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Audi, Toyota land on MIT's list of 50 Most Disruptive Companies

MIT Technology Review, a magazine all about innovation, has announced its list of the 50 most disruptive companies in 2013, and both Audi and Toyota made the cut. While the term "most disruptive" may carry a negative connotation in most uses (especially in the classroom), the acknowledgement in this case is an accolade, signifying that the company is at the forefront of its industry. In a nutshell, a disruptive company is a business whose innovations force other businesses to alter their strategic direction.
Audi made the list for "pushing autonomous cars closer to fruition with a laser-scanning road detector that fits in a vehicle's front grille," and Toyota for "expanding its dominance of the hybrid-car market with its new plug-in version of the Prius." Click on the image above to be taken to the original graphic at MIT Technology Review, where clickable colored squares reveal information about each of the 50 winners, compiled from a variety of industries.

Bollywood star gets 5-year sentence for hit and run, after 13-year trial

It took nearly 13 years for popular Bollywood actor Salman Khan (pictured right in above photo) to be sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly hitting five people with his SUV, one of whom was killed. On May 6, the movie star was found guilty of culpable homicide, rash and negligent driving, and being intoxicated at the time, according to Time. The tragic incident that began the legal odyssey occurred in September 2002 when the Toyota Land Cruiser that Khan was in struck five people on a sidewalk in Mumbai. The actor denied both being drunk and being behind the wheel at the time. However, witnesses disputed those assertions. Khan fought the allegations tooth and nail from the very beginning. According to Time, he even challenged the charge of culpable homicide all the way to the Supreme Court of India, but the case was sent back to lower courts in 2013. In the years since the crash, several witnesses recanted their original statements, but it wasn't enough to sway the verdict. Khan reportedly started crying when he heard his sentence.

Could high demand, low supply doom Toyota Mirai?

Toyota recently gave the world a behind-the-scenes look at the small-scale production of the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell sedan. A team of just 13 people assembles three of them per day, and the Japanese automaker is using this rigorous build process to prioritize quality for each one. Although, there's some concern about whether the Mirai could become a victim of its own, growing success. The company reportedly already has 2,000 orders for the Mirai just in Japan, and an anonymous Toyota executive tells Automotive News that the waiting list is now "two years or something" to receive one. Keep in mind, this figure is before customers elsewhere in the world have any requests in, and the US launch is planned for California this fall with sales in Europe starting this summer. The automaker is keeping North American demand somewhat in check by only planning to move 200 vehicles or fewer on the West Coast in 2015. So, unless Toyota can pick up the production pace, the waiting list seems likely only to grow longer. Automotive News speculates that the company might be in danger of Mirai customers losing interest if they are forced to build anticipation for too long. That especially could be the case with a new Prius likely to be unveiled by the end of the year that could lure folks away It seems that Toyota is trying to react to the higher-than-expected demand for its hydrogen-powered model, though. In December, the automaker invested $168 million to add two more assembly lines for the Mirai's fuel cell stack and hydrogen tank. Related Video: