Sam Abuelsamid

2024 Mazda CX-90 Gets Upsized And Electrified

The launch of the 2024 CX-90 marks the next stage in the evolution of the Mazda brand. Over the past decade, Mazda has been gradually trying to change its image from a fairly mainstream brand with an appeal to more enthusiastic drivers to a purveyor…

The 2024 Corvette E-Ray Brings The First Electrification To Chevrolet’s Sports Car

It’s 70 years since Chevrolet debuted a fiberglass bodied two-seater named after the smallest of naval combat ships. By the standards of what the car would eventually become, the first 1953 and 1954 Corvettes were not particularly impressive. But…

Near Field Lidar Vendor PreAct Technologies Acquires Gestoos Gesture Recognition Software

One of the big trends for lidar companies in the past several years has been adding a software stack to their hardware offerings. Not to be left out, PreAct Technologies, a Portland, OR-based developer of near-field flash lidar, is acquiring Spanish…

Qualcomm Announces Next-Generation Snapdragon Ride Flex For Automotive Central Compute At CES

Over the past seven or eight years, Qualcomm has been moving aggressively to expand its market presence beyond the mobile device industry, with a particular focus on automotive. Following a failed attempt to merge with NXP, one of the leading…

Chrysler Synthesis Concept At CES Previews New Cabin Experience

The annual CES in Las Vegas has become the go-to location for the Chrysler brand to show off what it is working on over the past half-dozen years. Starting with the 2017 Portal electric minivan concept in 2017, Chrysler has been alternating between…

Ottopia And Hyundai Mobis Team For Automotive Grade Teleoperation Platform

As automated vehicles slowly start to proliferate in the coming years, one of the key features they will need is teleoperation and remote assistance capabilities. Israeli startup Ottopia hopes to be one of the market leaders in this area. In…

Aurora Release Driver Beta 5.0, Another Step Toward Feature Complete

Ultimately, in order for automated driving to gain a real foothold on the world’s roads, humans will have to trust that the technology is actually safer than humans. That means the system can’t start with “It may do the wrong thing at the worst…

Computing Efficiency Will Be Essential to Software-Defined Vehicles

Software Smart Technology EVs Vehicle Subscriptions Advanced Driver Assist Systems Apart from the shift to electrification, one of the hottest topics in the automotive industry of late has been the software-defined vehicle (SDV). Computing and…

Maserati To Chase Quality Over Volume As It Goes Electric

Since Ferrari had an initial public offering several years ago, about two-thirds of the shares are now owned by public investors and only 23% is owned by Stellantis. That makes Maserati the flagship Italian brand within the Stellantis conglomerate.…

Ford To Offer $1.7M Track-Only GT Mk IV In 2023

As production of the standard Ford GT winds down over the next couple of weeks, Ford doesn’t seem quite ready to let go of this generation. Ford Performance and Multimatic have cooked up yet another iteration for production in 2023, the GT Mk IV.…

Motional Launches First Uber Robotaxi Service In Las Vegas

Back in 2016, former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick called automated vehicles an existential threat to his ride-hailing business. He went on to burn several billion dollars trying to get an Uber robotaxi on the road by 2018. By 2020, Kalanick had been…

First Of 40,000 New Community EV Chargers From GM Installed In Wisconsin And Michigan

As of early December 2022, there are nearly 115,000 public level 2 electric vehicle chargers at over 50,000 locations across the U.S. and Canada. However, if EVs are really to become mainstream and spread into the large portion of the overall vehicle…

Brightdrop Starts Electric Van Production In Canada, Adds DHL As Customer

Less than two years after General Motors publicly announced the creation of its new electric commercial vehicle business, Brightdrop, production of its first product has begun at a retooled factory in Canada. Brightdrop has also added the first…

Deutsche Post DHL To Add 2,000 Ford E-Transit Vans In 2023

Like most other major logistics companies, Deutsche Post is moving aggressively to electrify its fleet. The German parent company of DHL has committed to sustainability and electric delivery vehicles are a key component of that as well as…

Toyota Grand Highlander To Debut At 2023 Chicago Auto Show

Over the past 20 years, the Highlander three-row crossover has become of foundation of Toyota’s sales in North America. Through four generations, it has steadily grown and gotten more popular, but even its current form, the third-row is still…

Honda To Build Plug-In Hybrid Fuel Cell CR-V In Ohio From 2024

For much of the past two decades, there has been a schism among supporters of zero emissions vehicles. On one side, there are those that believe battery electric vehicles are absolutely the best way to go. On the other, those that think hydrogen fuel…

Cruise Getting To $1B Revenue By 2025 Isn't Crazy, Profits Are Another Story

Ever since Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt declared a goal of reaching $1 billion in revenue in 2025, numerous reporters have asked me if that is realistic. After doing a bit of math, I can say it’s definitely not unrealistic. In fact it’s quite possible,…

GM Targets EV Profitability By 2025, $11-13B Annual CapEx Through 2025

Despite continuing challenges with supply chains and an incredibly slow production ramp up of new electric vehicles, General Motors is having a very good year financially and expects that to continue. During an investor day presentation in New York…

Fiat 500e Returns To America In 2024

When Fiat took control of the former Chrysler Group in the wake of its bankruptcy reorganization in 2009, the late CEO Sergio Marchionne decided it was a good time to bring the Italian brand back to North America after a decades-long absence. The…

Driving The 2023 BMW 7 Series - Exceptional Luxury And Creeping Featuritis

The seventh-generation of BMW’s flagship 7 series sedan has arrived with lots of changes and many improvements. It’s also the first iteration of 7 to be available with completely electric propulsion. We recently had the opportunity to drive the two…