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Minivans could be key to Google-FCA self-driving partnership

Executives from Google and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles have held discussions about creating a technical partnership, the purpose of which would be to further development of self-driving vehicles, according to multiple reports. The two companies might make ideal partners. Google has been at the forefront of developing autonomous technology, and has publicly stated it'd seek partners to build vehicles. FCA, meanwhile, has not invested in self-driving research, and its CEO has been publicly offering the company up for acquisition for the last several years. Combined, they could make both the brains and the bodies of self-driving cars. "Public transit executives could be buying autonomous minivans rather than expensive buses." – Chris Urmson "A Google-FCA tie-up could simultaneously put both companies in the lead in this critical race," said Kelley Blue Book senior analyst Karl Brauer. "... FCA's efforts to merge with another automaker have failed, but if the automaker can join forces with Google, it could immediately change the dynamic. Every car company is trying to get into the tech space right now, because they all know their future depends on it." A Google spokesperson declined comment on the reports Thursday, and FCA did not return a request for comment. But Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car project, may have inadvertently hinted at the partnership Wednesday when he detailed an interest in building autonomous minivans for public-transportation use. "Public transit executives could be buying autonomous minivans rather than expensive buses," Urmson said during a public meeting on autonomous regulations held by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Palo Alto, California. "Federal standards determine what kinds of vehicles cities can use for transit. This needs attention." Minivans are different than the Lexus 450h and pod-like prototypes Google has used for autonomous testing so far. If Urmson is indeed interested in self-driving minivans that provide on-demand services for public transportation users, as he elaborated upon, there may be no more perfect partner than Chrysler, which pioneered the minivan segment three decades ago and recently reasserted its presence the minivan market with the new Pacifica, a completely redesigned vehicle. Ridding the urban environment of traffic-clogging buses might be one small slice of Google's broader plan for transforming cities and the imprint cars make upon them.

North Carolina driver charged for flattening Trump sign

Police in Wilmington, NC are investigating a viral video that shows a local man driving off the road to run over a Trump for President campaign sign. Julien Schuessler of Wilmington posted a video to Facebook on March 15 showing him driving his white Jeep off the road in a reckless manner to smash a Trump sign. He captioned the video, "I love having a Jeep sometimes." The video immediately went viral, reaching nearly a million views and 25,000 shares in less than twenty-four hours. Any elation Schuessler may have felt at having his video go viral was short lived, though. According to WWAY, Wilmington Police were tipped off to the existence of the video on the afternoon of March 16. They were, understandably, less than pleased. In an official tweet, WPD stated that they were aware of the video and were investigating. A spokesperson for the WPD stated that Schuessler faces multiple charges for his little stunt, including hit and run, reckless driving, and failure to maintain lane control. WWAY reached out to Schuessler for comment, but he has declined to respond. News Source: wwaytv3 Government/Legal Weird Car News Chrysler Jeep Driving Safety SUV Off-Road Vehicles Police/Emergency Trump north carolina hit and run vandalism wrangler

Mopar teases four of 'nearly 20' SEMA Show concepts

Yesterday it was Chevrolet. Today, Mopar has dropped some SEMA knowledge, releasing a quartet of teaser images that give us some indication of what kind of cars, trucks, and crossovers Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram will be showing in Las Vegas. Like Chevy, Mopar's concepts utilize both production and concept accessories, although Fiat Chrysler has gone a bit more indepth on at least one of its concepts. Immediately, the most tantalizing teaser is the one shown above. Yes, that's the back of a Challenger, and aside from the bright orange accents on the gray body, you should take notice of the badge mounted on the spoiler – yes, that says "GT AWD." To be honest, such a vehicle wouldn't be a huge shock, as both the Challenger's LX platform-mates, the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300, are offered with all-wheel-drive options. Still, adding such a vehicle to the production cycle would give Dodge a leg up on the rear-drive only Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. Aside from that concept, FCA has also released teasers of a Ram-based concept, a 300-based concept, and what we're guessing is a Fiat 500X. We can't wait to see what the actual Fiat concept has to do with kiteboarding. As for the 300 and Ram, there's not a lot of hints on what sort of styling details they'll contain. The Chrysler has additional LED accents and what we're guessing is matte blue paint, while the Ram is based on a Hemi-powered 1500 with Rebel styling cues. This is just a very tiny sample of Mopar's final SEMA roster, which include "hundreds" of parts. There should also be a total of 20 vehicles covering all four former Chrysler Group brands, as well as Fiat. Naturally, we'll have plenty to report on each vehicle once the SEMA show kicks off in the next couple weeks.