Tag Archives: Safety

Krafcik Leaves Waymo After Five Years as CEO

John Krafcik NADA 2018

Waymo CEO John Krafcik is way gone, announcing his departure and the company’s plans to move the current COO and CTO into the role of co-CEO.

Add “former” to the title of Waymo CEO John Krafcik, who announced today he’s left the company.

The former Hyundai Motor America chief spent five years heading up the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Google, which, according to his farewell on LinkedIn, “was called ‘Chauffeur’ internally.”

Tekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov, of whom Krafcik said “having seen their brilliance, vision, and commitment in play for years — I assure you they are very well suited for this,” take over as co-CEOs of the Mountain View, Calif.-based AI-focused company. As is often the case with senior executives, Krafcik will stay on in an advisory capacity.

“So now, with the fully autonomous Waymo One ride-hailing service open to all in our launch area of Metro Phoenix, and with the fifth generation of the Waymo Driver being prepared for deployment in ride-hailing and goods delivery, it’s a wonderful opportunity for me to pass the baton to Tekedra and Dmitri as Waymo’s co-CEOs,” he wrote.

Next steps

Waymo co CEO Tekedra Mawakana

Waymo named former COO Tekedra Mawakana as its new co-CEO to replace Krafcik.

Krafcik didn’t offer many details what the future holds, although it could be that he’s uncertain himself. He said he and his wife, Leila, will take a “coupbatical,” which he described as “a refresh period where we look forward to reconnecting with old friends & family, and discovering new parts of the world.

“After that, we’ve got a few ideas for focus and contribution that we’ll flesh out together and share when the time is right. We’ve already relocated to Austin, Texas, and we look forward to seeing some of you there, or on our travels.”

Krafcik once headed up Hyundai’s U.S. operations, helping lead the brand through an image renaissance and a period of rapid growth. He even earned the “Automotive Executive of the Year” in 2013. However, his run there ended in late 2013 after the South Korean automaker declined to renew his contract — despite the accolade.

However, he quickly landed on his feet, taking over as CEO of TrueCar just as the automotive sales and data website was readying to go public. His tenure there was short, however, as he moved on to Waymo, then-Google’s self-driving car project, just a little more than a year later in September 2015.

Dynamic duo

Waymo coCEO Dmitri Dolgov

Waymo CTO Dmitri Dolgov joins Mawakana as co-CEO with Krafcik’s departure.

As for the company, Mawakana and Dolgov now step into new roles. Previously the COO and CTO respectively, they are described as having “complementary skill sets and experiences.” Due to the nature of their roles, they’re already accustomed to working together.

Dolgov, who started in autonomy as part of Stanford’s DARPA Urban Challenge team, joined the company in 2009, when it was still referred to as Google’s self-driving car project. Over time, his influence and responsibility grew. He became CTO late in 2016.

Mawakana, joined­­ Waymo as a policy lead. Prior to joining the company in 2017, she led global policy teams at eBay, AOL, Startec and Yahoo, after beginning her career as Washington, D.C.-based law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP.


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Bow. Wow! One-Bow Design Takes Mercedes EQS in an Entirely New Direction

Mercedes EQS with Thomas Kuppers

The new Mercedes-Benz EQS battery-electric sedan makes its formal debut April 15.

One thing’s for sure: there’ll be no mistaking the new Mercedes EQS sedan when it rolls down the street.

Think of the EQS as the all-electric alternative to the German automaker’s familiar S-Class flagship. But you clearly won’t confuse the two when it reaches showrooms in autumn. Some new battery-electric vehicles share the same design language as conventional, gas-powered products. With EQS, Mercedes goes off in an entirely new direction, one it’s been hinting at with concept vehicles like the 2019 Vision EQS.

The production model adopts what the automaker calls a “one-bow” design. It takes the look of the coupe-like Mercedes CLS to extremes. The result could have rolled off the set of a sci-fi film. But there are practical benefits in terms of range and interior roominess, as well.

“We said we have to go further” than just packing batteries into a conventional looking product,” Steffen Kohl, Mercedes’ director of advanced exterior style, said during a media webinar. The EQS “carries the future of Mercedes-Benz,” he added, noting the “one-bow” language of the EQS will strongly influence other products to come from the new, all-electric Mercedes-EQ sub-brand.

