A glossy high rise in the heart of Miami aims to be the first residential building in the U.S. with a specially designed rooftop to accommodate a Jetsons-like future where cars take to the skies. Halfway through the construction of Paramount Miami World Center, developers determined that the $4 billion, 60-story complex needed something extra to stand out among the vast array of living options for the super-rich. So they installed an observation deck at the top that doubles as a landing pad for vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, often called VTOLs, or flying cars. The tower will have its grand opening early in 2020. Meanwhile, a flying car's reality, where passengers can be dropped off at home like Amazon drone packages, could be decades away – if ever.

Everywhere you turn in the transportation industry these days, Toyota Motor Corp. already seems to be there. From batteries and self-driving vehicles to lunar rovers and ride-hailing companies, the world's second-biggest automaker is on an investment spree, pouring more than ¥300 billion into deals and partnerships in recent years. Toyota is placing bets across the board, mimicking technology investors like SoftBank Group Corp. Toyota, Volkswagen and other carmakers face an uncertain future as new technologies and business models ripple through the $2.23 trillion global auto industry. Uber Technologies Inc. has made younger buyers less interested in owning and driving cars, and Tesla Inc.'s success with electric vehicles has spurred bigger rivals to counter with their own products. All told, car sales will be only slightly higher in 2030, while new spending on mobility services will total $1.34 trillion, Accenture predicts.

The Yavapai County Attorney said in a letter made public that there was "no basis for criminal liability" for Uber, but that the back-up driver, Rafaela Vasquez, should be referred to the Tempe police for additional investigation. Prosecutors' decision not to pursue criminal charges removes one potential headache for the ride-hailing company as the company's executives try to resolve a long list of federal investigations, lawsuits and other legal risks ahead of a hotly anticipated initial public offering this year. The crash involved a Volvo XC90 sport utility vehicle that Uber was using to test self-driving technology. The fatal accident was a setback from which the company has yet to recover; its autonomous vehicle testing remains dramatically reduced. The accident was also a blow to the entire autonomous vehicle industry and led other companies to temporarily halt their testing.

It looks like Tinder learned something from the ride-hailing app Uber. The dating company announced Thursday that it's testing a new feature called Swipe Surge, which sends a push notification when usage is spiking in a specific geographic area. During those periods, Tinder says the odds of finding a match are increased. The test comes one week after Facebook announced testing of its competing dating product would be expanded to two new markets. Tinder says Swipe Surges are triggered by a number of variables, including when activity in an area is two times normal averages.

Nearly eight months after one of its autonomous test vehicles hit and killed an Arizona pedestrian, Uber wants to resume testing on public roads. The company has filed an application with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to test in Pittsburgh, and it has issued a lengthy safety report pledging to put two human backup drivers in each vehicle and take a raft of other precautions to make the vehicles safe. Company officials acknowledge they have a long way to go to regain public trust after the March 18 crash in Tempe, Arizona, that killed Elaine Herzberg, 49, as she crossed a darkened road outside the lines of a crosswalk. Nearly eight months after one of its autonomous test vehicles hit and killed an Arizona pedestrian, Uber wants to resume testing on public roads. Police said Uber's backup driver in the autonomous Volvo SUV was streaming the television show'The Voice' on her phone and looking downward before crash. The National Transportation Safety Board said the autonomous driving system on the Volvo spotted Herzberg about six seconds before hitting her, but did not stop because the system used to automatically apply brakes in potentially dangerous situations had been disabled.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - BMW (BMWG.DE) rivals and ride-hailing companies are considering joining its consortium for developing self-driving cars as auto industry profits come under increasing pressure, board member Klaus Froehlich said on Tuesday. Carmakers and ride-hailing companies have sought to build self-driving cars as a way to enter the business of smartphone-hailed robotaxis. However, they are entering a crowded field where the likes of Apple (AAPL.O) and Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) have been pouring billions of dollars into cars that can drive themselves. "Unfortunately, everybody thought they would be the winner and would have an enormous ride-sharing business," BMW board member Klaus Froehlich told Reuters on the sidelines of the Paris Motor Show. BMW, however, wanted to spread the cost of investment and started a consortium that now includes Mobileye, Magna (MG.TO), Fiat Chrysler (FCHA.MI) and auto suppliers Delphi Automotive (DLPH.N) and Continental AG (CONG.DE).

BMW rivals and ride-hailing companies are considering joining its consortium for developing self-driving cars as auto industry profits come under increasing pressure, board member Klaus Froehlich said on Tuesday. Carmakers and ride-hailing companies have sought to build self-driving cars as a way to enter the business of smartphone-hailed robotaxis. However, they are entering a crowded field where the likes of Apple and Alphabet Inc have been pouring billions of dollars into cars that can drive themselves. Harald Kruger, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, poses in front of the new BMW series 3 during a media preview at the Auto show in Paris. Carmakers and ride-hailing companies have sought to build self-driving cars as a way to enter the business of smartphone-hailed robotaxis.

The San Francisco-based company's second-quarter revenue rose 63% from the prior year to $2.8 billion, while gross bookings, a measure of the overall demand for its ride and delivery services, jumped 41% to about $12 billion, according to a financial statement released by Uber. The company narrowed its loss to $891 million in the second quarter from $1.1 billion a year ago. The loss was, however, wider than the $550 million loss in the first quarter of this year, not including a $3 billion gain from the sales of its southeast Asian and Russian operations. The company is spending more money on new businesses such as food delivery and scooters, according to an Uber spokesman. Mr. Khosrowshahi, who replaced ousted Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick last August, has worked to cut expenses at the ride-hailing company in preparation for an initial public offering. This year, he has sold divisions such as the money-losing U.S. car leasing business to Fair.com and its southeast Asian operations to rival Grab Inc.

Ride-hailing giant Uber has sold its south-east Asia business to its leading rival Grab marking a further retreat from international operations. It comes after Uber also pulled out of China and Russia in recent years and as new chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi attempts to turn the firm#s fortunes around. Under the terms of the deal, Uber will take a 27.5 per cent stake in Grab, which offers ride-sharing, food delivery, bicycle hire and financial services. US firm Uber will also have a seat on Grab's board. Ride-hailing giant Uber is selling its Southeast Asia operation to its leading rival Grab marking a further retreat from international operations.

China's capital city has given the green light to tech giant Baidu Inc to test self-driving cars on city streets, indicating strong support for the budding sector even as the industry reels from a fatal accident in the United States. Beijing's move is an important step as China looks to bolster its position in the global race for autonomous vehicles, where regulatory concerns have come into the spotlight since the crash earlier this month. The accident in Tempe, Arizona, involving an Uber self-driving car, was the first death attributed to a self-driving car operating in autonomous mode, and has ramped up pressure on the industry to prove its software and sensors are safe. China's capital city has given the green light to tech giant Baidu Inc to test self-driving cars on city streets, indicating strong support for the budding sector even as the industry reels from a fatal accident in the United States. Beijing has given Baidu, best known as China's version of search engine Google, a permit to test its autonomous vehicles on 33 roads spanning around 105 kilometres (65 miles) in the city's less-populated suburbs, the firm said in a statement.