Author: Tabitha

If you end up in a crash or other emergency situation, the Geko PanicSafe locater can notify anyone you want, instantly. It stays plugged into your vehicle’s 12-volt receptacle while you drive. When an impact is detected, or at the press of a button, the unit will alert up to seven different contacts of your choice, such as friends, family members and emergency services. The PanicSafe will also notify your contacts if you deactivate the alert. In addition, the built-in GPS tracking (which works when paired with a smart phone) keeps tabs on your location, even if your vehicle is…

Most of us have watched vehicles on rotating turntables at auto shows, but there’s a practical side to them as well. San Diego-based Carturner builds its patented stainless-steel turntables for both indoor and outdoor use. They are especially handy in tight driveways or in garages where maneuvering your vehicle is difficult. The company also has professional applications, such as for commercial photographers. Installation is a relatively simple process since the 15-foot diameter Carturner installs on top of your driveway or floor. Prices start at $12,000 for brushed or powder-coated finishes, and $13,000 for the mirror-finish version, excluding shipping. Prices include…

A touted breakthrough in computer rendering has Porsche virtually giddy over the implications for future vehicle design. The system, called “ray tracing,” greatly reduces the time it takes to render an image as well as how the image reflects light to achieve new realism. Porsche partnered with Epic Games and NVIDIA — which specialize in video gaming and graphic processing, respectively — and is using the real-time software in the design of the next 911 Speedster concept, reports industry publication Automotive News Canada. “Ray tracing basically mimics more realistically the way light behaves,” said Francois Antoine, Epic director of embedded…

A Kroger’s supermarket in Scottsdale Ariz., embarked Aug. 16 on a self-driving-vehicle grocery-delivery program with technology partner Nuro; Kroger will provide the groceries, and Nuro the technology — and soon the vehicle, as well — to deliver them. The first phase, under way now, uses Nuro-equipped Toyota Prius hybrid sedans that have a seat and steering wheel for a human to intervene in case of a pending collision. Nuro’s own R1 driverless delivery van, bereft of seats or a steering wheel, will join the test program in the autumn. Yael Cosset, Kroger chief digital officer, views the program also as…

For the past few years, fans of the entry-level Z4 sports car have had to content themselves with camouflaged images of the replacement. The wait is now over and The Sleuth loves what he sees, starting with a busy face and air-extractor bodywork that consumes large portions of the front fenders. In typical BMW style, the cockpit is all business, with the gauges, touchscreen and various controls angled toward the driver’s position. The initial Z4 M40i First Edition will come with a 340-horsepower turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine that BMW claims will propel the two-seater to 100 km/h (62 mph)…

The trend to creating extreme off-road-capable full-size pickups continues to grow and Toyota is right in the thick of the action with the 2019 Tundra TRD Pro. The automaker has installed the same kind of Fox-brand shock absorbers that Ford uses for the F-150-based Raptor off-roader (also the springs that give the TRD Pro an extra two inches of lift). Other specialized content includes a big hood scoop, less restrictive exhaust system, skid plates and Michelin all-terrain rubber mounted on lightweight wheels. The TRD Pro gets the same 381-horspower 5.7-liter V-8 (69 fewer horses than the Raptor’s turbocharged V-6) as…

The first fully electronic system to control intake-and-exhaust-valve opening and closing offers levels of control over the combustion cycle never before seen, says its manufacturer. Camcon Automotive in Britain says its system, not run by a connection to the crankshaft, improves power and cuts emissions, allowing unprecedented capabilities, “such as giving four-stroke engines brief two-stroke power boosts,” reports emerging-technologies webmagazine New Atlas. Variable valve timing isn’t new, but hasn’t yet been able to provide “complete, instant and unrestricted control” over what every valve — both intake and exhaust — does at any time, independently of engine revs. Camcon’s Intelligent Valve…

Volvo’s second electric Polestar model — a high-end offshoot of the Sweden-based brand — will be able to travel up to 350 miles and will start at about US $40,000. Called the Polestar 2, it will serve as the brand’s entry-level model after the carbon-fiber-bodied hybrid Polestar 1 sports coupe arrives, priced at more than US $150,000. Polestar COO Jonathon Goodman told Britain’s Autocar magazine that depending on the trim level, the Polestar 2 will have up to 400 horsepower. Its 350-mile range represents “the lower ‘bookend’ of our showroom range and, for now, it should give us as much…

The Spymaster’s intel indicates that the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) division will introduce an all-new Jeep JK Wrangler truck either late this year or in early 2019. The model, to be called The Scrambler, revives a name attached to a previous pickup that dates back to the early 1980s. Word has it that, as is the case with the current two- and four-door Wranglers, buyers will be able to remove the Scrambler’s roof and its front and rear doors, and fold down the windshield, thus providing an experience unlike that of any other pickup on the market. It’s expected that…

The Sleuth’s sources confirm that Ford plans to remove its premium Lincoln brand from showrooms populated with Ford Escapes, Fusions and F-150s, and have dealers in 30 major metropolitan centers set up freestanding locations. Apparently the thinking is that the Lincoln lineup will perform far better from a sales standpoint in an exclusive environment populated by several all-new and rebranded vehicles that will begin rolling out for the 2019 model year. These include the revived Aviator tall wagon, the Nautilus (formerly MKX) and the Corsair (MKC). The separate-showroom strategy has certainly paid dividends and brand awareness for Toyota’s Lexus division…