Plenty of power and range

Mercedes EQS with Robert Lesnik

Robert Lesnik led the exterior design effort for Mercedes new EQS battery-electric sedan.

EQS rides on a skateboard-like platform, mimicking virtually all new battery-electric vehicles. Its batteries, motors and other key electrical components sit below the floorboards.

The automaker will reveal full powertrain details during a formal unveiling April 15. But EQS uses twin motors, one on each axle, drawing power from a 108 kilowatt-hour battery pack. That provides about 435 miles of range using the European WLTP test cycle. The EPA rating should come in somewhere about 350 miles, according to industry observers.

The layout moves the sedan’s wheels close to the vehicle’s corners. It also frees up space where a traditional gas or diesel engine would be mounted, providing significant flexibility to the Mercedes design team.

Shorter wheelbase, longer cabin

The cab-forward design features a short nose, the angled, one-piece aluminum clamshell hood rising aggressively to flow into a steeply raked windshield. Instead of a traditional, two- or three-box layout, the look is like that of a single bow line, explained Robert Lesnik, who led the exterior design effort.

The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS concept provided a framework for the company’s new electric luxury sedan.

“EQS will be the world’s best production car ever in terms of aerodynamics,” with a drag coefficient of 0.20 significantly better than even the sleekest of today’s supercars, he explained.

The effect “looks optically lower than it is,” Lesnik added.

The front end features a new grille with “abstracted, three-dimensional star pattern(s),” according to Mercedes. It’s framed by slit-like headlamps flowing into the front quarter panels.

“When people ask why we need a grille anymore,” Lesnik explains that it is “not an air intake. It’s a face.”

“Coming from the future”

The side panels lack the normal creases found on conventional Mercedes models, though the greenhouse does pinch in towards the trunk, giving the EQS a sense of muscularity.

Mercedes-Benz EQS interior

The new EQS features Mercedes’ newly introduced Hyperscreen technology.

Around back, the most distinctive feature is a light band connecting what Mercedes calls “curved, 3D helix” taillamps.

From nose to tail, the new EQS measures 5.2 meters, or 204.7 inches. That’s about 3.5 inches shorter than the U.S. version of the latest Mercedes S-Class. But the electric sedan has more room for four passengers, its cabin pushed forward into what would normally be the engine compartment.

As distinctive as the exterior might be, the interior takes things even further, said Peter Balko, who oversaw development of the cabin. “We wanted our interior to be modern,” he explained, “as if coming from the future.”

Buyers will have numerous options

Buyers have several key options to choose from. The showpiece layout uses the new hyperscreen concept first shown on the latest S-Class. It features a seamless digital cluster running the entire width of the instrument panel. The organically shaped glass blends three different displays, starting with the digital gauge cluster, the touchscreen infotainment screen and a separate display for the front passenger.

Mercedes-Benz EQS gauges

The gauge cluster on the new EQS is configurable based on the wants of the driver.

EQS offers a digital gauge cluster and a large, free-floating, Tesla-like infotainment screen for those seeking a more conventional look. The space in front of the passenger can be outfitted with an assortment of different woods and fabrics and even a version of the Star Pattern grille.

The EQS will “touch almost all of your senses,” said Kohl. Among other things, the product development team has come up with three distinctive, user-programmable “soundscapes.”

Sounding off

While battery cars aren’t entirely silent, they are significantly quieter than vehicles with conventional internal combustion engines. Motorists can enjoy the lack of noise or they can opt for one of the soundscapes, “depending upon the emotions of the moment,” said lead sound engineer Thomas Kuppers.

  • Silver Waves is meant to be soft and soothing;
  • Vivid Flux is “shimming and explosive,” a bit “techie but (with) warmth,” said Kuppers; and
  • Roaring Pulse is “pretty raw, with “the growl of thunder,” especially under aggressive driving.

“We haven’t finished yet,” Kuppers added, noting that, “There will be new soundscapes over the life of the vehicle that we will download through over-the-air updates.”

