The Toyota iQ’s rear-window curtain airbag deployed from the roof lining above the back glass. Developed to help protect rear passengers’ heads in a rear-end collision, it addressed an obv
What was the Mercedes braking bag? It was an experimental underbody airbag shown as part of the ESF 2009 safety programme. When sensors judged a collision unavoidable, the device would deploy a high-f
The Ford Nucleon looks as though someone moved the passengers forward to make room for a very important piece of luggage. Its cabin sits near the nose, leaving an enormous rear section between the fin
Suzuki isn’t betting everything on electric cars. Its plan for the next decade is a bit more complicated, with EVs, hybrids, and gasoline engines all staying in the mix. The company is also work
There is a particular stretch of road where the sun finds the narrow gap that your visor cannot quite cover. You swing the visor toward the side window, adjust it twice, and the light still lands squa
Long before carmakers filled dashboards with screens, an important piece of engine information was displayed outside the windshield. Early automobiles often carried their radiator filler caps at
Inside a modern automotive design studio, there are enormous screens, virtual-reality headsets, laser scanners, 3D printers and computers capable of rendering a car so convincingly that its paint appe
Drivers spend hours holding the steering wheel without giving much thought to what lies behind it. Remove the trim, switches and wiring, and the basic arrangement appears simple. A shaft carries th
In a conventional car, the relationship between the brake pedal and the brake lights feels reassuringly simple. Press the pedal and the red lamps illuminate. Release it and they go dark. Drivers be
Look at an American car from 1971, then find the same model from 1974. The earlier car may have a slim chrome blade tucked neatly against its body. Three years later, the bumper appears to have lef