#Technology

Not only does oil provide the motive force for automobiles, ships and aircraft, it’s also used to make plastic, a material that our modern world is literally built from. Look around, you’re probably surrounded by it right now. But not all polymers are magically created out of crude hydrocarbons siphoned from the earth’s crust, some can be made from plants.

Like other supercars, McLarens are rarer than Sasquatch-fur coats. It’s hard enough to steal a glimpse of one at an auto show, but the chances of seeing one on the street are about as good as commuting to work on the back of a Pegasus.

Automotive finishes are important. Car buyers expect their new rides to have lustrous, durable paint that withstands the test of time. Nobody wants to see dull spots or drips on their $35,000 baby. Not surprisingly a vehicle’s internal components can also benefit from careful attention to detail.

Smaller, more sophisticated engines are on deck at Audi with technologies that will characterize the company’s future products. 

Titanium, it’s both light and strong… and pretty expensive. But the benefits may out-“weight” the tradeoffs for Lotus, as the premium sports-car builder is exploring the dusty silver-hued metal for use in its vehicles.

Not even Porsche is immune to pressure from governments and customers to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. The legendary German sports-car builder will offer a four-cylinder engine in future versions of both its Boxster and Cayman models.

What is this, spy-photo Friday? First our intrepid picture-makers nabbed the 2015 Subaru Outback driving in Europe, then they tagged the new Audi A6 cavorting in the snow. Now they’ve sent us images of the German company’s upcoming 2016 Audi R8 supercar. Excited? You should be.

General Motors unveiled its brand-new family of Ecotec small-displacement engines at its Powertrain Headquarters in Pontiac, Mich. this morning. The lineup will include 11 separate powerplants in both three- and four-cylinder configurations.

Volvo is developing another use or connected car technology meant to improve driving safety.

The Geneva Motor Show always plays host to a throng of exciting ultra-high-performance automobiles and this year’s installment was no exception. Lamborghini revealed its sultry new Huracán, McLaren unwrapped the alluring 650S and even Pagani’s outlandish Zonda Revolución made a showing. But the folks in Maranello, Italy were not to be out done.

Believe it or not the U.S. Department of Homeland Security does more than just waste travelers’ time at airports, confiscating toothpaste and books of matches. The government organization actually has a hand to play in the presidential limo, which is expected to be replaced by the time our next commander in chief takes office in 2017.

Arguably autonomous cars are the next major hurdle facing both automakers and supplier companies. It seems like the entire industry is working on self-driving vehicles, including Volvo.

In-car internet has advantages that go well beyond checking Facebook, with Audi preparing to launch a new technology that will allow cars to interact with traffic lights, saving both time and fuel.

The folks at Ferrari are really upping their game with the brand-new California T, like they needed to get any crazier… The car just made its glorious debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.

Google is trying to sway lawmakers from banning its Glass mobile computing device off of driver’s faces.