The new Santa Fe has a boxy appearance, giving off the impression of a large SUV, however, it’s not much larger than its predecessor. It measures 190.2 inches long, 74.8 inches wide and 67.7 inches tall, which is only 1.8 inches longer and 1.4 inches taller than the outgoing model and the same width.
The slight increase in size has led to added cargo capacity inside the Santa Fe, with 40.5 cubic feet of space behind the second row. The liftgate opening width is 50.2 inches, which is 5.7 inches larger than the previous Santa Fe, making it very useful for carrying items from stores like Ikea and Costco.
Multiple trim levels will be available in the US, with wheel sizes ranging from 18 to 21 inches. Although the test car had the smaller wheels, the design looks cool and modern, but larger wheels are needed to fill out the generous wheel wells. US models will also have tinted rear windows, unlike the Korean-market SUV seen in these photos. The US will also get the impressive LED lights.
• Volvo’s top-of-the-line seven-seat SUV recognized as Used Large Car of the Year in the 2023 Car Dealer Used Car Awards
• Plug-in hybrid XC90 T8 named Professional Driver’s Luxury SUV of the Year
The Volvo XC90 has received two prestigious awards within two weeks, confirming its top-notch qualities as both a new and pre-owned purchase.
The range-topping seven-seat SUV was honored as the Used Large Car of the Year at the Car Dealer Used Car Awards and was also recognized as the Luxury SUV of the Year by Professional Driver in its plug-in hybrid form.
James Baggott, Car Dealer Editor in Chief, commented on the latest accolade, “The Volvo XC90 hugely deserves this award. It’s a true all-rounder in the family car market – it has room for seven adults, and the interior can both live up to the abuse of family life and be as plush as a limo’s. It’s also packed with tech and has top-notch safety credentials.”
Car Dealer magazine’s annual awards have been recognizing the best used car models and traders for more than a decade. Used car market expert Mike Brewer, who hosted the awards, added, “The XC90 was a trailblazer when it arrived 20 years ago, and it’s as good now as it was then. It ticks all the boxes and is a cracking used car.”
Customers interested in purchasing a pre-owned XC90 or any other car from Volvo’s range can benefit from the Volvo Selekt approved used car scheme, which provides complete peace of mind with a rigorous 150-point checking process and a comprehensive 12-month Volvo Selekt warranty for cars less than 10 years old and which have covered fewer than 100,000 miles. More details can be found at www.volvocars.co.uk/used
Professional Driver magazine’s awards focus on the best vehicles for the UK’s private hire, chauffeur and taxi industry. The Volvo XC90 T8 petrol-electric plug-in hybrid was selected over a number of electric SUVs and was highlighted for its outstanding combination of space, build quality, and a strong focus on safety.
Nicole Melillo Shaw, Volvo Car UK Managing Director, said, “These awards are an independent validation of the lasting quality that’s designed into the XC90 and all of our current models. Whether buying new or a pre-owned car, consumers can be assured that they are making the right choice.”
Formula 1 cars are known for their incredible speed and precision, pushing the boundaries of engineering and technology. However, there are road-legal supercars that come very close to matching the performance of an F1 car. In a recent video by Carwow, a drag race between a Porsche 918 Spyder, a Bugatti Veyron, and a Red Bull F1 car was conducted to determine the fastest.
The Porsche 918 Spyder, a German supercar, is equipped with a 4.6-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine and two electric motors. It produces an astonishing 887 horsepower (652 kilowatts) and 944 pound-feet (1,280 Newton-meters) of torque. With power sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed automatic gearbox, the 918 Spyder is an impressive machine. It weighs 3,690 pounds (1,674 kilograms) but its power-to-weight ratio makes it a formidable competitor.
The Bugatti Veyron, on the other hand, is powered by an impressive 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine, delivering 1,001 horsepower (736 kW) and 922 pound-feet (1,250 Nm) of torque. It also features a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and all-wheel drive. Although slightly heavier at 4,162 pounds (1,888 kilograms), the Veyron compensates with its sheer power and engineering prowess.
The video showcases the drag race between these supercars and an F1 car, highlighting their acceleration and top speed capabilities. It’s an exciting showdown that demonstrates the incredible performance of these vehicles.
Overall, while these road-legal supercars come close in terms of speed and performance, Formula 1 cars remain the pinnacle of automotive engineering and speed.
The Toyota Land Cruiser has undergone significant changes in recent years. The large, luxurious truck that was once associated with the name has been replaced by a smaller truck with a four-cylinder engine and retro styling. However, this transformation is specific to the American market, as the Land Cruiser is available in various sizes and shapes globally.
