Google's Self-Driving Car Involved in California Accident

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated in the title that this was the first accident involving a Google self-driving car. The corrected version reflects a change only in the title of this article. We also posted an updated story on the incident that includes a new video and an official statement from a Google spokesperson.

Many companies are developing self-driving cars. The latest example is VW’s TAP (Temporary Auto Pilot) that was recently demonstrated on video.
Another earlier model is Google’s automated/driverless fleet of Toyota Prius hybrids developed with the help of the military’s DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) 2007 Urban Challenge winner, Chris Urmson and Anthony Levandowski, the maker of the world’s first autonomous motorcycle (again, for DARPA) – oh, and an self-driving pizza-delivery vehicle.
The question many skeptics raise is who would be responsible in an accident involving a self-driving car. Handing over control to a machine may sound like a good idea: the car will obey speed limits, never do anything dangerous like overtaking on the right, and the streets will be safer.
However, as a recent accident in Google’s campus showed, when a Google Prius was involved in an accident, practice is a different thing from theory.
Google’s autonomous car researcher Sebastian Thrun called the system “the perfect driving machine” and said that self-driving cars can save one million lives every year –and that’ a goal worth pursuing. Google later revealed to Business Insider that one of the cars was operated by a human, the implication being that the autonomous driving system is not the culprit.
While we're not questioning Google’s statement, the issue remains: who exactly is responsible in the case of an accident involving a self-driving car? Since no two situations are ever the same, how can one rely on a computer to decide what’s best and for whom –the passengers of the car it controls, those of another vehicle, or a pedestrian?
What if the software crashes? What if there is a hardware malfunction? Even PCs, with decades of development behind them encounter such problems – which, while frustrating, are not life-and-death issues.
The thing is that Nevada has already been convinced by Google to legalize autonomous cars on the state’s freeways. And Google is using its Prius fleet in California, where legislature does not pose any bans.
But is anyone ready to guarantee that AI-driven vehicles can operate in a fail-safe way dramatically reducing accidents and casualties?

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Toyota Shows US Market 2012 Yaris Hatch at Lollapalooza Music Fest

When an automaker is ready to launch a new model into the market, we usually receive a press release along with some initial or teaser photos before we see it in person at a major auto show.

But that's not the case with the U.S. market version of the 2012 Yaris as Toyota quietly unwrapped the car under a tent at the…Lollapalooza annual music festival in Chicago this past weekend while today, the Japanese company announced U.S. pricing without, however, releasing any photos or further details. Strange indeed.
We'll remind you that the new generation of the Yaris was first shown in Japan in December, 2010. Toyota then presented a concept hybrid version at the Geneva Show in March this year before revealing the final production model for Europe in June and for Australia in July at the Melbourne Motor Show.
Toyota said the redesigned 2012 Yaris's base MSRP will range from $14,115 for the L grade three-door liftback fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox to $17,200 for the SE grade five-door liftback with a four-speed automatic transmission.
The aforementioned MSRPs do not include a $760 delivery, processing and handling (DPH) fee which lifts prices to $14,875 and $17,960 for the 2012 Yaris L and Yaris SE grades respectively
Toyota said that pricing for the new model is "comparable to a Convenience Package-equipped current generation Yaris" adding that production of the car will start on August 31.
And while Toyota did not announce any further details, Cars.com editor Joe Bruzek was at the Lollapalooza music fest where he managed to get a look at the spec sheet found on the 2012 Yaris LE that was on display.
The LE comes fitted with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with Toyota stating on the spec sheet that the manual model will return an estimated fuel efficiency of 30mpg city and 38mpgh highway, while the automatic 30mpg city and 35 mpg highway.
By comparison, the current generation Yaris that also features a 1.5-liter gasoline unit, returns 29mpg/36mpg when equipped with a manual gearbox and 29mpg/35mpg when fitted with an automatic.
While we wait for Toyota to release photos of the North American-specification 2012 Yaris, scroll down for a video and a comprehensive gallery of the European market model.