The new EQS will borrow from the conventional S-Class by also appealing to the sense of smell, Mercedes officials noted. The new BEV will have the ability to inject scents into the cabin, including some designed specifically for the new model.


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First Drive: 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 First Edition

Volkswagen offered an early look at the 2021 ID.4. The prototype more than hinted at the impressive crossover coming. (Photo credit: Larry Printz)

The forthcoming appearance of the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 is far from a surprise if you pay attention to auto shows. It’s here that VW clearly proclaimed what it had up its corporate sleeve with a series of ID electric concept vehicles.

And given the consumer proclivity for crossovers, particularly compact crossovers, it’s little surprise that the first in a series of Volkswagen EVs under the ID sub-brand will appear in March 2021 in the form of the ID.4 compact crossover.

Overview: Offered in base, Pro and First Edition trims, Volkswagen allowed TheDetroitBureau.com to briefly drive a First Edition pre-production prototype, although Volkswagen is still finalizing the vehicle’s software before it enters production.

Initially, the two-row crossovers will be built in Germany, but that will change come 2022. In November 2018, Volkswagen began an $800 million expansion at its Chattanooga, Tennessee plant for a new body shop and battery manufacturing site for the ID.4.

The 2021 VW ID.4 prototype provided an early look at what’s to come next year. (Photo credit: Larry Printz)

Exterior: Given the solid, structural boxiness of VW’s crossovers, the ID.4 is a refreshing change of pace, with flowing, sensual lines offset by a gray accent to the vehicle’s side profile that visually lowers the car. The ID.4’s front-end recalls the new Golf despite the lack of a grille, and the overall presence is cutting-edge contemporary without being excessive. Uniquely, the ID.4’s charging port is not up front like many EVs; it’s in the rear where you would expect to find the fuel filler door. VW includes ports for its charger as well as a DC fast charger.

All models come with a body color roof, black roof rails, 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels, heated side mirrors and washer nozzles, and, on all-wheel-drive models, a heated windshield. The $4,500 Statement package adds a panoramic fixed-glass roof, premium LED projector headlights with adaptive front-lighting, power-folding side mirrors with puddle lamps, a 12-inch touchscreen, SiriusXM satellite radio with a three-month trial, an adjustable trunk floor, and a power tailgate. The $1,500 Gradient package upgrades the Statement package with 20-inch wheels, and a black roof with silver roof rails.

(VW begins battle with Tesla for EV sales in China with two new ID.4 models.)

Interior: Like other EVs, the ID.4’s driveline components are mostly beneath the vehicle, allowing for a flat floor and generous interior space given the vehicle’s overall length, which nearly five inches shorter than a Tiguan. Yet it has 99.9 cubic feet of passenger volume, and 30.3 cubic feet of cargo space, expanding to 64.2 cubic feet with the seats folded.

“… Given the solid, structural boxiness of VW’s crossovers, the ID.4 is a refreshing change of pace …”

The First Edition’s fixed Panoramic glass roof made the cabin feel even larger. There’s ample legroom front and rear for even the tallest of passengers. The ID.4’s two-tone ambience is starkly modern, but less barren than comparable Teslas. Material quality is impressive.

The switchgear on the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 prototype is almost entirely capacitive, (Photo credit: Larry Printz)

Thoughtfully, designers have filled the ID.4 with little conveniences. The center console has a sloped compartment for wireless charging, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The console bin has removable dividers that form a cupholder.

The back of the front seatbacks has small secondary pockets to hold smartphones. And the base of the B-pillars has tie-down points, in case you fold down the rear seats and need to secure cargo. The rear cargo deck’s floor opens to reveal a shallow secondary compartment and another compartment that holds the charger and tire patch kit. There is no spare tire, but there a number of grocery bag hooks and USB-C ports.

The instrument panel contains capacitive switches, but there’s no haptic feedback to alert you of activation. Nonetheless, their spare design was refreshing, as there’s none of the visual clutter that so many designers seem to insist upon. Once deciphered, they’re easy enough to use. The instrument cluster is mounted on the steering column, and telescopes along with the steering column. The transmission switch is mounted next to the cluster, and actuates by twisting it forward for drive, and rearward for reverse. A button on its side engages park.

