The way people generate value from physical assets is changing. Digital marketplaces have already transformed industries such as hospitality, retail, and transportation by connecting owners directly with consumers and allowing existing assets to be used more efficiently. As those models continue evolving, premium vehicles are beginning to enter the same conversation. That shift is unfolding as demand for luxury vehicles remains strong among affluent buyers. According to the 2025 Forbes Research High Net Worth Survey, wealthy individuals planning to buy a luxury vehicle expect to spend an average of $209,000, more than $83,000 higher than in 2024. The survey also found that 87 percent are more likely to purchase a luxury vehicle if it offers advanced driver-assistance systems or autonomous driving capabilities, while 76 percent prioritize brand prestige when purchasing. Those findings suggest that luxury vehicles continue to be viewed as valuable long-term assets, even as expectations around how they are owned and accessed continue to evolve. Dubai provides a particularly relevant environment for that evolution. According to the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, the city welcomed a record 18.72 million international overnight visitors in 2024, a nine percent increase from the previous year. Continued growth in international tourism, combined with one of the world’s most recognizable luxury vehicle markets, is contributing to greater demand for flexible premium mobility while creating opportunities for marketplace platforms that connect vehicle owners, rental businesses, and travelers. Premium mobility is beginning to reflect the same platform-based model that has reshaped other sectors of the economy. Rather than relying exclusively on company-owned fleets, digital marketplaces can connect existing vehicle owners and rental operators with customers through trusted technology. As those ecosystems mature, the conversation is increasingly shifting from ownership alone toward improving the utilization of high-value assets while expanding consumer choice. Dubai provides a
Aug 7, 2026 · via newsweek.com
The latest generation of connected toys is aiming to do more than entertain. It is designed to remember, adapt and develop relationships with the people who own it. A growing number of companies are betting that artificial intelligence can transform the humble toy into something closer to a companion – combining sensors, connectivity and generative AI to create devices that respond to users in increasingly personalised ways. Among them is Shenzhen-based AI company Takway AI, which has this week been promoting Sweekar, a pocket-sized AI companion that the company says can grow, remember and change through interaction. The concept draws on two of the defining toys of the 1990s: Furby and Tamagotchi. But while those products relied on programmed behaviours and fixed digital life cycles, a new generation of AI companions is attempting to create something more dynamic – devices whose behaviour evolves based on how they are used. Sweekar begins life as a physical egg before progressing through Baby, Teen and Adult stages. Takway says interactions such as talking, touching and caring for the device generate experience points, unlocking new behaviours and triggering physical changes through an integrated stepper motor. The company says the device uses voice recognition and long-term memory to retain information about its owner, allowing its personality to develop over time. “We didn’t set out to build a smarter gadget. We wanted a small life that’s always with you, something that remembers the little things, grows because of how you show up, and never feels like software pretending to care,” says Hongzhi (Irving) Gao, Founder & CEO of Takway AI. Sweekar is entering a market where manufacturers are exploring whether AI can create a new category of consumer technology: products that are not simply tools, but objects designed around ongoing interaction and emotional attachment. Japanese electronics
Aug 7, 2026 · via iotinsider.com
Toyota Will Modernize Your Aging Plug-In With Its Factory Upgrade Program Toyota is expanding a factory-backed upgrade program designed to breathe new life into aging gas and plug-in Toyota and Lexus cars. - Toyota is expanding its factory upgrade program. - This enables owners to add new connectivity features—connected, performance upgrades, and visual updates to their aging Toyota and Lexus vehicles. - A surprising number of plug-ins are eligible for upgrades. The average age of a car on American roads has been rising over the last two decades. By 2025, the average age of a passenger car hit a whopping 14.5 years. It make sense—they're certainly becoming more expensive with each passing year, but they're also seemingly more reliable thanks to more sophisticated engineering. But there is one thing that older cars are missing out on: modern creature comforts. If you want new tech, you have to buy a new car. Toyota recognized that and decided to come up with a solution with a manufacturer upgrade service. Now, it's expanding