NHTSA is looking into the first fatality from Tesla’s AutoPilot

Technology presumably exists to make our lives easier and more advanced, for instance, the prospect of autonomous driving vehicles and the push to develop those systems in hopes to make drivers obsolete.

Tesla Motors was one of the first manufacturers to make autonomous driving capabilities readily available, albeit on their expensive Model S sedans. It’s proven itself to work extremely well and be very safe. You’d also assume so given how much technology and computing is needed to make it all happen.

But that’s the issue: at the end of the day, they’re still computer ran, and if you knew anything about computers, given how we’re pretty much all surrounded by them everywhere you go, these things called glitches and crashes happen. And like everything else, they’re prone to failure.

In this case, Tesla’s Autopilot apparently experienced its first major failure, leading to its first related death. This ultimately set off the central alarm at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, who are investigating the accident.

According to various reports gathered for Tesla’s official statement, the crash involved a 2015 Tesla Model S being driven on a divided two-lane highway. Autopilot was engaged when a rogue semi-trailer traveling in the other direction accidentally veered into the oncoming lane where the said Tesla on Autopilot was driving.

Tesla’s safety systems failed to sense the white truck against a “brightly lit sky” and thus didn’t engage the brakes or alert the driver. The ending result was that the Model S crashed into the rear of the truck supposedly when the truck tried to veer back into its lane. The collision claimed the life of the driver.

According to Tesla’s initial investigation, the car’s data report said neither the car nor the driver actuated any emergency evasive maneuvers.

This ultimately comes down to being Tesla’s first confirmed death from the use of Autopilot, following 130 million incident-free autonomous miles traveled worldwide. In the US, 94 million of those miles make up the 130 worldly total.

That’s still a pretty impressive safety record, all things considered for such advanced and new technology.

Despite the Autopilot capabilities, Tesla Motors, and even Elon Musk himself, emphasized that Autopilot is there to enhance the driving experience and drivers should still pay attention to the road ahead of them while being able to anticipate and react to emergency maneuvers when the car itself gets confused.

For Tesla’s official statement, check it out here.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/29vz2uG

Video: Watch the McLaren P1 LM haul ass at Goodwood, taking title as fastest road-legal car at hill climb

The Goodwood Festival of Speed happened recently, and it’s a worldly celebration for society’s love for speed, going fast, and as Jeremy Clarkson would say, “POWERRRRRR.”

So it’s no surprise that some accolades for speed and performance are held to a standard here, specifically Goodwood’s Hill Climb stage, which is a bar of performance similar to Pikes Peak, or even a lapped time of the Nurburgring.

That said, every year, Goodwood holds their Hill Climb stage to see who can make it up the 1.16 mile course with the fastest time. So who did it this year? McLaren of course, with a P1 LM!

Driver Kenny Bräck piloted a new P1 LM up Goodwood, clocking in a mind-blowing time of 47.07 seconds, making it the fastest road-legal car to complete Goodwood. The P1 LM however is not the fastest at Goodwood in this year’s Supercar Shootout, and competitors didn’t make it easy at this year’s festival. But even against a race-prepped Toyota Tundra and a McLaren-Chevrolet M8F Can-Am racer, the P1 LM smashed the second and third placers with its time of 47.07 seconds. The Tundra came in second at 50.44 and the Can-Am racer clocked in at 51.34 seconds.

As a refresher, the P1 LM basically converts the race-bred P1 GTR into a street legal, road-going vehicle, similarly to the McLaren F1. However, the P1 GTR’s 986hp 3.8L twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrain. Weight is reduced from the normal P1 by 132lbs.

Watch the P1 LM storm up Goodwood below.

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– By: Chris Chin

Source: Goodwood

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/29gQRBH

Report: The Porsche Panamera hybrid could get 700hp and tech from 918 supercar

Porsche’s been in the news a lot lately with the launch of their new, second-generation Panamera, which will be launched with a range of preliminary powertrains, ranging from a 2.9L twin-turbo V6 and 4.0L twin-turbo V8, to a twin-turbo V8 diesel. But that’s not all that’s destined to power the Panamera as MotorTrend reports the new second-gen model could gain hybrid tech from the 918 Spyder, potentially giving the Panamera a chance to sport as much as 700hp.

Yes, 700hp from Porsche’s mass-market luxury sedan.

Click here for our original post on the 2017 Porsche Panamera.

Similarly to the 918 Spyder, the new Porsche Panamera Hybrid will pair the car’s preexisting twin-turbo 4.0L V8 with some electric motors at the front and rear axles, to assist with all-wheel drive delivery. The combination will also give the Panamera Hybrid as much as 800 lb-ft of twist, so you can get on regularly eating through tires.

Word came from MT speaking to a Porsche “insider” at the launch of the Panamera recently, but the insider didn’t say when all this will happen.

