Autonomous

Once a household name for its satellite navigation for cars, TomTom NV has taken a backseat in recent years as smartphones, loaded with apps such as Google maps, surged in popularity.

The driver of a Tesla Inc. car that slammed into a fire truck in Southern California last year was looking down at what appeared to be a mobile phone while the car’s Autopilot feature was engaged, according to a witness report and other data released by investigators.

Uber Technologies Inc. Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi said Aug. 29 that “it sure looked like” former executive Anthony Levandowski took information on self-driving cars from his former employer, Google.

From Jack Ma to Pony Ma, the leading lights of China’s internet industry gather in Shanghai this week to showcase the country’s latest advances in artificial intelligence. But the real headliner could be American entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Toyota Motor Corp. and Suzuki Motor Corp. are strengthening their relationship by taking stakes in each other, the latest alliance in an industry that’s facing sweeping changes in technology, consumer preferences and business models.

Autonomous technology pioneer Anthony Levandowski was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he stole trade secrets from Google that he later used on other projects, including the Otto self-driving truck.

Cummins Inc. on Aug. 27 announced a multiyear partnership with the University of California-San Diego and its battery validation lab.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced it is devoting $59 million to 43 projects that will explore advanced vehicle technology research.

Chinese autonomous-driving company Pony.ai struck a partnership with Toyota Motor Corp., a boon for the startup seeking to take on U.S. rivals such as Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo.

Volkswagen AG denied a report that its chief executive officer would be interested in buying a stake in Tesla Inc., calling it unfounded speculation.