#Technology

Porsche has apparently been working on a six-stroke engine and even filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) along with the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca. The motor is said to offer enhanced efficiency and power, along with cleaner combustion. However, it’s fairly common for the industry to promise the moon after announcing the revival of odd-ball technologies from the past or some totally novel powertrain.

Owners of certain Volvo models stretching back to the 2020 model year will benefit from a new over-the-air update, one which will install the company’s redesigned infotainment UX which just debuted on the EX90 and EX30.

There is a new Ford patent for a system that would play personalized ads inside of cars, which would vary based upon numerous factors. Advertisements would take into account things like whether or not a vehicle was in motion, whether or not the people inside the vehicle are speaking, and even the driver’s present location. It even seems to respond to how vehicle occupants react to the chosen marketing materials. If that sounds rather invasive to you, then you’re probably not alone.

When General Motors announced it was going to move away from Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, the public was immediately upset. However, the automaker responded by stating that change would be gradual and that the company would continue to offer vehicle integration by way of a proprietary interface. However, based on initial reviews, the resulting software doesn’t sound very enjoyable and even charges you for features that were previously free.

The United States is planning to relaunch a program to normalize vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology that would allow all modern vehicles to communicate with each other and the surrounding infrastructure in real time. Government agencies are claiming the resulting network would drastically improve safety for both drivers and pedestrians. However, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about V2X. The U.S. attempted a similar program years earlier before it lost momentum.

Ford Motor Co. has filed a patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a system that would effectively convert modern police vehicles into mobile surveillance platforms designed to autonomously track and tattle on speeders. However, the tech doesn't look as though it would have to be limited to the vehicles driven by law enforcement.

Despite all-electric vehicles having certain advantages over conventional combustion automobiles, they also have some clear drawbacks that have stifled their adoption rate on some of the world’s largest markets. Solid-state batteries are supposed to close the gap between the two and are allegedly approaching mass-market applications. However, we’ve been hearing a lot about them for years with the relevant voices citing little in the way of tangible progress.

General Motors’ self-driving unit, Cruise, is hoping to resume public testing that includes offering rides before the end of the year. Reports have also claimed that it also intends on charging fares as part of an autonomous taxi service due sometime in 2025.

After a delayed and limited roll-out of the new Northstar engine (in two power configurations) for the 1993 and 1994 model year, Cadillac enjoyed a wave of positive press. With an entirely new product portfolio in place by 1994, the Northstar-filled (except Fleetwood Brougham) Cadillac lineup was ready to roll through the remainder of the Nineties. Cadillac immediately set about tweaking their V8 for 1995, and it was around that time some issues began to poke holes in the Northstar’s trophy collection.

After an extensive five-plus year development period fraught with engineering adversity, unfortunate focus group decisions, and delays via magnesium material mishaps, the Northstar V8 was ready for production. Paired with it were new associated systems and technology which the marketing team at GM trademarked as the Northstar System. Prior to the Northstar’s debut in the model year 1993 Allanté, it was time for a big marketing push. The Northstar System was all-encompassing!

In our last installment of the Cadillac Northstar story, we reviewed the engineering decisions made early in the engine’s development. From the sensible choice of 4.5 liters of displacement (4.6 in production) to the hubris of consumer focus groups filled with aging current owners, the project rolled forward but faced many engineering challenges. The development was daunting as Cadillac’s first dual overhead cam V8 engine after decades of overhead valve power plants. The difficulty of pairing a cast aluminum block to iron cylinder liners was complete, but engineers opened up a new can of worms with the induction system.

We return to Abandoned History’s coverage of the Cadillac Northstar engine this week, at a pivotal moment in the engine’s development. Stiff competition from luxury cars of domestic, European, and Japanese origin put big pressure on Cadillac. The era of the dual overhead cam engine was on the horizon, and it looked as though Cadillac was about to be left in the dust with its High Technology 4.5-liter. After hemming and hawing about an update to the 4.5 rather than the development of a new engine, GM brass decided a new power plant was in fact necessary. However, aside from the necessity of DOHC technology, the rest of the engine was just a word cloud of ideas that needed to be nailed down quickly.

With the HALT Act having passed in 2021, the United States is less than two years away from making driver-monitoring technologies standard equipment. While this issue has been downplayed by the legacy media for years, the main reason was because the Department of Transportation hadn’t yet decided what form the equipment would take.

At the same time, consumer advocacy groups and a smattering of automotive enthusiasts have been sounding alarm bells relating to user privacy. With the government suggesting that these systems not only be ubiquitous in all new vehicles by 2026, but likewise communicate with law enforcement and even remotely deactivate a vehicle, there are some serious concerns about how they may serve as a giant violation of our collective rights.

Back in 2022 Abandoned History covered the development and usage of Cadillac’s all-star engine for the Eighties, the High Technology V8. As the 4.1-liter pile showed promptly that it was terrible, General Motors massaged, improved, and enlarged it into the HT4500 and finally the (not HT) 4.9-liter. But by the time the 4.9 arrived, the engine was already at the end of its service life. The General had an all-new, much better V8 that would trounce the 4.9 and bring Cadillac back into the luxury fray: Northstar.

With corporate media finally aware of the perils of connected vehicles, we’ve seen a rash of articles exploring how insurance rates have spiked due to automakers sharing user data. But they’re not the only ones: Phone apps are also a major vector for obtaining and shifting profitable driving data without their owners even being aware it’s happening. It’s another contributing factor to why the average insurance rate has risen between 25 and 40 percent in 2024.