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Uber releases fleet of self-driving vehicles to select few in Pittsburgh

Starting today, a select group of Uber users in Pittsburgh, PA will have the ability to request a self-driving vehicle. If a self-driving vehicle is in the area, Uber will send it, as well as a safety driver, to drive loyal customers to their destination. The announcement to give customers the opportunity to get a ride in one of Uber's self-driving vehicles comes roughly a year and a half after the company set up its Advanced Technologies Center in the city. On Tuesday, the company offered a few members of the press the opportunity to ride in one of the company's self-driving cars. The fleet, despite Uber's collaboration with Volvo, was comprised of 14 Ford Fusions equipped with a host of self-driving technology, reports TechCrunch. Uber is giving away free rides as a way to obtain real-world testing, which is crucial for self-driving technology. Recently, nuTonomoy beat Uber to the punch by launching the world's first autonomous taxis in Singapore. While the choice to release its self-driving cars in Pittsburgh mainly comes down to the fact that its ATC is located there, the city faces four seasons and its difficult streets that are comprised of bridges, railroad lines, and an irregular grid layout will prove to be a challenge for the autonomous cars. Since the self-driving vehicles are still being tested, the cars will come with two full-time Uber employees. One employee will loosely grasp the car's steering wheel, ready to take over if something goes awry, while the other will monitor the computer's software. As TechCrunch points out, Uber's autonomous vehicles drove in a similar manner to a regular driver. It obeyed traffic laws, mimicked a driver by coming to stops gently and at other times abruptly, as well as driving slightly into another lane to dodge a poorly-parked vehicle, reports TechCrunch. There's no word on whether regular Uber customers will get a ride in one of the company's Fusions or one of the Volvo's that its working on. Automakers and companies alike have been in a race to put autonomous vehicles on the road. Tesla recently updated its Autopilot system, Apple laid off dozens of employees to reboot its self-driving car project, and Google is working giving its autonomous vehicle the ability to detect emergency vehicles. While this is a large step for Uber, vehicles with autonomous capabilities still have a long way to go.

Volvo won't entirely give up on sedans and station wagons

Volvo, like an overwhelming majority of its peers and rivals, sells more SUVs and crossovers than sedans and station wagons. It confirmed plans to pivot away from low-riding models in 2021, but it stressed that it's not ready to throw in the towel in either segment quite yet. "Yes, the [V and S lines] will be replaced with something even more attractive to customers," affirmed company boss Hakan Samuelsson in an interview with British magazine Autocar. His comments come as a relief for Volvo wagon fans around the world, given that in 2021 he had said that the company needs "to move [on] from wagons and sedans." There's a catch, though: Future V and S models will look quite different than today's. Samuelsson (who will step down from his position in March 2022) acknowledged that Volvo needs lower-riding cars but noted that their design will evolve and become "maybe a little less square." It's not just about style, either. "Cars will be less boxy in the future, when we need to have lower air resistance. You could call it coupe-ish. We talk a lot about range in electric cars, but I think we will start looking at energy efficiency, and of course air resistance will be very central to that," he said. It helps that sleeker designs help keep buyers interested in sedans. Volvo's S90 and V90 were introduced and 2015 and 2016, respectively, so they're expected to be replaced in the not-too-distant future. One point that's still up in the air is what they'll be called. The Swedish company is preparing to ditch its alphanumerical naming system in order to give its cars an actual name, so both nameplates will die with the current-generation models. We'll have a better idea of what the future has in store when the XC90's replacement arrives later in 2022 with a new name, a new architecture, and a large serving of new technology. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

See Volvo's integration of Apple CarPlay in action

Apple unveiled its new CarPlay touchscreen infotainment system earlier today, and Volvo has just released a video showing the system in action. The Cupertino tech giant is expected to announce partnerships with Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz to license CarPlay, as well, at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and will be working with even more manufacturers in the future.
The system pairs the driver's iPhone with the car's infotainment system and seamlessly allows them use the smart phone's functions and, at least in Volvo's demonstration, the car's climate control and seat heating systems. According to the video, the new system will be available "in the coming generation Volvo cars," which likely means the upcoming, next-generation Volvo XC90.
However, the system will not work universally. Apple will add functionality through an update to iOS 7 in the future for the iPhone 5, 5C and 5S. At launch other devices won't be supported. Scroll down to watch CarPlay work. We are expecting more details to emerge on the new infotainment system when the Swiss show opens tomorrow.