the factory-backed retrofit program to even more Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The Japan-based Toyota Factory Upgrade program allows owners of older cars to install new tech directly through authorized dealers. Depending on the vehicle, that could include upgraded convenience equipment, advance driver assistance features, infotainment upgrades, styling enhancements, and more. Toyota's idea builds on its brand reputation for reliability. Believe it or not, some people still like driving their cars until the wheels fall off. They're not just going to throw out their ten-year-old Toyota or Lexus when it runs and drives perfectly fine. But they might be itching for a way to get some simple in-app connectivity pushed to their aging vehicle. Some of the tech-focused add-ons include remote start and climate preconditioning via your phone, connected alarm system,
Aug 7, 2026 · via insideevs.com
07 Aug 2026 Fair Use [17 U.S.C. § 107]. Sunset or sunrise over the former Mercedes/Nissan plant in Mexico? By EVWorld.com AI Editorial Team How automotive supply chains, plant acquisitions, and local assembly are reshaping North American manufacturing. Over the past decade, Chinese automotive manufacturers relied on shipping fully built vehicles directly across the Pacific into Latin America. That dynamic is shifting. Driven by high shipping costs, localized consumer preferences, and regional economic partnerships, major electric vehicle companies are establishing physical operations in Mexico. Early pioneers like JAC Motors led this transition by producing electric commercial trucks and personal crossovers through domestic joint ventures in Hidalgo. Today, state-owned entities like GAC Group are establishing dedicated assembly facilities, moving beyond small assembly runs into larger manufacturing efforts. Building greenfield car plants from scratch requires immense capital outlay, lengthy environmental reviews, and years of construction before the first vehicle rolls off the assembly line. To accelerate market entry, Chinese automakers are actively bidding on existing automotive plants being phased out by traditional Western and Japanese legacy automakers. Facilities like the COMPAS plant in Aguascalientes, previously managed through a joint venture between Nissan and Mercedes-Benz, have drawn intense interest from industry giants like BYD, Geely, Chery, and Great Wall Motor. Acquiring operational facilities allows companies to tap into trained local labor forces and modern tooling without delay. Behind the headline-grabbing car brands lies a massive migration of Chinese tier-one and tier-two component manufacturers. Over twenty major automotive supply firms specializing in aluminum casting, thermal management systems, advanced battery module enclosures, and interior electronics have built factories across northern industrial hubs like Nuevo León, Coahuila, and Aguascalientes. Originally established to supply global automakers operating under regional content rules, this component network now serves as an immediate, integrated supplier foundation for incoming domestic assembly lines.
Aug 7, 2026 · via evworld.com
How Conversational AI Can Make Fleet Tasks Easier for Drivers While most generative AI tools help fleet managers interpret data at their desks, Connex2X is applying voice interaction to tasks behind the wheel. Fleet technology has entered a new phase of AI adoption. Over the past two years, telematics systems providers, automakers, FMIS suppliers, and fleet management companies have announced and deployed generative AI within their traditional platforms. GenAI is no longer a novelty; it’s now table stakes. Fleet managers can now converse with their systems to understand which vehicles are underutilized, which are driving up maintenance costs or idling too much, which are candidates for replacement, and which drivers are generating the most safety events. Instead of requiring fleet managers to find the right report and interpret data on a screen, generative AI answers in seconds. So far, that conversation has taken place at the fleet manager’s desk. But the next frontier is behind the wheel, using conversational AI to guide drivers through tasks that occur on the road and away from the office. Connex2X is one early example. Conversational AI and the Driver Connex2X’s generative AI assistant, NEXi, uses voice interaction to guide drivers through fleet-required processes. Fleets already have apps for inspections, incident reporting, and vehicle information. Connex2X offers a new way to make those tasks easier to complete — through a conversation. Rather than opening an app and fat-fingering through a form, the driver talks with NEXi. The assistant asks the questions, walks the driver through each step, and records the answers. It can conduct the exchange in multiple languages while delivering standardized information to the fleet manager in English. “A lot of these things are just an assembly of things that are already out there, provided by one point solution or another,” said Paul Porrini,
Aug 7, 2026 · via automotive-fleet.com
