Delphi Automotive’s modified Audi SQ5 has successfully completed its journey from San Francisco to New York City, claiming the title of first coast-to-coast trip by an autonomous vehicle.
The expedition took nine days, crossing 15 states and Washington DC, exposing the self-driving system to traffic circles, construction zones, tunnels, aggressive drivers and a wide range of weather conditions.

“Our vehicle performed remarkably well during this drive, exceeding our expectations,” said Delphi CTO Jeff Owens. “The knowledge obtained from this trip will help optimize our existing active safety products and accelerate our future product development, which will allow us to deliver unsurpassed automotive grade technologies to our customers.”

The company has plenty of data to sift through, amassing nearly three terabytes of data across the 3,400-mile transit.

The crossover prototype was outfitted with extra electronics, such as LiDAR and radar sensors, complementing the production model’s existing suite of cameras and integrated radar components.

Although the trip may be the first completed by an autonomous vehicle, it is not the first fully-autonomous trip across the country. The SQ5 drove itself for 99 percent of the miles, but human drivers took over when the car was off the highway.

Lane-holding is already a common technology across the industry. More vehicles will soon be able to operate autonomously on highways, but the real challenge is off the high-speed roads where the cars face a much more complex and less-predictable environment.

Several major automakers appear to be aiming for partially autonomous production vehicles by 2020, with fully autonomous technology likely waiting until 2030 or later.

McLaren has announced U.S. pricing for its latest 570S sports car. The 570S made its global debut earlier this week at the New York auto show.
The inaugural vehicle in McLaren’s newly minted Sport Series line, the 570S Coupe will carry a base MSRP of $184,900. That price tag puts the 570S about on par with the Porsche 911 Turbo S and Ferrari California T.

Although it’s tough to call a car that list for nearly $200,000 a bargain, the 570S does give you a lot for your money. The 570S boast a carbon fiber chassis, carbon ceramic disc brakes, an adjustable suspension system and a 3.8L twin-turbocharged V8 capable of hitting speeds in excess of 200mph.

For those that can’t quite come up with the $184,900 required for the 570S, a cheaper option is on the way. McLaren also announced that it will launch a less expensive 540C model at the upcoming Shanghai Motor Show. U.S. pricing wasn’t announced, but the 540C will list from £126,000 in the UK, or about 17 grand less than the 570S. If that pricing holds true, the 540C should go for something in the neighborhood of $160,000 in the U.S.

Both the 570S and 540C are expected to be available through McLaren outlets by the end of the year.

Live images by Brian Williams.

West Virginia Governor Ray Tomblin has signed into law a bill that will bar Tesla Motors from selling directly to customers in the state.
The state may not be at the top of Tesla’s priority list, but it nonetheless serves as a blow to the company’s battle against dealer franchise laws in a handful of US states, following on the heels of a victory in New Jersey.

The legislation was supported by Senate President Bill Cole, a franchised auto dealer with Honda, Nissan, Kia, Subaru and Hyundai showrooms in West Virginia and neighboring Kentucky. The West Virginia Automobile & Truck Dealers Association is also listed as one of his top campaign donors, according to FollowTheMoney.org.

The bill included wording that prohibits a manufacturer from acting “in the capacity of a new motor vehicle dealer.” The company had reportedly lobbied for an amendment that would allow non-franchisor manufacturers to sell directly at a limited number of stores, however the provision was rejected, the West Virginia dealer association’s president, Ruth Lemmon, said in a statement to Automotive News.

“I just can’t understand why if you want to be in the auto transportation business, why you wouldn’t want to be part of a proven model,” she opined.

Tesla has not yet publicly commented on the setback.

March proved a tough month for many automakers, but some companies seemed unaffected and maintained double-digit growth.

Audi and Jeep were among the big winners, with respective sales gains of 20 percent and 23 percent. Chrysler brand sales rose by 15 percent, while Hyundai posted a 12-percent increase for the month. Among the lower-volume automakers, Mini sales jumped by 60 percent for the month and Land Rover experienced a 45-percent surge.

Volkswagen and Dodge were among the worst performers, with sales down by 18 percent and 24 percent, respectively. Single-digit falloffs were reported by Acura, Cadillac, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Lincoln and Mazda.

Despite the trouble in March, most automakers have still maintained positive growth for the first three months of the year. Analysts at Kelly Blue Book expect the industry to grow by 2.5 percent for the year.