Speculation also suggest that Porsche could offer as many as two variants to the Panamera Hybrid, one with that aforementioned 4.0L V8, which will be in the name of performance, while a version with a supercharged V6 could be pitched to those looking to get a more fuel-efficient Panamera Hybrid.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: MotorTrend

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/29bHqRF

Report: Are the Subaru Outback and Legacy the first proactively politically correct cars?

Let’s say you’re about the drop the kids or little cousins off to school, but you accidentally left SiriusXM’s adult stand-up comedy channel on from the last time you drove. Then, when you go to start the car, the radio starts blaring the epic foul-mouthed humor of George Carlin or Louis CK–not exactly the best thing for the little youngens to hear at that age, and worse if you’re babysitting and all of a sudden, the kids you’re watching start repeating the profanity they just heard without knowing the meanings of those words.

You can guarantee you won’t be babysitting those kids again. Unless of course, you have a new Subaru Outback or Legacy…

According to Automotive IT News, Subaru’s working on a new feature built into the new Outback’s infotainment system, to prevent occupants from from hearing mature SiriusXM content upon startup. So you can be rest assured that this (link has NSFW language) won’t be your next start-up experience in the car.

This wasn’t officially detailed by Subaru and the feature wasn’t really popularized by the company. It was rather highlighted by Vince Patton at Automotive IT News, who discovered the feature on his 2016 Outback, when the radio would change to a generic SiriusXM preview channel every he started his car. Patton reached out to Subaru about this feature, who later confirmed that it was integrated into the infotainment system and the setting cannot be changed.

Patton also noted such a feature could frustrate drivers, but Subaru, being the “family-geared” company they’re marketing themselves as, hold their belief that it’s to prevent young passengers from hearing offensive content.

Ok, political correctness can be somewhat acceptable.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: Automotive IT News

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/29ukY4F

NHTSA discovers 266 crashes, 68 injuries linked to FCA’s confusing gear selector

Things for Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles really haven’t been going well after the death of a celebrity allegedly caused by a recalled vehicle completely blew the company up in the media world, highlighting an issue with some transmission gear selectors in a wide variety of cars.

The issue stems from a potentially confusing gear selector for the ZF-equipped cars, causing owners to accidentally leave their car in Neutral instead of Park. There was also an emphasis on the lack of fail-safes in place to remind drivers to put the cars in park. On other equipped ZF cars, like BMWs, the car will automatically shift into park if it senses the car door is still open.

On select FCA cars, not so much.

The list of the shunned

• 2012-2014 Chrysler 300 Sedans
• 2012-2014 Dodge Charger Sedans
• 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees

After beginning an investigation in February of this year, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles reached a conclusion, recalling some 1.1 million vehicles worldwide for these confusing gear selectors. It was just earlier today that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded their investigation, to find a total of 686 complaints filed, with 266 crashes and 68 injuries stemming from the gear selectors. One of them was death of Star Trek reboot star, Anton Yelchin, who was killed by his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee when it rolled against him, pinning him against a fence.

In the US, a total of 41 of those 68 worldwide injuries were in the US.

There’s also a pending class-action lawsuit against FCA, alleging the company was aware of the confusing shifter.

More recently, other FCA products were recalled for similar confusing shifters for nearly all 2014 Quattroporte and Ghibli models, about 13,092 units. No injuries or accidents with Maserati have been reported.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: The Associated Press; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

 

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/2948800

NHTSA discoveres 266 crashes, 68 injuries linked to FCA’s confusing gear selector

Things for Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles really haven’t been going well after the death of a celebrity allegedly caused by a recalled vehicle completely blew the company up in the media world, highlighting an issue with some transmission gear selectors in a wide variety of cars.

The issue stems from a potentially confusing gear selector for the ZF-equipped cars, causing owners to accidentally leave their car in Neutral instead of Park. There was also an emphasis on the lack of fail-safes in place to remind drivers to put the cars in park. On other equipped ZF cars, like BMWs, the car will automatically shift into park if it senses the car door is still open.

On select FCA cars, not so much.

The list of the shunned

• 2012-2014 Chrysler 300 Sedans
• 2012-2014 Dodge Charger Sedans
• 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees

After beginning an investigation in February of this year, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles reached a conclusion, recalling some 1.1 million vehicles worldwide for these confusing gear selectors. It was just earlier today that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded their investigation, to find a total of 686 complaints filed, with 266 crashes and 68 injuries stemming from the gear selectors. One of them was death of Star Trek reboot star, Anton Yelchin, who was killed by his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee when it rolled against him, pinning him against a fence.

In the US, a total of 41 of those 68 worldwide injuries were in the US.

There’s also a pending class-action lawsuit against FCA, alleging the company was aware of the confusing shifter.