Automotive Cybersecurity Market Research Explores Growth Within A $7.94 Billion Opportunity The automotive cybersecurity sector is rapidly evolving as vehicles become increasingly connected and autonomous. With rising concerns about protecting vehicles from cyber threats, the market is set to witness substantial growth in the coming years. This overview explores the market's anticipated size, key players, driving trends, and major segments shaping the industry's future. Projected Market Value Growth in Automotive Cybersecurity The automotive cybersecurity market is expected to reach $7.94 billion by 2030, growing at an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.5%. This expansion is fueled by stricter regulatory requirements aimed at enhancing vehicle cybersecurity, the growing use of autonomous vehicles, and the development of connected car ecosystems. Additional factors boosting the market include increased investments in secure vehicle architectures and a stronger emphasis on cloud-based security solutions within the automotive space. Noteworthy trends during this period involve a surge in deployed in-vehicle intrusion detection systems, greater adoption of secure over-the-air (OTA) update solutions, wider integration of cloud-based security platforms for vehicles, expansion of endpoint protection for electronic control units (ECUs), and a heightened focus on secure communication within vehicles. The automotive cybersecurity market size has grown exponentially in recent years. It will grow from $3.24 billion in 2025 to $3.89 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.1%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to increasing vehicle connectivity levels, growth in software-defined vehicles, rising awareness of automotive cyber threats, adoption of telematics systems, expansion of infotainment platforms. Download a free sample of the automotive cybersecurity market report: https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/sample.aspx?id=6433&type=smp&utm_source=OpenPR&utm_medium=Paid&utm_campaign=Aug_PR Leading Corporations Driving the Automotive Cybersecurity Market Numerous prominent companies dominate the automotive cybersecurity landscape, including Aptiv PLC, Argus Cyber Security, Arilou Technologies, Continental AG, ESCRYPT GmbH, GuardKnox Cyber Technologies Ltd., Harman
Aug 7, 2026 · via openpr.com
Your car is no longer just a machine on wheels — it is a connected digital device. From smartphones and infotainment systems to navigation and payment apps, modern vehicles are increasingly plugged into the digital ecosystem, creating vulnerabilities to cyber threats. Addressing this emerging risk, ICICI Lombard has introduced India’s first motor cyber insurance cover. The Motor Cyber Cover protects customers against cyber incidents affecting the insured vehicle. “Today, our ecosystem is digitally connected, with a vast number of smartphones being used by both individuals and businesses. Vehicles, too, are increasingly connected to digital devices. Electric vehicles are inherently more software-driven, but even conventional fuel-powered cars now come equipped with advanced software and connectivity features, making them vulnerable to cyberattacks,” Gaurav Arora, Chief Commercial Lines & Motor (Underwriting & Claims) told businessline. The cover extends to losses resulting from hackers gaining access to financial data or digital assets through a connected vehicle. It also provides protection against incidents such as cyber-enabled vehicle immobilisation or lockouts —where attackers demand a ransom to restore access — as well as damage to vehicle software caused by hacking. “We saw a clear need to address this emerging risk and developed what we believe is an industry-first motor cyber insurance cover for customers using connected vehicles. The cover will be available as an optional rider for policyholders who wish to opt for it,” Arora said. The Motor Cyber Cover covers risks such as unauthorised access, hacking, digital compromise, cyber extortion, theft of funds and legal liabilities arising from cyber attacks through the vehicle and its connected devices. The cover also pays for ransom of digitally hacked vehicles making it inoperable. It also pays for restoring the access & reinstallation of software affected due to cyber incidents. Additionally, it also covers indemnification for direct financial loss
Aug 7, 2026 · via thehindubusinessline.com
