Auto blog

Watch BJ Baldwin jump a Nissan GT-R in his Monster trophy truck

There could hardly be two more disparate machines than a Nissan GT-R and BJ Baldwin's wicked trophy truck. While the supercar from Nissan needs no introduction, Baldwin's rig boasts 850 horsepower and an equally dizzying 34-inches of suspension travel. Monster Energy has taken it upon itself to throw those two together in a new short film that features Baldwin rescuing the female pilot of the GT-R by first jumping both her and her car in his desert bruiser. (Please keep the snickering to yourself until the conclusion of our program.)
The clip features plenty of shots of the truck bashing across the desert, slinging sand on scantily clad models and otherwise having a hell of a time. It's automotive porn of the highest caliber, though it stays safe for work. Click below to enjoy the show for yourself. Our only regret is that there's not enough engine noise to match the otherwise hot action.

Intel-Mobileye tech in 2M BMWs, VWs, Nissans will crowdsource maps for autonomy

Intel Chief Executive Brian Krzanich said on Monday 2 million vehicles from BMW, Nissan and Volkswagen would use its unit Mobileye's technology to crowdsource data for building maps that enable autonomous driving. The world's largest chipmaker bought Israeli firm Mobileye last year to compete with peers such as Qualcomm and Nvidia Corp and tap the fast-growing market of driverless cars, filled with a complex tangle of alliances. (VW, for example, is also working with Nvidia.) Krzanich was the keynote speaker at the Consumer Electronics Show. He said data from Mobileye's Road Experience Management software would gather data to build and update scalable high-definition maps. He also announced that Intel would be working with Ferrari on AI drones to cover Ferrari Challenge North America Series racing. The drones would provide video of the races, but ultimately they would provide drivers with data — video that would let them see their racing performance from overhead, but also telemetry information about, say, how they enter and exit a turn. Intel will also tie up with SAIC Motor Corp, which will use Mobileye technology to develop Level 3, 4 and 5 autonomous cars in China, the chipmaker said. Krzanich also said Intel had not received any information of customer data being compromised so far after the company confirmed last week that security issues reported by researchers in its widely used microprocessors could allow hackers to steal sensitive information from computers, phones and other devices. Security researchers had disclosed two security flaws exposing vulnerability of nearly every modern computing device containing chips from Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and ARM Holdings. Reporting by Philip GeorgeRelated Video: Image Credit: Intel Auto News Green CES BMW Ferrari Nissan Volkswagen Technology Autonomous Vehicles CES 2018 nvidia intel mobileye

Dongfeng-Nissan surprises with Viwa Concept EV for Venucia

Nissan has a joint venture in China with Dongfeng to make passenger vehicles, and last year the two companies created a sub-brand called Venucia that aims to roll out five cars by 2015. With the gasoline-engined D50 and R50 and a pilot program for the E30 electric car already out, this little orange beast, the Viwa EV concept, could point the way to a future offering.
Looking like a Chevrolet Spark that spent the weekend raving in Ibiza, the Venucia Viwa EV aims to be reliable, practical, efficient and accessible all in one package. Beyond the practical bit, defined as, "packaged with a compact body for easy driving," Venucia hasn't said how any of those other qualities are achieved. In fact, it hasn't even divulged the specifics of the electric powerplant. However, it does say that it will be developing more EVs under the guide of "China's new energy vehicle policy."
You can get a little more info about it in the press release below, or discover the little peach in the high-res gallery above.