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Three automotive tech trends to watch in 2018 and beyond

Every year, technology plays a bigger and bigger role in the auto industry. To put things in perspective, 10 years ago iPod integration and Bluetooth were cutting-edge in-car innovations, and smartphones and apps weren't yet a thing since the first iPhone was only about six months old. And I can't recall anyone talking about autonomous cars. Compare that to today, with mainstream coverage of the auto industry dominated by autonomous technology, along with electrification and almost every move made by Tesla. These three topics were the most significant trends of car tech in 2017 and I believe they will continue to shape the auto industry in 2018 and beyond. Let's examine them. Full Autonomy Gets Closer to Reality While there were many developments this year that indicate we're inching closer to fully autonomous vehicles, I was behind the wheel for hours to witness one of them. In October I had the chance to test Cadillac Super Cruise on a 700-mile, 11-hour drive from Dallas to Santa Fe – and had my hands on the wheel for maybe 45 minutes max throughout the entire trip. Super Cruise is far from making the Cadillac CT6 or any GM vehicle fully autonomous, and has limitations such as functioning only on pre-mapped main highways. While it simply adds a layer of lane centering to adaptive cruise control, the technology will go a long way in making mainstream drivers more comfortable with letting machines take over. On a separate front, GM is pushing ahead with fully autonomous vehicles and announced last month that it plans to launch of fleets of self-driving robo-taxis in several urban areas in 2019. While most automakers are also in the race to make autonomous cars a reality, GM's turbocharging of its efforts appeared to be in response to Waymo, which announced just weeks earlier that its Early Rider Program in the Phoenix area would go completely driverless. The Early Rider Program launched last April, offering the public a chance to ride in Waymo's autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivans. In this new phase of testing, Waymo is using its own employees as guinea pigs instead of the public while the vehicles operate without a human behind the wheel, and takes another giant step forward for fully autonomous driving.

2016 Mercedes GLE Coupe priced from $66,025

The folks at Mercedes-Benz are really keeping busy this year with the launch of a host of new products. Among them are a slate of crossovers, including the GLC and GLE-Class. While pricing for those two have already been revealed, the company has finally decided to spill the beans about the cost for the more rakish GLE Coupe. The 362-horepower, 2016 GLE450 AMG Coupe runs $66,025 after the obligatory $925 destination charge on all of MB's vehicles for the model year. That model comes with all-wheel drive, a nine-speed automatic, plus a heap of luxurious standard features. If you want more power, the 577-hp Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S costs $110,225 and includes a more aggressive exterior and Nappa leather interior. Both versions of the German brand's fastback, four-door CUVs arrive at dealers in August. If you're interested, Autoblog has already published full driving impressions for the whole GLE-Class family. While the GLE Coupe is among the newest members of the Mercedes lineup, the G-Class, one of the company's oldest, is seeing some improvements, too. The G550 for $120,825 now benefits from the C63 AMG-derived 4.0-liter V8 making 416 hp and 450 lb-ft, which are gains of 34 hp and 59 lb-ft over the outgoing V8. The SUV also gets styling tweaks, like revised bumpers and larger fender flares. Meanwhile, the G63 AMG offers 563 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque (an extra 27 hp but the same torque as before) for $140,825. The 621-hp G65 AMG tops the range for $218,825. MERCEDES-BENZ ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL 2016 MODEL YEAR PRICING AND PRODUCT UPDATES The unprecedented product offensive continues with a host of exciting new models August 04, 2015 - ATLANTA, Ga. -- Mercedes-Benz USA today announced pricing and product information for the GLC, G-Class, GLE (ML facelift), C450 AMG 4MATIC sedan, and GLE Coupe. This follows the 2016 Mercedes-Benz pricing and model year changes already announced in mid-June 2015. Arriving in dealerships in November 2015, the all-new GLC300 and GLC300 4MATIC represent a compelling new entry in a thriving SUV segment. With a starting MSRP of $38,950*(2WD) and $40,950* (4MATIC) respectively, the all-new GLC features a powerful 2.0 liter turbocharged inline 4 cylinder engine that generates 241hp and 273lb-ft of torque and a new 9-speed automatic transmission.

Mercedes-Benz EQC vs. Jaguar I-Pace vs. Tesla Model X: How they compare on paper

The Mercedes-Benz EQ line is officially alive and kicking, with the reveal of the EQC electric crossover. It joins a segment that, while still in its infancy, seems ready to take off. Mercedes lists as the EQC's competitors the Jaguar I-Pace, The Audi E-Tron Quattro and the BMW iX3. While we've seen all of these, at least in concept or pre-production form, only one — the Jag — has actually been launched in production form. We've seen a concept and subsequent spy shots of the iX3, and the Audi EV will get its official specs publicized later this month. One electric SUV Mercedes didn't specifically call out was the Tesla Model X. As such, we've decided to compare on paper the Mercedes-Benz EQC 400, the Jaguar I-Pace S and the Tesla Model X 75D: All three are dual-motor EVs, though the Tesla is the longest and tallest. The EQC has the most power, but it and the Model X's 4.9-second 0-60 times fall short of the I-Pace. It also has the lowest top speed and electric driving range. (Mercedes sent us an updated range figure, but it's using the generous and largely outdated NEDC cycle; we're still waiting on an EPA rating.) We'll be interested to see how much the Mercedes weighs. Mercedes hasn't divulged the price of the EQC yet, but we imagine it'll fall pretty near to the $70,000 mark. As for Audi, we'll revisit this comparison after those details are made available on September 17. If you're interested in some other EV comparisons, we have a couple others that we published to compare the I-Pace to premium Teslas, as well as against other less-expensive EVs. If you want to learn more about these EVs, and compare them with other cars, be sure to check out our Car Finder and comparison tools. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 EV Crossover View 28 Photos Green Jaguar Mercedes-Benz Tesla Crossover SUV Electric Luxury Comparison jaguar i-pace mercedes-benz eqc