The timing could not have been better — or worse. The findings from a long-awaited investigation into the origins of a deadly Southern California wildfire were released Tuesday, pinning it on an electrical arc from a Southern California Edison transmission tower. Simultaneously, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration was asking legislators to limit the financial liability of SoCal Edison and other investor-owned utilities when their equipment ignites wildfires, which have become an inescapable fact of Californians’ lives. The report dealt with the Eaton Fire, one of several that swept through the Los Angeles area in January 2025, driven by hot winter winds known as Santa Anas. Once ignited, it quickly engulfed communities in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, particularly Altadena, charring more than 14,000 acres, destroying more than 9,000 homes and other buildings and claiming at least 19 lives. It took firefighters 24 days to fully extinguish it. “After 18 months of thorough review of all evidence, alongside retained electrical and metallurgical experts, the investigation concluded that the cause of the wildfire conflagration was due to the electrical arcing events that took place on the out-of-service Southern California Edison tower,” the Los Angeles County Fire Department wrote in the condensed report it produced along with Cal Fire. The electrical arc not only ignited the Eaton Fire, it also launched a predictable sequence of finger-pointing and legal maneuvering over insurance payouts to fire victims and efforts by their insurers to shift the financial onus onto the utility and its stockholders. It was predictable because similar scenarios had erupted during other fire disasters, such as the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed the Butte County town of Paradise, caused by a faulty Pacific Gas and Electric transmission line. Even before the 2025 Southern California fires erupted, the Camp Fire and other major wildfires
Aug 7, 2026 · via santamariatimes.com
- Market Size (2026) - USD 6.1 Bn - Forecast (2036) - USD 51.6 Bn - CAGR (2026 to 2036) - 23.8% How big is Voice Search Market in 2026? USD 6.1 billion in 2026 and USD 51.6 billion by 2036 at a 23.8% CAGR. Demand for voice search is projected to expand at 23.8% CAGR between 2026 and 2036, increasing valuation from USD 6.1 billion in 2026 to USD 51.6 billion by 2036. Commercial adoption depends on recognition accuracy and context retention that preserve the intended query across connected interfaces. Household devices provide a recurring access route for voice search beyond mobile screens through smart speakers and connected audio interfaces. Ofcom reported in July 2025 that 40% of UK households owned a smart speaker and 43% of owners searched for information online. Established household use makes recognition quality and visible source links commercial requirements for recurring spoken requests through voice assistants. Key Takeaways - Context-preserving spoken search expands as accurate recognition connects recurring device use with verifiable web retrieval across platforms. - Generic search is projected at 48.0% share in 2026 due to frequent information and navigation requests. - Smartphones and mobile devices are estimated at 38.0% of application demand in 2026 owing to integrated microphones and personal accounts. - Consumer electronics is forecast at 34.0% by end-use in 2026 supported by recurring access through phones and smart speakers. - Accent variation and privacy obligations limit adoption if recognition quality or consent controls fail during routine spoken interactions. - Google LLC, Amazon.com, Inc., Apple Inc., Baidu, Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Microsoft Corporation, International Business Machines Corporation and NVIDIA Corporation serve consumer or enterprise voice-search routes. Analyst Perspective "A reliable voice-search system must preserve names and follow-up context throughout retrieval and any automated result. Platform teams should compare source
Aug 7, 2026 · via futuremarketinsights.com
The history of networking is full of tools that repurposed solutions to very different kinds of problems first. Wi-Fi’s origins trace back, in part, to a team of Australian radio astronomers trying to detect signals from evaporating black holes. But the data-processing tools they’d developed also proved capable at extracting clean messages from any chaotic, echoing signal environment. Echoes are echoes, after all, whether from distant star systems or from the far corner of the house. I research vehicle communications networks, connecting cars to cars and to transportation infrastructure like traffic lights—for tomorrow’s vehicle-to-everthing (V2X) networks. V2X research has long relied on models that assume “perfect” or “ideal” network conditions, which is a simplifying assumption that makes the math tractable. But this assumption doesn’t reflect how real wireless signals behave in a moving, obstructed, high-density environment. That gap is exactly the kind of real-world unpredictability that open radio access networks (a.k.a. O-RAN)—an open, programmable architecture behind some 4G and 5G cellular networks—were built to manage. So why has the O-RAN standard—which is open and available to be applied well beyond 5G telecom—never been used for vehicle communications? Solutions to the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) problem have to date relied on new networking protocols built from scratch—only to discover chicken-and-egg problems, thorny standards wars, and real signal congestion challenges at scale. By contrast, O-RAN allows V2X engineers to reuse the networking protocols already developed for cellular communications. O-RAN was developed assuming cellphone towers are generally fixed in place. But, as can be seen below, O-RAN accommodates mobile “towers”—cars and trucks, in this case—with little additional effort. Imagining a New Way to Connect Vehicles Self-driving vehicle technology has largely been an each-car-for-itself endeavor. Tesla’s approach, for instance, relies heavily on powerful on-board banks of computers and suites of sensors spread around the car. However,
