2021 S-Class Adds More Tech
New features include 48-volt active suspension, 4-wheel steering and industry-first rear airbags
Steve Plumb
Senior Editor, AutoBeat Daily , AutoBeat
“Ultimate Analog Supercar” Takes Shape
Gordon Murray’s upcoming T.50 gets V-12 power and a super-lightweight design
What’s Next. A Year of Change in Automotive.
2020 is a year like no other. Unpredictable change in the automotive industry and a new direction for AutoBeat Magazine.
World's Most Expensive Car May Get a Lot More Affordable (Relatively Speaking)
Trademark decision paves the way for replicas of iconic Ferrari
Mazda, Subaru, Hyundai Group Top IIHS Safety Ratings
Tougher headlight criteria reduce number of Top Safety Pick+ winners
Vehicular Lightweighting: Path. Strategy. Endgame.
The automaker with the best solution for reducing weight will be the one with the clearest vision of the endgame and the strategy to get there.
Helping OEMs Customize User Electronics
Big trend: consolidating functional controls
Bill Hampton
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Daily
Smart Doors for Autonomous Vehicles
When cars go robotic, how will they know who to open their doors for? Answer: with doors that sense their surroundings, says Inteva Products CEO Lon Offenbacher.
Takata Recalls Another 10 Million Airbag Inflators
Takata—the bankrupt airbag supplier responsible for the world’s largest auto-related recall ever—is throwing another 10 million defective devices into the mess.
Mercedes Recalls Nearly 745,000 Faulty Sunroofs
Daimler is calling back 744,900 Mercedes-Benz cars in the U.S. to check for glass sunroof panels that could blow off while the vehicle is moving.
Why Is a Vehicle Introduced in 2011 Relevant Right Now?
While there is certainly an almost unprecedented transformation in vehicles occurring, a research project that commenced in 2009 has some big implications for OEMs still today. It has to do with steel.
Carbon Fiber Creations in Auto Applications
It is more “go” than “show,” although when it comes to interior trim the composite material provides a technical touch.
Toyota Takes Multi-Pronged Approach to Autonomoy
Toyota Research Institute is working to help make vehicles safer by increasing their levels of autonomy. But, for the near-term future, the driver isn’t going to be relinquishing the task of driving.
2020 Hyundai Sonata Limited
Yes, the “Ghost Kar.” It is scary good
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Group
Transforming Volkswagen
A line up of electric cars and a new head of American operations may have a bigger transformation on VW (especially in the U.S.) than anything since the first Beetle arrived in the U.S. in 1949.
What’s Nexo?
Hyundai has developed a hydrogen-powered vehicle that has the capability and the stylishness that might make people wonder why there aren’t more hydrogen stations.
Magna Forms Joint Ventures in China
Magna International is forming two new joint ventures with Beijing Electric Vehicle Co. (BJEV), a subsidiary of the state-owned automotive group BAIC, for (1) engineering and (2) manufacturing electric vehicles.
Magna, Polestar and More
Magna is an automotive supplier. But it is a Tier One supplier unlike many others.
Magna & the Challenges of Modern Automotive Manufacturing
Magna International is the third-largest automotive supplier on the planet.
Love Thy Supplier
The challenges facing the industry throughout the next decade almost make the last decade’s look easy.
Cadillac Elevates Its Game With Forthcoming Blackwings
The Cadillac crest had birds on it that have blackwings. And while those birds have flown from the badge, the idea of their specialness remains for the Blackwing series of vehicles
Gary S. Vasilash
Editor-in-Chief, AutoBeat Group
Jeeps Modified for Moab
On Easter morning in Moab, Utah, when the population of that exceedingly-hard-to-get-to town in one of the most beautiful settings on Earth has more than doubled, some people won’t be hunting for Easter eggs, but will be trying to get a good look at one of the vehicles six that Jeep has prepared for real-life, fast-feedback from the assembled at the annual Easter Jeep Safari.
TI Automotive Opens Fuel Tank Plant in Central Mexico
Fluid systems provider TI Automotive has ventured south of the border to San Luis Potosí, Mexico for the opening of its third North American—and 24th worldwide—fuel-tank systems manufacturing plant.
Do Plastic Body Panels Have A Future?
Remember those Saturn commercials showing shopping carts bouncing harmlessly off of plastic body panels? Good idea, right? But apparently the approach never really caught on. Now the question is: will it ever?