March year-over-year:

- Acura down 6%, 14,670
- Alfa new, 73
- Audi up 20%, 17,102
- Bentley down 21%, 220
- BMW up 7%, 34,310
- Buick up 1%, 20,526
- Cadillac down 7%, 13,756
- Chevrolet down 3%, 173,886
- Chrysler up 15%, 30,038
- Dodge down 24%, 46,049
- Fiat down 5%, 4,494
- Ford down 3%, 227,234
- GMC up 1%, 41,707
- Honda down 5%, 111,623
- Hyundai up 12%, 75,019
- Infiniti flat, 12,525
- Jaguar down 9%, 1,660
- Jeep up 23%, 71,584
- Kia up 7%, 58,771
- *Lamborghini up 3%, 63
- Land Rover up 54%, 6,778
- Lexus up 9%, 31,054
- Lincoln down 3%, 8,695
- Maserati up 3%, 996
- Mazda down 8%, 32,123
- **Mercedes-Benz up 9%, 29,921
- MINI up 60%, 5,829
- Mitsubishi up 9%, 9,764
- Nissan down 3%, 132,560
- Porsche up 13%, 4,291
- Ram up 1%, 45,023
- Scion down 25%, 4,424
- smart down 25%, 583
- Subaru up 10%, 49,111
- *Tesla down 20%, 1,200
- Toyota up 4.4%, 194,905
- Volkswagen down 18%, 30,025
- Volvo flat, 5,916

2015 year-to-date:

- Acura up 5%, 39,644
- Alfa new, 217
- Audi up 14%, 40,098
- Bentley down 21%, 512
- BMW up 8%, 78,492
- Buick down 5%, 50,497
- Cadillac down 6%, 37,175
- Chevrolet up 5%, 476,556
- Chrysler up 13%, 81,933
- Dodge down 15%, 46,094
- Fiat down 3%, 11,038
- Ford up 2%, 573,185
- GMC up 15%, 119,811
- Honda up 2%, 294,299
- Hyundai up 8%, 172,029
- Infiniti up 8%, 33,842
- Jaguar down 8%, 4,336
- Jeep up 23%, 178,749
- Kia up 6%, 141,100
- *Lamborghini up 3%, 189
- Land Rover up 30%, 16,976
- Lexus up 19%, 77,180
- Lincoln down 1%, 21,478
- Maserati down 19%, 1,929
- Mazda flat, 78,044
- **Mercedes-Benz up 8%, 78,156
- MINI up 48%, 12,777
- Mitsubishi up 20%, 23,790
- Nissan up 3%, 333,786
- Porsche up 13%, 11,430
- Ram up 9%, 110,406
- Scion down 17%, 11,978
- smart down 31%, 1,533
- Subaru up 17%, 131,281
- *Tesla down 20%, 3,600
- Toyota up 11%, 575,620
- Volkswagen down 9%, 79,239
- Volvo flat, 13,722

*Based on estimates from Automotive News.
** NOT including Sprinter

Highlights (sales up > 40%)
Volvo XC60, up 45% to 2,464
Volvo XC70, up 47% to 563
Infiniti Q70, up 68% to 1,083
VW Golf family, up 133% to 4,643
Audi A3, up 927% to 3,081
Hyundai Genesis, up 41% to 3,064
Subaru Legacy, up 90% to 6,148
Mitsubishi Mirage, up 66% to 2,488
Cadillac Escalade, up 125% to 1,673
Cadillac Escalade ESV, up 114% to 1,085
Honda Fit, up 58% to 6,640
Lincoln Navigator, up 47% to 1,097
Nissan GT-R, up 47% to 175
Nissan Rogue, up 41% to 27,418
Chrysler 200, up 155% to 19,190
Jeep Patriot, up 41% to 11,849
Dodge Dart, up 56% to 9,572

Lowlights (sales down > 30%)
Infiniti Q60, down 38% to 368
VW CC, down 55% to 513
Audi A4, down 32% to 2,266
Subaru BRZ, down 42% to 495
Cadillac ATS, down 32% to 2,039
Cadillac CTS, down 49% to 1,500
Chevy Camaro, down 31% to 5,956
Chevy Spark, down 36% to 3,260
Chevy Volt, down 57% to 639
Honda Insight, down 47% to 209
Acura RLX/RL, down 48% to 194
Ford Taurus, down 43% to 3,224
Lincoln MKX, down 43% to 1,475
Nissan Cube, down 58% to 176
Nissan Maxima, down 54% to 2,760
Nissan Juke, down 59% to 2,838
Chrysler Town & Country, down 59% to 5,489
Dodge Caravan, down 58% to 5,960

Toyota has reportedly finalized a decision to build new factories in Mexico and China.
Details surrounding the Mexico expansion surfaced last month, but a fresh report by Nikkei suggests a new plant will be built in China first, sometime in 2018, before the new North American facility opens the following year.

The China plant is said to be the smaller of the two, with an annual output of 100,000 units annually, while the Mexico facility — used to build a new Corolla — is expected to produce up to 200,000 vehicles per year. Construction is said to require approximately $1.25 billion USD.

The company is nearing the end of its three-year freeze on building new plants, ordered as part of a quality-focused strategy from president Akio Toyoda in response to the unintended-acceleration recall crisis.

The company last week outlined new assembly strategies that promise to streamline operations and significantly reduce the investment requirements for new factories and retooling efforts. Downsized machinery and energy-efficient processes are central elements in the new “simple and slim” production lines.

An official confirmation of the expansion plans is expected to be announced within the next few weeks.