Standard features include a 10-inch touchscreen, rain-sensing wipers, auto-dimming rearview mirror, dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry, and a heated steering wheel and a 4G LTE-enabled hotspot for up to four devices.

(VW ID.4 charges into American market takes aim at Tesla.)

The roomy front seat of the the ID.4 prototype sports a very modern, but not edgy look that supports the exterior look. (Photo credit: Larry Printz)

Powertrain: Uniquely for a modern Volkswagen, the ID.4 is rear-wheel drive, the first since the original VW Beetle and its offspring. An 82 kW AC Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Motor and 1-speed automatic transmission is mounted to the rear axle, and generates 201 horsepower, and 208 pound-feet of torque. A second motor will be added to the front axle later in the model year to provide 302 hp and all-wheel drive.

Volkswagen decided to use rear-wheel drive because it allows for a more powerful motor, negating any chance of torque steer, a common problem with front-wheel-drive EVs, according to Gunnar Wynarski, an engineer with Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In addition, engineers moved a lot of components out of the instrument panel and under the hood to add a margin of extra safety and provide more interior space.

The EPA rates the ID.4 at 104 MPGe city/89 MPGe mpg highway/97 MPGe combined, with a 250-mile range. Charging time from five to 80% takes about 38 minutes on a fast charger, according to Wynarski. Volkswagen also includes three years of fast charging with Electrify America at no additional cost.

Technology and Safety: Standard driver assistance technology includes anti-lock braking system, electronic stability control, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian monitoring, blind-spot monitor, rear-traffic alert; adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, travel assist; and emergency assist, dynamic road sign display, park distance control, and automatic high-beam control.

Driving impressions: Our initial drive was brief and confined to the sort of mundane interstates and clogged thoroughfares that constitute daily driving. Clearly, the ID.4 has this sort of driving licked, as its instant torque lends the ID.4 a lively feel. The new MEB platform packs the batteries down low between the axles, which provides for a solid, weighty feel that ably balances compliance and control, while the absence of an internal combustion engine and any semblance of road noise made for a blessedly quiet driving experience. And the accelerator and brake pedals are whimsically embossed with play and pause symbols.

There was no chance to push the ID.4 through more abrupt maneuvers or measure long-term seat comfort or control logic. That will have to wait for a full road test.

(Volkswagen offers early look at ID.4 interior.)

Wrap Up: With the ID.4, Volkswagen has fielded an extremely competitive new entry in burgeoning compact crossover EV segment, one that could quickly grow to outsell its conventional VW siblings.

Honda Gets Approval for Level 3 Driving in Japan

Honda just received approval to implement Level 3 autonomous technology in Japan.

Much of the focus on autonomous driving has been on Tesla, Waymo and, perhaps to a lesser extent, General Motors. However, it may be time to shine the spotlight on Honda as it passed a new milestone: Level 3 autonomy.

The automaker just received approval from Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to use its new technology to drive vehicles under certain conditions on roads in the country, in this case during congested highway traffic.

The new tech, which it calls Traffic Jam Pilot, will be made available on its Honda Legend before March 31, 2021, which is the end of its fiscal year, according to the automaker. It’s not currently in use in the United States.

(Honda adds new tech, tweaks styling to keep 2021 Accord fresh.)

In order to use Traffic Jam Pilot, Honda drivers must display this sticker.

The system has to meet some minimum requirements to be used, including its use doesn’t compromise the safety of the vehicle’s occupants or other road users, adopt cyber security measures to prevent unauthorized access by hackers, a driver monitoring function, an operating recording device and a sticker on the back of the vehicle indicating it’s an automated vehicle.

Honda’s the first automaker to take advantage of changes to an amendment to Japan’s Road Vehicle Act allowing Level 3 autonomous vehicles on the road, however, the company said it had no plans to stop there.

“Honda will remain dedicated to the further development of safety technologies while striving to serve people worldwide with the joy and freedom of mobility, providing people with peace of mind and inspire their feeling of curiosity,” the company said in its release.

(Honda quitting F1, shifting resources to EV development.)

