2010 Ferrari California on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ferrari 488 Spider turbocharges its topless way into Frankfurt

There's a droptop supercar for any wealthy buyer's style at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show. If the sharply styled Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder doesn't get your heart racing, Ferrari is in attendance, as well, to give the turbocharged 488 Spider a public debut. With either of them, buyers are getting an exclusive, Italian name and plenty of performance to keep the wind gusting through their hair. The major upgrade for the 488 Spider and the reason for the new name is the addition of Ferrari's 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 to the droptop. Just like in the 488 GTB coupe, it makes 661 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. The Prancing Horse claims its latest Spider can hit 62 miles per hour in about 3 seconds and 124 mph in 8.7 seconds. The retractable hardtop is pretty quick, too, and can open in just 14 seconds. A redesigned aluminum spaceframe offers the benefit of 23 percent better torsional rigidity compared to the 458 convertible. While the styling at the front is the same, the 488 Spider wears some beautifully sculpted nacelles behind the seats. They create a streamlined look that flows right down the tail in profile. The glass pane between them can be retracted in three positions, too, to adjust the amount of wind and sound in the cabin. The droptop also has a new engine cover with louvers on each side. Check out all the little details of the blue example from the Frankfurt show yourself in our image gallery above.

Stellantis wants to outfit cars with AI software to drive revenue

MILAN — Carmaker Stellantis announced a strategy Tuesday to embed AI-enabled software in 34 million vehicles across its 14 brands, hoping the tech upgrade will help it bring in 20 billion euros ($22.6 billion) in annual revenue by 2030. CEO Carlos Tavares heralded the move as part of a strategy that would transform the car company into a “sustainable mobility tech company,” with business growth coming from features and services tied to the internet. That includes using voice commands to activate navigation, make payments and order products online. The company is expanding existing partnerships with BMW on partially automated driving, iPhone manufacturer Foxconn on customized cockpits and Waymo to push their autonomous driving work into light commercial vehicle delivery fleets. StellantisÂ’ embrace of artificial intelligence and expansion of software-enabled vehicles is part of a broad transformation in the auto industry, with a race toward more fully electric and hybrid propulsion systems, more autonomous driving features and increased connectivity in automobiles. Ford and General Motors also are banking on dramatically increased revenue from similar online subscription services. But the automakers face immense competition for monthly consumer spending from movie and music streaming services, news outlets, Amazon Prime and others. Stellantis, which was formed from the combination of PSA Peugeot and FCA Fiat Chrysler, said the software would seamlessly integrate into customers' lives, with the capability of live updates providing upgraded services over time. New products will include the possibility to subscribe to automated driving features, purchase usage-based car insurance or even increase the power of the vehicle with a tune-up to add horsepower. As a baseline, Stellantis generates 400 million euros in revenue on software-generated services installed in 12 million vehicles. To meet the targets, Stellantis will expand its software engineering team of 1,000 to 4,500 in North America, Asia and Europe. More than 1,000 of the expanded team will be retrained in house. Stellantis also announced a new partnership with Foxconn to develop semiconductors to cover 80% of the companyÂ’s needs and simplify the supply chain. The first microchips from the partnership are targeted to be installed in vehicles in 2024.

Translogic 186: 1978 Ferrari 308 GTE Virtual Reality Test Drive

For years we've heard about how virtual reality will revolutionize the world, but only recently does the technology seem poised to hit the mainstream. From advanced headsets like the Oculus Rift, to simple cardboard viewers that turn your smartphone into a VR device, 360-degree videos promise to take us closer to the action than ever before. What does it all mean for the automotive world? Imagine first-person views from behind the wheel of your favorite car, at a famous track. Or, augmented-reality owners manuals. Or, in the instance of today's episode of Translogic, a ride-along in an all-electric Ferrari with host Jonathon Buckley. We partnered with industry innovators from 8112 Studios to bring you a 360-view test drive of a 1978 Ferrari 308 GTS, converted to an all electric "GTE" by EV West. Hear about the process in the episode above, and experience the 360-VR test drive using the player below. To experience the 360-VR test drive on your smart device, download the Littlstar app on the App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android. Watch the 360-VR test drive on your computer using the Littlstar player below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Oculus Rift users can download the 360-VR video file here. YouTube users can watch here. Can't get enough of automotive VR content? Take a virtual test drive of the newest luxury vehicles with our Autoblog 360 app! Have an RSS feed? Click here to add Translogic. Follow Translogic on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to learn more about our host, Jonathon Buckley. Green Ferrari Technology Emerging Technologies Gadgets Smartphone Convertible Electric Performance Translogic Videos Original Video virtual reality