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May 12, 2015 AUTOS

Self-Driving Cars Have Been in 4 Accidents in California Since September [Update: Google Responds]

-A handful of the self-driving cars currently on the road in California have run into trouble—albeit allegedly not caused by the cars themselves. An investigation by The Associated Press has discovered that four of the 48 autonomous vehicles licensed for operation on public roads there have already gotten into some kind of accident. – All four of the scrapes reportedly happened at less than 10 mph. In two of them the car was in

May 12, 2015 AUTOS

“Are We There Yet?”—the Euro Version, Starring Opel’s Family Truckster

– The Opel Zafira Tourer wouldn’t appear to be a chic or an epic choice for a strobe-light-and-string-bikini kind of spring break. This, however, was a different kind of road trip. A spunky grandmother rode shotgun and a supercharged six-year-old boy held court on a booster seat in the back. For purposes of context, we must point out it wasn’t our first European road trip. This particular family has a thirst

May 12, 2015 AUTOS

2015 Ford F-150 Recalled for Broken Steering Shafts

– Ford is recalling 8963 F-150 pickups in the U.S. for steering shafts that can break, the automaker said today. – Poor riveting on the upper intermediate shaft can cause it to separate from the steering assembly on certain 2015 F-150s, causing a sudden total loss of steering. Ford said it knows of one report of steering failure but did not report any accidents or injuries. Another 3348 F-150s subject to

May 12, 2015 AUTOS

Watch McLaren’s Current F1 Drivers Channel Senna in MP4 Racers Old and New

– We learned two things watching Tag Heuer’s awesome video of current McLaren F1 drivers Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso wheel a modern F1 car and the MP4/4 racer driven by legendary pilot Ayrton Senna. The first is that substituting the word “timepiece” for “watch” in a bid to create a clever headline doesn’t work—as in, Timepiece Old and New F1 Cars Meeting!—and the second is that Tag Heuer knows how to quicken our

May 12, 2015 AUTOS

2015 Tesla Model S 70D Tested: Now with More Power and AWD

-Tesla made history with the introduction of its Model S sports sedan two-plus years ago, prompting approbation from car critics far and wide. This was the breakthrough electric car the world had seemingly been waiting for, offering attractive design, a remarkable interior, and entertaining performance. The price—starting in the mid-$60,000 range after the $7500 federal kickback—was far beyond the average household’s reach, and range anxiety will always be a concern