The MILT, which keeps tabs on all of the efforts by automakers in this arena, views this technology playing an important role in road safety in the future.

“Self-driving cars are expected to play a big role in helping reduce traffic accidents, provide transportation for the elderly and improve logistics,” said Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Autonomous vehicles come with six levels, ranging from 0 to 5. For example, Level 2 cars can control their own speed and steering but must have an alert driver able to take control at all times. Tesla’s Autopilot and GM’s Super Cruise would be examples of Level 2 autonomous, which is typically described as semi-autonomous.

(Tesla Autopilot slammed as Consumer Reports gives top rating to Cadillac Super Cruise.)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeated said the company’s full-service driving function will be operational by the end of this year, but it’s unlikely to be able to be used at that point, pending U.S. government (and other foreign governments) approval. The company plans to charge as much as $10,000 for the technology.

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Bentley Shifting to All-Electric Portfolio by 2030

Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark discusses the company’s Beyond100 plan.

British performance luxury marque Bentley plans to shift from internal combustion powerplants to battery-electric fast enough to make your head snap like so many of the vehicles it produces — in less than a decade.

Bentley’s push to electrify its entire portfolio with hybrids and battery-electric vehicles by 2026 with a move to BEVs only by 2030 is part of the company’s overall goal of being a carbon-negative company by the end of this decade. Those goals, and others, are all wrapped up in its Beyond100 strategic plan designed to keep the brand at the top of the luxury heap with its current customers as well as future buyers.

It’s this push – driven largely by governmental mandates – to make the company carbon neutral that ultimately trickled down into the plans for the vehicles, CEO Adrian Hallmark said.

(Bentley unwraps updated 2021 Bentayga.)

Bentley executives participate in the Beyond100 webcast Thursday.

The company will launch not one, but two new hybrids next year. Further it expects that its entire model line-up will offer a hybrid variant to match the gas-powered vehicle by 2023. This will be followed by Bentley’s first-ever pure electric model in 2025 as it marches on to its goal of full electric by the end of the decade.

While the shift away from gas-powered vehicles in such a short period of time may be alarming to some, the 100-plus-year-old carmaker has a few good reasons to put this plan into gear. First, it’s based in Great Britain, which was slated to ban the sale of new gas- and diesel-powered vehicles in 2040. However, there is a push to accelerate the deadline to 2030, which would fit very nicely into Bentley’s new electrification timeline.

That said, Jan-Henrik Lafrentz, Bentley’s CFO, noted during an online event hyping Beyond100, that the company is advocating for hybrids to meet the government’s definition of zero-emission vehicles despite using an internal combustion engine as part of the pairing. He noted the company has been suggesting to government officials that there should be an “overlap period” to allow for the move from ICE-powered vehicles to hybrids because they cost less than pure EVs.

(Bentley Mulliner moves into new era with debut of Bacalar.)

On top of that, Bentley’s own research shows that the younger buyers they want to attract in the near future are looking for “an experience” when they buy a vehicle. They also noticed that 60% of “high net worth” people will be under 40 years old. Further research last year showed that after the brand introduced its EXP 100 GT electric concept car, it managed to get the eye of millennials with a double-digit uptick in the percentage of them saying that they intend to buy a Bentley.

Bentley’s Hallmark, right, said the company expects to be carbon negative by 2030.

In short, electric vehicles draw younger buyers and Bentley’s push to change over quickly means future buyers.

“We really see that we’re in a good position to engage with this customer,” said Chris Craft, the brand’s sales and marketing chief.

However, the company’s efforts aren’t limited to just producing carbon-neutral vehicles as quickly as possible. It’s looking to be the world’s leading environmental automaker. Its production site in Crewe, England was certified carbon neutral by the Carbon Trust. It achieved the ranking by implementing a variety of green processes, such as a water recycling system in the paint shop, planting trees, installing 30,000 solar panels to help it switch to renewable energy sources to power the facility.

Long term, Bentley wants to be carbon negative, and thinks it will happen by 2030. In short, the company’s vehicles and facilities will lower the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

(Bentley offers glimpse of its future with EXP 100 Centenary Concept.)

