Corvette Automatic Shifter Knob on 2040-parts.com

Update: Google self-driving car is really just a transportation pod

Google will launch its own fleet of autonomous vehicle prototypes – with no steering wheels and no gas or brake pedals – as the technology giant begins a new phase of its self-driving car project. Google designed the car and plans to have about 100 test vehicles that are fully autonomous with extra safety features, company co-founder Sergey Brin said during a conference Tuesday hosted by technology blog Re/code in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. > See how Google's autonomous car navigates city streets here The New York Times reported Tuesday night that a Detroit-area manufacturer is building the cars for Google, which declined to name the manufacturer, according to the Times' story.

Hyundai Veloster Midship concept shows what the Veloster could be

The Hyundai Veloster Midship at the Busan Motor Show The Hyundai Veloster is actually a perfectly capable – if slightly quirky - sports car, which promises much but doesn’t actually deliver in terms of performance. In fact, when we  reviewed the Hyundai Veloster a couple of years ago with its 1.6 litre petrol engine, we wondered if Hyundai would have been better giving the Veloster a diesel lump instead, which would at least have made its paucity of power less of a problem with more torque to play with. And the Veloster Turbo isn’t a huge amount better, only offering 184 bhp and taking 8.4 seconds to get to 62mph; figures we would have expected from the base Veloster if it were to be a properly credible competitor in the sector.

Jaguar XE full price & specs revealed – costs from £26,995 to £44,870

Jaguar XE full price & specs revealed – costs from £26,995 to £44,870 The new Jaguar XE had a glitzy London launch last month, but all we really got was the XE S; the lesser models were kept under wraps until the Paris Motor Show debut. But now that’s upon us we get full UK specs and prices for a car that will be the make or break of Jaguar, certainly in terms of becoming a real challenger to the German triumvirate and moving from niche maker to proper global player in the Premium market. And Jaguar are obviously feeling pretty bullish about the XE, because instead of offering it at a discount to their main challenger – the BMW 3-Series – they’ve actually come in at a bit of a premium.