GM's Cruise Starts Self-Driving Pilot, Mazda Launches New Engine, and More Car News This Week

Chip giant Intel aims to become the foremost brain-builder for self-driving cars. The Grand Canyon State is crawling with AVs because of its temperate climate (lidar and cameras are not cool with rain or snow) and because it is deeply chill about experimental tech roaming its highways. "Government should be there to facilitate these technologies, not inhibit," an Arizona DOT official told WIRED. Mazda made a bid for the near-er future with the news that it has crafted a new gas engine just as efficient as diesel ones--and cleaner, too. The company has kept some parts of its breakthrough close to the chest, but you can look for these new engines in 2019.