Aug 7, 2026 · via spectrum.ieee.org
07 Aug 2026 Fair Use [17 U.S.C. § 107]. Chery T2X electric vehicle platform. By EVWorld.com AI Editorial Team When Chinese automotive powerhouse Chery acquired a $75 million stake in South Korea's KG Mobility (KGM, formerly SsangYong Motor), analysts asked whether this was a backdoor into the U.S. EV market. On paper, South Korea's KORUS FTA offers tariff advantages compared to steep duties on Chinese imports. But modern protectionism is no longer about where steel is stamped - it is about where software code is written. The Chery-KGM partnership provides capital efficiency for KGM and global scale for Chery. KGM licenses Chery’s T2X platform for upcoming models, including the SE10 mid-size SUV. In return, Chery gains access to KGM’s manufacturing capacity and export channels across Europe, Latin America, and Australia, while supplying the E/E architecture, domain controllers, battery management systems, and software stack. The U.S. Department of Commerce bans vehicles using Chinese- or Russian-developed connected car software, telematics, or autonomous drive stacks, regardless of where final assembly occurs. This rule blocks Chery-KGM vehicles at the digital border. Some suggest KGM could strip out Chery’s software and adopt domestic Korean systems. In practice, this is impossible. Hyundai Motor Group, controlling over 80% of South Korea’s market, will not license its proprietary Connected Car Operating System (ccOS) to a rival. Moreover, automotive software is deeply integrated with chipsets, sensor suites, and CAN bus protocols. Re-engineering Chery’s platform to run foreign software would destroy the cost efficiencies of the partnership. Because KGM vehicles rely on Chery’s electronic architecture, they trigger U.S. restrictions on Chinese-origin connected software. Far from being a Trojan horse for North America, Chery’s investment is aimed at Europe, Southeast Asia, and South America, where KGM’s badge and dealership footprint allow Chery to expand without facing Washington’s digital trade barriers. Articles
Aug 7, 2026 · via evworld.com
Automotive Smart Display Market Study Explores Industry Growth Toward $18.66 Billion The automotive smart display sector is on track for significant expansion as technological advancements and evolving vehicle designs reshape the industry. Increasing incorporation of smart interfaces in vehicles is driving innovation and creating fresh opportunities for manufacturers and suppliers alike. Let's explore the market's size, the leading players, key trends, and the main segments shaping its future. Projected Market Size and Growth Outlook for the Automotive Smart Display Market The automotive smart display market is anticipated to witness substantial growth, reaching a valuation of $18.66 billion by 2030. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.1% during the forecast period. Several factors are contributing to this upward trajectory, including greater adoption of autonomous vehicles, rising demand for augmented reality displays, expansion of electric vehicle platforms, enhanced integration of vehicle diagnostics interfaces, and improvements in display resolution and durability. Key market trends expected to influence growth include a shift toward larger touchscreen interfaces, increased demand for fully integrated digital cockpits, widespread use of OLED and other advanced display technologies, growth in head-up display applications, and a stronger focus on designing user-friendly interfaces. The automotive smart display market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $11.56 billion in 2025 to $12.7 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to increasing demand for in-vehicle infotainment systems, growth in connected car adoption, rising consumer preference for premium interiors, expansion of semi-autonomous vehicle features, improvements in display manufacturing technologies. Download a free sample of the automotive smart display market report: https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/sample.aspx?id=6123&type=smp&utm_source=OpenPR&utm_medium=Paid&utm_campaign=Aug_PR Key Players Driving the Automotive Smart Display Market Forward The automotive smart display industry is dominated by several prominent companies, such as Robert
Aug 7, 2026 · via openpr.com