The latest addition to the Land Cruiser lineup is the Land Cruiser Se, which is the first all-electric model to bear the LC badge. Toyota released limited details about the Se on a Friday night in the US, a strategic move to garner attention.
Toyota has revealed that the Land Cruiser Se will provide a high-torque battery-electric driving experience and feature three rows of seating. The company emphasizes the quietness of this electric Land Cruiser in urban environments and on-road situations, indicating its focus on pavement driving rather than off-roading.
Despite its intended use on paved roads, the Land Cruiser Se boasts a monocoque design that Toyota claims enhances its responsiveness and capability on rough terrain. However, the truck’s design, low clearances, and low-profile tires suggest that the rough terrain Toyota refers to might be a poorly paved mall parking lot. In terms of dimensions, the LC is approximately 202.0 inches long, 78.0 inches wide, and 67.0 inches tall, making it similar in size to the Grand Highlander. While the Grand Highlander is a great vehicle, it is not typically associated with off-roading prowess.
Toyota has not disclosed further details about the Land Cruiser Se, such as the number of motors, power output, or battery size. However, to compete with vehicles like the Rivian R1S, the Land Cruiser Se will likely require robust features and a premium price tag. Despite the limited information available, the Land Cruiser Se has an appealing muscular and handsome appearance, which will undoubtedly make it a popular choice. However, it is more likely to be seen at Moab Elementary school than on rugged off-road trails.
BMW introduced the XM as the second model fully developed by the M division. With its large size, heavy build, and immense power, the SUV has shown impressive speed on straight highway sections. However, its cornering capabilities have come under scrutiny.
After the crash at Pikes Peak during an attempt to surpass the Lamborghini Urus’ record, there were doubts about the XM’s cornering design. Nevertheless, giving it another chance, the super SUV underwent testing on the Nurburgring during development. A new video from km77.com provides insights into its performance in the moose test. The Spanish colleagues who conducted the test discovered that the XM is not particularly slow, but it also isn’t exceptional.
# Toyota Research Institute Unveils Breakthrough in Teaching Robots New Behaviors
## New Generative AI Technique Brings Researchers One Step Closer to Building a “Large Behavior Model”
**LOS ALTOS, Calif. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Sept. 19, 2023)** – Today, Toyota Research Institute (TRI) announced a breakthrough generative AI approach based on Diffusion Policy to quickly and confidently teach robots new, dexterous skills. This advancement significantly improves robot utility and is a step towards building “Large Behavior Models (LBMs)” for robots, analogous to the Large Language Models (LLMs) that have recently revolutionized conversational AI.
“Our research in robotics is aimed at amplifying people rather than replacing them,” said [Gill Pratt](https://www.tri.global/about-us/dr-gill-pratt), CEO of TRI and Chief Scientist for Toyota Motor Corporation. “This new teaching technique is both very efficient and produces very high performing behaviors, enabling robots to much more effectively amplify people in many ways.”
Previous state-of-the-art techniques to teach robots new behaviors were slow, inconsistent, inefficient, and often limited to narrowly defined tasks performed in highly constrained environments. Roboticists needed to spend many hours writing sophisticated code and/or using numerous trial and error cycles to program behaviors.
TRI has already taught robots more than 60 difficult, dexterous skills using the new approach, including pouring liquids, using tools, and manipulating deformable objects. These achievements were realized without writing a single line of new code; the only change was supplying the robot with new data. Building on this success, TRI has set an ambitious target of teaching hundreds of new skills by the end of the year and 1,000 by the end of 2024.
Today’s news also highlights that robots can be taught to function in new scenarios and perform a wide range of behaviors. These skills are not limited to just “‘pick and place” or simply picking up objects and putting them down in new locations. TRI’s robots can now interact with the world in varied and rich ways – which will one day allow robots to support people in everyday situations and unpredictable, ever-changing environments.
“The tasks that I’m watching these robots perform are simply amazing – even one year ago, I would not have predicted that we were close to this level of diverse dexterity,” remarked [Russ Tedrake](https://www.tri.global/about-us/dr-russ-tedrake), Vice President of Robotics Research at TRI. Dr. Tedrake, who is also the Toyota Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Mechanical Engineering at MIT, explained, “What is so exciting about this new approach is the rate and reliability with which we can add new skills. Because these skills work directly from camera images and tactile sensing, using only learned representations, they are able to perform well even on tasks that involve deformable objects, cloth, and liquids – all of which have traditionally been extremely difficult for robots.”
**Technical details:**
TRI’s robot behavior model learns from haptic demonstrations from a teacher, combined with a language description of the goal. It then uses an AI-based Diffusion Policy to learn the demonstrated skill. This process allows a new behavior to be deployed autonomously from dozens of demonstrations. Not only does this approach produce consistent, repeatable, and performant results, but it does so with tremendous speed.
