This is one in a series of posts by Radio World contributor Paul “Sarge” Kaminski about how radio shows up on the dashboard of various new car models.
The CX-5 offers choices for AM, FM/HD Radio and SiriusXM satellite radio right up front.
Using Quu’s checklist As Radio World has covered, Quu’s “In-Vehicle Visuals Report” evaluates how radio is presented in the top 100 best-selling car models.
Here’s how the RAV4’s new infotainment system scored against that list: It has AM, FM/HD and SiriusXM radio buttons.
The Toyota Audio Multimedia system does not have an apparent radio button but offers radio in the audio source screen.
Oct 1, 2026 · via radioworld.com
Northeastern University researchers tested 21 vehicles from 19 brands and found that 19 of them sent data to outside companies, often without drivers ever knowing it happened.
Vehicle telemetry, which is the stream of data a car sends about its own systems and surroundings, differs from what the paired smartphone app collects.
Researchers also noted that most drivers never read the terms they accept when setting up a vehicle app.
Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Pinterest, Snap and Yahoo all appeared among the top recipients of driver data across the tested vehicles and apps.
Where personal data ends up after it leaves the vehicle is a separate question.
Oct 1, 2026 · via motor1.com
From connected cars to British universities, from Russian sabotage to Iranian cyber operations, European security services are making increasingly explicit warnings public.
Taken together, however, they illustrate how far the perimeter within which European security agencies look for vulnerabilities linked to interstate competition has expanded.
It is precisely the space between those two extremes that appears to be attracting growing attention from European intelligence services.
This is happening as the political room for manoeuvre of many European governments could soon narrow.
In that sense, public intelligence warnings can begin to function as policy signals.
Oct 1, 2026 · via decode39.com
And the more connected the car becomes, the less its understanding of the weather depends solely on what its own sensors can see.
Your Car Can Measure The Temperature Itself The simplest piece of weather information is also one of the oldest: outside temperature.
Your Car Can Learn About Weather From Other Cars This is where modern connected vehicles start to feel a little futuristic.
Your car doesn't necessarily know what the weather is because it has a single magical weather sensor.
Weather services: External weather information can fill in conditions the car can't directly observe.
Oct 1, 2026 · via motor1.com
According to a new analysis from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, vehicle thefts fell 21 percent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same stretch of 2025.
Law enforcement agencies reported 268,415 stolen vehicles between January and June, a rate of roughly 77.81 thefts per 100,000 people.
“Vehicle thefts continue to decrease across the country, and it’s encouraging to see that every state experienced a decline,” said NICB Chief Operating Officer Tim Slater.
A Shifting Criminal Landscape The NICB cautioned against reading the data as a sign that vehicle crime is fading away.
Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau analysis released September 30, 2026.
Oct 1, 2026 · via autoconnectedcar.com
The bill would bar vehicles made by companies with more than a 15% ownership stake from Chinese entities.
“It is literally a driving spy machine on wheels,” Slotkin said of Chinese vehicles.
Chinese automakers have expanded rapidly overseas, competing aggressively on price and technology and putting pressure on established manufacturers in Europe and other markets.
But in early September, before he hosted China’s Xi, Trump again said he would not oppose Chinese automakers building cars in the United States.
But some are concerned that the 15% ownership cap could hurt companies with strong roots in the United States.
Sep 30, 2026 · via whec.com
Northeastern University academics and the nonprofit Consumer Reports unveiled the findings Tuesday, revealing that 19 of 21 major auto manufacturers studied collect and broadly disseminate customers’ private data.
Twenty-eight of 30 car connected apps shared data with at least one third-party advertising or analytics firm, the report said.
“As such, the companies that collect driver data are often the first node in a vast personal data ecosystem.”
As a result, the release said, the web pages can collect consumer data, typically without the driver knowing.
Many automakers also told Consumer Reports that some of the third-party companies the data is fed to are barred from “independently using or selling” it.
Sep 30, 2026 · via therecord.media
What is changing is the ability to organize them around the driver, vehicle and trip.
