On the Road to Autonomy

In March 2016, in front of a small but exuberant crowd, Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Model 3, positioned as an electric car for the masses. More than a year later, Musk is touting the first deliveries of the $35,000 Model 3 to buyers who ponied up $1,000 for the pr...

Cars have become rolling listening posts. They can track phone calls and texts, log queries to websites, record what radio stations you listen to — even tell when you are breaking the law by exceeding the speed limit.

Automakers, local governments, retailers, insurers a...

Giant tech companies are fighting over the technology in court. Start-ups around the world are racing to develop new versions of it. And engineers say it is essential to making autonomous cars safe.

The obscure object of desire: lidar.

“We believe it will be the basis fo...

When you shop for cat food online, Amazon knows who you are. When you look for the best airfares for summer vacation, Google knows who you are. Soon, when you get behind the wheel, your car may recognize you, too.

Using cameras with facial recognition software and other...

Until recently, if you wanted to ditch your gas guzzler and go electric, there were few choices. You could take the high road and opt for a $70,000 luxury vehicle, like the Tesla Model S, or take the low road and choose a more modest commuter, like the $31,000 Nissan L...

The Cadillac CTS is racing toward a blind corner, raising the anxiety of its passengers. Suddenly, a chime sounds and a “front cross traffic alert” warning flashes on a screen attached to the windshield. Even though there’s nothing visible ahead, the driver jams on the...

The PC revolution, the internet boom, the smartphone economy — all were propelled along by a common set of technological standards. So will a standard platform or operating system be necessary to get autonomous cars rolling, too?

“There is certainly no doubt that many...

Anyone who values an advanced level of precision will appreciate BMW's redesigned 5 Series sedan. From the outside, the 5 Series may not distinguish itself much from the previous incarnation, but it's what's under the steel and aluminum skin that makes for a marked imp...

BEFORE engineers dreamed of eliminating drivers in cars, they imagined eliminating the side mirrors. The protuberances are ugly, create aerodynamic drag, and their associated blind spots are the bane of parking-challenged drivers everywhere.

But now, a long-sought solut...

An American head turner that is thrilling to drive, the Z06 version of the 2016 Corvette delivers the performance of a supercar for the price of a luxury sedan. It also comes with plenty of high-tech features, ranging from excellent smartphone integration to an onboard...