Hasta La Gadget!

Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has announced it plans to invest around $50 million into Japanese digital entertainment company Pioneer Corporation, which makes in-car electronics, to acquire approximately seven per cent of the company. The pair described the investment as “a business and capital alliance” in a press release today. The news was spotted earlier by ZDNet.

Specifically, DoCoMo said it intends to “integrate Pioneer’s in-car navigation telematics technologies and related peripheral development capabilities with [its own] mobile cloud expertise to make a full-scale entry into the field of intelligent transport systems (ITS)”. The pair have previously partnered for the integration of car electronics and information services, including the “Docomo Drive NetTM” navigation service, which incorporates DoCoMo’s smartphones placed in dashboard-mounted cradles, but this latest move pushes DoCoMo deeper into the transport systems space.

The pair said they will jointly develop an ITS, for launch later this year, which will comprise of a platform plus services for consumers and businesses, and also in-car hardware.

Here’s how they describe the plans:

The envisioned in-car ITS system will use probe data gathered from Pioneer’s car-mounted navigation system and DOCOMO smartphones in moving vehicles to process detailed traffic information in Pioneer’s ITS cloud platform. ITS services that integrate this information with various other services will be jointly developed and launched for individual and corporate customers this year.

In addition to developing such services and constructing ITS-related cloud infrastructure, the two companies will develop and sell compatible car-mounted communication devices.

DoCoMo said it will make the investment of about five billion yen (approx. $50 million) through a third-party allocation of new shares to acquire approx. 7% stake in Pioneer this coming June 28.

The Gumball 3000 is an international rally for rich people who own exotic supercars. It’s a chance to show off and let their expensive toys roar. But this year’s race will feature one car that’s surely more exotic than even the newest Lambo. It’s a life-size replica of the Tumbler from Nolan’s Batman films.

The car was commissioned by a group of gearheads from Saudi Arabia who call themselves Team Galag. According to Yahoo! Autos, the replica has a 400hp engine, goes up to 100mph and cost $1.6 million (USD) to build. A Wayne-level budget; I guess that adds to the authenticity. Autoblog says that the car was made by Parker Brothers Concepts, who are no strangers to building wacky one-off vehicles for the rich and famous.

Images by Sam Moores Photography

Here’s a quick video of the car rumbling down the street via YouTuber Shmee150:

Please let their be a Batpod in there. You can see more pictures of the Tumbler at Team Gulag’s Facebook page.

[via Yahoo! Autos, Autoblog & Team Galag via DVICE]

One of the most successful and intriguing electric vehicle makers is Tesla. Compared to the likes of Ford or GM, Tesla is certainly small potatoes. However, the company has been successful in producing some the best performing and longest driving electric vehicles on the market. The latest and greatest vehicle from Tesla is called the Model S.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently said that his company is considering including driverless technologies in its vehicles and has been discussing autopilot systems with Google.

Google is one of the biggest technology firms in the world that is working on driverless cars. Musk believes that the next step is something more like an airplane’s autopilot system than a self-driving car.

The difference between self-driving systems and autopilot style systems is significant. Google’s autonomous vehicles are able to drive between two specific locations with no human intervention. Autopilot style systems allow the vehicle to take over from the driver in certain situations, such as in traffic or when driving down the highway – like cruise control on steroids.

There’s no word on if or when autopilot systems will find their way into Tesla’s vehicles, but the discussions are certainly indicative of where the automotive industry is going.

[via Bloomberg]

What’s next for Tesla’s Model S? Road safety and assistance tools may be on the docket, including self-driving technology that Elon Musk refers to as “autopilot,” according to a Bloomberg report. The CEO has reportedly been in talks with Google about assistive tech — the feature could be similar to what we’ve seen in Mountain View’s recent self-driving demos, though a system developed in-house by Tesla is more likely. Bloomberg states that some automakers, such as Nissan, think autonomous vehicles could be a decade away, so don’t expect a next-gen Model S to navigate roads on its own.

Meanwhile, a hidden configuration page in current vehicles reveals some additional features, including Blind Spot Detection, Adaptive Cruise and Lane Departure Warning. All three are currently disabled, but they could bring at least some additional automation to the all-electric car. It’s unlikely that the required hardware is installed within sedans already on the road, but those features are clearly on the company’s radar, giving us hope that some of the concerns we outlined during our review may soon be addressed.

Filed under: Transportation, Google

Comments

Source: Bloomberg

Current or wannabe Tesla S owners can now opt for a Performance Plus option that adds a bit of range and a lot of extra handling — and the whole idea came from none other than McLaren. After a journalist told Elon Musk that his nimble sedan was nonetheless outdone by a McLaren MP4-12C supercar (duh?), Tesla’s engineers got to work tweaking the suspension and adding new Michelin tires. The latter boosts range by 6 to 12 miles over the stock rubber, while the whole package adds more cornering grip and acceleration “while maintaining ride quality,” according to the company. Current owners can get the option retrofitted for $13,000, but if you’re still kicking tires, it’ll add $6,500 to your total Tesla S bill for the up-rated suspension bits, plus another $3,500 for the optional 21-inch wheels. Sounds tempting for a poor-man’s McLaren, and given the new financing options, you might even be able to justify it.

Update: We’ve updated this post to clarify pricing. The 21-inch wheels are not included in the $6,500 Performance Plus package.

Filed under: Transportation

Comments

Source: Autoblog Green