A connected vehicle could identify that its fuel level is low while the navigation system knows the route.
Fuel loyalty programs already demonstrate how rewards can steer that decision outside the vehicle.
Bringing that type of offer into the connected car environment could move the incentive closer to the moment the driver decides where to refuel.
Control of the payment credential is divided among several parties.
Sep 30, 2026 · via pymnts.com
Gasgoo Munich- Officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Transport, and the Beijing municipal government gathered in Beijing on September 28 for a press briefing on the upcoming 2026 World Intelligent Connected Vehicle Conference.
Jointly organized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Transport, and the Beijing Municipal People's Government, the conference is scheduled for October 21 to 23 at Beijing Etrong International Exhibition & Convention Center.
Under the theme "Gathering Wisdom and Energy, Connecting the Infinite — Steadily Advancing into a New Era of Autonomous Driving," the event aims to establish a premier platform for policy alignment, technical co-creation, industrial integration, and global cooperation.
Six thematic forums will cover policy and regulations, standards, key technologies, application ecosystems, connected collaboration, and digital and intelligent transformation.
Six concurrent side meetings will address in-vehicle communication technology, automotive brand globalization, the automotive chip ecosystem, autonomous driving testing and verification, AI industry empowerment, and multi-scenario autonomous driving applications, rounding out the event's exchange framework.
Sep 30, 2026 · via autonews.gasgoo.com
We’ve covered cars and privacy a few times before, especially after Mozilla researchers described cars as a “privacy nightmare.”
The results reinforce an uncomfortable reality: connected vehicles are data-collection platforms on wheels.
The results in a nutshell: Both vehicles and companion apps contacted third-party domains, including those associated with advertising and tracking.
But consumers should not need an academic study to discover who their car or its app is sharing data with.
Review app permissions, turn off optional data-sharing settings, avoid linking unnecessary accounts, and ask manufacturers what data they retain, share, and delete.
Sep 30, 2026 · via malwarebytes.com
These numbers reflect a fundamental change in what automotive cybersecurity testing needs to address.
The trend changes the very scope of automotive security testing.
Apriorit’s work on automotive cybersecurity testing similarly highlights how diverse automotive attack vectors have become, covering everything from vehicle interfaces and wireless connections to software components and third-party integrations.
“Automotive cybersecurity testing has to reflect the whole ecosystem around the vehicle.
Meanwhile, ISO/SAE 21434 and UNECE R155 provide the broader cybersecurity risk-management framework for connected vehicle systems.
Sep 30, 2026 · via cybermagazine.com
Yet EVs and ‘software-defined vehicles’ are typically connected to the internet, potentially increasing their vulnerabilities, with technology such as over-the-air software updates becoming increasingly common as more connected cars hit Australian roads.
“Australian car buyers are asking legitimate questions about connected vehicle technologies and deserve clear answers,” said AADA CEO James Voortman in a statement.
The EVC suggested that electric cars had been unduly targeted, with a broader approach needed to address security concerns.
“Any instrument that is connected these days needs to be considered as a connected vehicle or a connected instrument, which has security issues that should be considered.”
“BYD Australia notes concerns raised about connected vehicle data security in Australia.
Sep 30, 2026 · via carexpert.com.au
A Northeastern University study, conducted with Consumer Reports, watched 21 late-model vehicles and 30 companion apps to see who was receiving driver data.
The answer includes some of the largest advertising companies in the world.
Inside the Tent The study, titled Automatic Transmission: An Empirical Study of Data Privacy in the Connected Vehicle Ecosystem, is peer-reviewed and is being published this week.
Several told Consumer Reports that drivers agree to data sharing when they register and sign in, which puts the responsibility on the customer.
Consumer Reports has published a guide to opting out of driver-behavior data sharing and requesting deletion, though opting out may cost some convenience features.
Sep 30, 2026 · via autoconnectedcar.com
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The Savannah Police Department is asking for the public’s help identifying a person connected to a recent auto theft, according to a post from the department on Tuesday.