More recently, other FCA products were recalled for similar confusing shifters for nearly all 2014 Quattroporte and Ghibli models, about 13,092 units. No injuries or accidents with Maserati have been reported.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: The Associated Press; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

 

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/291CdYQ

Ford repaints the 2017 GT as original 1966 Le Mans winner, will be sold as ’66 Heritage Edition

The Ford GT has a very grandiose history and a very storied heritage, which is why it’s so famous today as a highly collectible vehicle in gearhead world. Ford knows this, while understanding that majority of buyers have openly expressed their love for the GT and its amazing history.

To commemorate this with the introduction of the newest 2017 Ford GT, Ford will be producing a limited edition ’66 Heritage Edition, giving the newest GT a unique interior and exterior theme package to pay tribute to the original, Le Mans-winning Ford GT40 Mark II from the 1966 competition.

The GT40’s top victory at Le Mans in 1966 started with one of the cars being piloted by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon, in the Ford GT’s historic 1-2-3 sweep that year, meaning Ford GTs took the podium in first, second and third places.

It also gave birth to one of the most iconic photographs in motorsports history, like this one.

1966 GT40s Le Mans. (09/08/2011)

The new 2017 Ford GT ’66 Heritage Edition comes with the usual extensive treatments on the inside and out, beginning with a Shadow Black exterior, with the choice of a matte or glosse finish, complementing silver stripes, the Ford GT’s carbon fiber appearance package, 20-inch forged once-piece wheels, and more.

The inside also gains some Ebony leather with special padding and stitching, a bespoke steering wheel with a unique Ford GT logo, and other treatments to the interior that you can’t get on any other version of the GT…for the time being.

Nonetheless, if you are a hardcore Ford GT enthusiast, this seems like it would be right up your ally if you were on the path to purchasing a new 2017 model. Production is limited, but Ford didn’t say how much these ’66 Heritage Edition models would cost, or how many times they will be reproduced.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: Ford

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/28ZzRgB

Video: Watch Jay Leno get tossed when he gets caught in a 2500hp dragster flip

Come great power come great responsibility, and even then, such great power can sometimes be a little too much for the pros. That’s exactly what happened here when former late night legend, Jay Leno, experienced an accident in a 2500hp HEMI-powered drag car, during a filming session for his series, “Jay Leno’s Garage.”

To get the more pertinent news out of the way Leno thankfully survived the accident with very little harm, but it still doesn’t hide the fact that Leno experienced a crazy and petrifying ordeal. To also clear another important detail, Leno was the passenger, while this special drag car was being piloted by renowned stunt driver, Bog Riggle.

According to the video, Leno was in the process of filming a segment of getting a ride along in a heavily modified Plymouth Barracuda, nick-named the Hemi Under Glass, which also happens to be one of the most famous classic drag cars in all of human history. The Hemi Under Glass gets its name because of its wicked modifications. For instance, the engine no longer sits at the front where it originally was in a standard Barracuda. Instead, the V8 was placed in the middle of the chassis, where the rear bench normally would be.

The design was originally introduced by the engineering team at Hurst, who thought of it as a way to maximize grip for faster drag times. But due to the altered weight distribution and the immense power, the Hemi Under Glass developed a very strong reputation for popping wheelies. Because of its special setup too, this also means the car is not very susceptible to changing directions since the whole idea of the car is to get it to track as straight as possible.

This of course is all bolstered by 2500hp, which of course means, this is a lot of car to handle, even for a reasonably seasoned driver like Riggle. In the video, he can be seen driving Leno around in the modified Cuda, when Riggle goes to make a U-turn to perform another wheelie. That’s when you can visibly see that the Cuda’s stiff suspension and grippy tires, literally caused the car to go head-over-heels from its own weight and center of gravity, from too fast of a turn. During the turn, the car can be seen bouncing as the suspension fails to compensate for the body motions, leading the car to skip across the pavement and ultimately flipping.

See it all happen in the video below.

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– By: Chris Chin

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/28Z21HM

Video: Get your first glimpse of the Mercedes-AMG GT-R in action at Goodwood

If you were too busy enjoying yourself this past weekend, that’s no problem, which is why we’re here to help you recap some happenings over the weekend, one of which was the world-famous Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kingdom.

Goodwood isn’t exactly a show known for showing off new cars, but it happens anyway as automaker see the extra media attention as an opportunity and so thus, automakers do sometimes reveal new cars at the festival. And that’s what Mercedes-AMG exactly did with the new AMG GT-R.

Instead of unveiling the car at home base in Affalterbach or Stuttgart, Mercedes sought the opportunity to use Goodwood as the venue and as a result, Mercedes-AMG held a series of promotional events to launch the car. First, it all began with Lewis Hamilton showing the car off at the world-renowned Brooklands racetrack in the United Kingdom–Hamilton was accompanied by AMG’s boss, Tobias Moers.

Following the Brooklands reveal, the AMG GT-R then set out to perform at Goodwood, while being on display as well.

You can check out what happens during that performance after the jump, which basically provides you with the first view of the AMG GT-R in motion.

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– By: Chris Chin

Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/295ib5L