A coalition of the nation’s leading experts in automobiles and auto safety—AAA, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, National Safety Council, PAVE, and SAE International—released a set of expanded and updated recommendations for universal terms for advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features. The six overarching categories on the list are collision warning, collision intervention, driving control […]
Consumer Reports Survey Finds Americans Support the Right to Repair
More than half of consumers say there isn’t enough choice on where to get something repaired. Consumers show small preference for local shops certified by vehicle manufacturers versus uncertified facilities. Consumer Reports (CR) released findings from a nationally representative survey about consumer attitudes toward repairing and replacing broken products, including vehicles, and the choices available […]
General Motors Plans to Sell Only Electric Light Vehicles by 2035
Company says 40 percent of its U.S. models will be battery electric vehicles by 2025. GM announced that it plans to become carbon neutral in its global products and operations by 2040 and “aspires” to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035. One prominent consumer group, however, questioned if the company’s stated “aspirations” […]
U.S. DOT and EPA Announce Final Rule on 2021-2026 Fuel Economy Standards
Auto industry supports gradual increases in fuel economy, opponents promise lawsuits. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule setting corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) and CO2 emissions standards for model years 2021-2026 passenger cars and […]
NTSB Says Tesla Crash Investigation Demonstrates Limitations of Today’s ADAS Systems
Board warns of insufficient federal oversight of partial driving automation systems. Issues nine safety recommendations for regulators, technology companies and auto industry. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a public board meeting Tuesday during which it determined the probable cause for the fatal March 23, 2018, crash of a Tesla Model X in Mountain […]
U.S. Department of Transportation Announces New Road Safety Initiatives
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Elaine L. Chao today spoke at the 99th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) where she announced new transportation initiatives aimed at harnessing new and existing technologies to improve safety for the traveling public and first responders. Among the initiatives was an endorsement of a call by […]
Four Vehicle Manufacturers Meet Automatic Emergency Braking Commitment Ahead of 2022 Target
Four vehicle manufacturers equipped virtually all the light vehicles they produced for the U.S. market between Sept. 1, 2018, and Aug. 31, 2019, with automatic emergency braking (AEB), three years ahead of a 2022 target. Audi and Volvo joined Mercedes-Benz and Tesla, which hit the target last year, in outfitting all their light passenger vehicles […]
AAA, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power and The National Safety Council Adopt Common Naming for Advanced Driver Assistance Technology
AAA, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power and the National Safety Council have come together to adopt standardized naming for advanced driver assistance technology in an effort to reduce confusion. To help educate consumers on the benefits, limitations and proper use of these technologies, the four organizations are calling on all safety organizations, automakers and journalists covering […]
Consumer Reports Says Government Documents Show Safety Failures by Tesla
Says NHTSA must do more to hold companies accountable, update 5-star rating program. Consumer Reports yesterday said that emails and other government documents released publicly for the first time show failures by Tesla regarding its safety claims and the performance of Autopilot, and the documents reveal that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must […]
Consumer Reports Says Tesla AutoPilot Needs Immediate Changes, Calls for NHTSA Defect Inquiry
Consumer Reports is calling for changes to Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system in the wake of a preliminary report May 16 from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the fatal March 2019 crash of a Tesla Model 3 with a semi-trailer in Delray Beach, Fla. The report indicated that the Autopilot driver-assist system was […]