Key achievements of TRI’s research for this novel development include:
– **Diffusion Policy:** TRI and our collaborators in [Professor Song](https://shurans.github.io/)’s group at Columbia University developed a new, powerful generative-AI approach to behavior learning. This approach, called [Diffusion Policy](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.04137), enables easy and rapid behavior teaching from demonstration.
– **Customized Robot Platform:** TRI’s robot platform is custom-built for dexterous dual-arm manipulation tasks with a special focus on enabling haptic feedback and tactile sensing.
– **Pipeline**: TRI robots have learned 60 dexterous skills already, with a target of hundreds by the end of the year and 1,000 by the end of 2024.
– **Drake**: Part of our (not so) secret sauce is [Drake](https://drake.mit.edu/), a model-based design for robotics that provides us with a cutting-edge toolbox and simulation platform. Drake’s high degree of realism allows us to develop in both simulation and in reality at a dramatically increased scale and velocity than would otherwise be possible. Our internal robot stack is built using Drake’s optimization and systems frameworks, and we have made Drake open source to catalyze work across the entire robotics community.
– **Safety:** Safety is core to our robotics efforts at TRI. We have designed our system with strong safeguards, powered by Drake and our custom robot control stack, to ensure our robots respect safety guarantees like not colliding with itself or its environment.
[Diffusion Policy](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.04137) has been published at the 2023 Robotics Science and Systems conference. Additional technical information can be found on [TRI’s Medium blog](https://toyotaresearch.medium.com/2c30b1a8c573).
Please join our LinkedIn Live Q&A session on October 4th from 1 pm – 1:30 pm ET / 10 am – 10:30 am PT, for an opportunity to learn more and hear directly from the TRI robotics research team. Sign up for the event on [TRI’s LinkedIn page](https://www.linkedin.com/events/trilinkedinlive7108154211422408704/theater/).
## About Toyota Research Institute
Toyota Research Institute (TRI) conducts research to amplify human ability, focusing on making our lives safer and more sustainable. Led by Dr. Gill Pratt, TRI’s team of researchers develops technologies to advance energy and materials, human-centered artificial intelligence, human interactive driving, machine learning, and robotics. Established in 2015, TRI has offices in Los Altos, California, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information about TRI, please visit [http://tri.global](http://tri.global).
The Legion Glasses essentially replicate the experience of a large screen hidden behind a pair of lenses, and despite the Legion branding, they aren’t targeted at hardcore gamers. The pitfall here is that the screen refresh rate is locked to 60Hz. Lenovo appears to have made a conscious choice here, as the Legion Go itself won’t be able to crack past the 60fps mark while playing the current wave of demanding AAA titles.
Another consideration here is that the Legion Glasses are also targeted at content consumption. You don’t really need a 90Hz or a higher refresh rate screen to enjoy a movie on Netflix or a YouTube video — 60fps videos are plenty smooth, and anything above it just seems overkill. However, if you had dreams of plugging in the glasses with a high-end gaming PC, 60fps is where you hit the peak.
Chris Burns/SlashGear
Lenovo is banking more on the plug-and-play appeal of the Legion Glasses as a “portable, private, large screen viewing experience” and not necessarily shattering any visual quality or performance benchmarks. To ensure maximum comfort for everyone, Lenovo has left the doors open for prescription lens inserts. The box comes with a prescription lens frame, carrying case, adjustable nose pads, cleaning cloth, and an anti-slip adapter. As for the hit on buyers’ wallets, the Legion Glasses will be up for grabs at $329 and arrive in October.
One of the main obstacles with electric vehicle (EV) batteries is the gradual loss of capacity that occurs with each charge and discharge cycle. This is especially true for lithium-ion batteries, which can suffer damage due to the heat generated during rapid charging or experience a reduction in capacity when drained too low.
To extend the lifespan of your EV battery, it is advisable to charge them slowly and maintain a charge level between 20% and 80% whenever possible. By keeping your EV battery in this optimal range, you can prevent overheating and ultimately preserve its ability to hold a charge over time. This can help avoid the costly replacement of battery packs.
The high cost of replacing EV batteries, which can reach $20,000 or more, often makes it financially unfeasible for many owners. However, there are ongoing efforts by EV and battery manufacturers like Tesla and BYD to address this issue. These companies are working on innovations aimed at minimizing wasted space within EV batteries and integrating fuel cells into the vehicle structure itself. This approach seeks to reduce heat generation and slow down battery degradation over time.
