Automotive Technology
Introduction
Automotive technology is reshaping what a car is, from over-the-air software updates and driver-assistance systems to connectivity, electrification, and the data your vehicle collects. This hub is your evergreen guide to the tech under the hood and behind the dashboard, and to the debates over repairability, ownership, and privacy that come with it. The Auto Wire covers ADAS, infotainment, telematics, and the friction between automakers and the people who buy their cars. Use this page to understand how the technology works, where it is heading, and how it connects to safety, reliability, and the electric future.
Table of Contents
- The Modern Connected Car
- Driver-Assistance and Autonomy
- Infotainment and Connectivity
- Over-the-Air Updates and Software
- Data, Privacy, and Telematics
- Right to Repair
- The Future of Car Tech
- Latest News
- Related Guides
- Expert Resources
- Recommended Reading
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Modern Connected Car
Driver-Assistance and Autonomy
Levels of Automation
Limits of Self-Driving
Infotainment and Connectivity
Over-the-Air Updates and Software
Feature Subscriptions
Software-Locked Hardware
Data, Privacy, and Telematics
Right to Repair
The Future of Car Tech
Latest News
[DYNAMIC BLOCK PLACEHOLDER — auto-populate with latest posts tagged Technology / industry / Government Regulation.]
Related Guides
[INTERNAL LINK PLACEHOLDER — link to sibling hubs: Electric Vehicles, Car Safety, Vehicle Reliability, Traffic Incidents, Car Recalls.]
Expert Resources
[EXTERNAL AUTHORITY PLACEHOLDER — SAE International, NHTSA ADAS resources, manufacturer tech pages, Repair.org.]
Recommended Reading
- [Article placeholder] Jim Farley Thinks Your Car Is Too Dumb — /2026/06/22/jim-farley-thinks-your-car-is-too-dumb/
- [Article placeholder] Cops Are Using License Plate Readers — /2026/06/22/cops-are-using-license-plate-readers-to-stalk-their/
- [Article placeholder] Automotive Physics Lab — page ID 30736
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a connected car?
What are the levels of driving automation?
Is full self-driving available today?
What data does my car collect about me?
What are over-the-air updates?
Why are automakers charging subscriptions for features?
What is right to repair and why does it matter?
Can car software be hacked?
Are ADAS features standard on new cars?
Will my car become outdated as software changes?
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Latest News (Auto-Updating)
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Northeastern Study Catches Connected Cars and Their Apps Feeding Driver Data to Ad Tech
For years, the debate over connected-car privacy has mostly been fought on paper. Someone reads an automaker’s privacy policy, finds the clause that says data “may be shared with third parties,” and everyone shrugs, because that sentence appears in every privacy policy ever written. A team at Northeastern University tried something more useful. They put…
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A $999 Box Promises Hands-Free Driving. Its Own Code Says ‘THIS IS NOT A PRODUCT.’ Now NHTSA Is Investigating Crashes That Killed Three.
comma sells a $999 box that sticks to your windshield, plugs into your car’s wiring and promises hands-free highway driving. Federal regulators now want to know why some cars wearing one ran into traffic that was stopped or crawling in their own lane. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE26007 on September 21,…
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Forget the Bizarre Court Video. Someone Drove a Marked Cop Car Right Out of the Sheriff’s Own HQ.
A marked Broward Sheriff’s Charger ended up abandoned 100 miles up I-95. The viral court clip is a sideshow. The real issue is how patrol cars are built to be left running.
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Norway Sealed a Chinese Bus Inside a Mountain to Find Its Kill Switch. A Romanian SIM Card Was Holding It.
Oslo’s transit agency sealed a Yutong electric bus inside a mountain and found its maker could reach the power system through a Romanian SIM card. Here is what the test proved, why the fleet stayed on the road, and the weight limit the Senate just wrote into its Chinese car ban.
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Your EV Accidentally Jams AM Radio. The House Just Voted to Make Automakers Keep It Anyway.
The House passed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. The real target is the electrical noise EVs make, and the law comes with an eight-year expiration date.
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Today in Automotive History: September 28, 2020 — A London Court Hands Uber Its License Back
On Sept. 28, 2020, a London court ruled Uber “fit and proper” and restored its license. The standard it set now governs every robotaxi company.
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A Car Dealer Just Led a $22 Million Bet on the Robot That Calls You About Your Oil Change
A dealer group led STELLA Automotive AI’s $22.1 million round. The real prize is the service drive, and federal robocall rules decide how hard that AI can dial you.
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Somebody Took Apart A Flock Camera And Found 1.6 Million Photos, Including One Of A Flag Patch
A hacked Flock camera’s own logs show 28 photos per passing car and 50,200 vehicles in 21 days. The plate was never the valuable part of the record.
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A Stolen Mercedes Hit 100 MPH With a Passenger Inside — the Fuel Gauge Was the Only Anti-Theft Tech That Worked
A black Mercedes was taken outside a Portland bar with a woman still in it and ran past 100 mph until the tank went dry. The car’s own security tech never entered the chase — and the reasons are procedural, regulatory and physical, not technical.
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GM’s Newest Software Just Launched in a V8 Pickup, Not a Cadillac. Follow the Volume.
General Motors introduced a new cabin interface today, and the spec sheet is the least interesting thing about it. The GM new user interface does not debut in a Cadillac. It does not debut in an EV. It debuts in the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado and the 2027 GMC Sierra: gas and diesel pickups, one of…
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Honda’s New Jet Just Slipped Three Years — and the Wing Isn’t Why
Honda pushed the HondaJet Echelon from a 2028 certification to a 2031 first delivery and blamed tier-one suppliers. That one clause is the whole story.
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Volkswagen’s New Record Car Runs on an ID. Polo Motor. The Real Target Was the Battery.
The most expensive component in an affordable electric car is not the motor, the software or the screens. It is the battery. Volkswagen has just spent an entire development program demonstrating how much of one a carmaker can leave out. On September 14 in Wolfsburg, the company pulled the sheet off a very low two-door…