Lyft has started offering autonomous robotaxi rides, with two safety drivers on board, in Austin, Texas. The autonomous drives will be powered by Argo AI's technology in Ford vehicles. Prices for the rides will also be the same as normal Lyft rides. When the vehicle arrives, riders use the Lyft app to unlock the doors and start their ride. While riders will be sharing their rides will two safety operators right now, the company aims to give fully autonomous rides in the future.

Google and Ford have announced a first-of-its-kind partnership "that promises to transform both Ford and the auto industry," Google Cloud CEO, Thomas Kurian, told reporters during a virtual press conference on Monday. "We both believe that the relationship between Google and Ford will establish an innovation powerhouse," David McClelland, Ford vice president strategy and partnerships, added. "It will accelerate the modernization of our business and Ford, and most importantly, it will let us exceed our customers expectations." The under the terms of the six-year partnership, Ford has named Google as its preferred cloud provider and, beginning in 2023, millions of Ford and Lincoln vehicles will operate using Android Auto (just as we saw in the Polestar 2) with Google apps, such as Assistant and Maps, embedded into the infotainment system. But don't worry iPhone owners, Ford will continue to support Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa functionality moving forward.

In a sport of millimeters, where the slightest design adjustment could make all the difference in a photo finish, you wouldn't expect a car with a three-year-old body to be much of a contender. With the help of AI, however, you can teach old cars new tricks. Ford uses NVIDIA DGX to simulate a wind tunnel, testing the performance of different features on the vehicle between races. Ford Motorsports has been moving up the NASCAR manufacturer rankings, from the third overall number of wins in 2016, to second in 2017. And armed with new simulation technology, the manufacturer is in pole position for the 2018 season.

We finally know when Ford will unleash the Alexa integration it promised almost exactly a year ago. The automaker has announced that it will roll out the feature in two phases, with the first one going out later this month. Folks who own Ford vehicles with the company's Sync 3 entertainment system, starting with the Focus Electric, Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi, will be able to control their cars from home sometime this January. They'll be able to start or stop their car engines, unlock their doors and check their fuel levels simply by issuing commands through Amazon's Echo, Echo Dot and Tap speakers. They'll eventually be able to ask Alexa to find establishments, add items to their grocery lists, play music, check news and read audiobooks, as well.