then there’s the ever-present threat of foul weather. But who cares?

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Video: PSA: Leaving your Rolls-Royce Drophead open in the rain could be a $100k mistake

Video: Why are snowy roads like these never closed?

Filed under: Etc. , Safety , Videos Another winter naturally means more videos of snowy carnage, as Mother Nature teams up with an inclined road to befuddle even those drivers who are used to such conditions. This time the location is Bountiful, Utah on January 21, where a slick bit of downhill becomes an automotive Slip-n-Slide.

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Video: Why are snowy roads like these never closed?