Anyone with information can call CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020, SPD Property Crimes or use the SPD mobile app.
Sep 30, 2026 · via wtoc.com
Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., are spearheading a push to toughen a ban on Chinese vehicles in the U.S.
The vast majority of modern cars include this technology, so the ban would in effect apply to all Chinese vehicles.
The U.S. already bans nearly all Chinese vehicles and places a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles.
Moreno and Slotkin want to fast-track the legislation this week, before the Senate breaks until after the November elections.
Moreno told Reuters that talks were ongoing to convince the single Senate holdout, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
Sep 30, 2026 · via spectrumnews1.com
A recent study by Northeastern University and Consumer Reports reveals that most car companion apps share driver data with external companies, raising significant privacy concerns.
Researchers tested 30 apps and discovered that 28 of them shared data with advertising or analytics firms.
Among the companies receiving this data are major tech giants like Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft.
Researchers found that every vehicle transmitted data to at least one third-party domain, with over half contacting domains specializing in advertising, tracking, or analytics.
Honda requested its analytics provider, Amplitude, to delete collected location data and updated the HondaLink app to stop transmitting geolocation data.
Sep 30, 2026 · via wlac.iheart.com
Many car companies pointed to their privacy policies or third-party contracts.
Working with Consumer Reports, researchers at Northeastern University examined 21 vehicles across 21 different brands (plus 30 automaker companion apps) from October 2024 though August 2025.
They scanned the vehicles' wifi and cellular data streams, poked at infotainment systems, and even stuffed the cars into giant faraday tents.
Photo by: Bosch Of the 21 cars tested, 19 phoned home to at least one third-party over the internet.
The researchers also shamed car companies like Tesla and Rivian for warning owners that disabling telematic connectivity and data sharing could result in degraded vehicle functionality.
Sep 29, 2026 · via insideevs.com
In news that should surprise very few, connected cars remain a complete privacy nightmare.
But now we have a better idea of what data those cars are giving away, and to whom, thanks to a study conducted by a team of researchers at Northeastern University and Consumer Reports.
Testing 21 cars from 19 different brands revealed patterns of traffic to advertisers and trackers, as well as data shared with Big Tech firms like Microsoft and Adobe.
All of the cars contacted a first-party domain (i.e., the OEM)—after all, all the cars tested were connected cars and that means connecting to something.
But some of the cars tested redirected their traffic to Wi-Fi, allowing the researchers to see traffic flows that were previously unobservable.
Sep 29, 2026 · via arstechnica.com
"Kigen's new eSA-certified Automotive eSIMs give car manufacturers a secure path from factory provisioning to global fleet operation while preserving freedom to evolve connectivity throughout the vehicle lifetime.
"This latest achievement, with the industry's first eSA-certified eSIMs supporting SGP.32 v1.3, is an important step in translating GSMA eSIM IoT specifications into secure, interoperable technology for the next generation of connected IoT and vehicle fleets."
"Congratulations to Kigen on the industry's first GSMA eSA certification to the latest SGP.32 enhanced specifications for automotive eSIMs," said Katherine Diao, Head of IoT and Automotive Industry, China Mobile International.
Kigen's full eSIM stack assurance spans GSMA SAS-UP (manufacturing) and SAS-SM (subscription management) certification, plus hosted Kigen eIM remote management.
Kigen Automotive eSIMs will be available for OEM sampling in the ETSI MFF2 package from October 2026.
Sep 29, 2026 · via vietnamnews.vn
Not overnight, announced years in advance, in documents nobody in the vehicle program was reading, because the vehicle program shipped in 2021 and moved on.
A vehicle that can’t reach the network can’t deliver either.
Scale that pattern to a vehicle program and it’s the difference between a software update and a recall.
Nobody in the vehicle program is assigned to read them, because the program shipped and the team moved on.
Whether a given population completed its expected behavior in the market it’s actually driving in this month.
Sep 29, 2026 · via iotforall.com