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2012 Toyota Avensis

At the 2008 Paris Motor Show, Toyota lifted the wraps off the third generation Avensis, which went on sale across Europe in both four-door sedan and station wagon formats in January of 2009.
Even though Toyota's proposal in Europe's highly-competitive mid-size segment has only been in the market for less than three years, the Japanese carmaker has apparently decided to give the Avensis a mid-life facelift to help bolster its position in market.
And while Toyota was evidently trying to keep its plans on the refreshed Avensis under secrecy, a reader of the Dutch car magazine Autoweek stumbled upon two completely undisguised models and made good use of his camera.
The pictures show that both the sedan and station wagon variants of the 2012 Avensis gain a new front fascia that bring it line with Toyota's latest models such as the Yaris and the upcoming FT-86. Aside from the new front grille, the refreshed Avensis gets reshaped headlamps and a redesigned bumper.
The styling tweaks continue at the rear end with the restyled tail lamps and the new bumper. If you head over to Autoweek, you'll find a few more pictures including one of the interior, though we couldn't manage to spot any changes inside due to the poor quality of the image.
We're still waiting for Toyota to issue a press statement about its plans for the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, but chances are the 2012 Avensis will be among the cars to debut at the German show.

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GM is World’s Number One Automaker, Toyota Drops to 3rd Place

Well, it was almost certain to happen after the March 11 earthquake and Tsunami hit Japan causing multiple problems to the country's automotive industry. Toyota, the world’s largest carmaker, saw its production drop by 23% to 3.37 million units for the first half of the year - and includes sales of Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino vehicles.
As a result, the Japanese company lost the title of the world’s largest automaker that it held since 2008 to General Motors, which saw its sales rise by 8.9% to 4.536 million units for the first six months of 2011. For the time being, second place goes to the Volkswagen Group which sold 4.13 million units worldwide.
Toyota has announced that its factories already operate at 90% of their capacity since June and expects production to fully recover by November. Moreover, it will produce an additional 350,000 units from October until next March to make up for the lost ground.
However, analysts like Carnorama’s Takeshi Miyao, don't believe that Toyota can recuperate quickly: “Even if it recovers production it will take another few more months for sales to recover too, as it takes time to deliver the cars to the dealers. Therefore, Toyota may even trail VW in the full year as well”.

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Toyota to Build RAV4 EV in Canada

Having cleared up the misunderstanding on whether or not the pure-electric RAV4 will be sold to the general public (it will), Toyota and partner Tesla Motors confirmed today that their jointly developed EV SUV will be built at the Japanese company’s Canadian manufacturing plant in Woodstock, Ontario starting from 2012.
“The Tesla-Toyota joint development team has agreed that building the vehicle at the Woodstock plant on the same line as the gasoline-powered RAV4, will streamline and simplify the production process and guarantee the highest level of quality control,” said Ray Tanguay, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) Chairman.
Toyota previously revealed that it will pay Tesla Motors around $100 million to supply the electric powertrain, which includes the battery, motor, gear box and power electronics for the RAV4 EV.
The maker of the Tesla Roadster will manufacture the components of the electric powertrain at its production facility in Palo Alto, California and then ship them to Canada for final assembly into the RAV4 EV.
Toyota said that the RAV4 EV will be sold through its U.S. dealerships with information on the precise launch date and pricing to be announced at "a later time".

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Toyota Camry 2012

We've already had our first taste of the upcoming 2012 Toyota Camry through some video footage shot during a dealer presentation in Las Vegas back in June, but today, the Japanese carmaker released the first official teaser of the mid-size sedan via its Twitter account.


All we get for now is a cropped image showing a 3/4 view of the 2012 Camry's edgier styled front end and the promise for "more info on the upcoming launch" soon.
We'll keep our eyes and ears open for any updates as the new Camry is scheduled for launch this fall and will post them as they come through. In the meantime follow the break to check out the full-size image.

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Evatran Presents Wireless Charging Station for Electric Vehicles!!!

Plug-in hybrids seem to be all the rage these days, from Chevrolet’s Volt to Nissan’s Leaf and the soon to be launched in the U.S. market, Toyota Prius Plug-In. And there are many more vehicles capable of running on electric power to follow.

However, their owners must not forget to charge them, usually overnight, or they’ll wake up next morning and discover they’ve run out of electric juice. In addition, they need to know their way around with the charging cords –not an easy task as any computer geek knows very well.
Evatran says it has the perfect solution for this problem: it’s called Plugless Power and it is a wireless charging system for EVs that is very simple to use (according to the company, that is). Evatron claims it can easily be installed in your garage and requires no serious modifications to the car itself other than a 10-pound adapter bolted to the undercarriage.
Here’s how the Evatran wireless system works:

Plugless Power recognizes your EV as it approaches and provides parking guidance.

