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Technology
Google positions updated Android as a standard for cars
Google introduced an updated version of the Android operating system that it promises will work easily with key in-car features such as climate control, radio and digital instrument clusters.
NADA Show
Dealers want to help luring customers to the Mazda3
Mazda should revamp its digital marketing strategy to keep the key Mazda3 compact car fresh in customers' minds, dealers told Mazda executives at the make meeting during the NADA convention.
Technology
The future of checkouts: Cash, credit or your car?
Turning cars into mobile payment devices is part of the promise of the connected car, but it's still an elusive goal.
NADA Show
Why used cars are winning the e-commerce sales race
Online startups Beepi, Carvana, Shift and Vroom, which only sell used cars, are growing far more quickly than new-car specialists.
Executives
Hyundai taps Raphael as first Genesis chief
Hyundai has turned to a former Chrysler and Toyota plant manager to head its new Genesis luxury brand in the U.S.
Detroit Auto Show
Nouveau riche collides with old money at Detroit show
Next week, Hyundai Motor Co. and Volvo Car Corp. will introduce posh sedans as standard-bearers for multibillion-dollar investments in luxury cars. Hyundai will show the G90 full-size sedan as the flagship of a Genesis luxury channel that will offer three sedans, two light trucks and a coupe by 2020. Volvo, amid an $11 billion revival plan under Chinese ownership, will unveil an S90 sedan that the company has described as its “entry ticket to the premium sedan club.”
Cars & Concepts
What's happening Here? A 'reality index'
With a good map, radar and cameras now used for cruise control and blind-spot monitoring could detect open parking spaces in real time and beam that information to the cloud. Temperature sensors and automatic windshield wipers could deliver block-by-block weather updates better than any meteorologist's forecast. This type of robust, real-time status report is one of the big reasons Audi, BMW and Daimler joined forces this year to buy the mapping company Here.
Cars & Concepts
Luck, pluck and patience keep Paul Elio's quest alive
Despite “hard days, scary days,” Paul Elio says he never thought of conceding defeat in his quest to sell a cheap, efficient three-wheel commuter vehicle. Now, seven years into his endeavor, Elio is beginning to count victories - small ones.
Technology
Restructured Renesas seeks its footing on platforms
Renesas is no longer bleeding red ink, but it faces stiffer competition than ever. So the company has embarked on a new strategy around back-end software that has historically been a headache, betting that automakers will finally learn its name -- this time, for the right reasons.
Los Angeles Auto Show
Kia aims Niro 'hybrid utility vehicle' at U.S. consumers
Last week, Kia released the first design sketches of the Niro, which shares a name with a concept Kia unveiled in 2013 at the Frankfurt auto show. It is part of Kia's plan to spend $10 billion through 2020 to build a full eco-friendly lineup, including electric vehicles and a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
Service
Tesla ends $100 flat fee service promise
Tesla once pledged door-to-door “Ranger” service for covered repairs for $100. The company is now charging some customers much more than that, triggering owner complaints.
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Cars & Concepts
Can Mazda team spin rotary vision into viable reality?
Mazda Motor Corp.'s racing-mad executives want a sports car to replace the iconic RX-7 and RX-8. And with the RX-Vision concept from the Tokyo Motor Show, chief designer Ikuo Maeda gave them a glimpse of such a car. Now it's up to Mazda's engineers to make it possible.
Tokyo Auto Show
Mitsubishi's electric eX concept hints at a third CUV
Mitsubishi plans to slot a new compact crossover into its lineup between the Outlander and Outlander Sport, the Japanese automaker said.
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Tokyo Auto Show
At Mazda, a team of 50 searches for rotary-engine breakthrough
For the last eight years, a team of 50 engineers has slaved away on Mazda's signature rotary engine, seeking a breakthrough for the unique design Mazda had championed for decades, almost alone in its enthusiasm.
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Tokyo Auto Show
Rotary engine returns in Mazda concept coupe
Three years after pulling the plug on the rotary-powered RX-8 sports car, Mazda hints it hasn't given up on the peculiar engine design that gave the brand some of its grandest successes. The company's latest concept is a low-slung sports car called the RX-Vision powered by a next-generation rotary engine called the Skyactiv-R.