Automotive-related news

Chances are you spend a lot of time in your car. Here’s something that might help you appreciate your home-away-from-home a little more.

Mazda CX-50

Santa’s new helper? Self-driving truck pilot program launches during the holidays

TechCrunch reported that Waymo Via, the delivery division of Alphabet’s self-driving arm, is expanding its existing partnership with UPS to carry freight via autonomous Class 8 trucks. The six-week pilot, which kicked off in November and will continue until the end of the year to support the holiday season, was to take place in Texas between Houston and Dallas-Forth Worth. Waymo is not sharing the specific number of trucks it will use for the pilot, but it did say “multiple trucks” from its test fleet of Peterbilts that are equipped with its fifth-generation Driver will be delivering goods for UPS’s North American Air Freight (NAAF) unit. The trucks will have two autonomous specialists onboard – one driver with a commercial driver’s license and one software technician – who will monitor Driver’s operations while in autonomous mode. The trucks will be self-driving only on highways, and will switch back to manual mode for surface street portions, a spokesperson for Waymo told TechCrunch.

Used car market putting a dent in consumers’ wallets

According to a recent Washington Post report, the unraveling of the used-car market is the most tangible result of a problem that has plagued the global economy for the past year: a dire shortage of computer chips that has hobbled auto manufacturing. The lack of new cars hitting the market has caused a shortage of used cars, too, raising prices and crimping sales. The crisis has created

a political headache for the Biden administration, fueling inflation and knocking more than two percentage points from GDP growth in the third quarter. It’s also hurting consumers, who face long waits for new cars and can’t fall back on the used-car market as a low-price alternative. “It’s going to be really, really tough for consumers to buy a vehicle in 2022, a used or a new car. You’re going to have to pay a very high sticker price,” automotive dealer Brad Wimmer told the Post.

The 10Best

After reviewing a market of more than 300 vehicles, Car and Driver named its 10Best Cars and Trucks for 2022. They are: ʯ Cadillac Ct4-V Blackwing ʯ Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing ʯ Chevrolet Corvette ʯ Ford Bronco ʯ Honda Accord ʯ Kia Telluride ʯ Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman ʯ Ram 1500 ʯ Subaru BRZ/Toyota GR 86 ʯ Volkswagen Golf GTI.

To read their reviews, visit: caranddriver.com/ features/a38254154/10best-2022.

Mazda announces new model

Mazda North American Operations recently announced the debut of its first-ever Mazda CX-50. A completely new model, CX-50 is the first Mazda vehicle to be built at the new Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM) plant in Huntsville, Alabama, with production beginning in January 2022.

“This new Mazda vehicle has been developed for North America, particularly to support the active and outdoor lifestyles of customers in this region,” Jeff Guyton, President and CEO of Mazda North American Operations said. “The CX-50 encourages people to immerse themselves in nature without compromising on the premium design and outstanding on-road performance Mazda is known for.”

As a new addition to the Mazda lineup, CX-50 maintains key attributes expected of all Mazda vehicles, including superior driving dynamics and beautiful design, the company said in a release. In addition, Mazda has extended this vehicle’s capability to enable drivers to venture further into the outdoors and various terrains.

The first-ever CX-50 emphasizes Mazda’s trademark natural driving experience to help create greater confidence on and off-road. Enhancing this experience, it will be equipped as standard with the latest i-Activ All-Wheel Drive (AWD) technology and new Mazda Intelligent Drive Select, or Mi-Drive. The new drive modes can be selected with the Mi-Drive switch and will help the crossover SUV drive naturally in a wide variety of conditions, such as in exciting off-road terrain or providing reliable towing capabilities. At launch, CX-50 will be available with Mazda’s efficient powertrains, Skyactiv-G 2.5 naturally aspirated engine or Skyactiv-G 2.5 Turbo engine and paired with a responsive six-speed automatic transmission. In the coming years, the CX-50 will also be offered with electrified powertrains, including a traditional hybrid model. More information about electrified models will be shared at a later date.

Ford collaborates with GlobalFoundries to address auto chip supply

GlobalFoundries Inc., and Ford Motor Company announced a strategic collaboration to advance semiconductor manufacturing and technology development within the United States, aiming to boost chip supplies for Ford and the U.S. automotive industry.

The companies have signed a non-binding agreement that opens the door for GF to create further semiconductor supply for Ford’s current vehicle lineup and joint research and development to address the growing demand for feature-rich chips to support the automotive industry. These could include semiconductor solutions for ADAS, battery management systems, and in-vehicle networking for an automated, connected, and electrified future. GF and Ford also will explore expanded semiconductor manufacturing opportunities to support the automotive industry.

“It’s critical that we create new ways of working with suppliers to give Ford – and America – greater independence in delivering the technologies and features our customers will most value in the future,” said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO. “This agreement is just the beginning, and a key part of our plan to vertically integrate key technologies and capabilities that will differentiate Ford far into the future.”

“GF is committed to building innovative alliances with the world’s leading companies to enable the features in products that are pervasive throughout people’s lives,” said Tom Caulfield, GF CEO. “Our agreement with Ford is a key step forward in strengthening our cooperation and partnership with automakers to spur innovation, bring new features to market faster, and ensure longterm, supply-demand balance.”