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Subaru secures permit to test self-driving car in California

The list of automakers that can test their self-driving cars in California is getting less and less exclusive by the minute. Its latest addition? Subaru. The Japanese company has secured an Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit from the state's DMV on February 9th, bringing the total number to 22. Some Subaru models already have assisted driving features thanks to their camera-based Eyesight system, such as adaptive cruise control, sway warning and pre-collision braking. However, the company is developing new capabilities meant to kick in while doing speeds of up to 40 mph, including the ability to auto-start and stop in slow traffic. Subaru also wants to offer lane switching and auto-steering around bends and curves -- semi-autonomous driving capabilities for highways -- by 2020. It's unclear what features Subaru will be testing exactly, and if they're any of these. All that's certain is that it's joining both big-name and little-known companies on California roads, like NVIDIA, Ford, Good and Baidu. This article by Mariella Moon originally appeared on Engadget, your guide to this connected life. Related Video: News Source: DMV Government/Legal Subaru Technology Autonomous Vehicles California

The 2017 Subaru BRZ Series.Yellow is, wait for it, yellow

Scion is fading fast, but it seems Subaru learned a thing or two from the Toyota offshoot during their short time together. This new BRZ, with its oddly punctuated and not very subtle name, continues a line of special-edition Subarus that pair special paint and interior trim with black accents. It's called the Series.Yellow, and Subaru will build 500 of them for 2017. The Series.Yellow starts with the mildly updated 2017 BRZ and stacks the new Performance Package ( Brembo brakes, Sachs dampers, black 17-inch wheels) on top of the Limited trim. The Series.Yellow will come with the six-speed manual only, as it's required to get the Performance Pack. That also means it has the new 205-hp boxer four and a different final-drive ratio to go along with it. Aside from the yellow paint, exterior differences include black Subaru and BRZ badging, and a black surface for the rear spoiler. The interior gets it some yellow as well, with stitching on the seats, door panels, dash, steering wheel, floor mats, and shifter and e-brake boots. The interior grab handles are yellow-ized, and there are yellow patches at the top of the seat bolsters. Oh, and the seats have Alcantara inserts, but those aren't yellow. As the second in the Series series, it follows in the footsteps of the BRZ Series.HyperBlue from 2016. There's also precedent for special yellow Subarus, as 1,000 XV Crosstrek Special Editions from 2015 got yellow paint and black cladding. Yellow! Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Subaru BRZ Series.Yellow Related Gallery 2017 Subaru BRZ Image Credit: Subaru Subaru Coupe Lightweight Vehicles Performance

This Subaru BRZ has a snowmobile engine and gets 104 mpg

A hybrid powertrain didn't win the Honda CR-Z numerous fans, but it might be the magic ingredient in making the Subaru BRZ more potent. This is the "Car of the Future" as envisioned by Mississippi State University's Center of Advanced Vehicular Systems – the result of a two-year project, which married a front-mounted 850 cc snowmobile engine with two electric motors powering the rear wheels. The battery pack accounts for 12.7 kWh, which enables the car to go 50 miles on just electric juice. The two-liter boxer engine is no more, but what the car loses in cubic inches it gains in MPG. According to MSU engineers, the re-engineered car gets 104 mpg equivalent, and it only weighs 2,904 lbs: about 60 lbs more than an unmodified Sportshift BRZ. It clocks a 0-60 mph run at around 5.7 seconds, too, which beats a stock automatic BRZ by a second. The electric brain of the car improves the range by calculating optimizing algorithms, based on earlier driving. The guys from MSU's Bagley College of Engineering call this Predictive Engine Control. The most likable thing about this project might be that it's still clothed in a sports car body. Future-proof car designs are often focused on mobility instead of the driver, and choosing a BRZ as the basis shows how there's still room for petrolheads in the future.