Simrad Rfc35 Compass on 2040-parts.com

Washington auto show: Ford develops ‘intelligent cars'

There are plenty of smartphones, and now Ford is pitching the idea of “intelligent cars” that can communicate with each other to avoid accidents. Ford is investing heavily into the technology and will launch a fleet of prototypes this spring, the company said on Thursday at the Washington auto show. The idea is to use wireless signals on a secured channel to allow cars to communicate with each other.

Sergio Marchionne warns of strife ahead in Europe

Fiat chief exec Sergio Marchionne today warned of troubled waters ahead as Europe's car makers prepare for a radical restructuring. Marchionne, who's the current president of trade body ACEA, said factory closures were looming and repeated his call for a concerted EU-wide response to overcapacity. He warned that national interest was blocking action to strip out excess capacity, caused after European new car demand crashed by 3 million in the past five years.

Toyota Prius MPV teased

The Toyota Prius MPV Facebook Tease We reported back in May that Toyota were finally going to produce a Toyota Prius MPV – probably with an extra row of seats – in 2011. Which looks to be on the money if the photo above, which has turned up on the Toyota Prius Facebook page today, is anything to go by. The photo seems to make it clear that even though Toyota are using the tag line “The Prius family is getting a whole lot bigger” we should sensibly conclude that the biggest bit of bigger is that there will be an MPV and a plug-in.