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FCA joins BMW, Intel and Mobileye on autonomous car project

Today, BMW, Intel and Mobileye announced that FCA would be joining their effort to build a sharable and scalable platform for autonomous cars. This project has been moving ahead full steam, with Intel purchasing Mobileye earlier this year, not long after Tesla and Mobileye parted ways. Not long after that, parts supplier Delphi joined the autonomous effort. The group's current goal is to have 40 autonomous test vehicles on the road by the end of 2017. The eventual end game is to create a new architecture that each partner can use and adapt to its needs. The platform will support level 3 to level 4/5 automated driving, and can be adapted to suit brand identity. The main headquarters for the effort will be in Germany. FCA staff will join the already established group of engineers from BMW, Intel and Mobileye. The group expects this new platform to hit the streets by 2021. It's unclear how this will affect FCA's relationship with Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle project. Waymo currently uses modified Chrysler Pacificas for its fleet. In addition to FCA, the trio of BMW, Intel and Mobileye have extended an invitation to any other automakers and suppliers that want to join the project. Related Video: News Source: BMW/Intel Green BMW Chrysler Fiat Autonomous Vehicles mobileye

Fiat Chrysler, surprise, had to buy a lot of emissions credits

The world of carbon emissions uses some unusual units of measure. Take, for example, 8.2 million megagrams. Who needs to know how much that is? Someone at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, that's who. FCA had to buy that many greenhouse-gas emissions credits from greener automakers, Reuters says, citing a report from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Because its vehicles' collective fuel economy continues to trail the industry average, FCA purchased the emissions credits at of the end of 2014 in order to meet US emissions regulations. About two-thirds of those credits were acquired from Toyota, while the rest were purchased from Tesla and Honda. Daimler and Ferrari, not surprisingly, were among the other automobile companies that had to acquire emissions credits in order to meet US greenhouse gas regulations. Because the price for these credits is set privately by the companies, the EPA didn't disclose how much FCA had to pay to stay on the green side. The reason for the millions FCA likely spent is because the company is making a slow progress building and selling cleaner cars. The company did increase average fuel efficiency by about one mile per gallon to almost 22 mpg for the 2015 model year, but it wasn't enough. Such a performance likely only put the automaker in a last-place tie with General Motors. The emissions credits purchased from Tesla are notable because that California-based maker of electric vehicles has long generated substantial revenue by selling various credits to its less-electrified counterparts. In 2013, Tesla sold more of California's ZEV credits than any other automaker, but Nissan took that title in 2014. While these are not the same as the EPA's GHG credits, they do offer another way to track which automakers are meeting the targets and which need help. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Flickr/Ian YVR Government/Legal Green Chrysler Fiat Fuel Efficiency mpg

Plymouth Belmont: Running, driving, Virgil Exner-owned concept car could be yours

Concept cars are such bittersweet things. They're often gorgeous and exciting, but all too often they never see production in even the most watered-down forms. And even then, the beautiful shapes aren't usually driveable. But in the case of this 1954 Plymouth Belmont concept, it is drivable, and it could be yours. This curvaceous roadster, which appeared at the 1954 New York Auto Show and was owned at one time by Chrysler styling master Virgil Exner, is driveable because under the long hood is a 241-cubic-inch V8 coupled to a three-speed automatic transmission. It's not a speed demon with just 157 horsepower, but that's OK, because you don't want to accelerate so fast you deprive the world of the Belmont's beautiful body. For a design from the 1950s, it's impressively restrained and elegant. The flanks are completely smooth and flowing, the only interruptions being the shut lines to the small doors. There aren't even door handles on the sides. Chrome and polished stainless accents are left only to the lights, bumpers, grille, and a slender line that runs along the peak of the fenders from stem to stern. Even the fins are small and subtle (relatively). Even the interior is simple and clean. The dashboard is made of machine-turned metal with white on black analog dials and compass-like needles. Everything else is wrapped in a very light beige leather (probably vinyl), and again, polished surfaces are kept to a minimum. Of course the other great part is that this concept is something you could own because it will go for auction at Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale auction. There's no publicly available estimate for how much money the car may bring, but it does have a reserve, so be prepared with a little extra cash even if you have the winning bid. The auction runs from Jan. 13 to Jan. 21. Related Video: Image Credit: Barrett-Jackson Chrysler Auctions Convertible Concept Cars Classics