Technology

Australians will be the first caravanners in the world to experience a voice-activated production RV, a leading caravan and RV manufacturer claims.

Most manufacturers are offering at least some form of AEB. However no two systems are created equal. Here's what consumers should be aware of when considering active safety systems.

Lexus' rollout of Apple CarPlay technology will go further this year, with the UX SUV the next model to get the phone-mirroring technology as standard.We know already that the RX SUV, which will arrive in Australia before the end of 2019, will get Apple C

The newest apps let you safely drive the information superhighway.

Electronics firm Pioneer yesterday said it had begun selling two 7-inch display systems compatible with the new Android Auto.Android Auto is driven by a connected Android smartphone with the latest Lollipop 5.0 software installed. Phones such as Google Nexus 5 and 6, HTC One M9 and Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S6 already have it.Pioneer said its two Android Auto compatible models would cost $1149 and $1999. It has a foot in both camps, having last year announced head units for Apple's competing CarPlay system.The existence of both CarPlay and Android Auto could see the battle lines for the smartphone war spill over into the car market, with a person's choice of car influenced, to some extent, by their brand of phone and the car system choices on offer.Android Auto offers what you'd expect from a modern connected GPS system. There's integrated navigation, you can answer calls, send and receive text messages and listen to streamed music from Google Play.The system leverages the smartphone's apps to display cafes, fast food outlets, grocery stores, petrol stations and parking optionsHowever, Google says you get a much better integrated experience than with a stand-alone device. For example, if you have a calendar event imminent, Android Auto will notify you and offer to navigate you there. If you opt to store your navigation history, it will try to guess where you want to go and take you there.At intersections, Maps on the system will display alternative destination times should you opt to take an alternative route. The system leverages the smartphone's apps to display cafes, fast food outlets, grocery stores, petrol stations and parking options among thers on the screen.Android Auto leverages Google Voice and reads out text messages as they arriveGoogle Australia senior production manager Andrew Foster, who works on Google Maps, said the team had removed irrelevant labels from the auto version of Maps for a less cluttered driving experience.Android Auto leverages Google Voice and reads out text messages as they arrive. The driver can also dictate replies, which in turn are read back before being sent. The same applies to messages from third party apps such as WhatsApp - provided they are installed on the connected phone.You can navigate through music services such as Spotify, TuneIn Radio and Stitcher on the console if their apps are loaded on the phone.Mr Foster said the system had been in development for two years.

Has the world gone mad: $300,000 extra for a clock in the new Bentley Bentayga SUV

It's already saved me an hour of my life. And eliminated a day's worry about speed cameras.Speedometer error has become a big issue since the Victorian crackdown on speeding with a tiny 3km/h tolerance, all the way to 110km/h. Australian design rules allow speedos to read 10 per cent over plus 4km/h (they can't read under), so chances are you're travelling slower than your speedo says.The digital speedometer app allows you to measure your speed more accurately by using GPS.On a recent trip, I discovered more than a 10 per cent error in the speedo of the Hyundai i30 I was driving. It was then easy to adjust my indicated speed to my real speed, without worrying about going over the limit.It seems a little crazy at first to be sitting with the speedometer pegged at 120km/h on the freeway but I know that was less than 110 in the real world. And it's a similar story all the way down to 60km/h, once you have some GPS reality.In more than 10 hours of driving in 100 and 110km/h highway zones I ended up saving over an hour on my trip time.And not once did I fear a speed camera or a police car going the other way.I've tried a couple of other apps and measured the accuracy of several speedos. All the apps do the job and every speedometer has been reading high — at least one piece of good news when we're all worried about fines and accruing demerit points.

Toyota will reportedly borrow Mazda’s upcoming SkyActiv rear-wheel drive platform and inline-six engines for future products - if the automotive rumour mill is to be believed.As reported by Japan’s Best Car magazine, ‘several’ new rear-wheel drive Toyota and Lexus products will use Mazda’s platform after the upcoming next-generation cars are due to be replaced in around 2026. The immediate replacements for these cars will use Toyota’s TNGA platform, though will switch to Mazda’s new platform after.Mazda’s new rear- or all-wheel drive SkyActiv platform is rumoured to launch between 2020 and 2025. The first Mazda product it will sit under is the next generation Mazda6 in around 2022, while other products are due to also share it, including a new large SUV above the CX-9. The next Lexus RC - also due in 2022 - will be reportedly the first Toyota Lexus product based on Mazda’s platform, as well as the IS, Toyota Mark X and a new Lexus 'coupe' that will sit between the RC and LC and compete with the Audi A7.The petrol straight-six engine at the centre of the new products will displace 3.0-litres, and will employ both supercharging and 48V mild-hybrid technology to improve fuel economy. Mazda is also reportedly developing a plug-in hybrid version of the engine to further increase efficiency.This not the first time that Mazda and Toyota have worked together for product development. The previous-generation Japanese market Mazda3 hybrid used Toyota’s hybrid system and the US-market Yaris - which is different to the Australian model - is based on the Mazda2. The two manufacturers have also committed to building a new $1.6 billion factory in America that will initially build the US Corolla, as well as a new large Mazda SUV that is reportedly in development.Local Mazda and Toyota executives declined to comment on the platform and engine sharing.

Who said the Germans were boring? Who said SUVs have to be boring? Well, this is the opposite of boring - the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S is a fire-breathing family hauler, with enormous power, huge torque, insane acceleration and a soundtrack that you'll want to hear over, and over, and over again.

Toyota and Subaru have announced an agreement that will see the Japanese automotive giants jointly develop a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) platform.