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Waymo self-driving taxis in Arizona are now carrying paying passengers

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Alphabet's Waymo on Wednesday launched a significant development in its costly, decade-long quest for autonomous transportation: Its self-driving taxis are now actually generating fares. With little fanfare, the company has begun charging passengers to use its driverless vehicles in a roughly 100-mile (160 km) zone in four Phoenix suburbs — Chandler, Tempe, Mesa and Gilbert — where it has been testing its technology since 2016. Producing revenue is a strategic milestone, putting Waymo ahead of U.S. rivals, primarily General Motors' Cruise Automation and Uber Technologies, which have yet to launch their own paid self-driving services. All are racing to win customers and recoup billions spent developing the technology. To use Waymo's service, dubbed Waymo One, riders must download an app and provide a credit card number, similar to ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft. A human driver will be behind the wheel, but only to intervene in case of emergency. Major challenges remain, starting with technical hurdles. A Waymo One taxi tested by Reuters last week proved slow and jerky at times. Whether customers will continue using the service once the novelty wears off remains to be seen. Regulations governing the industry across the country are an incoherent patchwork, a significant hurdle to fast expansion. Waymo would not say exactly how many of its cars would be on the road in Arizona. It said its around-the-clock service initially would be limited to "hundreds" of people invited to sign up last year. For now, pricing is roughly in line with that of Uber and Lyft. A 15-minute, 3-mile (4.8 km) drive taken by Reuters last week cost $7.59, just above the $7.22 offered by Lyft. "Over time, we hope to make Waymo One available to even more members of the public," Chief Executive John Krafcik wrote in a blog on Wednesday. "Self-driving technology is new to many, so we're proceeding carefully." 10 million miles, $1 billion The company has been testing its driverless cars for a decade. Its fleet, now numbering 600 vehicles, has logged more than 10 million miles on public roads in and around 25 U.S. cities. Alphabet does not disclose its total investment, but industry experts put that sum at well over $1 billion. Monetizing driverless technology has been slow going.

Chrysler 300C John Varvatos Limited Edition returns for 2014 with AWD option

Before last year, many of us car guys had no idea who John Varvatos was. That all changed when the Detroit-native fashion designer lent his talents to the Chrysler 300 to create the snazzy, special-edition 300C John Varvatos models. The fashionable sedan returns for 2014 with two versions (Luxury and Limited), and the only big news here is that the latter model will be getting an optional all-wheel-drive system.
Distinguishing the Luxury and Limited models, the Luxury comes with Platinum exterior accents and is offered in a handful of colors while the Limited gets darker Titanium accents and only comes with a Phantom Black Tri-Coat paint job. Both cars get an exclusive interior design with special leathers, patterns and colors worthy of the designer's name and logo. The JV Edition is the only 300C to offer a V6 engine, but V8 lovers can still opt up for the powerful Hemi engine.
It would appear that the Luxury Edition is already on sale, but you'll have to wait until March for the 2014 JV Limited Edition, which, according to a Chrysler spokesperson, will be "limited from a production timing standpoint." The JV Luxury Edition starts at $41,195 and the Limited Edition will have a starting price of $44,480 (*not including $995 for destination) - both cars can be optioned with all-wheel drive for $2,500. Scroll down for the press release on the 300C John Varvatos Limited Edition.

2017 Chrysler Town & Country shows its 200-inspired face

Chrysler's new Town & Country is expected to debut in the next several months, featuring a new plug-in hybrid powertrain on top of a new look. While we're still short on details about the new propulsion system, a new round of spy photos is giving us a great look at the T&C's modernized aesthetic. In short, think of a puffed up, ultra-versatile Chrysler 200, and you'll have an idea of what the new Town & Country will look like. Spied on what we're guessing is Fiat Chrysler's US headquarters – seeing body shells like this just hanging around the Auburn Hills, MI campus isn't strange, although this does seem like an especially haphazard case – the new van's look is far less upright than the current model. In general, this new vehicle should be sleeker and, dare we say, more compact than the current Town & Country. Alongside the all-wheel-drive plug-in model, our spies report the new T&C will be offered with a 3.2-liter V6, which we're betting was pilfered from the Cherokee, the only other FCA model to use the smaller version of the Pentastar. It's unclear if all-wheel drive will be featured on the ICE-only model. Beyond the class-exclusive PHEV powertrain, our spies report the new van will combat the Honda Odyssey's nifty, built-in vacuum cleaner with a unit of its own. Other innovations will include hands-free side doors – we're guessing these would be some version of the increasingly popular smart tailgates, which simply require a kick of the foot to open. Of course, we'll know all about the new Town & Country early next year, with its expected debut slated for the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. Featured Gallery 2017 Chrysler Town and Country: Spy Shots Image Credit: Brian Williams / SpiedBilde Green Spy Photos Detroit Auto Show Chrysler Green Driving Minivan/Van Hybrid chrysler town and country