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White House clears way for NHTSA to mandate vehicle black boxes

At present, over 90 percent of all new vehicles sold in the United States today are equipped with event data recorders, more commonly known as black boxes. If the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gets its way, that already high figure will swell to a full 100 percent in short order.
Such automotive black boxes have been in existence since the 1990s, and all current Ford, General Motors, Mazda and Toyota vehicles are so equipped. NHTSA has been attempting to make these data recorders mandatory for automakers, and according to The Detroit News, the White House Office of Management Budget has just finished reviewing the proposal, clearing the way. Now NHTSA is expected to draft new legislation to make the boxes a requirement.
One problem with current black boxes is that there's no set of standards for automakers to follow when creating what bits of data are recorded, and for how long or in what format it is stored. In other words, one automaker's box is probably not compatible with its competitors.

2019 Subaru Forester Sport vs 2019 Toyota RAV4 Adventure: How they compare

The 2019 Toyota RAV4 is not only completely redesigned, but reimagined as well. As we detailed in our first drive review, the new RAV4 ditches the more car-like and uber-utilitarian nature of its predecessor for something that's more SUV-like and characterful. It's a new direction exemplified in the RAV4 Adventure trim, which specifically targets those folks who plan to actually take their compact crossover to the great outdoors. People who will get it dirty, use the extra ground clearance and store things on the roof. You know, the sort of people who would consider the 2019 Subaru Forester. It too is redesigned for 2019, but its transformation is almost unnoticeable compared to the RAV4's. Forester customers were obviously quite happy with the way things were. We got a chance to drive both the 2019 RAV4 and 2019 Forester back-to-back last week both on-road and off-road, so let's take a look at how they compare, including a look at their on-paper specs. 2019 Toyota RAV4 Adventure View 31 Photos Performance and fuel economy The Forester got a new, more powerful 2.5-liter flat-four engine for 2019, and it now comes standard with a continuously variable transmission. It produces 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, which is pretty much mid-pack among compact crossovers. Crucially, though, throttle response is so sharp that it makes the Forester actually feel quicker than it is when accelerating from a stop — a sensation enhanced even further by selecting the Sport Sharp mode button on the steering wheel. However, in either mode, the engine's remarkable power reveals itself as the tachometer and speedometer wind toward higher digits. One must also deal with the Forester's CVT. Perhaps some may appreciate the smooth, uninterrupted acceleration that results from a lack of gear changes (nor even simulated ones as in some other company's CVTs), but others may find it unusual and irritating. Subaru's CVT is certainly not our favorite example. By contrast, the 2019 RAV4 is conventional with its 2.5-liter inline-four engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, which behaves just as normally and effectively as one expects. The RAV4 is also considerably more powerful at 203 hp and 184 lb-ft — both compared to the Forester and to the entire segment as well. As a result, its acceleration is stronger (likely a difference of a half-second in 0-60-mph time) even if it may not initially feel like it.

VW was 2018's top-selling automaker — but

TOKYO — Volkswagen Group has held on to its position as the world's top-selling automaker for the fifth year in a row, although the German group was edged out again by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance in the light-duty vehicles segment. Renault SA, Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Mitsubishi Motors Corp together sold 10.76 million passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in 2018, according to Reuters' calculations after new data released on Wednesday. The group doesn't sell heavy trucks. Nissan said on Wednesday it sold 5.65 million vehicles last year, down 2.8 percent on the year. Mitsubishi reported an 18 percent rise in sales to 1.22 million units while Renault sold 3.88 million units, up 3.2 percent on the year. Volkswagen's deliveries rose 0.9 percent to a record 10.83 million last year, including its MAN and Scania heavy trucks, the German company said earlier this month. Excluding heavy trucks, it sold 10.6 million units. Toyota Motor Corp retained its third spot, announcing on Wednesday that it had sold 10.59 million vehicles last year including its Toyota and Lexus brands, along with minicars made by subsidiary Daihatsu and light and heavy trucks produced by its truck division Hino Motors Ltd. Excluding Hino trucks, Toyota sold 10.39 million units last year. The automaker has said it expects to sell a total of 10.76 million vehicles in 2019. Many automakers are trying to boost sales volumes to achieve economies of scale and reduce costs amid soaring investments needed to develop next-generation technologies, including self-driving cars and electric vehicles. This has been a focus of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors group, which is looking to share more vehicle parts and consolidate production platforms to trim R&D and manufacturing costs, while raising profitability. The alliance, which brought Mitsubishi Motors into its fold in 2016, is currently in crisis with its former Chairman Carlos Ghosn arrested and indicted on charges of misconduct. Nissan has also been indicted, and Renault appointed new top management last week. Related Video: Earnings/Financials Mitsubishi Nissan Toyota Volkswagen