In the short term, Hallmark said the company was handling the impact of the pandemic well. The company expects to post break-even financials for the full year, selling more than 10,000 vehicles. Perhaps more importantly, the number of vehicles on order has risen 60% since the start of the year.

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Toyota Aims for the Moon

Toyota is developing a lunar land rover that the company hopes NASA will use for a 2024 lunar mission.

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a grand vision of flying off to Mars. Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda is thinking of somewhere just a bit closer to home: the moon.

Toyota is working up the design for a six-wheeled, hydrogen-powered rover that you might want to think of as a Lunar Land Rover. Substantially more sophisticated and capable than the dune buggy-like rovers used during the Apollo mission a half-century ago, the Japanese automaker hopes its design will be picked by NASA for the Artemis moon mission it is planning to launch by 2024.

“We have now found a new ‘road,’ which is the moon. And for this new road, we will be able to make a new vehicle,” Takao Sato, project head of Toyota’s Lunar Exploration Mobility Works and a former interior design engineer who worked on the Prius hybrid. “This is a dream for us.”

(Cost of Toyota, Mazda Alabama plant jumps 50% to $2.3B.)

It’s been nearly 50 years since the Apollo mission wrapped up. After the initial landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in Apollo 11, the astronauts assigned to subsequent missions had the opportunity to spread out from their landing site using a primitive, open-air buggy developed, in part, by General Motors.

Toyota’s lunar module concept is a six-wheeled beast designed to handle a variety of tasks.

Going forward, NASA and partners, including the European Space Agency, want something more sophisticated that not only features greater range but also offers more amenities. That starts with an enclosed and pressurized cabin that includes both toilet facilities and sleeping quarters. Those would be essential considering the Artemis missions intend to have astronauts planting boots on the moon for weeks at a time.

Toyota’s Lunar Rover design adds an extra axles, six wheels expected to give it greater mobility on the pockmarked moon’s surface.

Then there’s the powertrain. Rather than going with a battery, with its hefty mass and limited energy storage, Toyota is lifting an idea from its Mirai fuel-cell vehicle. Its lunar design would be powered by hydrogen – though, without an atmosphere to draw oxygen from, both gases would need to be carried onboard.

Eventually, the goal would be to produce both hydrogen and oxygen from the water believed to be available on various parts of the lunar surface, primarily near the poles. Initially, tanks of the fuel – and the oxygen to combine with — would have to be delivered to the lunar surface.

The new lunar vehicle from Toyota will borrow fuel cell technology from the Mirai.

(Toyota surprises analysts, turns small Q1 profit.)

Whatever the method, NASA wants whatever rover it finally goes with to be able to manage 1,000 kilometers – about 621 miles — per tank, and as much as 10,000 kilometers during a 42-day period.

The Lunar Rover will use individual wheel motors, six of them each generating 40 kilowatts, or about 54 horsepower, apiece. The maximum speed will be between 12 and 15 mph, according to Toyota.

The Toyota design would still make use of the sun, when available, with a retractable solar panel on its roof to provide additional electricity.

There will be three big antenna on the roof, as well, including ones to send data while also allowing NASA to operate the rover remotely – though, even at the speed of light there will be a roughly 1.5 second delay between issuing a command on Earth and it reaching the lunar surface.

How much each Lunar Rover would cost hasn’t been determined, though it will be far more expensive than anything Toyota has built to date. That said, the original Apollo rovers were supposed to cost about $19 million each but, with cost overruns, doubled that to about $38 million each. Adjusted for inflation, that would work out to about $274 million today, adjusted for inflation.

This provides the scale needed to see just how large Toyota’s lunar rover really is.

A decade ago, when the Lunar X Prize was announced, it was estimated that it would cost as much as $950,000 per pound to get something to the moon. Toyota expects its Lunar Rover – which would be about the size of two microbuses – will weigh in at 3.5 tons. So, the price of getting such a big machine to the moon will likely dwarf a rover’s price tag.

(Toyota building lunar rover for Japan’s 2030 moon landing.)

Toyota is by no means the only company hoping to land the plum, out-of-this-world contract. Company official say they hope to find out if they’ve won by year-end.

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