Automakers Are Quietly Halting Weekly OTA Updates Fewer, higher-impact over-the-air updates reshape how connected vehicles evolve, shifting focus from constant infotainment tweaks to deeper behavior and reliability changes. The Breakdown - Automakers now favor fewer, higher-impact OTA releases instead of frequent smartphone-style patches. - Industry scale—hundreds of millions of connected vehicles by end of 2025—plus safety rules slow cadence and increase testing. - OTA updates increasingly change core vehicle functions—driver-assist calibration, EV charging and powertrain—and are staged to small cohorts. Your car’s next big software update may not show up every other week, and that’s on purpose. As more models become “software-defined,” major automakers are rethinking over-the-air (OTA) updates and trading constant tweaks for releases that actually change how the vehicle behaves. This shift matters because OTA is no longer just about new apps or a snappier touchscreen. With hundreds of millions of connected vehicles now capable of remote updates, carmakers are deciding which systems get touched, when, and how often. Owners have to pay closer attention to what a download does, not just when it arrives. How OTA Updates Are Changing Automakers are backing away from the smartphone-style approach where tiny patches roll out just to show activity. As fleets of connected vehicles grew into the hundreds of millions, that scale forced companies to weigh cost, risk, and customer reaction instead of chasing update counts as a headline. There is also clear owner fatigue. Drivers expect cars to improve, but they also expect stability and do not want a stream of mystery downloads. Analysts argue that the real differentiator is the ability to create ongoing value through software, not pushing the most OTA updates. Some brands still lean into rapid feature drops, while others, like Ford, have moved to more predictable batch releases. Safety and compliance pressures shape the
Aug 7, 2026 · via motor1.com
Viasat makes the case for in-car satellite connectivity Connected cars are becoming the norm, which is shining a light on roadside connectivity, or the lack thereof. A new survey by satellite operator Viasat – in partnership with the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) – has revealed that 76% of drivers experience mobile signal loss every week, with a proportion of frequent drivers spending more than four hours a week without signal. Of particular interest to Viasat is that 75% of respondents said they were prepared to pay for in-car satellite connectivity, with 43% identifying emergency calling as the most desirable service, followed by hazard and traffic alerts (17%). Viasat and the 5GAA quizzed more than 1,600 drivers in 10 countries – the UK, US, Indonesia, France, India, Canada, Japan, Germany, Brazil, and France – about their opinions regarding in-car satellite connectivity, and their willingness or otherwise to fork out for it. Given the discrepancies between different countries when it comes to road and driving conditions and network coverage, there are understandably regional differences in drivers' attitudes. For example, 33% of respondents from France find themselves without coverage for about an hour a week, but that rises to 66% in Indonesia, with similar challenges flagged up by respondents in India and Brazil. As such, the willingness to pay for in-car NTN connectivity is much greater in these markets. The old adage of there being no one-size-fits-all approach rings as true as ever. "This research shows drivers do have to deal with long periods without coverage and are excited about the possibilities of the satellite-connected car. Safety will be the first and primary benefit, but a huge range of futuristic applications could be unlocked by consistent, reliable, global connectivity," said Andy Kessler, VP, enterprise at Viasat "We're determined to work with the automotive
Aug 7, 2026 · via telecoms.com
William Stopford Nissan Australia boss says 2026 will be the brand’s nadir, ahead of an expected return to growth 43 Minutes Ago Deputy News Editor BMW owners around the world have taken to social media after their vehicles displayed a promotion for the latest Spider-Man: Brand New Day film on their infotainment screens. According to The Autopian, the promotion is part of a tie-up between the German carmaker, Sony Pictures and Marvel. A banner appears on the vehicle’s media screen when it is started. Selecting it launches a full-screen animation featuring music and, in compatible vehicles, a show using the car’s ambient lighting. BMW described the animation as an “exclusive” and a “special surprise” for drivers. “The in-vehicle animation is part of a broader brand partnership with the film,” a BMW spokesperson told The Autopian. “A few of our vehicles – including the BMW iX3 – were in the film, and a special edition iX3 was featured on the red carpet during last night’s premiere in Los Angeles.” The BMW 5 Series also appears in the film, with BMW saying the partnership “underlines the BMW commitment to combining innovation, technology and cultural relevance”. The animation will be available until August 10, 2026 in BMWs built after July 2020, running BMW Operating System 7, 8, 8.5, 9 or X, and sold in participating markets. BMW Australia told CarExpert it chose not to participate in the promotion, and we're not aware of any local BMW drivers reporting that the animation has appeared in their vehicle. "Market participation was assessed locally, and based on our understanding of Australian customer preferences, we have chosen not to participate in this activity," said a BMW spokesperson. BMW senior vice-president of user interface and user experience Stephan Durach told CarScoops in 2023 that the automaker was not