Once the car is over the parking pad, the system communicates with your EV based on the SAE J1772 protocol used in corded systems, and automatically starts charging.

The indicator panel communicates charging status.

When your car is fully charged, the system turns off. And if you need to leave before charging is complete, simply back up and charging stops.

You can still use your normal plug-in system when you are away from home.

Evatran is cooperating with automakers to make the Plugless Power system available as a dealer option on new EVs or as a retrofit to existing vehicles. Demo systems are already available to them for testing performance and functionality.
For new cars, the price of the system can be incorporated in the vehicle’s price or lease scheme. Moreover, Evatran promises that within 24 hours of ordering, you will be contacted to arrange an appointment for the installation.

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Video: Toyota Reveals Next-Gen Safety Systems

Toyota has revealed a host of both active and passive safety systems that it is developing for use in its future models. The Japanese company said that it concentrates on protecting both older drivers as well as pedestrians.

If you're wondering why, this is because of the statistics which show that in Japan, more than half of road traffic fatalities are of people aged 65 and above, while pedestrian now account for more fatalities than vehicle occupants.
Toyota said that it is trying to collect data from all over the world. The company recently set up the Collaborative Safety Research in the US to cooperate with North American universities, hospitals and research organizations in gathering data from real-world accidents to improve its testing and products.
The four key safety technologies that Toyota is currently developing are the following:
Pre-Crash Safety (PCS) with collision avoidance assist
This system uses a millimeter-wave radar and camera to monitor the road ahead and if it detects and obstacle and the driver does not apply the brakes, it activates them automatically. PCS monitors a range of factors, such as roadside obstacles and other vehicles and constantly estimates the collision chances. It can also change the course of the vehicle if the driver fails to act, in order to avoid an accident.
Pop-up BonnetToyota is designing the body structures of its vehicles to reduce injury in a collision with a pedestrian utilizing data from crash test dummies and its Total Human Model for Safety virtual models. It has developed a new, pop-up bonnet that automatically increases the space between the pedestrian and the engine, thus limiting injuries. This technology can also be used in cars with a low bonnet line, further untying the hands of bodywork designers.
Emergency Response Technology
Some accidents are caused by drivers having a heart attack or a blackout. Toyota’s new system monitors cardio-vascular functions of the driver through his grip on the steering wheel and detect possible problems. The company has presented the concept to the Japan Medical Congress and will develop it further before bringing it into production.
Adaptive Driving BeamSome of Toyota’s models already have a function when the car switches the front lights automatically from high beam to low beam once a camera detects a vehicle in front or in the opposite side of the road, then turns the high beam back on once the road is clear.
Toyota said it is further developing this system with an adaptive driving beam that shields the high beam so it doesn’t blind other drivers, yet the lights operate at near high-beam level for better illumination of the road ahead.

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Toyota Announces Pricing for 2012MY FJ, Land Cruiser and Highlander

It's time for Toyota to release pricing on its 2012 FJ, Highlander and Land Cruiser SUVs which continue virtually unchanged for the new model year.

Starting with the FJ, there are noteworthy upgrades for the 2012 (according to Toyota's own words) but pricing has increased by $200 or about 0.7 percent and now ranges from $25,990 for the 4x2 equipped with a five-speed automatic transmission to $27,580 for the 4x4 V6 automatic.
The latest Highlander in both regular and hybrid trims was redesigned in 2011 and carries over with no new features for 2012. Prices remain the same as last year meaning MSRPs for the gas model range from $28,090 for the Base 2WD four-cylinder with a six-speed automatic transmission to $37,045 for the Limited grade V6 with a five-speed automatic. The hybrid version's prices range from $38,140 for the Base 4WD to $43,795 for the Limited 4WD.
Finally, Toyota said the MSRP for the 2011 Land Cruiser has increased to $69,120, which reflects an increase of $200, or 0.3 percent.
Note that all the aforementioned MSRPs do not include a delivery, processing and handling (DPH) fee of $810.

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