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Automotive Grade Linux will be the backbone of your connected car

Creating a backend for a secure, reliable, and expandable infotainment system is costly and time consuming. The Linux Foundation, a non-profit organization, has set out to promote and advance the Linux operating system in commercial products. Automotive Grade Linux, or AGL, is a group within the Foundation that seeks to apply a Linux backend to a number of automotive applications in a variety of vehicles from various suppliers and manufacturers. AGL's goal is to create a common, unifying framework that allows developers and manufacturers to easily implement applications across platforms. Currently, the focus is on infotainment systems, but AGL has plans for instrument clusters, heads-up displays, and eventually active safety software. At CES, a display from Panasonic showed a completely digital and customizable dashboard that allows information and apps to be moved from the gauge cluster to the infotainment screen and back, all through the use of gesture and touch controls. Although the organization has been around for five years, it's really only been in the past three that the group has been working hand in hand with automakers and suppliers. The first two OEMs to participate, Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover, have since been joined by Mazda, Suzuki, Ford, and, as of this week, Daimler. The latter is important as until now most of AGL's partner's have been based in Japan or the US. Other partners include suppliers Denso, Renesas, Continental, Qualcomm, and Intel. AGL want's to supply roughly 80 percent of the backend, allowing partners to then finish and refine the Linux system for each individual application. Think of how the Android operating system is refined and customized for individual smartphones from Samsung, LG, and Motorola. While the final product looks different, developers can have an application that will work across all AGL systems. Because it is open source, anyone can use and develop for AGL. You can even go onto the group's website and download a copy right now. There is also a software development kit available that helps facilitate app creation on the platform. Vehicle development cycles take roughly five years, so there currently are no cars that run an AGL backbone available for consumers. AGL Executive Director Dan Cauchy says products should be hitting the market later this year, with even more coming in 2018. Right now, the industry is relatively fragmented when it comes to infotainment and related systems.

White House clears way for NHTSA to mandate vehicle black boxes

At present, over 90 percent of all new vehicles sold in the United States today are equipped with event data recorders, more commonly known as black boxes. If the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gets its way, that already high figure will swell to a full 100 percent in short order.
Such automotive black boxes have been in existence since the 1990s, and all current Ford, General Motors, Mazda and Toyota vehicles are so equipped. NHTSA has been attempting to make these data recorders mandatory for automakers, and according to The Detroit News, the White House Office of Management Budget has just finished reviewing the proposal, clearing the way. Now NHTSA is expected to draft new legislation to make the boxes a requirement.
One problem with current black boxes is that there's no set of standards for automakers to follow when creating what bits of data are recorded, and for how long or in what format it is stored. In other words, one automaker's box is probably not compatible with its competitors.

2016 Ford Focus RS shows up in Geneva, still bound for America [w/video]

Representing the super-hot hatchback movement at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, we have the 2015 Ford Focus RS, the third-generation to wear the performance-focused designation. Bound for America for the first time, it's fair to say we're darn excited for the Focus RS and its 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder. With at least 315 horsepower under the hood and the long-awaited inclusion of an all-wheel-drive system, there's little arguing that the RS will be seriously quick off the line. It should be darn good through the bends, too. The all-wheel-drive system packs a Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control system that sends up to 70 percent of the power to the rear axle. On top of the AWD's torque vectoring ability, the Focus RS adds a brake-based torque vectoring system, which transfers power laterally, as needed. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires should only help keep the RS glued to the tarmac. A three-pedal setup is the sole transmission option, which should delight purists. According to Ford, both the clutch and the trans itself have been bolstered to handle the 2.3-liter's power. Ford also comprehensively upgraded the looks of the Focus RS relative to the lesser Focus ST. Its enormous rear wing and the back bumper's rear diffuser complement the car's menacing face. The ST's center-exit exhaust has been ditched for a meaty set of pipes, while the car on display in Geneva shows off a different set of alloys than what we saw during the car's original debut. Check out our full gallery of live photos of this hot Ford, available up top. And be sure to check out our Short Cut of the new hot hatch by scrolling down. All-New Ford Focus RS; High-Performance Hatch with Innovative All-Wheel Drive Set for U.S. Debut - Third-generation Ford Focus RS will be available in major markets around the world and for the first time in the United States; Focus RS follows the reveal last month of the new Ford GT supercar – a new era of Ford performance that will deliver 12 new vehicles by 2020 - All-new Ford Performance All-Wheel Drive with Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control paired with a powerful 2.3-liter EcoBoost® four-cylinder engine will provide impressive performance - Aggressive, functional design inside and out makes Focus RS the most powerful production Focus ever, with highly capable performance on both road and track - Professional rally driver and star of Gymkhana films Ken Block teamed with Ford as a consultant on development of Focus RS Cologne, Germany, Feb.