Aug 7, 2026 · via carexpert.com.au
BMW’s new iX3 – its Neue Klasse electric SUV – heralds the start of a bold new direction for the luxury car maker with key improvements in design, performance and technology. The iX3 range has been built from the ground up on a dedicated Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) architecture. We got a chance to drive the iX3 50 M Sport around Byron Bay and the surrounding hinterland to admire not only its driving performance but the impressive technology upgrades and innovations as well. The “sheer driving pleasure” – BMW’s slogan – is there with the iX3 50. The car is very responsive with superb road handling – it’s a driver’s car. You feel connected to the vehicle and connected to the road. When you get inside the first thing your eye is drawn toward is a Panoramic Vision which is a heads up display that runs pillar to pillar on the bottom of the windscreen. It contains information pertinent to your drive and can be updated and personalised to show precisely the right information for your journey. This is one of the new features of the new X operating system and from the cabin it looks like the information is wedged just below the line of the bonnet. This is also complemented by a 3D head up display (HUD) engineered to remain legible through polarized sunglasses. The M Sport steering wheel puts the major functions at your fingertips. On the left cluster you can manage ADAS operations and automated parking functions (scan and confirm via thumb toggle). On the right are controls for media, navigation and the Panoramic Vision displays. Inside multifunction heated, electric and massaging seats come standard. The iX30 also has a panoramic glass roof that has multi-layer reflective coatings that filter 100 per cent of UVA/UVB rays
Aug 7, 2026 · via techguide.com.au
Registration is open for AutoMobility LA 2026, the industry and media day that kicks off the Los Angeles Auto Show and, by extension, the automotive calendar year. The event will take place Thursday, November 19, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, one day ahead of the public show’s ten-day run. For 2026, organizers have structured the entire program around three themes they say now define the business of building and selling cars: energy, autonomy, and entertainment. The framing is deliberate. Rather than treating electrification, self-driving technology, and pop culture as separate storylines running in parallel, AutoMobility LA is presenting them as three interconnected questions the industry is answering simultaneously — what a vehicle runs on, what it can do without a driver behind the wheel, and what it means to the people who watch it go by. Organizers argue that few cities can host all three conversations credibly. Los Angeles remains the largest vehicle market in the country, is among a small number of metro areas where autonomous fleets already share the road with everyday drivers, and sits at the doorstep of the entertainment industry that shapes how new vehicles are perceived long before they reach a dealer lot. A Decade-Old Event With a Sharper Focus AutoMobility LA launched in 2014 with the goal of putting the traditional car business and the technology sector in the same room. Twelve years later, show leadership says the room has grown considerably larger, but the questions occupying it have shifted. This year’s programming is an attempt to name those questions plainly rather than let them emerge organically across scattered panels and press conferences. Each of the three pillars will carry its own sponsors, programming track, and rollout of announcements through the fall. Energy: A Fuel Question and a Household Budget Question The energy
Aug 7, 2026 · via autoconnectedcar.com
Safety rules for self-driving cars unveiled By CHENG YU | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2026-08-06 23:17 China has announced its first mandatory national safety standard for Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous vehicles, tightening safety requirements for self-driving cars in the world's largest automotive market. The safety requirements for automated driving systems of intelligent connected vehicles, which will take effect on July 1, 2027, have been approved by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration. The rules were introduced on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Tuesday. Unlike previous driver assistance technologies, the L3 automated driving system enables vehicles to take over certain driving tasks under specific conditions, while still requiring human intervention. The L4 system can perform driving tasks without human input in designated environments. According to the new requirements, automated driving systems must