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Rebooted Apple program gets permit to test autonomous vehicles in California

For a while, Apple has been pursuing autonomous vehicle technology, but has more or less tried to keep the specifics of those ambitions under wraps. We did learn last fall that the company was killing off plans to build its own car, and clues about its program to develop a self-driving system popped up since. Today, though, we have more concrete information, as the California DMV has issued Apple a permit to test self-driving cars in the state, as TechCrunch reports. In a document released by the DMV, the tech company joins a number of others in California with approval to test autonomous vehicles. Apple will test its systems on three cars, each a 2015 Lexus RX540h, with six approved drivers. Presumably, those cars will be on the road quite a bit, as gathering lots of data is crucial to developing a working system. Per California rules, the company will have to provide accident reports, as well as a log of every instance that a human driver has to take over driving duties from the autonomous system in what the DMV calls a "disengagement report." Those reports will be made public, so we'll be able to glean a little more information about Apple's progress once they're available. Related Video: News Source: TechCrunchImage Credit: GABRIELLE LURIE/AFP/Getty Images Green Lexus Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles California

BMW-Toyota partnership to spawn hybrid supercar

BMW and Toyota inked a partnership some time ago to develop green technology, and while we were excited by the idea of a reborn Supra with BMW's carbon fiber reinforced plastic slashing the curb weight or an ultra-efficient, hybridized 1 Series, the joint efforts have been rather limited. That's set to change, though, according to a report from Australia.
Motoring reports that the partners have come to terms on a sports car. And not just any sports car, but a lightweight, hybridized model, with a six-figure price tag. Lending a bit of street cred to that idea is the site's claim that Toyota is currently carrying out durability testing on the BMW i8. According to the site, the new model will slot into the spot left by the Lexus LFA, although based on the language used, it's unclear if this is the Tokyo-bound vehicle we mentioned several months ago.
Details on this potential car are limited, although Motoring claims it will use a Toyota hybrid system mated up to a BMW gas engine - likely the 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 found in the M5 and M6. That sounds pretty amazing to us, but we'd still advise taking this with a grain of salt. What would you like to see out of a joint-venture supercar from Toyota and BMW? Let us know in Comments, and have your say on the prospects of a hybridized, twin-turbocharged V8.

Toyota profits up 23% on high US sales, despite mounting legal costs

Toyota earned $9.3 billion in net income in the financial year that ends next month. The number beats earlier forecasts and marks a five-year high for the automaker, with both operating income and revenue up by 9.5 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively. Toyota saw quarterly profit enjoy a year-on-year jump of 23.4 percent, with the manufacturer earning more than $1 billion between October and December 2012. The good news comes in spite of the fact that the Japanese automaker actually endured an operating loss in North America, due in part to legal fees.
Toyota is set to pay more than $1 billion to owners who claim their vehicles decreased in value as a result of the company's recent spate of recalls. Even so, all three of the automaker's brands enjoyed a 13.5 percent sales increase in the US in the last quarter, beating the industry average. Toyota faltered in Europe, however, where it earned $99 million in operating profit last year, compared to $111 million in 2011. You can take a closer look at the company's full press release below for more information.