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Toyota aims to build autonomous car around 2020 [w/videos]

The race is on to get increasingly sophisticated forms of autonomous driving technology on the road, and brands like Tesla are bringing these solutions to some drivers now. But as one of the world's largest automakers, it's no surprise to see Toyota competing in the field, as well. By 2020, the company thinks a person could be largely unnecessary for freeway trips. With a suite of tech called the Highway Teammate, a modified Lexus GS is already showing what's possible. Using a combination of millimeter wave radar, LIDAR, and cameras, the GS gets a full view of the road, and software processes all of the info to make decisions. The result is a ride on the freeway without human interaction. The system can merge, change lanes, make passes, take curves, and maintain a safe distance from other vehicles. Accurate map data is a necessity to make this work, so the system currently only being tested on Tokyo's Shuto Expressway. While Highway Teammate might not be the best name, it accurately communicates the way Toyota thinks of the tech. The company is making big investments in artificial intelligence to assist drivers, not completely replace them. You can see the system in action in the video below, and the second clip's gravely serious narrator explains the company's idea of having a fully connected road someday. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. New Toyota Test Vehicle Paves the Way for Commercialization of Automated Highway Driving Technologies Toyota City, Japan, October 6, 2015-Toyota has been testing a new automated driving test vehicle called Highway Teammate, with the aim of launching related products by around 2020. In addition to demonstrating the capabilities of next-generation safety technologies, the vehicle represents Toyota's view of the evolving driver-car relationship in the age of artificial intelligence. Toyota believes that interactions between drivers and cars should mirror those between close friends who share a common purpose, sometimes watching over each other and sometimes helping each other out. Toyota refers to this approach as the Mobility Teammate Concept, and Highway Teammate represents an important first effort to give form to this concept.

Editors' Picks May 2022 | Nissan Z, Subaru WRX and Mazda's latest

This month of Editors' Picks sees us recognize a strong pair of Japanese cars designed for the driving enthusiast. Both having just been totally redesigned, we found their latest versions to be even more satisfying than the last. In addition to the Nissan Z and Subaru WRX getting the nod, Mazda gets similar recognition for its new crossover. The CX-5 is still highly recommended, but we prefer the CX-50 over it at this point. In case you missed our previous Editors' Picks posts, here’s a quick refresher on whatÂ’s going on here. We rate all the new cars we drive with a 1-10 score. Cars that are exemplary in their respective segments get EditorsÂ’ Pick status. Those are the ones weÂ’d recommend to our friends, family and anybody whoÂ’s curious and asks the question. The list that youÂ’ll find below consists of every car we rated in May that earned an EditorsÂ’ Pick. 2023 Nissan Z Quick take: Tons of power, excellent handling, a gorgeous design and a supremely affordable price make the Nissan Z a killer sports car proposition. Score: 8.0 What it competes with: Toyota GR Supra, Subaru BRZ, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro Pros: Powerful twin-turbo V6, excellent handling, pretty design, agreeable pricing Cons: Cramped interior, automatic option is subpar, base trim is sparsely equipped From the editors Road Test Editor Zac Palmer — "I fell for the Z quickly. A new sports car with a dynamite engine, solid manual transmission, very good handling and stunning looks is an instant winner today. We're living in a golden age of Japanese sports cars/sport compacts, and the Z is one of the best options of them all. It should make everyone looking to buy a Toyota GR Supra take pause to consider the Nissan." Associate Editor Byron Hurd — "I was a believer in the Z even when others weren't, so I'm happy that Nissan left most of the formula well enough alone. The new engine makes the Z feel punchier and more alive without giving up all of the high-revving character that made the 3.7-liter V6 an outlier in a space now overrun with turbocharged four-cylinders. Just stick to the manual." In-depth analysis: 2023 Nissan Z First Drive Review: The Z is back again!   2022 Subaru WRX Quick take: The WRX gets big upgrades where it counts, making it better to drive than before. We're not fully sold on the styling, but it's tough to beat if AWD performance is king.

2018 Lexus LS First Drive | Luxury, performance and the puzzling parts

When one imagines the enormous executive sedan that might be driven by a wealthy lawyer or banker (or their chauffeur), the mind naturally goes to the Mercedes S-Class or the BMW 7-Series. Venerable, enormous and expensive. But for those wanting to keep their driveway a little more understated, we also have the Lexus LS. Sure, it's not as ostentatious as the big saloons from Munich and Stuttgart, but it has a dignified elegance all its own. For nearly three decades, the LS has been a discrete and dependable Japanese luxury sedan. The new 2018 LS, perhaps thankfully, is a bit less discrete. We saw the new-look LS when it was introduced earlier this year in Detroit. Now we know how it drives. We put the 2018 LS through its paces on the traffic-clogged streets of San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge to the twisty B-roads around Marin County and the legendary Skywalker Ranch, where we stopped for lunch. Unfortunately, all in attendance were sworn to secrecy about the details of Skywalker Ranch, but we're free to tell you all about the LS. Here's our one-sentence summary, which can be used to describe many cars to bear the Lexus badge: It's excellent in many respects, odd in a few, and incredibly, massively frustrating in one very important area. Lexus has a brand new 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, a first for a premium passenger car. It produces 416 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, up from 386 hp and 367 lb-ft from the outgoing naturally aspirated 4.6-liter V8. Lexus engineers are extremely proud of the fuel efficiency of the new engine, which required some clever technical innovations (a longer bore stroke and increased valve angle) as well as tech borrowed from Formula One, including a "laser clad valve seat" that allows for a more direct flow of air into the combustion chamber and a high "tumble ratio." In other words, Lexus figured out how to get more bang out of each gasoline-powered buck. Fuel economy numbers are 19 city, 29 highway, and 23 combined for the RWD version and 18/27/21 for AWD, with the highway numbers particularly helped along by the 10-speed gearbox. It's a torque converter unit, but Lexus promises shift times that rival its dual-clutch-wielding competitors. The LS is no slouch, either. In RWD trim, the nearly 5,000-pound car hustles from 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds, according to Lexus' reckoning.