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Elon Musk: Teslas will already know where we’re going

In the future, cars will drive us. And probably not surprisingly, they'll often know where to go without us even needing to tell them. That's the theme of a short back-and-forth conversation on Twitter recently between Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk and a user who tagged him in a comment suggesting that "it would be cool" to be able to tell a car where to go. Responding to user James Harvey, Musk replied, "It won't even need to ask you most of the time." Later, after Harvey asked how the car would know where he wants to go, another user suggested that the car would know what time you go to work. "Yeah, don't exactly need to be Sherlock Holmes," Musk tweeted. It won't even need to ask you most of the time — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2017 Yeah, don't exactly need to be Sherlock Holmes. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2017 That the ability to know where we're going will be part of our future driving experience shouldn't be surprising. After all, the smartphones we carry around already possess the ability to predict what we want — think Google's cleverness in tailoring search results or providing traffic information just before your commute, Facebook's highly customized News Feed content or even auto-fill technology, which can predict the words you're typing. And plenty of automakers have been touting their own work in developing in-car artificial intelligence systems. Like Audi's Elaine concept, which will be able to learn, think and even empathize with drivers. Or Mitsubishi's e-Evolution concept, which can not only assist your driving, but also assess your skills and teach you how to improve them. Tesla's vehicles, of course, are being outfitted with all the latest autonomous driver-assist technology, with the automaker eager to one day reach full Level 5 self-driving capability. According to Inc., Teslas will be able to listen and respond to directional commands, and they'll even have access to your calendar to comb for information about where you need to go. Tesla has also said it's developing an update to its Autopilot hardware and remains on track to achieve full Level 5 autonomous driving by the end of this year, which strikes a lot of people as wildly unrealistic. At any rate, the promise of cars knowing what time we're sneaking out to get donuts or picking up the kids is interesting, coming from the man who has warned that AI presents "a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization."Related Video:

Europe on track to buy more PHEVs than hybrids by 2019

LMC Automotive, formerly the forecasting division of J.D. Power & Associates, predicts that plug-in hybrids will sell better than conventional hybrids by 2019. By 2021, it envisions PHEV sales at 600,000 units yearly compared to 325,000 standard hybrid sales, and by 2024 PHEV sales are expected to account for 1.2 million sales every year. Part of LMC's prediction is based on a few factors, such as that it believes "electric-only operation will come to be seen as a true luxury characteristic and will be prized sufficiently to command significant premiums." Certain PHEVs are helped in countries like the UK and The Netherlands by generous incentives or other perks, like avoiding inner London's congestion charge, that allow them to address their price differences compared to standard offerings. And the number of PHEVs on the market will soon eclipse regular hybrids, coming from makers across the spectrum. Volvo has twice recently, and only belatedly, learned of the popularity of PHEVs: in 2013 it had to triple production of the V60 PHEV, and just this month it said demand for its XC90 PHEV is four times expectations. The Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid is outselling the traditional hybrid Panamera by more than seven-to-one. And then there's Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Europe's best-selling PHEV with 19,855 units, a volume more than three times larger than the second-best seller. Although LMC sees hybrid growth slowing, they're still doing well. Toyota and Lexus build the top-five selling traditional hybrids in Europe, combining for 72 percent of European sales, with the new Auris and Yaris hybrids alone selling 123,506 units in 2014. For LMC's forecast to come true, Europe will need a spectacular change in buying habits, since the top ten conventional hybrids tallied 175,847 sales in 2014, and the top ten PHEVs rang up 36,138 sales. Featured Gallery 2015 Volvo XC90 T8 View 14 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub. req. Green Mitsubishi Toyota Volvo Hybrid ev sales hybrid sales toyota auris hybrid toyota yaris hybrid

2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross vs. small crossover SUVs: How they compare on paper

In the midst of the crossover SUV boom, each traditional size segment has become saturated. As a result, automakers are beginning to fill the gaps that separate classes, giving us some interesting in-between options. The all-new 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross jumps right into one of those in-between categories bookended by compact and subcompact crossovers. It's a niche that offers more space and feature content than the smallest vehicles, with an extra dose of style and a lower price than bigger ones. Because of the Eclipse Cross' in-between nature, though, there's not really an obvious direct competitor. As such, we've selected a diverse group of small crossovers that are similar to the Eclipse Cross in some but not all key areas: size, price, feature content, style and likely buyers. The 2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2018 Toyota C-HR and 2018 Nissan Rogue Sport each have elements in common, but are different enough to provide useful points of comparison. A chart of specifications and key standard features is shown below, followed by more in-depth analysis. And if you wish to compare these crossovers with others not listed, be sure to check out our comparison tools. Engines and Drivetrains One of the Eclipse Cross' biggest advantages in this segment will be its engine. Subcompact crossovers, including the other three we've chosen, are sluggish to say the least. This new Mitsubishi should be different as it packs a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder that belts out a whopping 184 pound-feet of torque. We say whopping, because the C-HR, Crosstrek and Rogue Sport all have between 139 and 147 pound-feet. Horsepower is similarly unimpressive at just 152 horsepower - the same as the Crosstrek - but that torque should make passing and on-ramp runs much more satisfying. The appeal of crossovers for many people is the availability of all-wheel-drive, and this is where the Subaru gets an advantage. Like with all Subarus that aren't a BRZ, the Crosstrek has standard all-wheel drive. The Mitsubishi comes close, making all-wheel drive standard on every trim level except the very base ES trim level. On the Rogue Sport, all-wheel drive is an option on all trim levels. Depending on where you live, though, being able to have front drive on a high-trim crossover could be a plus because it will save some money and improve fuel economy. The C-HR loses this battle as it's only available with front-wheel drive.