China is home to approximately 170 different car brands, with a market where only 17.5 new vehicles are sold for every thousand inhabitants. While this may seem like a large number, it is still small compared to the vehicle/population ratio in the West. The United States leads with a ratio of 40.6, followed by Western Europe with 24.4. While China has a huge production capacity, not all brands have the potential to succeed globally. In this article, we will explore the five Chinese brands that have the highest potential to establish themselves abroad.
MG
MG is a British-origin brand that has been under Chinese control since 2006. It is already the most global car brand, with sales skyrocketing from 3,500 units in 2013 to around 450,000 units last year. MG’s potential lies in its ability to produce attractive and competitive electric cars for both developed and developing economies. In fact, MG was the fourth best-selling BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) brand in Europe in the first half of 2023, surpassing well-established mainstream brands like Renault, Peugeot, and Hyundai.
BYD
BYD is one of the fastest-growing brands in the world, thanks to its wide range of plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars. While it is still relatively small in Europe, it has gained traction in other regions. BYD’s positioning between the mainstream and premium segments allows it to tap into markets where premium electrified cars may be too expensive. The brand has introduced six production models since January 2022.
Geely/Zeekr
Geely, along with its premium segment brand Zeekr, is known for its strong ties with other Western manufacturers. This allows them to access competitive platforms and technologies that comply with European and North American standards. Geely and Zeekr offer a wide range of sedans and SUVs that have been successful in markets like Russia. They have the potential to expand their reach in many other markets as well.
NIO
NIO is often referred to as the “Chinese Tesla” due to its wide range of products. While it faces tough competition from Tesla and German premium brands, NIO’s potential lies in its battery performance, software capabilities, and battery replacement schedule. However, as a premium brand, it still needs time and awareness to capture a significant part of the European market.
Baojun/Wuling via Chevrolet
Baojun and Wuling are positioned as competitive low-cost Chinese auto brands. They offer no-frills products that are attractive and affordable. To capture market share in regions like Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, these brands use the more global branding of their partner, Chevrolet. This strategy allows them to quickly establish themselves in these markets.
Despite the potential, these Chinese brands face a significant challenge—the negative reputation of Chinese products in the West. Overcoming this reputation will require both time and significant investments.
The author of the article, Felipe Munoz, is an Automotive Industry Specialist at JATO Dynamics.
The SUV trend is growing rapidly, but as a large family car, the Skoda Superb Estate remains one of the best options. It may not have the visual appeal of its Kodiaq stablemate, but it is spacious, comfortable, and competitively priced. Additionally, it offers a wide range of engines that are fuel-efficient. Therefore, its fourth-generation successor, set to arrive in 2024, has high expectations to meet.
The new Superb hatch and estate share much of their architecture with the jointly developed Volkswagen Passat. The styling has been updated, with slimmer headlights and tail-lights, to align with the new Kodiaq, which is also launching around the same time. The new Superb Estate is slightly larger than its predecessor, measuring 40mm longer and 5mm taller. It also boasts an increased boot space, expanding from 660 to 690 litres, which surpasses competitors like the Peugeot 508 SW and the Citroën C5 X.
Pricing, trim levels, and specifications for the 2024 Superb will be confirmed in November 2023. The lineup will include a standard Superb, a sportier Sportline version, and a luxury-focused Laurin & Klement trim. However, the slightly raised and rugged-looking Scout estate will not be available in the UK.
Upon its launch, the 2024 Superb will offer three petrol engines, two diesels, and a plug-in hybrid, all equipped with an automatic gearbox as standard. The entry-level model will feature a 148bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine with mild-hybrid technology. It delivers smooth and quiet performance, providing sufficient power for everyday use. For more power, there’s a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 201bhp or 261bhp with four-wheel drive. The most powerful diesel engine produces 190bhp and also comes with all-wheel drive. In comparison, the 148bhp diesel engine feels livelier than the 1.5-litre petrol engine, offering ample torque for effortless acceleration.
The plug-in hybrid variant of the 2024 Superb boasts a larger battery size and extended electric range compared to its predecessor. It combines a petrol engine with an electric motor and features a 25.7kWh battery (compared to the outgoing iV model’s 12.7kWh). This enables an electric range of 62 miles. The plug-in hybrid can be charged at a rate of 50kW or, alternatively, using the slower 11kW output, which takes two and a half hours to charge from 0% to 100%.
The latest version of the adaptive suspension system, known as Dynamic Chassis Control Pro, is available for the 2024 Superb. It adjusts the ride based on the selected driving mode. During our test drives of the prototypes, we experienced the Normal setting, which effectively smooths out bumps on the road. The suspension remains stable, and the vehicle handles undulating roads with good body control. This improvement addresses the issue found in earlier models of the Superb, where there was a constant, slight floating sensation. Overall, this option enhances the Superb’s comfort and makes it an ideal long-distance cruiser.
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