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Ford picks Apple Maps for its next EV platform and updated BlueCruise

2026-07-23T11:14:03-04:00

Ford plans to embed Apple Maps directly into its Universal Electric Vehicle Platform, which will start with a $30,000 midsize pickup truck set for release in 2027. In an announcement on Thursday, Ford says it will use Apple Maps to offer "turn-by-turn directions using natural language, real-time traffic and incident information, intuitive search featuring detailed place cards, and routing options."

The vehicle will also have an intelligent EV routing feature and battery preconditioning. Since the Apple Maps system will be integrated into Ford's upcoming platform, drivers won't need an iPhone to use it - though Ford notes that CarPlay will s …

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The 2026 Honda Prelude is a marvel of hybrid technology

2026-07-21T21:15:28-04:00

When it comes to enthusiast-geared Honda hardware, the Civic Si, Civic Type R, and Acura NSX often come to mind first for their revvy VTEC (Honda's form of variable valve timing) engines and playful chassis dynamics. The Prelude, on the other hand, less so. Instead, the Prelude is a technological study - still aimed at driving fun, but by way of integrating clever forms of engineering into a sleek grand touring coupe body.

The second-generation Prelude's fuel injection was derived from F1. Then the third gen got four-wheel steering way back in the late '80s. The fourth gen? It was the first everyday Honda to inherit the NSX's VTEC on both t …

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Stellantis taps Mobileye for hands-free driving assist

2026-07-21T10:46:57-04:00

Stellantis will use technology from Intel's Mobileye to power its Level 2 hands-free driving features for its vehicle brands, the companies announced Tuesday.

Starting in 2027, Stellantis will begin using Mobileye's EyeQ system-on-a-chip and a data crowdsourcing program called the Road Experience Management, or REM, which uses real-time data from Mobileye-equipped vehicles to build out a global 3D map. The technology will enable "hands-free, eyes-on driving and intelligent lane keeping on unmarked roads in designated areas and conditions," Mobileye said. Stellantis, which is the parent company of Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Fiat, Peugeot, …

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Ford’s $30,000 electric truck: all the news about the company’s big EV re-do

2026-07-23T09:40:12-04:00

The end of the Ford F-150 Lightning was also the start of a new era for the automaker. After failing to capture the market with the electric version of its popular F-Series truck, Ford is going back to the drawing board with its Universal Electric Vehicle Platform.

The first offering will be a $30,000 electric truck, engineered for efficiency and also — perhaps most importantly — profitability. The truck will be revealed in 2027, but Ford plans on building a whole family of low-cost electric vehicles at its Kentucky assembly plant. The heavily camouflaged truck has already been spotted out in the wild, with observers noting that it seems even smaller than the Maverick.

Success isn’t guaranteed. Ford has struggled to make profitable EVs, forcing the company to take a staggering $19.5 billion hit on its EV investments in 2025. But Ford still sees EVs as the future — just not oversize ones with “no path to profitability,” as executives say.

Is America ready for this quirky Jeep-looking EV that can park itself?

2026-07-17T13:45:24-04:00

Are we living through a small car renaissance? There's the Slate Truck, Amble's dune buggy, and the Fiat Topolino, as well as a whole galaxy of kei cars and trucks from Japan that have their own built-in fan base. While microcar sales in the US are still as tiny as the vehicles themselves, there are some signs that Americans might not be as closed off to the idea of downsizing as you might think.

The latest example is the launch of Chip Motors, a Miami-based startup with an adorably boxy, open-air electric vehicle that defies easy categorization. Is it a golf cart? A Jeep Wrangler that got hit with a shrink ray? A bit of both?

The company …

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The EV market is on the road to recovery thanks to high gas prices

2026-07-13T14:03:20-04:00

As the US war on Iran sent gas prices soaring, American car buyers flocked to electric vehicles - and in particular hybrids.

After a sluggish winter and fall, EV sales rebounded in the second quarter of 2026, with automakers posting some of their best numbers since the elimination of the federal EV tax credit last year, according to a Q2 analysis from Cox Automotive. I wouldn't go so far as to say EVs are back to their pandemic-era numbers, but there are some promising signs that we may be through the worst of it.

Drivers snapped up about 247,000 EVs in the second quarter of 2026, a nice 14.7 percent jump from the start of the year, acco …

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Waze is getting a bunch of new AI-powered features

2026-07-13T05:07:04-04:00

Waze is getting an AI makeover. Google is integrating its flagship AI assistant, Gemini, into the driving app with the goal of letting users personalize their trips a little more.

Of the four new updates, only two are being described as involving Gemini. Waze says its updating its conversation reporting feature, first introduced in 2024, to allow drivers to use conversational voice commands to report traffic incidents and suggest map updates, like a road closure or outdated house number. In addition, Waze introduced Destination Search, enabling drivers to use (again) use conversation voice commands (e.g., "Find me a coffee shop that's open …

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Polestar owners left ‘holding the bag’ after EV brand pulls out of the US

2026-07-09T15:18:55-04:00

Last month, Polestar shocked the auto industry when it announced that it was pulling out of the US.

The EV company's decision came after the federal government denied its authorization to continue selling its cars despite a rule banning vehicles with Chinese-made connected vehicle software. Polestar, which is headquartered in Sweden but majority owned by China's Geely, said it would stop selling its vehicles in the US starting with the 2027 model year.

For the thousands of Polestar owners and dozens of dealers in the US, it was a moment of disappointment and uncertainty. What would happen with their vehicles? Who would service them? Would …

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Ford had to hire back former engineers to fix mistakes made by its automated systems

2026-06-24T17:27:04-04:00

To celebrate its new status as No. 1 in JD Power's initial quality ranking among mainstream automakers, Ford is opening up about the challenges it has faced in recent years, especially around its reliance on automated systems in production and design. It turns out that those automated systems were not as robust as previously assumed, requiring Ford to hire experienced technicians - sometimes bringing back former employees - to correct errors made by the company's robots.

In Ford's view, AI is both powerful and prone to pitfalls. Its effectiveness depends entirely on the quality of the data used to train the AI models. In addition, the auto …

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Tesla claims driver ‘manually overrode self-driving’ in deadly Texas crash

2026-06-23T15:11:04-04:00

Tesla is pushing back on claims that its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system caused a fatal Texas crash, where a speeding Model 3 barreled into a home, killing a 76-year-old woman inside. In a reply on X, Tesla AI head Ashok Elluswamy says the driver "manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100%."

The crash occurred in a residential neighborhood in Katy, Texas, last Friday, with the Harris County Sheriff's Office telling ABC News that the Model 3 driver was using the vehicle "with an automated driving assistance system." However, Elluswamy writes on X that the driver, who has been identified as Michael Butler, " …

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