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nuTonomy beats Uber to market with self-driving taxi rides, and the latest Corvette ZR1spy shots | Autoblog Minute

Software developer nuTonomy beats Uber to market with self-driving taxi rides in Singapore. A 124 Coupe could soon join Fiat's roadster lineup, and we have the latest spy shots of the new Corvette ZR!. Senior Editor Greg Migliore reports on this edition of Autoblog Mintue. Senior Editor Greg Migliore reports on this edition of Autoblog Mintue. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] Massachusetts based software company, nuTonomy, launched its self-driving taxi service in Singapore this week. nuTonomy specializes in developing software for self-driving cars. Testing of the companies ride-hailing smartphone app occurred in Singapore, where riders were able to book a free driverless ride. nuTonomy's robo-taxi fleet is comprised of Renault Zoes and Mitsubishi i-MiEVs. Engineers from nuTonomy were present at this public launch as a safety measure. [00:00:30] The company will now continue to collect data and conduct more testing with its self-driving cars in Singapore, Michigan and the United Kingdom. nuTonomy has plans to offer widely-available commercial service in Singapore in 2018. nuTonomy's aggressive play in Singapore has put Uber and its partner Volvo in the unlikely position of playing catch-up. Autocar reported this week that we should expect FCA to add a Coupe [00:01:00] to it's 124 roadster lineup. When? Well, seeing as the 124 Spider just recently made it US dealers we may have to wait until next year to see a hardtop Fiata. It's tough to predict what kind of performance we can expect out of a 124 Coupe but in the U.S. the Spider has 160hp using a 1.4-l turbocharged engine. So the car you see in these pictures is actually Fiat's 124 Rally car that will be used for competition. [00:01:30] Now that's not exactly how the street car will look but it gives you an idea of what a 124 with a fixed roof is gonna look like. This week we got another look at what we think is the Chevy Corvette ZR1 and its massive rear wing. Now to be clear, the images that we're seeing are actually demonstrations. The car was actually captured without the rear wing. However, our spy photographers photoshopped the wing, which we've seen before, on some of these new shots just so you could get [00:02:00] a sense of what the car looks like driving around in it's most recent state. Now we think this car will make more than 700hp, which is kind of a magic number. The Hellcats from Chrysler make 707 so certainly GM wants to beat them.

Weekly Recap: Autonomous driving goes commercial in Nevada

Nevada granted Daimler Trucks North America the first license to run an autonomous commercial vehicle on public roads in the United States Tuesday, marking another milestone in the technology's rapid advancement. Gov. Brian Sandoval and Daimler truck chief Wolfgang Bernhard promptly used the license to lap Highway 15 near Las Vegas in a newly revealed Freightliner Inspiration Truck. It was a clear signal that autonomous driving is big-rig reality, though it's still a long way from widespread use. Nevada certified two of Daimler's Freightliner Inspiration Trucks, which use the company's Highway Pilot system with a stereo camera, radar, and lane-keeping collision-prevention features to regulate the brakes and steering. The radar component has a long-range sensor that can cover 820 feet at an 18-degree angle and a shorter-range unit that stretches 230 feet at a 130-degree angle. The Inspiration trucks are based on the existing Freightliner Cascadia Evolution model used on US roads. In addition to the autonomous technologies, it also has futuristic design cues, including blue lighting in the front and a new hood and grille. While there are only two Freightliner Inspiration trucks in existence, Daimler expects to bring the Highway Pilot system into mass-produced big rigs by 2025, in time to capitalize on the market's predicted growth. The German truckmaker predicts the global hauling market will triple by 2050, and the United States will be a key part of that growth. Trucks carry 69.1 percent the nation's domestic freight tonnage and hauled 9.7 billion tons of freight in 2013, according to the American Trucking Association. Daimler expects autonomous driving to augment this growth, and perhaps evolve the role of the truck driver. Still, the company points out autonomous tech is not meant to replace drivers, but to assist them and relieve fatigue and monotony on long hauls. The driver has to stay in control for passing, in city traffic, and when hooking up the trailer. The company said autonomous driving also offers the potential for improved fuel economy – tests showed a five-percent gain – and lower maintenance costs. Daimler also said the technology could reduce congestion on the road. Much of this is attributable to the constant flow of traffic, which is aided by autonomous driving. While the benefits are becoming increasingly apparent, autonomous technology is still met with skepticism.

Ranking full-size pickup trucks by the size of their discounts

Each and every month, full-size pickup trucks dominate the new-car sales reports in America. It's been that way for years — the Ford F-Series has been America's best-selling vehicle for 38 consecutive years — and it's not going to change any time soon. With that in mind, we've compiled this list of discounts on brand-new full-size pickup trucks using data provided by Truecar, including their average retail prices, average transaction prices and discounts in dollars and percentage off list price. We've also created a visualization of the best deals Americans are scoring on the three best-selling models in America. If you're looking for the absolute biggest discount you can find on a new truck, look no further than your nearest Ram dealership, then scour the lot for a leftover 2019 1500 model. Buyers are averaging nearly 13% off the cost of the 2019 Ram, paying an average transaction cost of $41,667. That's $6,071 off the average retail price, which equals the best truck deal in October. The 2020 edition isn't discounted nearly as far, averaging $2,852 off for an average transaction price of $48,904. The next best deal is on the 2019 Ford F-150; its average transaction price of $43,064 equals $3,843 off its sticker price. The 2020 F-150's $2,810 discount means buyers are paying around $47,300. They should know, though, that a brand-new model is coming for 2021, so we'd expect bigger discounts on remaining 2020 inventory in the coming months. Moving to General Motors, the best deal you'll find is on leftover 2019 Chevy Silverado 1500s, which are selling for an average of $47,043. That's $2,852 off the sticker price. Interestingly, 2020 Silverados are seeing slightly lower transaction prices at $46,009, but with a smaller average discount of $1,693. The 2020 GMC Sierra is mechanically similar to the Chevy, but aimed at buyers who want a bit more luxury. That's reflected in the 2020 Sierra 1500's average transaction price of $54,491, which is $2,131 off its sticker. If pickup trucks aren't your thing, take a look at this list of the best new car deals in America based on the percentage discount off their suggested asking prices here. And when you're ready to buy, click here for the Autoblog Smart Buy program, which brings you a hassle-free buying experience with over 9,000 Certified Dealers nationwide.