achieve an equivalent safety level to that of a qualified and attentive human driver performing the same dynamic driving tasks while avoiding unnecessary risks to passengers and other road users. The standard introduces clearer requirements for human-machine interaction, which has become an increasingly important issue as drivers shift between automated and manual control. For L3 vehicles, manufacturers must equip their systems with driver takeover monitoring to ensure that motorists are able to resume control when requested. Vehicles must also provide clear information regarding when automated driving is ready, activated or disengaged. If a human driver fails to respond to a takeover request, the vehicle must automatically execute a minimum-risk maneuver, which is a predefined sequence designed to bring the vehicle to the safest possible state. Rao Qing, chief architect for global solutions at the autonomous driving company Momenta, said, "The release of the mandatory national standard marks the beginning of a new phase for China's autonomous driving
Aug 7, 2026 · via global.chinadaily.com.cn
South Korea's ETRI has done something no research institution from Detroit, Stuttgart, or Tokyo managed first: it wrote the binding international blueprint for what a software-defined vehicle must technically do. A United Nations standards body adopted that blueprint last month, and Seoul has now installed its own engineer in the chair of the committee that will write everything that comes next. South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT announced Thursday that the world's first international standards for software-defined vehicles (SDVs) had been formally adopted at the International Telecommunication Union's Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), following a plenary meeting of Study Group 21 (SG21) held in Geneva, Switzerland. The two documents — a binding technical Recommendation and an accompanying Technical Report — were co-developed by the ministry, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), and the Institute for Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP). Once referenced by national governments, they will apply across all 194 member states of the ITU. The standards land in a market in which nearly half of OEMs worldwide now rank the SDV transition as their single top strategic priority — above autonomous driving, above electrification. For an industry that has been building toward SDV capabilities without an agreed-upon technical vocabulary, the ITU-T adoption creates the first internationally recognized baseline for what that capability must actually look like. What a Software-Defined Vehicle Is — and Why No One Agreed Before Thursday The term "software-defined vehicle" has circulated in automotive engineering circles for more than a decade, but no globally agreed-upon definition existed until this week. At its core, an SDV is a vehicle whose features and performance are governed and upgraded through software rather than fixed hardware — delivered wirelessly, long after the car leaves the factory, the way an iPhone's camera capabilities can improve through
Aug 7, 2026 · via techtimes.com
A used electric vehicle battery may sound like the last thing most homeowners would want beside their solar system. Yet Jakub Lipiński, founder of Polish controller developer BMS-EV, argues that a properly engineered second-life pack can be safer than some new certified residential batteries while costing roughly one-fifth as much. His argument is not that old batteries are automatically safe. It is that risk depends less on whether a pack is used or factory-new and more on its control system, installation quality, documented history, and fire protection. That distinction matters as households search for cheaper ways to store rooftop solar power and trim the electric bill. The safety paradox Lipiński points to failures involving commercial home batteries, including the February 2025 destruction of a model house in Schönberg, Germany, which he attributes to an LG RESU system. Certified equipment can still fail. A later U.S. recall covered about 10,500 Tesla Powerwall 2 units after 22 overheating reports, including five fires that caused minor property damage. Before an EV traction battery is approved in the European Union, it must meet UN ECE Regulation No. 100. Lipiński says that process includes a 28 g mechanical shock test, exposure to an open flame for 130 seconds, immersion in roughly 3.3 feet of water for one hour, and vibration equivalent to about 124,000 miles of driving. He also cites 1,000 to 3,000 validation cycles over five to seven years and certification costs of approximately $570,000 to $2.28 million. A typical home battery assessed under IEC 62619 does not undergo those same crash, flame, immersion, or full vibration trials, according to his comparison. Validation may involve 300 to 500 cycles, with certification costs rarely reaching about $114,000. The standards serve different purposes, since one tests automotive survival in extreme events while the other focuses on
Aug 7, 2026 · via vozpopuli.com